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June 2025; People who regularly use psychedelic substances like LSD, psilocybin (magic mushrooms), or DMT may not just feel differently about themselves their brains appear to think differently too.
A new peer-reviewed study published in the journal Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry reveals that regular users of classic psychedelics exhibit altered brain activity during self-reflective thinking tasks. These findings offer rare insight into how real-world, long-term psychedelic use may shape cognition and emotional processing at a neural level.
Psychedelics and the Sense of Self
For years, clinical trials have explored psychedelics’ therapeutic potential in treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction often with impressive, long-lasting results. But such studies typically take place under controlled lab conditions, using carefully monitored doses and psychotherapeutic support.
In contrast, millions of people use psychedelics in more naturalistic, unsupervised environments. While survey data often shows better mental health outcomes among these users, neuroscientific evidence from “real-world” psychedelic users has remained scarce, until now.
The Study: Brainwaves and Self-Reflection
Led by a team of Polish researchers, including Anastasia Ruban and Mikołaj Magnuski, the study examined how regular psychedelic users and non-users responded to introspective thinking tasks while their brain activity was recorded using EEG (electroencephalography).
Participants
- 108 adults across two labs (Warsaw and Krakow)
- Both groups included psychedelic users and non-users (but with plans to try psychedelics), matched by age, gender, and education
Participants completed psychological questionnaires measuring:
- Rumination (repetitive negative thinking)
- Reflection (constructive self-analysis)
- Depression & anxiety levels
- Meditation and substance use history
Self-Reflection Task
Participants were asked to think about prompts like:
- “Why do you react the way you do?”
- “What kind of person should you be?”
These were compared to neutral, non-self-related prompts like:
- “Why do you like the books you do?”
Key Findings: Brain Patterns Shift in Psychedelic Users
EEG data revealed striking differences in how the brain responded during self-reflection:
- Non-users showed strong increases in alpha (7–12 Hz) and beta (14–30 Hz) brainwave activity, especially in the posterior cingulate cortex a hub of the default mode network (DMN), which is central to introspection and identity.
- Psychedelic users exhibited weaker increases in those same regions, suggesting a less rigid or less reactive self-referencing process.
These patterns align with earlier research showing that psychedelics reduce DMN activity during the acute phase, which may contribute to ego-dissolution and emotional relief.
The DMN is often overactive in people with depression or anxiety. Psychedelics may help “quiet” this network, reducing unhealthy rumination.
Psychological Results: Mixed But Noteworthy
In one of the datasets, psychedelic users reported:
- Lower depression and anxiety
- Lower rumination
- Higher reflection scores
However, these differences weren’t replicated in the second, smaller dataset raising questions about consistency and generalizability.
Caution and Limitations
The researchers were careful not to overstate their findings. Some limitations include:
- Small sample sizes, especially in the second dataset
- Differences in lab equipment (e.g., only one site used MRI-based electrode mapping)
- Self-reported drug use, without controlled doses or substance verification
- Cross-sectional design meaning the study can’t prove that psychedelics caused the brain differences
They also found that other lifestyle factors, such as meditation or cannabis use, could explain some of the observed brain activity patterns. When controlling for these, the differences between users and non-users became less pronounced.
What Does This Mean?
While not definitive, the findings hint that long-term psychedelic use may lead to a less rigid, more flexible sense of self, both emotionally and neurologically. This could help explain why psychedelics seem to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in many users, especially when combined with intention, integration, and support.
However, the relationship between brain activity and psychological traits like rumination or emotional regulation is complex. No clear linear correlations were found.
Looking Ahead
The authors urge future research to:
- Use larger, more diverse samples
- Include longitudinal designs (before and after psychedelic use)
- Better control for lifestyle and psychological variables
- Explore how cultural expectations and self-narratives may shape psychedelic experiences
Despite its limitations, the study provides rare and valuable insight into how psychedelics might shift the brain’s relationship to the self, even outside of the lab.
Quick Summary
- Regular psychedelic users showed reduced alpha (7–12 Hz) and beta (14–30 Hz) EEG power during self-reflection, particularly in default-mode network regions like the posterior cingulate cortex .
- The study included two datasets: a larger one (n = 70) showing significant differences, and a smaller one (n = 38) that did not replicate the results. When combined, effects were smaller but still present .
Citations
Ruban, A., Magnuski, M., Hobot, J., Orłowski, P., Kołodziej, A., Bola, M., & Brzezicka, A. (2024). Processing of self-related thoughts in experienced users of classic psychedelics: A source localisation EEG study. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 123, 111486.
Ruban, A., Magnuski, M., Hobot, J., Orłowski, P., Kołodziej, A., Bola, M., & Brzezicka, A. (2024). Processing of self-related thoughts in experienced users of classic psychedelics: A source localisation EEG study. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. Study results showed that during self-reflection tasks, regular psychedelic users exhibited weaker increases in alpha and beta EEG power within the posterior cingulate cortex—compared to non-users—indicating different neural patterns of self-related thinking theguardian.com+2pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+2en.wikipedia.org+2sciencedirect.com.