Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy · Consciousness

Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety

Johnson MW, Richards WA, Griffiths RR · Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2008

This paper from Johns Hopkins reviews the history of human research with classic psychedelics, the risks involved, and how researchers can reduce them. It is a review and set of guidelines rather than a trial. The authors note that while these substances carry relatively low physical risk and are not considered drugs of dependence, they carry unique psychological risks. The most likely is overwhelming distress during the session, and rarer risks include prolonged psychotic reactions. Recommended protections include screening out people with a personal or family history of psychotic or other severe psychiatric disorders, building trust before the session, careful preparation, a supportive physical setting, and at least two monitors present. A limitation is that these guidelines were written for research settings rather than everyday clinical practice.

Our summaries describe what each study found. They are not medical advice, and the practices at Halcyon are not a treatment for any condition.