66% to 86% of people rank their psychedelic experiences among their five most spiritually significant life moments when taken in supportive settings. These remarkable numbers highlight the deep connection between psychedelics and spirituality that scientists continue to discover through their research.
Research findings from a complete review of 34 empirical studies with 19,724 participants show that psychedelics boost spiritual growth and help people build stronger spiritual connections. Please note when using the word spiritual, I am not referring to religion.
Psilocybin stands out with its remarkable results, as 64% of participants who received strong support described their experience as their most spiritually significant moment.
The information in this blog shares how psychedelics can help spiritual development. You’ll learn about different substances, ways to prepare, and practices to integrate the experience. A focus on safety and respect for cultural traditions is essential.
What is psychedelic spirituality?
Psychedelic spirituality brings together ancient wisdom and modern exploration of consciousness. The core idea revolves around using psychoactive substances to reach deep altered states that aid spiritual growth and metaphysical understanding. This practice goes beyond casual use. The focus lies on meaningful experiences that want to exceed normal awareness and grasp reality at a deeper level.
Defining spiritual growth through altered states
Spiritual growth with psychedelics transforms a person to understand their life purpose better. These experiences go way beyond normal consciousness. They create powerful changes in how people see reality, which many call life-changing revelations.
The “mystical experience” stands at the heart of psychedelic spirituality. Modern research has shown great interest in studying this phenomenon. These experiences show several key features:
· Unity or oneness — The deep feeling of becoming one with everything, which scholars describe as “the apprehension of an ultimate nonsensuous unity in all things”
· Sacredness — Seeing the experience as holy or sacred
· Noetic quality — Believing you’ve found the ultimate reality that seems “more real” than daily life
· Positive emotional states — Deep feelings of joy, ecstasy, peace, awe, and calm
· Ineffability — The challenge of describing the experience in words
· Transcendence of time and space — Regular ideas about time and space lose their meaning
These experiences go beyond simple hallucinations. Studies show that psychedelic-induced mystical states consistently create “intense, profound, and personally meaningful experiences” that change people’s lives. On top of that, they often lead to lasting changes in how people view reality, pushing them from strict physical views toward broader ways of thinking.
Studies show that between 66% and 86% of people in supportive settings, participants rank their psychedelic experiences among their most spiritually meaningful life events.
Many report better spiritual well-being, personal growth, and improved relationships with others and the world.
How psychedelics differ from traditional spiritual paths
Traditional spiritual paths need years of dedicated practice through meditation, prayer, fasting, or other disciplines. Psychedelics can create profound mystical states in just one session with the right conditions. This quick access makes them both attractive and controversial in spiritual communities.
Many cultures throughout history have used psychedelic substances in their spiritual practices. The Native American Church uses peyote in ceremonies, while ayahuasca plays a vital role in both the União do Vegetal church and Santo Daime traditions. These practices want to bring people closer to their creator and support healing and community rather than just create visions.
Critics from Buddhist and other religious backgrounds worry that psychedelics might increase confusion instead of leading to truth and spiritual insight. Some see them as “intoxicants” that disturb our already confused minds. They might view psychedelics as shortcuts that skip the work to be done and discipline of long-standing paths.
Many modern practitioners see psychedelics and traditional practices working together rather than against each other. The sort of thing I love comes from James Oroc’s story, where 5-MeO-DMT changed him from “a hardened atheist” to someone “indelibly aware of the existence of God.” Spiritual teacher Jack Kornfield agrees that psychedelics can transform people powerfully but needs proper integration.
I, too, am an advocate for ongoing integration work and encourage people to focus more on this and less on partaking in another journey. The answers are within each one of us, and harvesting from our own inner wisdom provides sustainable results.
Psychedelic spirituality connects ancient shamanic wisdom with modern scientific knowledge. While psychedelics can create mystical experiences more reliably than traditional methods, they work best alongside practices like meditation for deeper integration. One practitioner notes, “While it was psychedelics that opened the portal, it was meditation practice that helped them walk through it.”
Many people see psychedelics as powerful catalysts that can start or deepen existing spiritual practices rather than replace them. The immediate experience might be short, but its power to transform goes way beyond the initial journey.
How different psychedelics affect spiritual experience
“With psychedelics … there is this epiphany that everything is connected. That we’re all tiny little beings on a huge planet. If you pull back and see the big picture, you see that we are all one organism, interconnected or interdependent.” — Dr. Julie Holland, M.D., Psychiatrist, author, and medical advisor in psychedelic research
Psychedelics open different doorways to spiritual experiences. Each substance offers its own path to surpass normal consciousness. These substances work through serotonin receptors in similar ways. Yet their spiritual signatures create distinct trips for people seeking sacred connections.
Psilocybin and meditation synergy
Psilocybin mushrooms work powerfully with meditation practices, improving the depth and quality of both experiences. Research shows that psilocybin administered to experienced meditators during retreats improves meditation depth substantially. The participants showed better trait mindfulness and psychosocial functioning at the 4-month follow-up compared to placebo groups.
Using both practices creates deeper states than either one alone. Studies reveal that meditators who took psilocybin reported more blissful states, spiritual experiences, and feelings of unity. They also felt less anxious about “ego-dissolution” compared to non-meditators who took the same dose. I talk about my own personal experiences of this experience in my book “Angels, Herpes and Psychedelics.”
