Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis (Bender, Siegel, Ercal, Lenze); Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (Nayak); Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York City (Siegel); Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City (Hellerstein).
3 papers in the library · 10 citations · publishing 2025
Practitioners of psychedelic therapy largely view physical touch as an important component of treatment, but they also emphasize strict professional boundaries and the necessity of patient consent. In a survey of 40 practitioners who had overseen an average of 41.4 psychedelic sessions, 70% agreed that therapeutic touch is crucial. However, most deemed specific forms of touch inappropriate: 63% considered bodywork inappropriate, and 98% considered full-body contact inappropriate. Free-response analysis showed 96% supported touching the patient's hand and 58% supported touching the shoulder. Unprompted, 63% of respondents stressed the importance of consent. These views may inform future practice.
Practitioners who oversee psychedelic therapy sessions slightly prefer an 'emotive' approach—one that emphasizes human and spiritual elements—over a 'neuromodulatory' approach that focuses on biological drug effects. A survey of 40 qualified respondents from at least 4 countries, 11 U.S. states, and 16 institutions found no consensus on many psychological support strategies. Four key themes emerged: the importance of trust, the role of spirituality, creating an emotional setting, and conceptualizing negative experiences. Practitioners trained at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies or the California Institute of Integral Studies showed a significantly stronger emotive preference than those trained elsewhere.
Providers administering psychedelic drugs in clinical trials report a range of challenges, including intense dysphoria during sessions (42% of respondents), disappointment with the intervention (25%), and re-engaging with traumatic experiences (17%). An anonymous survey of 40 qualified respondents who oversaw 1656 psychedelic sessions identified 11 distinct themes of challenges. 70% of respondents felt that individuals with PTSD or prior trauma need additional psychological support, and they recommended an average of 9.8 hours of total psychological support for first-time recipients with serious mental illness. These findings highlight the need to incorporate potential adverse experiences into psychological support protocols for clinical trials and future guidelines.