According to a recently published study, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry It offers new insight into the impact of psychedelic retreats on older adults, who report a similar increase in well-being after attending such retreats, despite the study finding that older adults experience less immediate effects from psychedelics than younger participants.
Serotonergic hallucinogens such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT have been shown to be effective in treating emotional symptoms of a variety of disorders. These substances induce altered states of consciousness, including enhanced emotions and perceptions that lead to therapeutic benefits. However, older adults have been largely excluded from studies of hallucinogens, and the safety and efficacy of these treatments for this age group remains unknown.
“There has been a resurgence of interest in psychedelic drugs, largely due to their rapid and sustained positive effects on the health of diverse clinical populations,” the co-authors said. Lorenzo PasquiniAssistant Professor of Neurology at the UCSF Weill Neuroscience Institute.
“However, very little research has been done in older adults to date. Focusing on this issue is crucial because emotional changes in older adults are widespread, difficult to treat with traditional antidepressants, and often precede the onset of more severe neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders.”
“What makes psychedelics such an intriguing and challenging subject of research is the combination of the intensity and kaleidoscopic variety of their subjective effects. A famous quote from Humphrey Osmond from the 1950s comes to mind: ‘To understand hell deeply or soar like an angel, all you need is a pinch of psychedelic drug,'” the co-author added. Hannes KettnerHe is a PhD student at the Centre for Psychedelic Studies at Imperial College London and a Visiting Researcher in the Carhart-Harris Laboratory at UCSF.
“I believe that more research is needed to look in detail at how different types of people respond differently to these substances in order to make them safer and more widely available. Also, as Lorenzo mentioned, older adults constitute a population with an unmet need for better neuropsychiatric treatment options, but are not typically included in psychedelic research.”
The study used a prospective cohort design, targeting individuals planning to attend a psychedelic retreat or a group-based guided psychedelic session. Participants were recruited through social media, newsletters, forums, and retreat facilitators. Participants completed surveys at four time points: before the session, immediately after, one day after completing the retreat, and two weeks, four weeks, and six months after the experience.
Eligibility to participate included being 18 years of age or older, being able to understand English, and planning to participate in a psychedelic ceremony using substances such as psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, or mescaline. Of the 882 participants enrolled, 62 older adults (aged 60 years or older) and a matched group of 62 younger adults (aged under 60) were selected for comparison.
Baseline predictors such as age, sex, education, past hallucinogen use, and psychiatric history were assessed. The main outcome measure was the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Health Scale (WEMWBS). Acute hallucinogen effects were measured using several scales, including the Ego Disintegration Scale (EDI), Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ), and Communitas Scale (COMS).
Researchers have found that older adults who participate in psychedelic retreats experience significant improvements in mental health comparable to those seen in younger adults. These retreats typically involve substances such as psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), LSD, ayahuasca, and mescaline.
“We found that adults over 60 who use psychedelics like psilocybin truffles or ayahuasca in a communal ritual setting experience similar improvements in psychological health as younger adults,” Pasquini told PsyPost.
One of the most surprising findings was that the improved health of older adults was not directly related to the acute effects of the psychedelics themselves. Unlike younger adults, for whom the intensity of the psychedelic experience — characterized by altered consciousness, vivid imagery, and mystical experiences — played a key role in the mental health benefits, older adults showed a different pattern.
“Older adults experienced significantly weaker acute psychedelic effects, and subjective experiences of ego disruption and emotional surge were reduced by up to 50 percent in those over 60, but this did not appear to affect the observed improvements in well-being,” Ketner explained.
Instead, “communitas” – a sense of togetherness and shared pleasure during group activities – emerged as a key predictor of greater well-being among older adults. This concept of communitas includes deep emotional bonds and collective experiences that foster a sense of belonging and mutual support.
Older adults reported that the group interactions and emotional closeness developed during the retreats contributed greatly to their positive outcomes. This finding suggests that the social and relational aspects of the retreat experience may be especially beneficial for older adults, who often face social isolation and loneliness.
“It was a big surprise to find that subjective psychedelic effects were not predictive of change in health status in older adults in the same way that we’re used to seeing in psychedelic studies,” Pasquini said. “Typically, the quality of the acute psychedelic state is associated with changes in psychological outcomes. In adults over 60, this was not the case. Instead, feelings of oneness with others emerged as the only significant predictor of change. This highlights the important role that social connections play for older adults.”
Interestingly, the study also found that improvements in older adults’ health status were more pronounced among those with a history of diagnosed mental illness. This group experienced even greater increases in health status scores compared to those without such a diagnosis. This suggests that older adults with pre-existing mental illnesses may derive significant therapeutic benefit from participating in these psychedelic retreats, potentially filling a gap in the effectiveness of traditional treatments.
But as with all studies, there are some caveats to consider: The context of psychedelic use was limited to retreat and ritual settings and may not be generalizable to other settings or individual use; the sample was also biased toward more highly educated, white participants.
“This was an observational study, lacking a control group or the experimental oversight of a clinical trial,” Pasquini said, “and there was a significant dropout rate, which could have biased the results.”
“Furthermore, we only recruited people who were already planning to attend a psychedelic retreat, so we clearly did not get a very representative sample of the general population,” Ketner added, “so we don’t know if our results apply to older adults who don’t have a strong interest in psychedelics.”
The findings highlight the need for further research into the unique effects of psychedelics on older adults. Future studies should investigate the effects of psychedelics in different contexts, including more controlled environments and more diverse populations. It will also be important to explore the long-term stability of improvements in well-being, as well as the specific psychosocial mechanisms at work.
“My long-term goal is to implement a psychedelic-based intervention in older adults,” Pasquini explained, “Following the results of this initial observational study, placebo-controlled randomized trials are needed to understand whether psychedelics have beneficial health effects or disease-modifying properties in older adult healthy clinical populations.”
“As psychedelics become more widely available, it will be crucial to understand their risks, benefits, and underlying mechanisms in different populations and settings,” Kettner said. “If clinical trials are necessary for medicalization, and the number of people using psychedelics outside of clinical trials is growing every year, we will need to do more studies like this one that sample actual psychedelic use in uncontrolled settings if we want to provide education and minimize harm.”
“If you are planning on attending a psychedelic retreat, please consider supporting our research. https://ceremonystudy.com/Our colleagues at ICL have some great studies you can take part in, including an online microdosing study and a psychedelic for couples study. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/psychedelic-research-centre/participate-in-a-trial/.”
the study, “Effects of hallucinogens in older adults: a prospective cohort study” was written by Hannes Kettner, Leor Roseman, Adam Gazzaley, Robin L. Carhart-Harris, and Lorenzo Pasquini.
