Research Shows Psychedelic Retreats Benefit Older Adults Despite Achieving Milder Effects

A recent study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry offers new perspectives on the impact of psychedelic retreats on older adults. The research reveals that, despite experiencing less intense immediate effects of psychedelics compared to younger participants, seniors reported similar improvements in well-being after attending the retreats.

Promising Potential of Psychedelics

Psychedelics, such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT have shown promise in treating the symptoms of various disorders. These substances induce an altered state of consciousness, which has been linked to therapeutic outcomes. However, very few studies have been conducted in this age group, as older adults have been largely excluded from psychedelics research, leaving the safety and efficacy of these treatments for them uncertain.

“Psychedelic substances have seen a resurging interest, primarily due to their fast and sustained positive effects on well-being among diverse clinical populations,” said Lorenzo Pasquini, co-author and assistant professor of neurology at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. He highlighted the need for targeted research, noting the widespread and difficult-to-treat changes in older adults.

Hannes Kettner, a PhD candidate at the Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic Research also emphasized the importance of understanding different responses to psychedelics. “Older adults constitute a population that has an unmet need for better neuropsychiatric treatment options, while usually not being included in psychedelic studies.”

Study Methodology And Findings

Using a prospective cohort design study, researchers looked at 62 people over 60 and 62 under who attended retreats or guided group sessions. Participants completed surveys at multiple points, from before the session to six months after.

Compared to the results observed in younger adults, researchers found that older adults experienced significant improvements in their mental well-being after participating in the retreats, which typically included substances such as psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca and mescaline.

‘Communitas’ – A Key Predictor

A striking finding was that these improvements in seniors were not directly related to the acute effects of the psychedelics themselves. Unlike the young people, for whom the intensity of the psychedelic experience played a key role, the sense of “communitas,” or togetherness and shared joy during group activities emerged as a significant predictor of improvement in those over 60.

“Older adults had significantly less intense acute psychedelic effects – subjective experiences such as ego-dissolution or emotional breakthroughs were up to 50% lower in those aged 60+, but this seemingly didn't affect the observed improvements in well-being,” Kettner explained.

Addressing Mental Health Needs

The study also found that well-being improvements in seniors were more pronounced in those with a history of psychiatric diagnoses, suggesting that older adults with pre-existing mental health conditions may derive substantial therapeutic benefits from participating in these retreats.

Despite the promising results, researchers noted several limitations, including the observational nature of the study and potential biases due to participant drop-out rates and the demographic makeup of the sample. Pasquini emphasized the need for placebo-controlled randomized trials to further understand the potential benefits of psychedelics for people over 60.

“My long-term goal is to implement psychedelic-based interventions in older adults,” Pasquini explained. “Following these observational findings, more rigorous trials are needed to understand whether psychedelics can have beneficial effects on well-being or even disease-modifying properties in healthy and clinical populations of older adults.”

Kettner added, “As more people gain access to psychedelics, it will be crucial to understand their risks, benefits, and underlying mechanisms across different populations and settings.”

The study, “Effects of Psychedelics in Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study,” was authored by Hannes Kettner, Leor Roseman, Adam Gazzaley, Robin L. Carhart-Harris, and Lorenzo Pasquini.