Psychedelics and health behaviour change
This theory-building paper (2021) argues for the positive impact that psychedelic use can have on health behaviors. Current trials are using psychedelics for mental health disorders, but future studies could look further to improvements in diet, exercise, nature exposure and other behaviours that promote physical and psychological well-being.
Authors
- Robin Carhart-Harris
- Christopher Timmermann
- David Erritzoe
Published
Abstract
Healthful behaviours such as maintaining a balanced diet, being physically active and refraining from smoking have major impacts on the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other serious conditions. The burden of the so-called ‘lifestyle diseases’-in personal suffering, premature mortality and public health costs-is considerable. Consequently, interventions designed to promote healthy behaviours are increasingly being studied, e.g., using psychobiological models of behavioural regulation and change. In this article, we explore the notion that psychedelic substances such as psilocybin could be used to assist in promoting positive lifestyle change conducive to good overall health. Psilocybin has a low toxicity, is non-addictive and has been shown to predict favourable changes in patients with depression, anxiety and other conditions marked by rigid behavioural patterns, including substance (mis)use. While it is still early days for modern psychedelic science, research is advancing fast and results are promising. Here we describe psychedelics’ proposed mechanisms of action and research findings pertinent to health behaviour change science, hoping to generate discussion and new research hypotheses linking the two areas. Therapeutic models including psychedelic experiences and common behaviour change methods (e.g., Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing) are already being tested for addiction and eating disorders. We believe this research may soon be extended to help promote improved diet, exercise, nature exposure and also mindfulness or stress reduction practices, all of which can contribute to physical and psychological health and well-being.
Research Summary of 'Psychedelics and health behaviour change'
Introduction
The paper situates health behaviour change—areas such as diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol use—within the broader public health imperative to reduce so-called lifestyle diseases and their large personal and economic burdens. It notes that despite decades of public health efforts many unhealthy behaviours remain prevalent, and argues that novel adjunctive approaches deserve exploration. The authors introduce classic psychedelics (for example psilocybin, LSD, and DMT/ayahuasca) as compounds with a long ethnographic history and a modern resurgence of clinical research, including promising early results for mood disorders, cancer-related distress and substance use disorders. Teixeira and colleagues set out to explore links between psychedelic pharmacology, psychological mechanisms, and evidence of spontaneous or trial-related changes in lifestyle behaviours. Their aim is not to present a new randomised trial but to synthesise neurobiological, psychological and preliminary clinical/observational evidence to generate hypotheses about how psychedelic-assisted interventions might support sustained health behaviour change and to propose conceptual frameworks that could guide future research and therapeutic models.
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Study Details
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- APA Citation
Teixeira, P. J., Johnson, M. W., Timmermann, C., Watts, R., Erritzoe, D., Douglass, H., Kettner, H., & Carhart-Harris, R. L. (2022). Psychedelics and health behaviour change. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 36(1), 12-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811211008554
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