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Navigating groundlessness: An interview study on dealing with ontological shock and existential distress following
Eirini K Argyri1, Jules Evans2, David Luke3
1University of Exeter - School of Psychology, Exeter, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Plos One
|May 5, 2025
Summary
Psychedelic experiences can cause lasting existential distress, challenging beliefs about reality and purpose. Grounding techniques, like embodiment and social normalization, help individuals navigate and integrate these profound, often difficult, experiences.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Psychedelic-induced mystical experiences are thought to drive therapeutic effects, potentially via altered metaphysical beliefs.
- However, psychedelic experiences can also lead to prolonged distress, particularly ontological challenges related to understanding reality and existence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the phenomenology of existential distress following psychedelic experiences.
- To understand how individuals navigate these difficulties and identify helpful and unhelpful coping mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 individuals reporting existential distress after psychedelic use.
- Employed thematic analysis to analyze interview data on participants' experiences and coping strategies.
Main Results:
- Participants experienced persistent existential struggles, including confusion about existence, purpose, and meaning-making.
- Ontologically challenging experiences led to cognitive, emotional, social, bodily, and functional difficulties.
- Distress was alleviated through 'grounding' practices: embodiment and social/cognitive normalization.
Conclusions:
- Psychedelic experiences can be pivotal mental states facilitating transformative learning and expanding meaning-making processes.
- This research contributes to psychedelic integration by detailing pathways to reestablish coherence after challenging ontological experiences.
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