Brain science shows meditation and psilocybin create similar changes. Both reduce Default Mode Network activation and increase functional connectivity between DMN structures and task-positive networks. These shared brain patterns explain why they work so well together.
Psilocybin’s most remarkable quality is how it provides quick access to states that usually take years of meditation:
· You get an immediate experience of deep transcendent states
· Meditation gives you tools to integrate and maintain these insights
· The combination creates a “bridge between psychedelic experience and everyday life.”
Recent research shows that psilocybin creates positive derealization that leads to insights, especially when enhanced open-monitoring meditation is used. Meta-awareness through meditation combined with psilocybin’s perceptual changes creates a unique path to spiritual insight.
Ayahuasca and emotional healing
Ayahuasca combines Psychotria viridis leaves and Banisteriopsis caapi stalks. This ancient Amazonian brew creates spiritual experiences focused on emotional healing and change. People often experience an emotional “purge” that releases buried emotions and trauma.
Shamans guide ceremonies at night where ayahuasca drinkers commonly report:
“Many people who undergo Ayahuasca ceremonies experience what’s often referred to as an emotional ‘purge’ — similar to the physical purge of toxins. This release can show up as crying, screaming, or even laughter as suppressed emotions and trauma are brought to the surface”.
Ayahuasca’s emotional processing creates unique spiritual healing. Studies show it increases the mindfulness trait of “decentring” — knowing how to observe thoughts and feelings objectively. This detachment lets people watch their emotional patterns without getting caught up in them, and new spiritual insights emerge from this space.
Research proves ayahuasca ceremonies reduce depression and stress right after drinking, with effects lasting four weeks. After 6 months, participants showed better mindfulness, hopefulness, and overall quality of life.
Preparing for a spiritual psychedelic journey
“If you’re in a relaxed environment with the right setting and right music, and you’re not being overstimulated and don’t have an agenda of a party, you start to go places in your autobiography, in your past… You can start to deal with some very difficult material.” — Dr. Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, expert in trauma and psychedelic-assisted therapy
Your psychedelic spiritual growth starts well before you take any substance. Good preparation builds the base for a meaningful session that can turn your encounter into something life-changing rather than just interesting.
Setting intentions and creating a safe space
The moment you decide to start this healing experience is when preparation begins, not just when you book your session. Take time to think about why you want this experience. What do you want to find, heal, or understand? This self-reflection helps build awareness that you’ll use throughout the process.
Clear intentions work differently than fixed expectations. They guide you rather than force outcomes:
Intentions help the integration process by giving you the starting frame of, ‘If this session was helping me enact and realize my intention, why did the experience unfold as it did?’
To create intentions, focus on positive, present-focused statements instead of negative emotions. Write them down, review them, and narrow down your core motivations to 1–3 main themes.
Choosing the right guide or environment
The person who guides your experience can shape its outcome. When picking the right guide, look beyond credentials.
Good guides should have these key qualities:
· Experience: Someone with real-life psychedelic knowledge, not just certificates
· Thorough screening: They should check if you’re a good match through forms and talks
· Preparation and integration support: They should offer complete guidance before and after
· Clear protocols: They need documented emergency plans
· Personal connection: You should feel safe and understood with them
A good guide never gets angry or dismissive when you ask questions. They should walk with you instead of telling you what to do on your healing path.
“The best space holders are beacons of guidance and support in the ethereal, mind-manifesting kaleidoscopic landscapes of a psychedelic journey. Their influence can determine the trip’s trajectory”.
For more guidance on these topics, you’ll find information I’ve curated along with personal experience in my Psychedelics Resource Guide.
Preparation helps you expand your awareness and assists you in being more mindful prior to the journey and can reduce anxiety and overwhelm as it approaches. Please note that I am not making any recommendations to partake in psychedelic experiences. The intention of this blog is to bring awareness to the incredible tools they can be in expanding consciousness and or healing trauma. Many psychedelics remain illegal, and it is essential for you to to do your own research. In addition, talking to your trusted healthcare professionals is also recommended.
I will also note my life’s journey has been drug-free, with the occasional use of alcohol. However, due to unexpected circumstances and opportunities, I have chosen for reasons of expanding consciousness to explore what spiritual, plant-based medicines offer. It came as quite a surprise as I grew up in the war on drugs era and never expected to become a spokesperson for psychedelics. You can read all about my journey in my awakening memoir, “Angels, Herpes and Psychedelics: Unraveling the Mind to Unveil Illusions.”
Wishing you bliss and love on your journey to living your divine blueprint.
Awakening Agent & Intuitive Soul Advisor
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ABOUT BETH BELL
Sage I Storyteller I Speaker
Beth brings sage wisdom from decades of deep diving into all things spiritual. Her life experiences have culminated into a passion for empowering others to dive into healing their hearts to awaken inner wisdom. Previously, Beth Bell spent over 15+ years as a marketing executive leading strategic brand planning and more for the pharmaceutical industry. She left her corporate career to become a flower whisperer and own her deeper purpose of “pollinating the planet with love.” As an entrepreneur, she’s designed a line of handcrafted silver jewelry made in Bali.
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