It might have been a lightning-charged tumble of storm clouds rolling in over the horizon, or the first kiss of morning sunlight on your face. Perhaps a painting so fine that you wonder how a human hand could be capable of such remarkable things, or from marvelling at a night sky heavy with glittering stars, or the birth of a baby, new and fawning and unabashed by the weariness of the world. The first cool change of air as the summer season resigns its suffocating heat for a crisp autumnal reprieve, or the flourish of spring flowers after a long and dreary winter.

When was the last time you experienced ‘awe’?

Characterised by the sensation of reverence, wonder and amazement, awe is an emotional experience triggered by encounters with nature, art, music or situations that elicit a humbling recognition of ones’ place in a vast, interconnected world. To experience ‘awe’ is to realise how small you are, how expansive the world is, and to step outside of the self in recognition of the true and minute scale of our individual existences.

Awe might also harbour the secret for improved mental health.

A recent study sought to encourage future research within the field of psychology to harness the benefits of awe to advance well-being. The research proposed the development of a specialised cognitive behavioural model of awe as a mental health intervention, with possible benefits cited for patients living with depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD.

University of the Sunshine Coast School of Health researchers Dr Vikki Schaffer, Dr Lee Kannis-Dymand and Tyrone Huckstepp explained that despite this article being one of the first to explore a cognitive behavioural model that amplifies awe in the pursuit of greater wellbeing, the psychological benefits of awe are already widely proven.

Huckstepp said for mental health conditions like chronic anxiety or depression, the persistent cycle of maladaptive inward thoughts can be disrupted by triggering a sense of ‘mindlessness’ and pure experience — a sensation akin to awe. Regardless of the existing evidence that awe is a beneficial emotion to harness, discourse surrounding its uses in formal psychotherapeutic settings has only gained traction in the research field within the last four years.

Dr Kannis-Dymand explains that while interest in how this emotion might enhance wellbeing, perspective, and social connection has grown, the exploration of its formal integration into psychotherapeutic settings does not yet exist. Regardless, the three researchers remain optimistic, as Dr Kannis-Dymand said: “We believe our model contributes to how awe can be understood and applied to real world settings.”

But what does their proposed incorporation of ‘awe’ in therapy look like?

Huckstepp explained that the proposed model builds upon existing frameworks of cognitive behavioural therapy, such as nature therapy, behaviour activation therapy and positive psychology. He suggests a therapeutic format where patients are encouraged to stimulate the sensation of awe through prescribed experiences, followed by subsequent counselling sessions to embed the feelings or realisations it triggered into the patients’ thought patterns.

These ‘prescribed experiences might include exposure to nature or simulated sensory immersions using technologies like virtual reality. The goal is to shift focus outward, helping patients to see themselves as a single thread in a vast tapestry—beyond the grip of dysregulated habitual thoughts.

High hopes

A more controversial doorway to awe is already ajar. However, its healing promise for the estimated 22 per cent of Australians living with a mental health disorder is still unspoken in the language of the mainstream.

Laced with conviction, Graeme Sudholz’s voice was unfaltering as he declared: “The relief was immediate and extremely intense. Yeah—it was life changing.”

After a childhood marred by severe physical and sexual abuse, Sudholz suffered from seemingly untreatable PTSD. When mainstream therapy approaches failed to provide relief from the disturbing and persistent nightmares that manifested from what he described as “body-held memories” of trauma from his early life, he sought an alternative path—Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, or PAT.

In February 2023, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the use of psilocybin and MDMA for treatment-resistant mental illness in medically controlled, psychotherapeutic environments. Already a practicing psychologist, his own positive experience with PAT led Sudholz to become an accredited practitioner of the alternative therapy himself.

He has since helped patients dealing with acute depression, anxiety, chronic pain, alcoholism and trauma through PAT sessions. By bridging the cognitive dissonance of body-held and psychological traumas, the therapeutic administration of awe-inspiring substances has proven to be an underrated gateway towards healing—one that Sudholz hopes will eventually become more mainstream and accessible for patients.

Edith Cowan University School of Medical and Health Sciences senior lecturer Dr Stephen Bright explained that PAT is effective in treating disorders like depression by quietening the default mode network of the brain, which is engaged in self-referential thinking—aka the neurological hub of rumination and introspective thoughts.

The default mode network is highly activated in people with depression and acute anxiety, so by dialling this down, the person can experience themselves as ‘not depressed’, and during that experience is the opportunity to counsel patients through the rewriting of underlying beliefs that may uphold their depression. The hush of traumatising memories, rumination or self-disparaging thoughts is typically coupled with a ‘mystical’ state, which Bright likens to awe.

