We Know Psychedelics Change Mental Health Symptoms, But Can They Also Change Who You Are As A Person?

However, while these studies focus on measurable changes in symptomatology, they may fail to capture the bigger picture, which concerns the way in which psychedelics alter people’s personalities, beliefs, and ultimately, the way in which they live their lives.

“A lot of these things aren't typically documented in outcomes in clinical trials with psychedelics,” says psychologist Dr Jake Aday from the University of Michigan. “Things like, did you change your job or make a major relationship change, or have a change in your sense of spirituality [after taking psychedelics]?” 

“Those things are not considered in typical psychiatric research,” he says.

Psychedelics And major life changes

A few months ago, Aday and his colleagues published a paper that sought to capture the ways in which psychedelic drugs actually alter the course of people’s lives. Surveying 581 individuals who had used these substances, they found that 83 percent reported making at least one major life change as a result of their mind-altering experiences.

What inspired this study was hearing all these anecdotes of people who took mushrooms, for example, and realized they wanted to quit their job as a lawyer and open a pottery shop, or something like that.

Dr Jake Aday

This included adjustments in goals and values, but also extended to tangible outcomes such as a change in eating habits, a switch in career, and even behaviors related to sexuality. Importantly, virtually all of these major life changes were rated as positive, with less than one percent describing the outcomes as negative.

“What inspired this study was hearing all these anecdotes of people who took mushrooms, for example, and realized they wanted to quit their job as a lawyer and open a pottery shop, or something like that,” says Aday. “It's kind of a little stereotypical, but those are the things you hear.”

Now, we have actual data to go along with these anecdotes, providing solid evidence that psychedelics really do trigger a major reshuffle in the way people live their lives. The next question for scientists to answer, therefore, concerns how these drugs produce such life-changing effects.

How psychedelics change us

Over the past decade or so, research on the neurobiological effects of psychedelics has exploded. For instance, it’s now well established that these substances alter connectivity patterns in the brain, loosening rigid activity within a brain network called the default mode network and enabling more spontaneous connections to arise throughout the brain.

Scientists are now seeking to understand how these neural signals translate into actual changes in personality, beliefs, and behavior. “Psychedelics have been shown to lead to personality changes in the domain of openness to new experiences, which kind of lends itself to making major life changes,” says Aday.

A number of studies have documented this effect, with data indicating that this particular personality trait remains elevated a whole year after taking psilocybin. Enhanced openness has also been highlighted to explain the results of another study, which found that psychedelics use is strongly correlated with changes in beliefs about the nature of reality.

For instance, one survey indicated that people who ingest these substances frequently report a relaxation in their belief in a purely material universe, becoming more open to the idea of “panpsychism”. 

According to the study authors, these views mirror those typically associated with Indigenous populations, such as Amazonian communities that include the use of ayahuasca as part of their cultural and religious heritage.

Meanwhile, a separate study has indicated that the use of psychedelics is linked to an increased sense of “meaning in life”, with this effect being most notable in those suffering from “entrenched negative perspectives… that block the generation of meaning in life.” 

Another major finding was that enhanced meaningfulness correlates with mystical experiences and “ego-dissolution” while under the influence of psychedelics, indicating that certain aspects of a trip may help to unlock major changes in people’s outlook on life.

Psychedelics can fundamentally change us – but is that a good thing?

Back in the 1960s, countercultural leaders like Timothy Leary promoted the idea that the world would be a better place if everyone took LSD. Famously, Leary suggested that the drug helps people “turn on, tune in and drop out”, indicating that users may be inspired to turn their backs on the capitalist system and connect to a more meaningful way of living.

These days, the message is somewhat more nuanced and less confrontational, typically focusing on the ways in which psychedelics might enhance individual wellbeing. For instance, the study that noted an increase in meaning following the use of these drugs also revealed that this outcome was linked to reductions in depressive symptoms among those suffering from the condition.

Similarly, depressed patients who responded positively to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy consistently report changes in their belief systems, suggesting that these two effects may go hand-in-hand.

The fact that people perceive these life changes so positively is pretty hard to argue with.

Dr Jake Aday

So while the catchy anti-establishment slogans from the 60s may not have aged well, Aday says that the data coming out of these rigorous scientific studies is beginning to point towards the real benefits of psychedelics. 

“In general, the things people report seem to be very pro-social,” he says. “Things like more gratitude, more appreciation of nature, deeper aesthetic experiences and engagement with the arts.” 

Of course, that’s not a call for everyone to drop acid, and there is still a lot of research needed to elucidate the full extent of the risks and benefits of taking psychedelics. But when used correctly, Aday says that the changes these drugs tend to inspire have huge positive potential. 

“The fact that people perceive these life changes so positively is pretty hard to argue with,” he says.

The study by Aday et al is published in Scientific Reports.