Education / Research

How to Prepare for a Psychedelic Experience Safely

Last reviewed

People ask how to do this safely far more often than they ask whether it works. The research has a fair amount to say about preparation, and some of what is commonly repeated turns out to rest on thinner evidence than you would expect.

This page goes through what the studies and safety guidelines say, then offers a plain checklist of our own, clearly marked as ours. It is not medical advice.

What the research says about preparation

Reviews

The safety guidelines researchers follow

Researchers at Johns Hopkins wrote safety guidelines for human studies of psychedelics. They describe the main risk as overwhelming distress during the experience, with prolonged psychosis a rarer risk. Their safeguards: screen out people with a personal or family history of psychotic disorders or other severe psychiatric conditions, build trust and prepare people carefully beforehand, use a safe physical setting, have at least two monitors present, and follow up afterward. The authors say lasting adverse reactions are rare when research follows these guidelines.

Worth knowing

These are 2008 guidelines for supervised research, not a protocol for use on your own. They show what careful studies do. They do not show that doing it yourself carries the same low risk.

Reviews

More hours of preparation went with bigger improvements

A systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 12 controlled trials with 733 adults who had psychedelic-assisted therapy for depressive symptoms. Across trials, more hours of preparation therapy were associated with a larger drop in symptoms. Hours of integration therapy were not.

Worth knowing

The authors call it preliminary. It compares trials, not people, so it cannot show that preparation caused the difference, and 9 of the 12 trials had a high risk of bias. It counts hours, not quality or the bond with the therapist. The authors also say it is no reason to skip integration.

Case reports and surveys

Mindset and surroundings: a survey of people planning their own experiences

An online survey followed people who planned to take a psychedelic on their own, with questions before and after. A positive mindset going in went with fewer very challenging experiences, and clear intentions went with more mystical-type experiences. Feeling comfortable with the place and the people present went with higher well-being two weeks later.

Worth knowing

A self-selected survey, so it shows links, not causes, and many people dropped out over the five rounds. Baseline traits, such as how anxious a person already was, had the strongest effect on well-being change.

Small or open-label trials

The bond with the guide before the session

In a depression trial, a look back at the 29 people in the psilocybin group found that those who felt a stronger bond with their guides before their second session had lower depression scores six weeks later.

Worth knowing

The analysis was done after the fact, on 29 people, and it shows a link, not a cause. People who might have had difficulty building rapport were screened out beforehand. It did not test preparation or integration sessions themselves.

Reviews

Integration: widely recommended, not yet well tested

A systematised review of 75 sources looked at the therapy approaches used in integration sessions after a psychedelic experience. It found that the effects of the different approaches on outcomes have not been rigorously studied, and that there is not yet enough evidence to say any one type of therapy works best for integration.

Worth knowing

This is about how well we can compare approaches, not about whether integration is worth doing. Most of the material it found was not backed by empirical data.

A plain checklist

These are our suggestions, drawn from the studies above and from the standard safeguards in research. They are not study findings.

  • Check your health first. Personal or family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder, heart conditions, and some medications are reasons to talk to a doctor before anything else. Our microdosing safety page goes through the research on each.
  • Do not do it alone the first time. Research safety guidelines recommend at least two monitors during a session. A sober, trusted person who stays calm and does not need anything from you is the closest thing outside a study.
  • Choose your place on purpose. The survey above links comfort with the setting to better well-being two weeks later. Somewhere private, familiar, and safe, with no obligations that day.
  • Know what you are hoping for. Clear intentions went with more meaningful experiences in the survey. You do not need a perfect answer. Writing a sentence or two beforehand is enough.
  • Plan the days after. Keep the next day free, and decide ahead who you can talk to if the experience was hard. Our integration guide has practices for this.

Finding a therapist

Many people want a professional alongside them, for preparation, for support during the process, or for integration afterward. There is no single license or credential for psychedelic work, as far as we know, though professional groups have published practice guidelines. That makes your own questions more important.

We do not endorse specific practitioners. These are questions worth asking anyone you consider, and they are our suggestions, not research findings.

  • Are you licensed, and in what? Psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, and licensed counselors have training, ethics rules, and a board you can contact.
  • What training do you have for this work? Ask about both psychedelic-specific training and general therapy training, and how long they have worked with people after these experiences.
  • How do you handle consent, especially around touch? Touch is one of the most debated ethical questions in this field. A good practitioner will explain how they ask for consent, will respect a no at any point, and will not push.
  • What is your approach, and what is it based on? Some therapists work with the body, through breath, movement, or touch, which people call somatic. Others focus on talking. Ask what they do and why. The evidence on integration approaches is thin, so no style is proven best.
  • What will you do if things go badly? You want to hear a plan, including when they would involve a doctor or emergency care.

If an experience was hard

A difficult experience does not mean something is wrong with you, and it is worth talking about with someone you trust or a licensed therapist. If it is leaving you unable to sleep, function, or feel safe, please reach out to a doctor or therapist soon.

If you are thinking about harming yourself or are in crisis, call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time.

Keep reading

This page is for adults 21 and older. It summarizes published research for education only. It is not medical or legal advice, and it makes no claim that any product sold by Luna treats, cures, prevents, or helps any condition. Laws about these mushrooms vary by place, and you are responsible for knowing yours.

Research moves quickly. We last checked this page against its sources on , and we will correct it if we get something wrong.