You’re no doubt already aware that many of the products we sell in our online smartshop provide the most amazing trips. But scientists in Finland have now investigated the extent to which there is a link between psychedelic substances and mystical experiences—experiences that countless psychonauts know better than anyone else. The new study was published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
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Positive Changes
“Studies involving both clinical populations and healthy volunteers, as well as population-based research, suggest that some people experience positive changes in well-being and relationships after using psychedelics,” said study author Samuli Kangaslampi, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tampere. Kangaslampi believes that it may be the mystical experiences that could lead to these changes.
“Undergoing mystical experiences under their influence may be a possible mechanism that could lead to such changes. However, research on psychedelic-induced mystical-like experiences has been limited to a few different cultural settings, and there has been little to no previous research from Scandinavian contexts on psychedelics in general. This may be relevant in a complex phenomenon such as mystical experiences and their meaning and relevance,” he continues.
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Mystical Experience Questionnaire
In a study of 288 psychedelic users who spoke fluent Finnish, the researchers found that a Finnish translation of the 30-item revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) was a valid and reliable measure of mystical experiences. This questionnaire was originally developed in English to assess the occurrence and nature of distinct mystical experiences, such as the feeling of transcending time and space, as well as encounters with other entities.
Kangaslampi and his colleagues found that those who scored high on the MEQ30 were more likely to describe their psychedelic experience as mystical, spiritual, or religious, but also as more personal. “Correlations with the experience being pleasant, sad, or difficult were also significant, but weaker,” the researchers noted.
“Even when taken for the first time, psychedelics can induce powerful subjective experiences that share many characteristics with those described by mystics, dedicated meditators, and religious practitioners,” the researcher noted. “Researchers studying psychedelics are developing ways to assess such experiences and their meaning and potential effects. Some studies are beginning to show that having a mystical-like experience can later be linked to improved relationships with oneself, others, and the natural environment,” Kangaslampi told the online magazine PsyPost.
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Cultural context
This scientifically validated translation of the MEQ30 therefore offers numerous new opportunities for researchers to investigate the effects of psychedelic drugs. “The main goal of this study was to validate a measure of mystical experiences and to begin to clarify whether psychedelic-induced mystical experiences, their characteristics, and their relevance differ across different cultural contexts,” he explains.
“As such, the sample on which this study is based is not intended to be representative of all people using psychedelics for the first time, in Finland or in general. Furthermore, the participants also reported on the first times they used these substances, which in many cases took place years earlier,” Kangaslampi further explained.
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Mystical experiences and positivity
“Regarding the role and relevance of mystical-like experiences in general, we face two key questions. First, the potential unique contribution of mystical-like experiences in promoting positive changes following psychedelic use, when accounting for other putative psychological mechanisms of change, remains to be established.
“Second, although powerful and profound experiences occur in many users of psychedelics, there is still debate over whether their relevant characteristics are best described as mystical experiences, peak experiences, or emotional breakthroughs,” said Kangaslampi.
