Download This PaperNavigating Groundlessness: An interview study on dealing with ontological shock and existential distress following psychedelic experiences
60 Pages Posted: 7 May 2024
Date Written: May 4, 2024
Abstract
Psychedelic induced mystical experiences have been largely assumed to drive the therapeutic effects of these substances, which may in part be mediated by changes in metaphysical beliefs. However, there is growing evidence that psychedelic experiences can also trigger long lasting distress and studies of persisting difficulties suggest a high prevalence of ontological challenges (related to the way people understand reality and existence). We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 people who reported experiencing existential distress following psychedelic experiences. We explored the phenomenology of participants’ difficulties and the ways they navigated them, including what they found helpful and unhelpful in their process. Thematic analysis revealed the kinds of distress that accompanied worldview and identity shifts: persistent preoccupation with making sense of the experience and confusion about their existence and purpose. Along with cognitive difficulties stemming from the ungrounding of their prior frameworks for understanding, participants’ ontologically challenging experiences also had significant emotional, social, bodily, and other functional impact. Participants primarily alleviated their distress through ‘grounding’ practices of embodiment, and the social and cognitive normalization of their experiences. Findings are discussed in the context of the growing field of psychedelic-related difficulties and the challenges of integration.
Keywords: psychedelics, thematic analysis, ontological shock, extended difficulties, meaning-making, existential distress, integration
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