Psychedelic Medicine
May 8, 2024
Susanna Myers, John Guy, Anthony L. Back et al.
7 citations
A research team developing a group retreat-based psilocybin-assisted therapy trial created initial practice guidelines for ethical and supportive facilitator use of touch. After two unexpected touch-related experiences during the first three retreats, the guidelines were iterated. The revised guidelines specify acceptable practices to ensure participant safety and a supportive therapeutic experience. The primary goal is to create a haptic experience that reinforces participants' sense of safety and supports their own experience during the psilocybin session. A secondary goal is to help facilitators maintain therapeutic boundaries while responding to participant experiences with empathy and openness.
Psychedelic Medicine
December 23, 2025
Anthony L. Back, Bonnie A. Mcgregor, Lindsay Billingsley et al.
1 citation
A group facilitation model for psilocybin therapy, developed for an FDA-approved Phase 1 to 2 clinical trial, draws on anthropological studies of ritual, specifically rites of passage, to structure a secular retreat for people with metastatic cancer experiencing anxiety or depression. The model uses three phases: separation (preparation), liminal (psilocybin dosing session), and reincorporation (integration). Ritual functions psychologically to support emotional regulation and meaning-making, and communally to embed individual experience in shared intention and care. This is the first FDA-approved clinical trial of a secular ritual-based group facilitation model for psychedelic therapy with empirically demonstrated safety and efficacy outcomes.
Frontiers in Public Health
April 14, 2026
Anthony L. Back, Bonnie A. Mcgregor, Leslie L. Thorn et al.
A second experience of group retreat psilocybin therapy appears safe and feasible for people with metastatic cancer who did not fully benefit from a first session. In a small study of 13 partial responders, the protocol was modified with a higher initial dose (35 mg), an optional 10 mg booster, and no requirement to taper antidepressants. Seven participants received the booster. Anxiety and depression scores improved substantially, with 69% of participants scoring below the clinical threshold at follow-up. The proportion reporting a complete mystical experience rose from 38% after the first session to 77% after the second, without more challenging experiences. Social support and group cohesion also improved and were maintained at 24 weeks.