Personalised Perception: The Effect of Personality on the Sensory Effects of Psychedelics

Psychedelics induce a wide range of sensory distortions and hallucinations (henceforth 'distortions'). Yet, little is known about factors that influence the occurrence of certain distortions. Extra-pharmacological variables including personality traits have been found to correlate with the occurrence of different subjective features during the acute psychedelic state. The current study aimed to examine the correlations between personality scores and the intensity of different distortions.

Four hundred and twenty-six psychedelic users recruited from Aotearoa New Zealand completed an online survey which examined the intensity of 20 different distortions and measured six different personality traits using the five-factor IPIP-NEO-60 and the 34-item Tellegen Absorption Scale.

Spearman's correlation analysis and linear regression analysis revealed that the intensity of sensory distortions (including visual trails, objects 'breathing', field-of-vision changes, visual acuity changes, taste hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, experiences of other dimensions, and synaesthesia) was significantly correlated (p < 0.05) and associated with personality trait scores, even when setting, dose, and demographic variables were controlled, although the strength of the association was moderate at best.

These findings emphasise the role of personality as a key extra-pharmacological variable associated with the intensity of certain subjective features of the acute psychedelic state. These findings suggest that personality testing may be a valuable tool for the prediction of acute reactions to psychedelics. This information could be useful to clinicians and therapists in determining effective psychedelic-treatment approaches.