A Powerful Harm Reduction Service Model: Discover Fireside's Psychedelic Peer Support Line

Nonprofit organization Fireside Project partnered with clinicians and researchers in the psychedelics field to develop a follow-up survey of its psychedelic peer-supported helpline.

The survey constitutes the first round of data collected to understand who is using the service and what are the outcomes.

Results indicate the positive impact that just “having someone to talk to” has on people experiencing a difficult or bad trip.

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The support line has been operational for two years, taking calls and supporting people from anywhere in the U.S. "Much like the warmline or the suicide hotlines, you can call in from anywhere and receive support," study author and psychologist Dr. Mollie Pleet says.

As study author Dr. Rachel Yehuda put it: “The important thing is to let people know that this kind of an option-service exists for them. Because it can save lives, and can save them from going to the ER and having really negative outcomes. And that’s an amazing thing.”  

A Considerable Number Of Solo Psychedelic Experiences

One result that caught the authors’ attention was that almost 40% of the respondents decided to take psychedelics on their own.

Reasons for this span from its illegal status to the still-surrounding stigma, or even the hype more recently built around psychedelics, which might lead people to think there are only good trips ahead with little emphasis put on the context in which they are taken.

“It’s probably not that hard to get the wrong idea that if you just take this drug in your house, you don’t need the preparation or the facilitation," Yehuda says.

Post-traumatic stress responses can be activated after some of these experiences, especially when they involve a level of risk that people aren’t ready to hold for themselves, Pleet explained.

“So when they called Fireside, that was their sole connection point," Pleet told Benzinga. "Some were also calling to process a past experience using psychedelics by themselves. That does feel surprising to me — 40% is very high."

There are pros and cons to using psychedelics alone as well as with others, and there’s no definitive data on which is safer, Pleet says. “It really depends on the person.”

Nonetheless, she says, that survey response really suggests that part of Fireside's value is about "being a presence, a person on the other line that you can call and bounce your ideas with, or as not to feel so alone when people are actually completely alone.”

Double-Edged Sword

Fireside creator Joshua White warns that an unsupported experience could end up leading to harm, such as physical injury, additional need for mental health treatment and time off of work, to name a few.

“The flip side," he adds, "is that if you have a well-supported experience, then hopefully that saves society money in the longer term, through lower rates of depression, anxiety, and more fulfilling personal and professional relationships."

Problems and solutions for the field and more on Fireside’s model coming up next.

Fireside Project operates the Psychedelic Peer Support Line providing free, confidential support by mobile app, phone and text message to people in the midst of psychedelic experiences or processing past ones. Access the line by phone and text at 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433) or through its mobile app.

Photo: Benzinga edit with photo Arcady, Negro Elkha and lrunups on Shutterstock.