The enlightening quality of this state is what alleviates depressive symptoms. Bright said: “In addition to this state of awe, there’s also a positive mood, a transcendence of time and space, and an ineffability to all of this. It creates a sense of unity and triggers the realisation that all things are interconnected.”

Bright mentioned that one of the core drivers of thought and behaviour change among patients is epiphany. Epiphanies are however not easy to manufacture, but by incorporating psychedelic substances into therapeutic contexts, this becomes achievable.

Additionally, by dampening habitual brain patterns and activating new neural pathways, PAT opens patients to deeper insights and emotional release. Through the expansion of their awareness, individuals can replace entrenched patterns with healthier, more positive ways of thinking. As Bright said, by inducing a sense of awe, the neurological underpinnings of damaging thought processes are powerfully reworked.

Tackling Australia’s deadliest condition

Last month, new data revealed dementia as the leading cause of death in Australia. More than 425,000 people are currently living with the condition, and without preventative interventions, the AIHW projects that figure could climb past one million by 2065.

Doctor, neuroplasticity researcher and author of Can Adventure Prevent Dementia? A guide to outwitting Alzheimer’s Dr Helena Popovic MBBS promotes an unconventional solution. She said that modifiable lifestyle factors could almost halve the number of people diagnosed with dementia worldwide, and incorporating ‘awe’ into your daily routine is one of them.

According to Popovic, regularly experiencing awe can boost cognitive flexibility, helping the brain stay open to new perspectives and preserve critical thinking skills. She suggested that awe may also protect the brain by quieting inner criticism, supporting healthy neural networks tied to focus and self-awareness, and lowering cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. Additionally, awe activates the anterior cingulate cortex—a brain region linked to motivation and attention—potentially helping to slow or prevent cognitive decline over time.

For a feeling that cannot be bottled, Popovic prescribes the habitual integration of awe into your day-to-day.

She said: “People can be taught to incorporate awe into their daily lives by asking them to take a mindful walk in nature, observe the stars in the night sky, sit quietly and look at a flower, visit an art gallery or museum, or listen to a moving piece of music. Awe is a simple cost-free tool that people need to be made aware of to boost their physical and mental wellbeing in unexpected and powerful ways.”

Popovic reminds us that it’s never too early or too late to improve our brain function, and the underpromoted benefits of awe are due for recognition in our broader approach to mental health.

From wonder to wellness

Still in its research infancy, the formal integration of awe into a dedicated cognitive behavioural therapy method is yet to come to fruition. Popovic explained that awe remains unexplored in psychology largely due to the difficulty in creating standardised awe-inducing experiences for therapy. People encounter awe in a variety of settings—whether through nature, art, music, or even moonlight—which makes it a deeply personal and varied emotion.

This individuality makes it challenging to define and consistently measure in a lab environment. Another hurdle is that researching awe sits at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, demanding collaboration across disciplines and the blending of diverse theoretical approaches—factors that can undermine progress in the research field.

Director of the Master of Psychology at Curtin School of Population Health Dr Trevor Mazzuchelli built upon Popovic’s observations. Citing the complexities of addressing accreditation standards as a barrier to awe becoming a standalone psychotherapeutic intervention, Mazzuchelli said: “The psychology curriculum needs to cover a very broad set of core competencies, including assessment, formulation, intervention, ethics, research, and cultural responsiveness. That’s an awful lot to fit into two years of postgraduate studies, and our focus is on ensuring students develop strong grounding in only the evidence-based therapies required for professional registration.”

However, he assured that while awe is not currently a formal part of how WA psychologists are trained, its underlying principles are present in the background of disciplinary teachings. He said: “Many of the ideas connected to awe, such as mindfulness, meaning-making, perspective-taking, and connecting to something larger than oneself, are interwoven through several of the frameworks we do teach.”

The future potential of a cognitive behavioural therapy model using awe is not off the table however, with students of psychology encouraged to pursue these kinds of emerging concepts in their research projects. Mazzuchelli said: “While the research in this area is still developing, it’s an exciting field that’s drawing increasing attention.”

With rates of depression and anxiety at an all-time high and the existential threat of dementia a sobering reality for Australians, the benefits of awe are a reminder that the remedy to our collective wellbeing could be as attainable as admiring the world around you. Dr Popovic reminds us: “We mustn’t let what we don’t know, stop us from acting on what we do know—our brain is eminently responsive to the way we live our lives.”

Whether through a formal cognitive behavioural therapy model or from a quiet moment of contemplation in nature, the pursuit of awe invites us to reconnect—with ourselves, with each other, and with the world. Its impact could be significant, and its accessibility might just be its greatest strength. Perhaps the next frontier in mental health isn’t a matter of something we need to invent, rather a familiar experience we had underestimated.