Abstract
Background and aimsPsilocybin can induce profound alterations in perception, emotion and self-referential processing. These changes are often accompanied by increased feelings of interpersonal connection, found via both psychometric survey data and anecdotally collected qualitative data. Despite recent increases in psychedelic research and treatment, most clinical trials have been performed in individualized patient treatment paradigms. Few studies have examined the outcomes of psilocybin in group contexts, even though ceremonial and group-based usage is historically ecological and may uniquely enhance group dynamics and social bonding.MethodsThis case study investigated psychological and social outcomes among participants (n=14) of a group psilocybin ceremony conducted in an integrative retreat setting. Participants completed a series of psychometric surveys and performed a social behavioral task designed to measure social perceptions at baseline and again at two timepoints following the psilocybin ceremonies.Results and conclusionsOur results indicate significant increases in perceived social connectedness on the Social Perception Assessment (SPA) and the Watts Connectedness Scale (WCS) as well as significant decreases in distress on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS). These findings highlight the importance of studying group-based psychedelic administration and suggest that collective settings may generate synergistic social benefits not captured in individual therapeutic models.