Psilocybin triggers lasting changes in personal values for healthy volunteers: boosts life appreciation and self-acceptance in a dose study

Psilocybin can trigger lasting shifts in personal values in healthy volunteers, including increased appreciation for life and greater self-acceptance. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 89 healthy adults with no psychiatric disorders received either 25 mg psilocybin, 10 mg psilocybin, or an inactive placebo. Participants were monitored during dosing with therapist support, then followed up at day 8 and day 85. The study found no significant changes in basic personality traits or psychiatric symptoms. However, compared with placebo, both active-dose groups showed higher levels of self-acceptance and appreciation for life, plus greater concern for others and a stronger quest for meaning. These value-related changes persisted at both follow-up points. The authors propose that the acute psychedelic experience facet called oceanic boundlessness, reflecting deep euphoria, spiritual awakening, and a sense of oneness, helps explain which participants show the strongest long-term value shifts.