The impact of setting on an individual's psychedelic experience

The aim of this thesis was to explore the impact of the environment (setting) on the quality and difficulty of an individual's psychedelic experience. Using three validated psychometric scales: the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI), the Psychological Insight Scale (PIS), and the Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), both the positive and negative aspects of a psychedelic experience were assessed across different environmental conditions. The questionnaire was completely finished by 69 respondents and the data was analyzed using linear mixed-effects models in the R programming environment, accounting for within-subject variability. The results demonstrated that the type of environment significantly impacts the nature of the experience. Home and natural settings were associated with more positive experiences and lower subjective difficulty, while urban environments were rated as the least favorable. Similarly, the social context proved to be a key factor: experiences undertaken alone or in small groups were perceived as more beneficial compared to those in larger social settings. In contrast, the time of day during which the experience took place did not show a consistent effect on participants’ subjective evaluations. Subsequently, a web-based application was also developed using the Shiny framework in R, which enables easy data collection and provides a better user experience. In conclusion, the findings of this thesis support the importance of environmental factors as critical determinants within the set and setting framework, emphasizing the need for thoughtful consideration of both surrounding environment and social context during a psychedelic experience.