Development of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire among a sample of people who have consumed psilocybin or LSD

Abstract

Background: Several measures have been developed to examine acute psychedelic effects (e.g. mystical-type and challenging experiences), but no measure assesses acute psychologically insightful experiences that may occur during psychedelic experiences. Aim: The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire. Method: A cross-sectional survey study among psilocybin and LSD users. Respondents ( n=1661; Mage=22.9, standard deviation=8.5; Caucasian/White=83%; non-Hispanic=91%; men=72%; United States resident=66%) completed an Internet-based survey. Results: The Psychological Insight Questionnaire consists of 23 items with two subscales: (a) Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and (b) Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights. Construct validity of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire was supported by strong correlations of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores with the insight subscale of the Session Impacts Scale, and weak-to-moderate correlations with the Mystical Experiences and Challenging Experiences Questionnaires. Furthermore, Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores were moderately-to-strongly correlated with retrospectively reported increases in psychological flexibility, and well-being/life satisfaction that were attributed to a memorable psychedelic experience. Lastly, incremental validity was established showing that the Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights subscale) scores predict unique variance in changes in psychological flexibility, and Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores predict changes in well-being and life satisfaction, beyond measures of acute mystical-type and challenging effects. Conclusions: The Psychological Insight Questionnaire has the potential to extend the understanding of the acute and enduring effects of psychedelics. Further longitudinal research is necessary to determine the long-term predictive validity of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire and to examine the role of psychological insight in predicting therapeutic outcomes.

People of color in North America report improvements in racial trauma and mental health symptoms following psychedelic experiences

“… Lane and colleagues (2015) argue that for traumatization, the essential ingredients of therapeutic change include reactivating old memories and then engaging in new emotional experiences that are incorporated into these reactivated memories via the process of reconsolidation. Insight would then represent the natural product of this process which psychedelics appear to facilitate ( Davis et al, 2020 ; Davis et al, in press ).…”

“…(PIQ; Davis et al, 2020 ; Davis et al, in press ). The 23-item PIQ was included in the study to assess participants’ insights had during the psychedelic experience related to emotions, beliefs, memories, and relationships.…”

Increases in Psychological Flexibility Mediate Relationship Between Acute Psychedelic Effects and Decreases in Racial Trauma Symptoms Among People of Color

“…Results also showed that the acute psychedelic effects (mystical experience and emotional breakthrough) were associated with greater improvements in psychological flexibility. 55 Another report 56 showed that psychological insight (measured with the PIQ 30 ) was significantly correlated with retrospectively reported increases in psychological flexibility that occurred from pre- to postpsychedelic experience. Although emerging evidence suggests that acute insight experiences may be highly correlated with therapeutic outcomes, 23 , 30 it is important to consider that these effects usually occur in the context of a mystical-type experience and prior studies that have modeled this relationship have controlled for the moderate to large correlation between these variables.…”

On Revelations and Revolutions: Drinking Ayahuasca Among Palestinians Under Israeli Occupation

“…In Western countercultures, psychedelics have also been historically related to antihegemonic revolutionary tendencies (Lee and Shlain, 1985). Such tendencies occurred as a result of fidelity to the LSD event, in an attempt to popularize psychedelics (Saldanha, 2007b) and/or-as we suggest here-through critical insights and revelations reached while under the influence of psychedelics (La Barre, 1938Barre, /1975Winkelman, 2010;Luna, 2011;Labate and Cavnar, 2014;Strassman, 2014;Davis et al, 2020Davis et al, , 2021. Regardless of the way in which they were induced, similar revelations are known to come with the enthusiasm to deliver the message to others, which at times developed into social movements (Mooney, 1896(Mooney, /1991Wallace, 1956;Lanternari, 1963;Whitehouse, 2004;Taves, 2016).…”