Screening And Intake
The screening and intake process is one of the most important components of safety. Our in-depth, professionally designed process ensures that many of the potential risks of a psilocybin experience are minimized, or mitigated completely, before preparation for the session even begins.
The psyche+soul screening process takes into consideration the following elements:
Prescription Medications and Supplements
Certain prescription medications and supplements may interact with psilocybin. These medications include common antidepressants such as SSRIs, SNRIs, Bupropion (Wellbutrin), and others. Most of these interactions are not dangerous, however they may impact the experience in other ways (e.g. by diminishing or blunting psilocybin’s psychedelic effects).
The prescription medication lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid) does pose a significant safety risk if used in combination with psilocybin.
Potential interactions with other prescription medications and supplements are addressed in detail in our screening and intake process.
Physiological Safety of Psilocybin
Psilocybin is generally physiologically safe and well-tolerated. It can moderately increase heart rate and blood pressure, but even at high doses, this effect is mild. Regardless, individuals with a history of serious cardiac conditions or uncontrolled high blood pressure should exercise caution. In a case like this, we may require that an individual undertake additional measures to ensure their safety (e.g. receiving clearance from their physician before proceeding with Psyhe+Soul Revival services).
Nausea is a potential side effect of psilocybin, and if an individual is particularly prone to nausea, it’s helpful for our team to know ahead of time. A history of allergic reaction to mushrooms or fungi could also present a risk. Post-experience headaches are a common side effect of medium-high dose psilocybin, and these can be mitigated with over-the-counter pain medication, which will be available. These potential risks and others are addressed in detail in our screening and intake process.
Psychological Safety of Psilocybin
A strong psychedelic experience may exacerbate or trigger the onset of certain psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. Individuals with a personal or family history of these conditions should exercise caution.
In most modern clinical trials and psychedelic research studies, individuals with a first or second-degree relative with schizophrenia, bipolar, or other psychotic disorders are excluded from participation. A first degree relative is a parent or sibling. A second-degree relative is an uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, grandparent, half-sibling, or double-cousin.
Age and gender likely impact the degree of risk, as these conditions tend to onset in the early-mid twenties for men and the late twenties to early thirties for women.Prior psychedelic experience with no adverse effects also suggests lower risk.
This topic is complex, and research in this area is limited and sometimes contradictory, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions. For example, in the case of bipolar disorder, a pilot study published in 2023 found no increase in mania or hypomania symptoms following a single dose of psilocybin in individuals with Bipolar II. However, a survey study of over 500 individuals with bipolar disorder found that one-third of respondents described new and/or increasing symptoms after psilocybin experiences, prominently manic symptoms, difficulties sleeping, and anxiety, with no difference between those with Bipolar I or II. Notably, respondents in this survey indicated that, on balance, they found psilocybin more helpful than harmful.
In summary, current evidence suggests caution is warranted for individuals with personal or family histories of schizophrenia, bipolar, or other psychotic disorders, and that more research in this area is needed. These potential risks are addressed in detail in our screening and intake process.
Support Network
The intensity of a strong psychedelic experience can be disruptive or destabilizing for some individuals in certain cases. While it may be challenging at the time, this is often part of a larger healing, transformational, or therapeutic process. Nevertheless, it’s important to account for the potential of disruption or destabilization and plan for the possibility of turbulence in your life, should it occur.
Having a strong support network that can help process the experience is one of the best ways to mitigate any potential negative impact of a disruptive or destabilizing psychedelic journey. This network may include family, friends, a therapist, and/or other forms of community support. The key is that the individuals be both aware of, and supportive of, your undergoing a psychedelic experience.
Framing And Expectation Management
Extensive media coverage, which often focuses on the most exceptional and extraordinary experiences that are possible with psychedelic therapy, has led to an increase in heightened positive expectations from people interested in these substances.
Of course, it’s natural that a desire for a positive experience or outcome would draw us to something, but we encourage viewing a psilocybin experience as part of an ongoing process, and not a “quick fix” or “silver bullet”. While certain research has shown significant, lasting benefits from a single session, it’s impossible to predict the exact outcome of a particular psychedelic experience for any individual.
Ideally, a psilocybin experience takes place in the context of broader psychological and emotional work. This may include psychotherapy, which we recommend engaging in before and after your experience. It may also include practices such as meditation or journaling, which have been shown in research to support personal work with psychedelics.
Consensus among researchers, practitioners, and the broader community is that it’s beneficial to enter a journey with openness, and let go of expectations or desires for a specific experience or outcome.
Challenging Experiences Or “Bad Trips”
PSR’s process provides multiple layers of support around the potential for challenging experiences with psilocybin (sometimes colloquially known as “bad trips”). Important to note is that it’s common for aspects of a psychedelic experience to be challenging, and that this is no cause for concern. Intense emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear can be and often are part of a journey. Psilocybin can help us face challenging parts of ourselves, process grief and loss, and heal from past trauma. Naturally, this is challenging work.
Commonly, challenges experienced during a journey are later viewed as positive, and ultimately felt to have been necessary or worthwhile. Most challenging psilocybin experiences - including those that occur outside of supervised settings - fall under this category. Less common, but still possible, are challenging experiences that create difficulties in the days, weeks, months, or even years after the experience. Challenging experiences of this type are less likely to occur when intentional preparation, “set and setting”, professional support, integration, and other considerations are taken into account.
PSR’s process is designed to support the integration of any and all experiences that arise during a session, including challenges. Rest assured that regardless of the intensity or duration of any challenges, you won’t be left alone to process. See the “Integration and Aftercare” section below for more details.
Integration And Aftercare
An intentional integration process is as important, if not more important than the psychedelic experience itself. Integration is essential for transforming the insights and understandings from a journey into lasting, sustainable positive change in one’s life.
For the vast majority of individuals, integration will be an engaging, fruitful process that may at times require substantial energy and effort. Psyche+ Soul Revival’s services are designed to fully support this process, and we provide a package of integration resources post-journey. Group retreats include a full day for integration, with activities designed to harness the post-journey neural plasticity and maximize its benefits. Private sessions include two hour-long, one-on-one integration calls with a facilitator in the weeks following the session.
A small minority of individuals may encounter challenges that endure beyond their psilocybin session. We’re committed to supporting you through whatever arises, even if that means extending additional services and support to you.
Conclusion
Safety has been thoroughly considered through every step of the PSR experience. Our screening and intake process is professionally designed to minimize or mitigate as many potential risks as possible before a session even begins. Our team follows the latest developments in psychedelic science, and updates our processes based on the literature.
We recommend individuals have a strong support network in place before a session, which may include family, friends, a therapist, and/or other forms of community support. We also recommend viewing a psilocybin experience as part of a broader process, cultivating an attitude of openness, and letting go of desires or expectations for a specific experience or outcome.
The PSR process provides multiple layers of protection and support around challenging experiences or “bad trips”. Overall, challenging experiences are much less likely to occur because intentional preparation, integration, “set and setting”, professional support, and other considerations are taken into account.
The likelihood of negative post-session symptoms is low. Psilocybin, especially when administered in a controlled setting with professional support, appears largely safe in the long term, based on evidence from both contemporary research studies and population-level data analysis.
PSR’s facilitators are highly trained individuals who embody a strong, warm, compassionate, and wise presence. Our facilitators use a non-directive approach, in line with the style of support used in contemporary psychedelic research.
Integration is key to any intentional psychedelic experience, and our process is designed to support this. For most people, this will be engaging, fruitful, and perhaps effortful. Although rare, some individuals may experience challenges that persist beyond the session itself. In cases like these, PSR is pleased to offer additional support, including financial assistance and access to our extensive support network.