1) What if I have a question about the study or a survey question?
You can email study questions to the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at CLANLab@Brown.edu
2a) What types of psychedelics are being investigated in this study? (short answer)
This study is investigating classic psychedelics and related compounds.
Classic psychedelics include the following compounds/plants/fungi:
- LSD
- Psilocybin/magic mushrooms
- DMT
- Ayahuasca/Daime
- Mescaline
- Peyote cactus
- San Pedro/Huachuma cactus
- Related compounds (e.g., 5-MeO-DMT, LSA, 2C-B)
If need further clarification about whether lesser-known substances are considered to be related to classic psychedelics, please refer to this list of classic psychedelics and related compounds.
Also, please note that while this study uses the term psychedelic to refer to these substances, other terms for these substances include hallucinogen, entheogen, and plant medicine.
Finally, please note that classic psychedelics do not include:
- MDMA (ecstasy)
- Iboga/Ibogaine
- Ketamine
- Cannabis/Marijuana
- Salvia Divinorum
- Datura
2b) What types of psychedelics are being investigated in this study? (technical answer)
Classical psychedelics and related compounds are substances that exert psychoactive effects through action at the serotonin 2A receptor and belong to one of three structural families, tryptamines, lysergamides, and phenethylamines.
Classic psychedelics in the tryptamine family include psilocybin (magic mushrooms, COMP360), DMT and ayahuasca. Related tryptamines include psilocin, bufotenine, and 5Meo-DMT. Click here for more related compounds.
The main classic psychedelic in the lysergamide family is LSD. Related lysergamides include Ergine (LSA) and 1P-LSD. Click here for more related compounds.
The main classic psychedelics in the phenethylamine family is mescaline, which is found in the peyote and San Pedro cactus. Related phenethylamines include 2C-B, 25b-NBOMe, and DOC. Click here for more related compounds.
In addition to the substances listed above and on the accompanying list, this study includes all naturally-occurring, synthetic, newly synthesized, or proprietary derivatives, analogues, or variants of any classic psychedelic substance. The list of related compounds is not comprehensive and may miss lesser-known or newly formulated derivatives of classic psychedelics.
If you had an experience with a substance that is not on your list of related compounds but is a synthetic derivative, variant, or newly developed formulation of a classic psychedelic, you may select “other” and write in the name of the substance. If you would like to discuss and confirm with study staff before enrolling, you can email CLANLab@Brown.edu
3) If answering the research questions is distressing for me, what kind of resources and support are available?
- List of resources
- You can email the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at CLANLab@Brown.edu to set up a time to chat with our research team and get ideas for resources.
4) My difficulties were caused by a combination of psychedelic use, concepts or ideology, and responses by psychedelic guides/therapists, organizations, or other related support professionals. Does the study include the wider social context?
Yes! We intend the term “psychedelic-related” to include both the substances and the larger social context, and have specific sections that ask about ideology, interpretive frameworks, and how different people inside the psychedelic context responded. This could include mishandling the situation, negligence, gaslighting or abuse by psychedelic guides, programs, organizations or communities.
5) I have trouble reading or looking at screens because of my psychedelic-related difficulties. Is there a way to complete the survey in a way that does not require reading or screens?
The current form of the study is written and requires reading on a computer screen. However, we may add an addendum to create a more accessible option in the future if we get enough requests. Please email CLANLab@Brown.edu to discuss.
6) I saw that there are two separate studies, one for meditation-related adverse effects, and one for psychedelic-related adverse effects. My difficulties were caused by a combination of meditation and psychedelics or I have had both at different times. Which study should I participate in? Can I do both?
If your difficulties were a combination of meditation and psychedelics, pick the one that had the most negative impact on your life and functioning. If that is too hard to decide, pick the psychedelics study. The meditation study includes questions about psychedelics, and the psychedelic arm has questions about meditation, and there will be plenty of free-text boxes for you to explain your situation.
If you have experienced both meditation-related adverse effects, and psychedelic-related adverse effects at different times in your life, and the experiences are unrelated to each other, then you qualify for both studies. In this case, you could do both, but since the surveys take several hours, you may want to choose one. Pick the one that had the most negative impact on your life and functioning or the one you most want researchers to know more about.
If you are still not sure, email CLANLab@Brown.edu and we can discuss.
7) I had psychedelic-related difficulties but am under 18 so am not eligible to participate in the study. Will you have another study for people under 18?
The study is not currently set up for individuals under 18. However, we may create that option in the future if we get enough requests. Please email CLANLab@Brown.edu to discuss.
8) My loved one had severe psychedelic-related adverse effects that resulted in their death, or is otherwise too incapacitated to participate in this study. Is there any way that I can share their story on their behalf? Can I send you their journals?
The study is not currently set up to accept information from 3rd parties. However, we may create that option in the future if we get enough requests. Please email CLANLab@Brown.edu to discuss.
9) I want to finish my surveys, but closed my browser/lost my computer and can't find the original link or any emails.
You can email CLANLab@Brown.edu with the email that you used to complete the study, and a link to your partially completed surveys will be sent to you.
10) If I don’t finish the survey, will my data be lost?
Your survey responses will be saved every time you move to the next page. If you stop before completing a page, the answers on that page will not be saved.
11) Can I go back and change answers on previous pages that I already submitted?
Some survey pages will have a back button that can be used to navigate back in the survey and change the answers that you have already provided. However, not all pages will have a back button. This is because the survey software does not allow you to go back to certain pages when those pages were used to determine what questions you were shown later in the survey. Every time you click the forward button the survey will save the answers that you provided on your current page.
12) This survey is almost 1000 questions, why is it so long?
Psychedelic use is growing in popularity worldwide and is being used to in spiritual/religious, wellness and clinical settings. However, there is very little research about psychedelic-related adverse effects, what they entail, how long they last, and what factors make them more or less severe.
For reference, a widely used measure of personality, the MMPI, has 567 questions.
Given the widespread use of psychedelics, potential adverse effects are an important public health issue that deserves at least as many questions as personality.
13) I want to share my story about psychedelic-related adverse effects because I think it’s important that researchers know what happened. However, I have some concerns about the consequences of sharing.
For example:
- I was in a clinical trial, and don’t want to compromise the research or get anyone in trouble.
- I am afraid that the researchers or psychedelic guides will find out that I told what happened.
The safety, wellbeing and confidentiality of research participants is our highest priority, and also the reason we are doing the study. We have taken several measures to protect your confidentiality. We will never ask for your name, and do not share or publish any information that could potentially identify you. We provide you with the option of creating an anonymous email to use in the study (see study instructions). You may also skip any question that you feel is too revealing of your identity. If you would like to discuss these concerns further, please email CLANLab@Brown.edu to discuss.