Why Psychedelic Therapy? The Health Benefits of Awe and Wonder
Latin: Mirabilis (adjective) – Wonderful, Marvellous, Astonishing, Extraordinary, Remarkable, Amazing.
Awe, Wonder & the Healing Brain
Awe and wonder can transform an ordinary moment into something extraordinary - watching a breathtaking sunset, standing before the ocean, or hearing a piece of music that moves you to tears. These experiences are more than fleeting emotions; they have measurable effects on the brain and body.
When we experience awe:
The prefrontal cortex lights up, helping us process and integrate the significance of what we are witnessing.
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) becomes active, helping us regulate emotion and fostering calm.
The brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked with joy, motivation, and reward.
The insula becomes active, strengthening the connection between our physical sensations and emotional experience.
Awe also reduces activity in the brain’s default mode network (DMN) — the system tied to self-referential thinking and rumination. This shift can create a sense of connection to something larger than ourselves, quieting the “small self” and broadening our perspectives.
These effects ripple outward, benefitting our health. Studies suggest that experiencing awe can reduce stress, lower inflammation, enhance creativity, boost immunity, and even improve cardiovascular health. According to some researchers, experiences of wonder represent not just the emotional but the neurological opposite of many mental health conditions.
Contracted Consciousness & Stuck Patterns
When depression, addiction, or trauma take hold, our state of consciousness often narrows.
Psychologist Ralph Metzner, in his paper “Addiction and Transcendence as Altered States of Consciousness”, described addiction as a “fixation” — a locked-in state where awareness is contracted, our options feel limited, and habits become rigid.
Neuroscientist Robin Carhart-Harris builds on this idea with his REBUS model (Relaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics). In everyday life, the brain relies on deeply held “priors” — assumptions about ourselves and the world. These priors shape perception and behaviour, but when they become overly rigid, they can trap us in patterns of thinking and feeling that are unhelpful.
This narrowing makes it difficult to absorb new salient information, consider new choices or imagine alternative ways of living. It is often accompanied by overactivity in the DMN, reinforcing cycles of worry, shame, and self-criticism.
The Expansive Potential of Psychedelics
Psychedelics can temporarily expand consciousness, interrupting habitual loops and opening the brain to new possibilities. In the REBUS model, psychedelics relax the brain’s rigid priors, increasing entropy (or flexibility) in brain networks — a state Carhart-Harris calls the entropic brain.
In this expanded state, communication between previously disconnected areas of the brain increases dramatically:
This loosening of fixed patterns creates a unique window of opportunity — what Carhart-Harris describes as a Pivotal Mental State (PiMS). In these states the brain is hyperplastic and primed for rapid psychological transformation. We experience emotions vividly and become highly responsive to our environment.
When paired with a safe therapeutic setting, preparation, and integration, psychedelics can catalyse meaningful change — not just alleviating symptoms, but helping people reconnect with themselves, others, and the wider world.
Why Wonder Matters
At the heart of this expansion is the experience of awe and wonder.
Moments of wonder soften self-focus and invite curiosity. They remind us that life can hold beauty and possibility, even after long periods of suffering.
This is why Mirabilis — wonderful — is more than just a name. It reflects a belief that healing isn’t only about erasing pain. It’s also about opening space for something larger: connection, meaning, and a deeper sense of aliveness.
References:
Carhart-Harris, R. L., & Friston, K. J. (2019). REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews, 71(3), 316–344.
Carhart-Harris, R. L. et al. (2014). The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Metzner, R. (1995). Addiction and Transcendence as Altered States of Consciousness. ReVision, Vol. 17, No. 4.
