How Psychedelics Can Help Us Maintain Our Health Goals

In most fairy tales, the prince and princess get married, and then the story ends. They live ‘happily ever after’, or so it says. However, we learn nothing about their day-to-day lives after they have achieved their goal (in this case marriage.) What if maintaining that fairytale love is actually not as easy as it seems?

Self Improvement – A ‘Happily Ever After’?

In many ways, this is also how we see our self-improvement goals. You quit drinking! You lost the weight! You’ve detoxed from social media! But unlike a fairytale, that is not the end of our real-life story. Much less attention is paid to what actually comes after. Effort is required to maintain these good habits, and sometimes this effort can be difficult, unenjoyable, or downright boring. Working towards a goal is exciting, and motivating. Working to stay there once you’ve arrived can be less so. This is amplified if we have a bad day or a rough patch — then we may find ourselves seeking comfort in the bosom of our bad habits once again. 

Luckily, recent research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics such as psilocybin (from magic mushrooms and truffles) and LSD, has shown that as well as treating mental health conditions ranging from depression to PTSD, psychedelics can help us not only facilitate, but also maintain positive behavioral changes.  

So how can psychedelics help us to maintain our good habits once we have achieved them? Let’s dig into the research…

How Psychedelics Can Help Us Maintain Our Health Goals

In a paper titled Psychedelics and Health Behaviour Change, published by Sage Journals in 2021, researchers identified numerous mechanisms that explain how psychedelics work their magic.

Firstly the researchers suggested that psychedelics may increase our motivation to change our behaviors. They based this on Self Determination Theory (SDT), a framework developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in the 1980s. It focuses on understanding human motivation , and proposes that people have innate psychological needs that, once fulfilled, promote optimal functioning and development. 

The Self Determination Theory highlights three fundamental psychological needs:

Autonomy:

Autonomy refers to the need to feel in control of one’s own choices and actions. When we have autonomy, we experience a sense of agency (control) and independence in our decisions, instead of feeling controlled or coerced by external forces.

Competence: 

We all have an innate desire to feel capable, to be good at what we do. When we have the opportunity to show and develop our skills, we feel a sense of competence. This increases our confidence and motivation.

Relatedness: 

Humans need social connection and the feeling of belonging. We are happiest when we have positive relationships and interactions with others. From this grows feelings of acceptance, empathy, and security in our emotional support.

The theory explores two different types of motivation:

Intrinsic Motivation:

Intrinsic motivation is when a person engages in an activity because they find it inherently enjoyable, satisfying, or interesting. Intrinsic motivation arises from within and is motivated by personal interests and values.

Extrinsic Motivation: 

Extrinsic motivation is when a person engages in an activity to achieve external rewards or avoid punishments. This type of motivation can vary between external regulation (carrying out an activity for a reward) to unconscious regulation (doing something for approval or to avoid guilt) and identified regulation (recognizing the value of an activity and therefore choosing to do it).

Self Determination Theory proposes that intrinsic motivation is more likely to lead to continued engagement and positive outcomes compared to extrinsic motivation. Fostering environments that support the individuals autonomy, competence, and social relatedness can help promote intrinsic motivation, and overall well-being. 

How Psychedelics Boost Intrinsic Motivation

While the study authors stated that specific research that shows a direct relationship between psychedelics and self-determination does not yet exist, by drawing on psychedelic research trials that looked at depression, alcohol addiction, and nicotine addiction the researchers found data to support their hypothesis. 

Autonomy: transformative psychedelic experiences were linked to insights about authenticity, self-identity and internal needs, which contribute to autonomy. 

Competence: accounts by trial participants noted increased confidence, effectiveness, resilience and dedication to change, which all contributes to feelings of competence.  

Relatedness: trial participants described feelings of interconnectedness, enhanced empathy and prosocial behavior, and feelings of connection to others, all of which contributes to feelings of relatedness.  

Psychedelic trips, especially those that contain ‘mystical experiences’ can be life-changing. They can inspire a sense of wonder, awe, and connection with the universe. This new inspiration may evolve into the motivation to pursue and sustain positive changes in all aspects of life, including wellness goals. 

It could be maintaining a healthy diet or exercise routine, or staying dedicated to a meditation or sleep hygiene practice — whatever it is, the inspiration that comes from a psychedelic experience can galvanize your commitment to these habits over time. 

How Else May Psychedelics Promote Health Behaviors?

The study pointed to other characteristics of psychedelics that may contribute to strengthening our health behaviors. These include:

Enhancement of Cognitive Flexibility

The brain’s ability to switch between different processes, think creatively, and adapt to changing environments is called cognitive flexibility. Psychedelics have been shown to enhance cognitive flexibility by: 

• Activating serotonin receptors.
• Promoting neuroplasticity through the formation of new neural connections, which enables the brain to adapt and change more easily. 
• Disrupting the Default Mode Network in the brain, which helps to quieten rigid thinking patterns, creating a more flexible and open mental state. 
• Enhancing connectivity in the brain by increasing connectivity to areas of the brain that do not usually communicate. 
• Elevating our state of consciousness, and thus opening us up to novel ways of thinking, enhanced insight, creativity, and wider perspectives. 

Additionally, the study authors proposed that “the effects of psychedelics at multiple levels of the cognitive hierarchy may result in long-term changes in behaviour”.

Microdosing Psychedelics to Maintain Improved Health Habits

Microdosing psychedelics too, has been found to increase the likelihood of sticking to good habits. In a 2018 study, which aimed to carry out an initial exploration of the benefits and the safety of microdosing, researchers found much improvement in the wellbeing of participants. The study consisted of over 1000 participants from 58 countries, who used the PANAS checklist to evaluate their emotional state daily. 

The participant’s responses showed that the following improvements were experienced after repeated microdoses:

• Improved health habits
• Increased energy
• Increases in positive mood
• Decreases in negative mood
• Improved work effectiveness

Another study, published in 2019, that looked at the benefits and challenges of psychedelic microdosing, included a qualitative report by 278 microdosers who used psilocybin only, LSD only, or both. The results, in relation to wellness behavior improvement and reduction of substance use, were these:

• 92.9% had improved mood
• 59.2% had improved anxiety
• 49.1% had improved meditative practice
• 49.1% had improved exercise
• 36.0% had improved eating habits
• 28.8% had improved sleep
• 44.2% had reduced use of caffeine
• 42.3% had reduced use of alcohol
• 30.3% had reduced use of cannabis
• 21.0% had reduced use of tobacco
• 16.9% had reduced use of psychiatric prescription medication
• 16.1% had reduced use of illicit substances

The study authors concluded that “microdosing research could help inform future psychedelic research by investigating the potential for mixing or contrasting micro- and full-dose psychedelic psychotherapies”.

Psychedelics are a Unique Tool

There are many other studies that show psilocybin to be an effective treatment for alcoholism or smoking addiction. This supports the idea that there is something unique about psychedelics and how they can help us to change deeply entrenched behaviors. 

Using psychedelics responsibly, via microdosing or higher, tripping dosages can be an effective tool to reach goals and maintain them. However, they are not a silver bullet. And we should not punish ourselves if we slip up, or don’t always live up to our own expectations. By treating ourselves kindly, remaining positive, and taking a helping hand from psychedelics we work and grow holistically towards our best selves.