Psychedelics, Connectedness, Creativity and Addiction

Abstract

There appears to be a growing disconnection between humans and their natural environments and also from oneself and each other which has been linked to physical and psychological illness and addiction and might increase environmental destruction and its acceptance of. On the other hand, there seems to be a lack of effective methods to increase connectedness and (environmental) conscientiousness. A growing number of anecdotal reports and scientific studies hints at the possibility that psychedelic experiences could fill this gap. In the past few decades scientists put the spotlight on the topic of psychedelic experiences and cemented the notion of the seeming general nature of their therapeutic applicability in clinical settings. Since their (re-)discovery in western civilizations in the middle of the last century reports of a positive influence on psychological well-being, creativity, and alike on the general population have emerged. Furthermore, psychedelic experiences seem to be able to modulate addictive tendencies. In our study we want to investigate associations between the sense of general connectedness, creativity, and the ingestion of psychedelic compounds, such as LSD or psilocybin, that were self-administered in a naturalistic environment in an online volunteer sample. Additionally we propose, that a heightened sense of connectedness correlates with a diminished addictive behaviour. So can psychedelic compounds, that are self-administered in a naturalistic setting, increase our sense of connectedness and our creative potential and could they help us with our addictive tendencies?

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