Psychedelic Research Reborn: Opening the Doors of Creativity and Social Connection APS

However, although there is significant research that outlines the benefits of psychedelics for mental health, there remains, thus far, a gap in the scientific literature when it comes to the effects of psychedelics on creativity and cognition. Until now, that is.In this article we will look at two recent studies that explore the effects of psychedelics on creativity and cognition. Both studies were published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, with groundbreaking results. Each focuses on how psychedelics are responsible for altering our creative and cognitive patterns, and thus, how these changes could offer novel ways to improve our mental health and quality of life in general.

A 2018 study by researchers at Leiden University, NL, gave psilocybin truffles to attendees at a Dutch Psychedelic Society event. They then invited them to participate in two creative problem-solving tasks to measure their divergent and convergent thinking abilities. The findings revealed that the participants scored slightly higher on both divergent and convergent thinking tasks after the magic truffle microdose. The first study is a PHD paper by Natasha Mason, a researcher and assistant professor at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on psychedelic drugs, neuropharmacology, cannabis and neuroadaptations. In the paper titled ‘Spontaneous and deliberate creative cognition during and after psilocybin exposure’, Mason presents the question — do psychedelics boost creativity?

You probably use your creativity far more than you think, even just to adapt to the everchanging obstacles and unexpected moments of daily life. ‘Creativity’ is the ability to generate new ideas, solutions, concepts, and possibilities in a unique and original way. Whether it’s solving a work-related problem, or what note should come next in a chord progression, creativity is about seeing new ways to move forward. That stigma discourages many people from seeking treatment for substance dependence, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

• Today, the influence of psychedelics continues to evolve, driven by artists who are using music as a medium for healing, introspection, and community.
• Both studies were published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, with groundbreaking results.
• This distinction could mean that our results show a decrease in this deliberate, goal-directed creativity, but that spontaneous insight, this letting-your-mind-go kind of creativity, might be increased.
• Mescaline, the main psychoactive component of peyote, was first identified in 1897 by the German chemist Arthur Heffter and first synthesized in 1919 by Ernst Späth.
• This one participant entered the scanner and was really confused and kind of shocked because they clearly experienced going around a corner and asked me why they were turning around.
• Each year, I delve deeply within and emerge in the following weeks with designs for my next venture or the evolution of my current project.

New Studies Explore the Link Between Psychedelics & Creative Thinking

Spontaneous creativity happens when you are relaxed and at ease, meaning your mind is free to think and wander, without limitation. This post delves into the connection between psychedelics and creativity, offering examples from well-known artists and emphasizing the transformative potential of these experiences in artistic expression. With a decade of strategic design experience, Alexandra held key roles at agencies such as Normally Ltd, Method Inc., and Dazed Media, working globally and receiving recognition via publications and awards. Alexandra’s byline has appeared in Psychedelics Spotlight, Psychedelics Today, Women on Psychedelics, Proto.Life, and more.

The continual second-guessing of everything I do, the little voice that would tell me, ‘You’re doing it wrong,’ or ‘You’re not a “real artist”,’ has been quieted. It still pops up here and there, but I now have the capacity to gently tell it to go sit down and be quiet, leaving me free to explore, experiment, and create.” – Report on Psychedelics Terri, Artist. As well as all this wonderful psychological research, in-depth neuroimaging studies are also connecting psychedelics to creativity.

The Science Behind How Psychedelics Inspire Creative Breakthroughs

Visual artists might experience vivid imagery that later manifests in their work, while musicians find themselves crafting compositions that capture the essence of their journeys. Psychedelics dissolve mental boundaries, allowing access to subconscious realms where creativity thrives. Dennis McKenna, a renowned ethnopharmacologist, often speaks about how psychedelics dismantle the “default mode network” in the brain, enabling individuals to approach problems and ideas from entirely new perspectives. This state of openness fosters innovative thinking, as well as the ability to tap into a universal source of inspiration. Nevertheless, Lyubomirsky cautioned about the delivery of MDMA interventions, which should be given to the right person, with the right support, and at the right time and place.

They gave them a dose of either LSD or mescaline and put them into small, carefully organized groups. Before the experiment the participants were asked to each choose one (or more) work-related problems that required a creative solution. In recent years, when it comes to psychedelics, the focus has been on their potential to treat numerous mental health conditions, from depression to eating disorders. However, there has been a long-standing relationship between psychedelics and creativity that despite being well-known, has not, until now, been well-understood. The modern era of psychedelic research began in 2000, when researchers at Johns Hopkins University obtained regulatory approval to test psychedelics on healthy human subjects. U.S. law also started changing and, in 2020, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize the possession of small portions of LSD.

For example, The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was heavily influenced by their experiences with LSD, leading to some of the most iconic and experimental music of the 20th century. Visual artists like Alex Grey have also drawn directly from psychedelic journeys, creating intricate, visionary works that capture the essence of altered states of consciousness. Another explanation, which we favored, is that there are different ways of looking at creativity. There is one type of creativity, termed deliberate creativity, which is characterized by being more attention-demanding and goal-directed. Deliberate creativity can be contrasted with spontaneous creativity — a mental state more characterized by unrestrained, bizarre, random, and unfiltered thoughts.

The Lab inspired scientists by encouraging them to describe their work through metaphor and giving them a vehicle for sharing their discoveries with the public. So, as you can see, the science behind how psychedelics can enhance our creativity is many layered. Fascinatingly, the participants were able to come up with solutions to certain problems that they had been working on, and struggling with, for weeks, or even months. They reported that their inhibitions felt lower, they were able to contextualize their problem more broadly, they had greater capacity for visual imagery, and enhanced ideation.

With a master’s degree in Psychology from Erasmus University and a passion for the field, Floris aims to make psychedelics more widely available for both medical and personal growth purposes. He also offers psychedelic-assisted coaching sessions in The Netherlands through FLO Coaching, alongside his fiancee. Recent research has shown that these dream, or dream-like, states are very similar to psychedelic states. What makes them both breeding-grounds for creativity is that they induce a heightened capacity for mental imagery and visualization, and allow for a more associative and fluid way of thinking. The exciting exploration of psychedelics as creative enhancers offers a new dimension to psychedelic research, beyond that of the therapeutic or medical sphere. “I’m left feeling as if I’ve offloaded a massive weight from my mind, and I find that feeling incredibly liberating.

Another professional athlete who ascribed his success to psychedelics was pitcher Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates. As reported in Sports Illustrated, Ellis threw a no-hitter on June 12, 1970, after ingesting LSD earlier that day. Divergent thinking involves the ability to develop multiple, alternative solutions to a single question or problem. Convergent thinking, on the other hand, relates to finding a single answer to a question or problem. Psychedelics Today is the planetary leader in psychedelic media, storytelling, and education.