Study Participant Perceptions of the Relevance of Therapist and Study Team Personal Psychedelic Experience

Background: Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has demonstrated great promise for a variety of mental health problems. Many clinicians and researchers who are engaged in providing PAP report personal experiences with psychedelics; these experiences are often positive. Still, there are ongoing questions regarding the relevance of therapists personal experience with psychedelic drugs for the safe and effective delivery of PAP. The current report addresses this question by describing the views and preferences of participants in a study of group PAP for frontline healthcare provider COVID-19 related depression and burnout regarding study therapists and study teams personal psychedelic experience.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial that enrolled physicians and nurses with frontline clinical work during the COVID-19 pandemic and symptoms of depression and burnout. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT05557643) Participants were enrolled between January 2nd, 2023and January 16th, 2024, and randomized (1:1) to either an 8-week MBSR curriculum alone or an 8-week MBSR curriculum plus group psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) with 25 mg psilocybin. Primary study results have been reported elsewhere. Outcomes reported here include participant preferences and perspectives on the perceived importance of prior psychedelic experience among the therapist and study teams. Twenty-five participants were enrolled and randomized. Participants across both study arms demonstrated moderate preference for prior psychedelic experience in therapist and study teams which was independent of participant prior personal psychedelic use.

Conclusions: Study participants demonstrate preference for prior psychedelic experience in therapist and study teams. This should be weighed with thoughtful monitoring of potential bias in psychedelic trials.