Interruptions during psychedelic therapy sessions are associated with lower ratings of the intensity of the experience. This quality improvement study examined how breaks or disruptions affect the subjective depth of the psychedelic session, suggesting that maintaining a continuous, uninterrupted setting may be important for achieving a more intense experiential state.
Psychedelic retreat organizations vary widely in their safety precautions. All 49 organizations interviewed collected participant medical histories, and 73.5% excluded individuals with certain health conditions. Most required or recommended medication washout periods ranging from one day to over six weeks. While 69.4% worked with a licensed health care professional or someone with emergency response training, only 65.3% had such personnel in attendance at retreats at least some of the time. All organizations offered integration support. The variability in practices, particularly around medication washout and polysubstance use, may increase risks to participants. Best practice guidelines are needed and should be codeveloped with Indigenous and nonclinical communities.
A critical appraisal of pilot results for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cocaine use disorder, examining the initial findings and methodological limitations of early research in this area. The appraisal identifies significant challenges in study design, including small sample sizes and lack of adequate control conditions, which limit the reliability and generalizability of the reported outcomes. It emphasizes the need for more rigorous, larger-scale trials before drawing conclusions about efficacy. The analysis underscores the importance of cautious interpretation of pilot data and highlights specific methodological issues that must be addressed in future research to determine whether this treatment approach holds promise for cocaine use disorder.