Longitudinal associations between psychedelic use and unusual visual experiences in the United States and the United Kingdom

TL;DR

This study finds that using psychedelics is linked to unusual visual experiences even after the drug's effects wear off, especially for first-time users.

Contribution

The study provides longitudinal evidence linking naturalistic psychedelic use to persistent unusual visual experiences.

Findings

Psychedelic use during the study period was associated with increased unusual visual experiences.

First-time users reported greater increases in unusual visual experiences compared to those with prior use.

Abstract

Whereas findings from case reports and cross-sectional studies suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use may be associated with unusual visual experiences that occur after the acute pharmacological effects have subsided, such findings need to be replicated in longitudinal studies to better understand potential cause-and-effect relationships.

To investigate longitudinal associations between naturalistic psychedelic use and unusual visual experiences.

Using a longitudinal observational research design with samples representative of the US and UK adult populations with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity (N = 9732), we investigated the relationship between psychedelic use during the 2-month study period and changes in past-week unusual visual experiences.

The follow-up survey was completed by 79% of respondents (n = 7667), with 100 respondents reporting psychedelic use during the 2-month study period (1.3% of those who responded at follow-up). In covariate-adjusted regression models, the results showed that, as hypothesized, psychedelic use during the 2-month study period was associated with greater increases in unusual visual experiences. Notably, there was an interaction between lifetime psychedelic use and psychedelic use during the study period on unusual visual experiences such that those who used psychedelics for the first time reported greater increases in unusual visual experiences.

Psychedelic use may elicit unusual visual experiences that occur after the acute pharmacological effects have subsided, especially among those who have not used psychedelics previously. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to further elucidate these relationships.

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