Combatting The 'Bad Trip': New Research Project Seeks Solutions That Go Beyond Psychedelics

Ehave, Inc. EHVVF has completed the first of three planned phases of its studies with the University of Melbourne to determine the cause and possible cure for hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD).

The Miami-based company entered into the research project agreement with the University of Melbourne in 2021 to gather data and bio-markers to target HPPD, which is characterized by prolonged or reoccurring perceptual symptoms reminiscent of acute hallucinogen effects, panic attacks and depression.

Also known as a "bad trip," HPPD causes individuals to have recurring visual disturbances recalling only the part of the psychedelic experience that involved visions.

Ehave is exploring the potential of monetizing its HPPD research by developing a cure that extends beyond psychedelics by identifying biomarkers to identify individuals with a higher risk of developing HPPD if they take psychedelics.

"Ehave's goal in completing phase one of this study with the University of Melbourne was to develop data for our active psychedelic-based and potential clinical programs for mental health," Ben Kaplan, the company's CEO, said. "We are very pleased with the progress so far."

The First Phase

The first stage of the study identified a battery of visual tasks to cover a broad assessment of optical processing that included a pilot comprised of visual tasks and survey questions in approximately 300 undergraduate students.

Participants were 18-41 years old with a median age of 20. Approximately 15% of the sample had taken psychedelics recreationally and almost 80% of the sample reported some form of visual disturbance.

The phase one testing process results found there's a much higher incidence of visual disturbances in people with no diagnosis of HPPD.

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