Psychological Support Approaches in Psychedelic Therapy: Results From a Survey of Psychedelic Practitioners.

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Objective: To assess the viewpoints of psychedelic practitioners in research settings on approaches to psychological support for psychedelic treatments. Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed via email to contacts listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for clinical trials of psilocybin and LSD, personal contacts of authors, and through snowball sampling. The survey included Likert type, multiple choice, free response, and demographic items. Responses to survey items were coded to represent either emotive (emphasizing human and spiritual elements) or neuromodulatory (emphasizing biological drug effects) approaches to psychedelic treatment. Summative scores ("E-Scores") were determined to quantitatively represent preferences. Data were collected from March 2023 to July 2023. Results: Forty qualified respondents completed the survey. Respondents came from varying educational backgrounds (42.5% MD/DO and 57.5% other) and practiced in at least 4 countries, 11 U.S. states, and 16 institutions. Respondents had overseen a total of 1,656 psychedelic sessions (average = 41.4). There was a substantial range of response for many items (average range = 84.2% of maximum). Exploratory factor analysis identified 4 latent factors: The Importance of Trust, The Role of Spirituality, Creating an Emotional Setting, and Conceptualizing Negative Experiences. The average respondent held a slight preference for an emotive approach. Respondents who received training at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) or the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) had significantly greater emotive preference compared to other respondents (P < .05). Conclusions: Among psychedelic researchers, there is no consensus on certain psychological support strategies for psychedelic treatments. There is an aggregate preference for an emotive approach to psychological support, which is higher among individuals receiving training at certain institutions.