The Role of Touch in Psychedelic Therapy: Perspectives From a Survey of Practitioners in Research Settings.
David A Bender, Sandeep M. Nayak, Joshua S. Siegel, David J Hellerstein, Baris C Ercal, Eric J Lenze
American Journal of Psychotherapy May 6, 2025 DOI: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Practitioners involved in psychedelic therapy trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov and personal contacts of the authors |
| Topics | Psilocybin Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Therapeutic touch Psychedelic-therapy Therapeutic-touch Medical-ethics Psilocybin-treatment Patient-consent |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key findings | 70% of surveyed practitioners agreed that therapeutic touch is crucial in psychedelic therapy, but most considered bodywork (63%) and full-body contact (98%) inappropriate, and 63% unprompted emphasized the importance of consent. |
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.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- The Role and Ethics of Touch and Non-touch in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences November 22, 2025
- Psilocybin with psychotherapeutic support for treatment-resistant depression: a pilot clinical trial Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology September 1, 2025
- Psychedelics in Multiple Sclerosis: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Prospects for Neuroimmune Modulation and Repair. Cells November 26, 2025
- The spectrum of potential benefits and ethical considerations for psychedelic-assisted therapy in autistic adults Psychedelics May 1, 2026
- Psychedelic-assisted therapy: a survey on the clinical methods of Swiss physicians. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 15
- Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 1, 2008
- Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine November 3, 2022
- MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine June 1, 2021
- Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022
- Psychedelics and the essential importance of context. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 15, 2018
and 10 more in the library