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. 2025 Apr 29.
doi: 10.1007/7854_2025_579. Online ahead of print.

Traumatic Psychedelic Experiences

Abigail E Calder  1 , Vincent J Diehl  1 , Gregor Hasler  2   3
Affiliations

Traumatic Psychedelic Experiences

Abigail E Calder et al. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. .

Abstract

Psychedelic experiences involving extreme feelings of horror, helplessness, and perceived threats can be traumatizing. Traumatic psychedelic experiences are a rare, extreme, and largely preventable form of challenging experience which can arise due to frightening psychedelic drug effects, unsafe settings, and emergence of pre-existing trauma. Some people recover quickly, but others develop prolonged anxiety, sleep disturbances, derealization, or other potentially trauma-related symptoms. This chapter discusses the causes, phenomenology, and potential outcomes of traumatic psychedelic experiences, as well as how to prevent them and minimize their negative impact.

Keywords: Acute stress disorder; Adverse effects; Post-traumatic growth; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Post-trip difficulties; Trauma-related symptoms; Traumatic psychedelic experiences.

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