What is it about?
Both meditation and psychedelic experiences can support mental health and personal growth, and they share common features such as greater flexibility in thinking, deep insights, and temporary loss of a fixed sense of self. However, little is known about how these practices may work in similar or different ways. In this study, over 300 participants completed surveys about mindfulness, psychedelic experiences, compassion, meaning in life, and a special form of awareness called “nondual awareness,” in which people experience life without the usual separation between self and world. Results showed that psychedelic-induced ego dissolution was associated with greater well-being by increasing nondual awareness and a sense of meaning in life. Mindfulness also improved well-being directly, with compassion and meaning partly explaining this effect. Together, the findings suggest that both mindfulness and psychedelics can lead to lasting changes in how people experience themselves and the world, supporting well-being by fostering compassion, meaning, and a more interconnected sense of self.
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Why is it important?
This work is unique in directly comparing mindfulness and psychedelic experiences within a single model of well-being. It is timely, given the growing public and scientific interest in both contemplative practices and psychedelic therapies. By clarifying how these practices foster compassion, meaning, and nondual awareness, the study offers insights that may shape future approaches to mental health and human flourishing.
Perspectives
I hope this article will encourage more research into the synergistic possibilities of psychedelic substances and meditation for supporting human flourishing. While the cross-sectional design of this study limits causal conclusions, it underscores the urgent need for longitudinal and experimental work that directly examines the interaction between meditative development and specific psychedelic substances. Given these findings, further research on their combined effects on meaning in life—and how these relate to perceptual changes and prosocial behavior—is particularly warranted. For me, this work also highlights the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue, bringing together psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy, and religious studies to better understand how selfless states and practices can transform human experience.
Sebastian Ehmann
University of Arizona
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Unveiling the pathways: The effects of mindfulness and recreational psychedelic experiences on well-being—The mediating roles of nondual awareness, prosociality, and meaning in life., Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice, September 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/cns0000443.
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