Setting the Stage for the Inner Journey: Unraveling the Interplay of Contextual Factors and the Intensity of Psychedelic-Induced Ego Dissolution

Psychedelics have the potential to induce profound alterations in cognition, emotionality, and sensory perception. The quality and intensity of these subjective effects exhibit high intra- and inter-individual variability, which can potentially be accounted for by the variability in contexts in which psychedelics are used. Therefore, the aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate how internal and external contextual factors are related to the subjective intensity of psychedelic-induced ego dissolution experiences. Participants completed an online survey in which they reported their motivations for past use of psychedelic substances, and the frequency of use in different environments and social contexts. Additionally, participants completed the Ego Dissolution Inventory to evaluate the intensity of past ego dissolution experiences. Robust linear regression analysis was performed on data from 862 psychedelics users (701 had used LSD and 553 had used psilocybin mushrooms); this revealed that participants consuming psychedelics for spiritual or self-healing purposes reported more intense, while those motivated by curiosity reported less intense ego dissolution experiences. However, the social context and physical environment did not exhibit robust associations with the reported ego dissolution. Therefore, our study enhances understanding of how set and setting factors relate to psychedelic-induced ego dissolution experiences in naturalistic contexts.