Increases in Aesthetic Experience Following Ayahuasca Use: A Prospective, Naturalistic Study
Aday, J. S., Bloesch, E. K., Davis, A. K., Davoli, C. C., Domoff, S. E., Scherr, K., Woolley, J. D.
This open-label longitudinal study (n=54) explores the impact of ayahuasca on aesthetic experiences, measured before and after attending an ayahuasca retreat. The findings suggest an increase in aesthetic experiences following the retreat, despite no correlation between measures of acute drug effects (e.g. intensity of the trip) and changes in aesthetic experience.
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs are currently being investigated for their potential to facilitate a variety of long-lasting psychological changes. One area of psychological functioning that has yet to be systematically investigated in psychedelic research regards aesthetic experiences. This is surprising given the notable acute changes in perception induced by the drugs as well as the wealth of anecdotal reports of individuals reporting increased engagement in aesthetic experiences after psychedelic use. The current study was designed to address this gap in the literature by administering a validated measure of aesthetic experience one-week before, one-week after, and one-month after participants (N = 54) attended an ayahuasca retreat center. Participants also completed surveys indexing the extent to which they endorsed mystical-type experiences, awe, and ego dissolution during their ayahuasca sessions to identify potential predictors of long-term change. We found that compared to baseline, participants exhibited increased levels of aesthetic experience at both follow-ups. Measures of acute drug effects did not predict changes in aesthetic experience. Although the study was limited by an open-label design, the results support anecdotal reports regarding changes in aesthetic experience after psychedelic use and provide important groundwork for future study.