Protective Behavioral Strategies for Psychedelic Use: A Mini Review of the Evidence.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) December 1, 2024 Cianna J Piercey, Bethany Gray, Angelina Sung et al. 5 citations
A review of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) for psychedelic use outside clinical settings found that a culture of harm reduction exists within psychedelic communities. Identified strategies include careful drug acquisition, dosing, managing set and setting, bodily nourishment, planning for challenging experiences, and post-use integration. Although research is limited, emerging evidence suggests that using these strategies may reduce negative consequences. The review calls for better measurement tools and more studies to understand how PBS can support the growing number of people—8.5 million Americans over 12 reported past-year use in 2022—who use psychedelics nonclinically.