Learning from Boundlessness: Psychedelic induced awe and epistemic shifts towards a holistic worldview

Learning from Boundlessness: Psychedelic induced awe and epistemic shifts towards a holistic worldview | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Learning from Boundlessness: Psychedelic induced awe and epistemic shifts towards a holistic worldview Eirini K. Argyri, Flora Fraser, Stefan Schilling, Oliver C. Robinson, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6178373/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Psychedelic substances are increasingly recognized for their potential to catalyse transformative shifts in worldviews. Central to these transformations are states of awe, a self-transcendent, epistemic emotion. This mixed-methods study explored how awe during psychedelic trips relates to lasting changes in boundaries between self and world, and epistemic shifts that follow transformative psychedelic experiences. Ninety participants completed the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S), Inclusion of Other in Self Scale (IOS), and open-ended questions exploring epistemic changes. Awe, particularly its connectedness and vastness components, was significantly correlated with increased self-other overlap. Thematic Network Analysis revealed three epistemic shifts clusters: (1) dissolution of societal and natural boundaries, (2) expanded awareness and openness to complexity, (3) increased prosociality, compassion and acceptance of difference. These findings suggest psychedelic-induced awe may facilitate cognitive accommodation towards a more holistic worldview. This study highlights the potential of psychedelic experiences to foster prosocial and ecologically aware worldviews through epistemic transformation. Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Psychology/Human behaviour Biological sciences/Psychology psychedelics awe interconnectedness self-concept epistemic shifts transformative experience Full Text Supplementary Files SupplementaryMaterialsTables.pdf SupplemetaryMaterialsData.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 01 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 26 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 16 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 26 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Mar, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Mar, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 11 Mar, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 10 Mar, 2025 First submitted to journal 07 Mar, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6178373","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":434425380,"identity":"cbd45446-481d-4b2a-bc37-5ead603ea899","order_by":0,"name":"Eirini K. 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