Prolonged adverse effects from repeated psilocybin use in an underground psychedelic therapy training program: a case report
John Perna, Justin Trop, Roman Palitsky, Zachary Bosshardt, Helen Vantine, Boadie W Dunlop, Ali John Zarrabi
BMC Psychiatry February 28, 2025 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-024-06303-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | ECT energy medicine |
| Topics | Psilocybin Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Adverse effect Psychotherapist Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key findings | Clinicians should be aware of conflicts between psychiatric conceptualizations of prolonged adverse effects from psychedelics and frameworks in psychedelic community practices, as these affect patients' symptoms, decision making, and emotional challenges. |
Abstract
This case highlights the tensions between legal and underground psychedelic use within psychedelic therapy training programs, psychiatry and neo-shamanism, and the use of psychiatric interventions (i.e., ECT) and energy medicine to address prolonged adverse effects from psychedelics. Clinicians should be aware of these potential conflicts between psychiatric conceptualizations of PAEs and frameworks maintained in psychedelic community practices and their impacts on patients' presenting symptoms, decision making, and emotional challenges.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suicide of a patient shortly after psilocybin-assisted psychedelic therapy: A case report 60-year-old man with recurrent depression and history of delusions | 2025 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Refractory CRPS pain treated with psilocybin: A case report A patient with refractory complex regional pain syndrome | 2024 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Underground small-group therapy of treatment-resistant depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) with psilocybin—A retrospective case study A woman in her early forties with early complex trauma and treatment-resistant depression | 2023 | Case report | n = 1 |
| Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine dependence: a case report involving daily methamphetamine use A 36-year-old transwoman who was a daily methamphetamine user | 2024 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Long‐COVID symptoms improved after MDMA and psilocybin therapy: A case report 41-year-old fully vaccinated female with Long-COVID syndrome | 2024 | Case report | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 7
- Predicting Reactions to Psychedelic Drugs: A Systematic Review of States and Traits Related to Acute Drug Effects. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci March 5, 2021
- Making "bad trips" good: How users of psychedelics narratively transform challenging trips into valuable experiences. The International journal on drug policy 2021
- Prevalence and associations of challenging, difficult or distressing experiences using classic psychedelics. Journal of Affective Disorders April 1, 2023
- Risks and benefits of psilocybin use in people with bipolar disorder: An international web-based survey on experiences of ‘magic mushroom’ consumption Journal of Psychopharmacology December 14, 2022
- Psilocybin Exposures Reported to U.S. Poison Centers: National Trends Over a Decade. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine May 1, 2024
and 2 more in the library