The potential synergistic effects between psychedelic administration and nature contact for the improvement of mental health
This review (2020) of psychedelic therapy and nature relatedness argues that both may work in synergy and that maximizing nature relatedness during psychedelic therapy could provide added benefits.
Authors
- Robin Carhart-Harris
- Christopher Timmermann
- Rosalind Watts
Published
Abstract
Therapeutic psychedelic administration and contact with nature have been associated with the same psychological mechanisms: decreased rumination and negative affect, enhanced psychological connectedness and mindfulness-related capacities, and heightened states of awe and transcendent experiences, all processes linked to improvements in mental health amongst clinical and healthy populations. Nature-based settings can have inherently psychologically soothing properties which may complement all stages of psychedelic therapy (mainly preparation and integration) whilst potentiating increases in nature relatedness, with associated psychological benefits. Maximising enhancement of nature relatedness through therapeutic psychedelic administration may constitute an independent and complementary pathway towards improvements in mental health that can be elicited by psychedelics.
Research Summary of 'The potential synergistic effects between psychedelic administration and nature contact for the improvement of mental health'
Introduction
Nature relatedness — a stable, trait-like sense of oneness with the natural world — and direct contact with nature have each been associated with broad benefits for mental health, including reductions in rumination, negative affect and stress, and increases in mindfulness-related capacities, connectedness and well‑being. Earlier research suggests that these psychological processes overlap with those reported after administration of classical serotonergic psychedelics (notably substances acting at the 5-HT2A receptor such as psilocybin), which have been linked to sustained increases in nature relatedness, openness, mystical or transcendent experiences, and improvements in clinical and non-clinical measures of psychological health. Gandy and colleagues set out to review and synthesise evidence for potential synergistic effects between therapeutic psychedelic use and nature contact. The paper argues that incorporating nature-based settings and practices—particularly during preparation and integration phases of psychedelic therapy—could amplify shared therapeutic mechanisms, increase the likelihood that participants adopt nature-based habits, and thereby provide an additional pathway by which psychedelics contribute to improved mental health. The authors also consider practical and safety constraints and propose avenues for future research and clinical models focused on enhancing nature relatedness.
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Gandy, S., Forstmann, M., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Timmermann, C., Luke, D., & Watts, R. (2020). The potential synergistic effects between psychedelic administration and nature contact for the improvement of mental health. Health Psychology Open, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102920978123
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