Major life changes following psychedelic use: A retrospective survey among people using psychedelics naturalistically
This survey (n=581) evaluates the Psychedelic-related Major Life Changes Questionnaire (P-MLCQ) in people reporting naturalistic psychedelic use. It finds that 82.96% of participants reported major life changes in at least one domain, including goals (53.7%), values (53.53%), and spirituality (49.05%), with changes rated highly positively (M = 4.64/5). Frequency of use correlated with more changes (r = 0.34), while education level was negatively associated with the number of changes (β = -0.137).
Authors
- Joshua Woolley
- Jordan Aday
- Kevin Boehnke
Published
Abstract
Background
Psychedelic drugs show promise in facilitating a variety of long-term psychological changes, but they may also lead to unexpected major life changes that have not been captured by measures typically used in clinical trials.
Aim
We aimed to develop a survey instrument that can characterize the quality and self-appraisal of psychedelic-related major life changes.
Method
The Psychedelic-related Major Life Changes Questionnaire (P-MLCQ) was created to assess psychedelic-related major life changes across 10 different domains. We evaluated the survey in people reporting naturalistic psychedelic use (N = 581).
Results
482/581 participants (82.96%) reported a major life change in at least one domain influenced by their psychedelic use (M = 3.29, SD = 2.60), including changes in Goals (53.70%), Values (53.53%), Religion/spirituality (49.05%), Social activities (37.01%), Eating habits/diet (34.08%), Occupation/Line of work (32.36%), Hobbies (29.43%), Political views (14.97%), Sexuality (13.08%), and Marital status or a non-marital partner change (12.22%). Major life changes were rated highly positively (M = 4.64, SD = 0.61 on a 5-point scale). There was a positive relationship between frequency of psychedelic use over the last five years and total number of psychedelic-related major life changes (r = 0.34, p < .001). Education level was negatively associated with the total number of psychedelic-related major life changes endorsed (β = -.137, p < .01).
Conclusion
Our results support that psychedelic use can be followed by major life changes. Future research is needed to examine the generalizability of these results in representative samples that are less susceptible to positive bias.
Research Summary of 'Major life changes following psychedelic use: A retrospective survey among people using psychedelics naturalistically'
Introduction
Aday and colleagues situate this study within growing evidence that psychedelic drugs — including classic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, LSD), empathogens (e.g., MDMA), and dissociatives (e.g., ketamine) — can produce enduring psychological and belief changes after relatively few exposures. The authors note that clinical trials and naturalistic research have documented long-term effects on depression, anxiety, substance use, spirituality, cognitive flexibility, and belief systems, and that anecdotal and case-report material describe more global "major life changes" (for example, career or relationship changes) that are not routinely captured by standard adverse-event reporting or outcome measures used in psychedelic trials. To address this measurement gap, the study developed the Psychedelic-related Major Life Changes Questionnaire (P-MLCQ) to characterise domains of major life change potentially attributable to psychedelic experiences and to assess how people appraise those changes. The investigators then administered the P-MLCQ in a retrospective survey of people reporting naturalistic psychedelic use to describe prevalence, valence, and demographic or use-related predictors of psychedelic-related major life changes.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Full Text PDF
Full Paper PDF
Pro members can view the original manuscript directly in the browser.
Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- Authors
- APA Citation
(2024). Major life changes following psychedelic use: A retrospective survey among people using psychedelics naturalistically. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29745.80489
References (24)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Aday, J. S., Bloesch, E. K., Davis, A. K. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2024)
Aday, J. S., Davis, A. K., Mitzkovitz, C. M. et al. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2021)
Aday, J. S., Horton, D. M., Fernandes-Osterhold, G. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2024)
Aday, J. S., Mitzkovitz, C. M., Bloesch, E. K. et al. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2020)
Agin-Liebes, G. I., Malone, T., Yalch, M. M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2020)
Bogenschutz, M. P., Ross, S., Bhatt, S. R. et al. · JAMA Psychiatry (2022)
Calder, A. E., Hasler, G. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, &. M., Day, C. M. J. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Davis, A. K., Streeter Barrett, F., Griffiths, R. R. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2021)
Devenot, N., Seale-Feldman, A., Smith, E. et al. · Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal (2022)
Show all 24 referencesShow fewer
Doss, M. K., Považan, M., Rosenberg, M. D. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2021)
Gasser, P., Holstein, D., Michel, Y. et al. · Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (2014)
Goodwin, G. M., Aaronson, S. T., Alvarez, O. et al. · New England Journal of Medicine (2022)
Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Jiménez-Garrido, D. F., Gómez-Sousa, M., Ona, G. et al. · Scientific Reports (2020)
Lutkajtis, A., Evans, J. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2023)
Maclean, K. A., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2011)
McGovern, H., Grimmer, H. J., Doss, M. K. et al. · Communications Psychology (2024)
Nayak, S., Singh, M., Yaden, D. B. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Nour, M. R., Evans, J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2017)
Nygart, V., Pommerencke, L. M., Haijen, E. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Pace, B. A., Devenot, N. · Frontiers in Psychology (2021)
Raison, C. L., Sanacora, G., Woolley, J. D. et al. · JAMA (2023)
Wolff, M., Evens, R., Mertens, L. J. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2020)
Cited By (1)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Teixeira, P. J., Jain, R., Penn, A. D. et al. · Preventative Medicine Reports (2025)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.