Changes on the Myers-Briggs following Psychedelic Therapy: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was developed to assess Jungian typologies and perceptual-judgment preferences in normal Ss. The Indicator consists of four bipolar scales: Extraversion-Introversion (E-I), Sensation-Intuition (S-N), Thinking-Feeling (TF ) , and Judging-Perceiving (J-P ) ( Myers-Briggs, 1962) . Previous studies by the present investigators concerning post-psychedelic-therapy changes in personal functioning suggest increases in health-growth dimensions as well as decreases in pathology (Harman, McKim, Mogar, & Fadiman, 1966; Klavetter & Mogar, 1967). Specifically, significant positive changes were found on tests of creativity and measures of self-actualizing tendencies. Since the Type Indicator is purported to be particularly sensitive to superior attributes of human experience, the present study was undertaken to estimate pre-post-LSD changes on the Myers-Briggs scales. The Myers-Briggs was administered to 12 neurotic patients 1 mo. before and again 6 mo. after a psychedelic therapeutic regime3 described previously in the above studies. Mean pre-post scores for the six males were E-1: 108.14, 11 1.00, S-N: 104.14, 11 7.29, T-F: 114.17, 110.17, J-P: 88.14, 95.00. For the six females, mean pre-post scores were E-I: 90.20, 89.40, S-N: 125.80, 133.00, T-F: 131.80, 133.40, J-P: 106.20, 106.20. The posttreatment shifts toward Intuition, males and females, and Perceiving, males, approached significance although the sample was too small to detect statistically significant differences with any degree of confidence. These tentative results suggest that the Myers-Briggs is a sensitive measure of the kinds of changes that have often been reported to follow psychedelic therapy, although seldom established with objective procedures. An extension of this pilot study, includes (a) a larger patient sample and ( b ) no-treatment control group in order to determine the stability of the present findings.