Psychedelics, Mystical Experiences, and Meaning Making: A Renegotiation Process With the Challenges of Existence

Abstract

This article addresses the need to develop theory regarding psychedelics’ long‐term mechanisms of action in response to the psychedelic renaissance by providing an existential‐humanistic framework for conceptualizing the effects of psychedelics and the mystical experiences they may occasion as enabling a renegotiation process with the challenges of existence.

Counselors’ attitudes toward psychedelics and their use in therapy

“…PAT includes a three‐stage process of preparation sessions, drug‐facilitated session(s), and follow‐up integration sessions (Reiff et al., 2020). Preparation sessions focus on developing therapeutic rapport and trust, gathering relevant history, reviewing common effects of psychedelics, processing client concerns, and setting general intentions for the content and approach of the drug‐assisted session (Hearn, 2021). During the drug‐assisted session, therapists act as empathic witnesses and nondirective guides while the client attends primarily to their inner experience, which is deepened through eyeshades and music (Phelps, 2017).…”

“…Our study broadly indicates that counselors are interested in and receptive to psychedelics and their potential uses in PAT and wish to see greater research in this area. Given counselors’ future role in the delivery of PAT and in working with naturalistic psychedelic users (Curtis et al., 2020; Hearn, 2021), the lack of research conducted by members of the counseling profession stands both as a significant gap and opportunity in this developing field. Researchers may begin filling this need by identifying and developing best practices which allow counselors to support naturalistic psychedelic users with nonpathologizing perspectives or collaboratively by working with physicians to become more involved in clinical research.…”

“…During the drug-assisted session, therapists act as empathic witnesses and nondirective guides while the client attends primarily to their inner experience, which is deepened through eyeshades and music (Phelps, 2017). Integration sessions typically begin the following day, may continue for several weeks, and are comprised of helping clients further process their psychedelic experience and encouraging behavior changes which are aimed at consolidating and continuing the meaning-making process (Hearn, 2021).…”

“…The acute subjective effects of psychedelics are generally modulated by the interaction of three factors: set, setting, and dose (Hartogsohn, 2017; Hearn, 2021). Set refers to the person's biology, personality traits, current and recent affect, and expectations for the experience.…”

Restorative Retelling for Processing Psychedelic Experiences: Rationale and Case Study of Complicated Grief

“…Changing previous schemas and meaning-making of emerging symbolic content may be mechanisms of change in psychedelic therapy ( Meikle et al, 2020 ; Hearn, 2021 ; Nayak and Johnson, 2021 ). Restorative Retelling fosters both processes, facilitating the integration of the experience into autobiographical memory and promoting its long-term benefits.…”