We are in the midst of a psychedelic research renaissance. With research examining the efficacy of psychedelics as a treatment for a range of mental health indications still in its early stages, there is an increasing body of research to show that careful use of psychedelics can yield a variety of beneﬁts in “healthy normals” and so lead to “the betterment of well people.” Psychedelics have been found to modulate neuroplasticity, and usage in a supportive setting can result in enduring increases in traits such as well-being, life satisfaction, life meaning, mindfulness, and a variety of measures associated with prosocial behaviors and healthy psychological functioning. The effect of psychedelic experience on measures of personality trait openness and is potential implications is examined, and the potential role of awe as a mediator of the beneﬁts of the psychedelic experience is discussed. Special attention is given to the capacity of psychedelics to increase measures of nature relatedness in an enduring sense, which is being correlated with a broad range of measures of psychological well-being as well as a key predictor of pro-environmental awareness and behavior. The effects of particular classical psychedelic compounds on healthy people are discussed, with special attention given to the mystical-type experiences occasioned by high doses of psychedelics, which appear to be an important mediator of long-term beneﬁts and psychotherapeutic gains. Research looking at the potential beneﬁts of psychedelic microdosing is discussed. Potential future research avenues are explored, focusing on the potential development of psychedelics as agents of ecotherapy.

LSD A study on healthy people who had complained of a lack of purpose or meaning in their lives found that a supervised LSD session resulted in higher self-reported measures of self-actualization and creativity, with participants reporting a greater sense of meaning and purpose in their lives, oneness with humanity, decreased valuation of superficial pursuits such as material gains and social status, and an increase in confidence and assertiveness, with many of these changes still apparent months later (Savage, Fadiman, & Mogar, 1966). Modern research has found that an LSD experience in a controlled setting can result in elevated levels of optimism and trait openness 2 weeks post-experience (Carhart-Harris et al., 2016). The administration of a single large (200 μg) dose of LSD in a supportive setting to 16 healthy participants was found to lead to increases in positive attitudes about life and/or self, positive mood changes, altruistic/positive social effects, positive behavioral changes, and well-being/life satisfaction at 1 and 12 months following dosing, with no negative effects on attitudes or behavior attributed to the LSD experience. After 12 months, 10 of 14 participants rated their LSD experience as among the top 10 most meaningful experiences of their lives, with five rating the experience as among the most meaningful experiences of their lives (Schmid & Liechti, 2018).

5-MeO-DMT An online survey study reported that the psychedelic compound 5-MeO-DMT was commonly used infrequently and primarily for spiritual exploration, and was well-tolerated with very few problems associated with usage (Davis, Barsuglia, Lancelotta, Grant, & Renn, 2018). The use of 5-MeO-DMT (in the form of vaped Incilius alvarius toad secretion) in a naturalistic setting has been implicated in unintended but substantial reductions in measures of depression (80%) and anxiety (79%). Its usage in naturalistic settings has also been implicated in increasing measures of well-being and mindfulness long term (with the latter measure gaining statistical significance a month after dosing), with long-term benefits correlating with a greater intensity of mystical experiences and higher ratings of spiritual significance and personal meaning (Davis, So, Lancelotta, Barsuglia, & Griffiths, 2019). A single inhalation of 5-MeO-DMT (again in the form of vaped I. alvarius toad secretion) resulted in a significant increase in ratings of life satisfaction and convergent thinking immediately after intake, and was sustained at follow-up 4 weeks later. Ratings of mindfulness increased over time and attained statistical significance at 4 weeks. Ratings of depression, anxiety, and stress decreased after the sessions and reached significance at 4 weeks. High levels of ego dissolution and oceanic boundlessness during the experience were correlated with higher ratings for life satisfaction and lower ratings of depression and stress (Uthaug et al., 2019). The short lasting effects of 5-MeO-DMT and its consistency in inducing mystical-type experiences, which have been implicated in long-term benefits and therapeutic gains, are notable (Barsuglia et al., 2018).

Psychedelic Microdosing Research on psychedelic microdosing is still in its preliminary stages, but studies conducted to date warrant further research. Surveys of psychedelic microdosers have yielded reported benefits of improved mood, cognition, and creativity, which in some cases help counteract symptoms of depression and anxiety, although various challenges were also associated with the practice (Anderson, Petranker, Christopher, et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018). One observational study found that microdosing was associated with a general increase in reported psychological functioning on dosing days, but little evidence of residual effects on following days. Analyses of pre- and post-study measures showed reduced levels of depression and stress, lower levels of distractibility, increased absorption, and increased neuroticism. Effects that were believed likely to manifest were also unrelated to the observed patterns of reported effects (Polito & Stevenson, 2019). In an additional observational study, former and current microdosers scored lower on measures of dysfunctional attitudes and negative emotionality and higher on measures of wisdom, open-mindedness, and creativity compared to non-microdosing controls (Anderson, Petranker, Rosenbaum, et al., 2019). Microdosing may lead to improvements in convergent and divergent thinking, although further research is warranted using rigorous placebo-controlled study findings to investigate this further (Prochazkova et al., 2018).