The purpose of the psychosocial protocol in the psychedelic-assisted therapy: A scoping review

Summary

A scoping review categorizes psychosocial protocols used in psychedelic research for mental health treatment, identifying 62 eligible studies. Seven categories were established based on factors like substance and sociocultural context. Despite challenges such as limited reporting and methodological heterogeneity, the findings aim to create a common framework for describing and comparing these protocols, ultimately enhancing transparency and flexibility in research designs to better accommodate diverse populations.

Study at a glance

Abstract

With growing research on the use of psychedelics to treat mental health conditions, greater attention to the psychosocial procedures accompanying substance administration is warranted. This scoping review aims to categorize psychosocial protocols used in research involving psychedelics as psychiatric treatment according to their purpose, denomination, format, therapeutic orientation, formalization, and duration. Experimental and observational studies were identified through online search platforms, covering Ayahuasca, Dimethyltryptamine, 5-methoxy- N,N -dimethyltryptamine, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Ibogaine, Mescaline, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, Psilocybin, and 4-hydroxy- N,N -diisopropyltryptamine, yielding 62 eligible studies that were also assessed for methodological quality. Seven categories were defined, reflecting distinct emphases on the substance, participant, research team, and sociocultural context. Although limited reporting and heterogeneity remain methodological challenges, these features reveal divergent research intentions and contextual constraints. The proposed parameters suggest a shared language to describe, compare, and examine psychosocial protocols across studies and reduce conceptual uncertainty in the field. This review may facilitate research decision-making and support the development of structured and replicable study designs, while predicting flexibility to accommodate individualized, culturally responsive, and population-specific care. Ultimately, researchers explicitly defining the intended purpose of psychosocial protocols may improve its transparent reporting, and evaluation. Future research should balance methodological rigor with attention to real-world studies, interdisciplinary perspectives, and demographic diversity for responsible advancing.

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