Project Title: Mapping Transformation: A mixed-methods investigation into the process of transmuting and integrating psychedelic and other exceptional experiences 

 

PhD in Applied Transpersonal Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University in collaboration with the Alef Trust. 

University Research Ethics Committee Reference:  25/PSY/049

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About the Project: 

Psychedelic and other exceptional experiences, including near-death, out-of-body, kundalini, and spontaneous spiritual awakening experiences seem to offer potential for improved wellbeing and prosocial behaviour in non-clinical (Corneille & Luke, 2021; Khanna & Greyson, 2015; Perkins et al., 2024; Sagher et al., 2019; Tassell-Matamua & Frewin, 2019) and clinical settings (Mitchell et al., 2023; Yao et al., 2024); however, while usually correlated with positive outcomes (Yaden & Newberg, 2022), these experiences may not always be easy or pleasant to transmute (i.e. change a negative experience into a positive one) or integrate (i.e. adapt insights into day-to-day life) (Brown, 2000; Evans et al., 2023; Grof & Grof, 1989).

White (1999) and Brown’s (2000) exceptional human experiences (EHE) process map defines the stages that experiencers move through when processing exceptional experiences, with a final stage that indicates improved wellbeing and increased interest in helping others. The EHE process map also includes variables affecting progression through the stages or regression to previous stages.

The original EHE process map did not include psychedelic experiences in the dataset; this project includes psychedelic experiences as well as other exceptional experiences, explores possibilities of multiple paths through the process, and more specifically examines factors and behaviours that lead to improved wellbeing and prosocial behaviour following psychedelic and other exceptional experiences.
 

Overarching Objective:

How do experiencers process psychedelic and other exceptional experiences and what factors influence their resulting wellbeing and prosocial behaviour?
 

Individual Research Objectives

1. Update the EHE process map and create new models depicting the range of paths experiencers take through the process of integrating and transmuting psychedelic and other exceptional experiences.
    

2. Identify factors that influence experiencers’ processing paths, wellbeing, and prosocial behaviour following psychedelic and other exceptional experiences.
    

3. Identify actions that may improve wellbeing and prosocial behaviour following psychedelic and other exceptional experiences.

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FOR PARTICIPANTS

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• Questionnaire Participant Information Sheet .pdf  

• Interview Participant Information Sheet for Experiencers .pdf 

• Interview Participant Information Sheet for Experts .pdf
   

Support Resources for Project Participants

• Fireside Project: https://firesideproject.org/

• Wildflower Alliance: https://wildfloweralliance.org/

• Spiritual Crisis Network: https://spiritualcrisisnetwork.uk/

• Spiritual Emergence Network: https://www.spiritualemergencenetwork.org/

• MIND: https://www.mind.org.uk/

• Your general or primary care practitioner