The Role of Touch in Psychedelic Therapy: Perspectives From a Survey of Practitioners in Research Settings.

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Psychedelic therapies are promising new treatment options in psychiatry. Including the use of physical touch as part of treatment is an area of debate. This study aimed to characterize the viewpoints of practitioners on the use of touch in psychedelic therapy. An anonymous survey was distributed via e-mail to the contacts listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for trials of psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide, via e-mail to personal contacts of the current authors, and through snowball sampling. Survey items focused on topics related to the facilitation of psychedelic treatments. The survey included Likert-scale, free-response, and demographic items. Forty respondents completed the survey. The respondents had overseen an average of 41.4 psychedelic sessions (range 2-200 sessions), had varying educational backgrounds (doctorate in medicine or osteopathic medicine, 43%; other degree, 58%), and were affiliated with ≥16 institutions worldwide. Seventy percent of the respondents agreed that therapeutic touch was a crucial component of psychedelic therapy, although a majority felt that specific forms of touch (bodywork, 63%; full-body contact, 98%) were inappropriate. Free-response analysis indicated that 96% of the respondents supported touch of the patient's hand and 58% supported touching of the shoulder. Unprompted, 63% of respondents emphasized the importance of consent. Classical psychedelic practitioners in research settings believed that physical touch is an important part of psychedelic therapy. However, they also emphasized the importance of professional boundaries. These findings may inform the future practice of psychedelic therapy.