Schizophrenia

Ego-dissolution and psychedelics: validation of the ego-dissolution inventory (EDI)

This study (n=691) aimed to validate the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI) as well as to investigate the specificity of the relationship between psychedelics and ego-dissolution. The results demonstrate the psychometric structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of the EDI. It was confirmed that ego-dissolution is specific for experiences induced by psychedelic drugs and not by alcohol or cocaine.

Authors

  • Robin Carhart-Harris
  • David Nutt
  • John Evans

Published

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
individual Study

Abstract

Aims

The experience of a compromised sense of “self”, termed ego-dissolution, is a key feature of the psychedelic experience. This study aimed to validate the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI), a new 8-item self-report scale designed to measure ego-dissolution. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the specificity of the relationship between psychedelics and ego-dissolution.

Method

Sixteen items relating to altered ego-consciousness were included in an internet questionnaire; eight relating to the experience of ego-dissolution (comprising the EDI), and eight relating to the antithetical experience of increased self-assuredness, termed ego-inflation. Items were rated using a visual analog scale. Participants answered the questionnaire for experiences with classical psychedelic drugs, cocaine and/or alcohol. They also answered the seven questions from the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ) relating to the experience of unity with one’s surroundings.

Results

Six hundred and ninety-one participants completed the questionnaire, providing data for 1828 drug experiences (1043 psychedelics, 377 cocaine, 408 alcohol). Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the eight EDI items loaded exclusively onto a single common factor, which was orthogonal to a second factor comprised of the items relating to ego-inflation (rho = −0.110), demonstrating discriminant validity. The EDI correlated strongly with the MEQ-derived measure of unitive experience (rho = 0.735), demonstrating convergent validity. EDI internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha 0.93). Three analyses confirmed the specificity of ego-dissolution for experiences occasioned by psychedelic drugs. Firstly, EDI score correlated with drug-dose for psychedelic drugs (rho = 0.371), but not for cocaine (rho = 0.115) or alcohol (rho = −0.055). Secondly, the linear regression line relating the subjective intensity of the experience to ego-dissolution was significantly steeper for psychedelics (unstandardized regression coefficient = 0.701) compared with cocaine (0.135) or alcohol (0.144). Ego-inflation, by contrast, was specifically associated with cocaine experiences. Finally, a binary Support Vector Machine classifier identified experiences occasioned by psychedelic drugs vs. cocaine or alcohol with over 85% accuracy using ratings of ego-dissolution and ego-inflation alone.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate the psychometric structure, internal consistency and construct validity of the EDI. Moreover, we demonstrate the close relationship between ego-dissolution and the psychedelic experience. The EDI will facilitate the study of the neuronal correlates of ego-dissolution, which is relevant for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and our understanding of psychosis.

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Research Summary of 'Ego-dissolution and psychedelics: validation of the ego-dissolution inventory (EDI)'

Introduction

Distortions in the subjective sense of self, often referred to as ego-dissolution, are a central feature of the psychedelic experience. Previous work has reported reductions in self-referential awareness with classical 5-HT2A agonists such as psilocybin, LSD and DMT, and related phenomena have been described in other altered states (for example, during ketamine or nitrous oxide use). Existing questionnaires of altered states capture a range of depersonalisation and visionary experiences, but the authors identify a gap: there was no brief, validated, uni-dimensional self-report measure that directly operationalises ego-dissolution as a construct, which limits psychometric, neurobiological and clinical research into this specific aspect of psychedelic states. Nour and colleagues therefore developed the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI), an 8-item self-report scale intended to measure ego-dissolution succinctly. Using an anonymous internet survey, the study aimed to validate the EDI psychometrically (factor structure, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity), to test whether ego-dissolution is specifically associated with psychedelic drugs versus cocaine or alcohol, and to explore relationships with dose, subjective intensity and changes in well-being. A secondary hypothesis was that stimulant drugs such as cocaine would be associated with an opposite phenomenon—termed ego-inflation—rather than ego-dissolution.

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Study Details

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164 cited
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Ego-dissolution and psychedelics: validation of... — Research Summary & Context | Blossom