Is psilocybin therapy safe?

In controlled settings with screening, preparation, and professional support, psilocybin has a strong safety record. In pooled research of 360 participants, fewer than 1% reported lasting negative symptoms — and those resolved with additional support.

Who should not take psilocybin?

Anyone who has taken lithium in the last 30 days is not eligible, as that combination carries a real safety risk. People with serious cardiac conditions, or a personal or family history of schizophrenia, bipolar, or other psychotic disorders, should exercise caution and may need additional clearance.

What about a bad trip?

Challenging moments are common and often part of meaningful work. With preparation, set and setting, and a facilitator present the entire time, difficult experiences are far less likely to cause lasting harm — and you are never left to process them alone.

Is psilocybin safe in the long term?

Population studies of more than 100,000 U.S. adults found no link between psychedelic use and mental illness, and no cases of HPPD have been reported among volunteers in modern psilocybin research.

What support comes after the session?

Integration is built in — a full day on retreats, and two one-on-one calls after private sessions. If difficulties persist, Odyssey extends additional support, including financial assistance, at no extra cost.

The Safety of Psilocybin Therapy

Safety is our highest priority. Psilocybin experiences can be extraordinarily powerful, and we believe they should be met with intention, care, and respect. So we've considered safety at every step of the Odyssey process — here's how.

Key takeaways

Rigorous medical screening removes or reduces most risk before a session ever begins.
In controlled settings, serious adverse events are very rare — fewer than 1% of research participants reported any lasting negative effects.
A trained facilitator stays beside you the entire time, using the non-directive approach proven in clinical trials.
Integration support is built in afterward — and extended at no extra cost if challenges persist.

Step one

Screening & intake

The screening process is one of the most important parts of staying safe. Our in-depth, professionally designed intake means many of the potential risks of a psilocybin experience are reduced — or removed entirely — before preparation even begins.

In short

We reduce or remove most risk before preparation begins — by reviewing medications, cardiac history, and personal and family mental-health history against clinical-trial best practice.

Medications & supplements

Some prescription medications interact with psilocybin.⁶ Most aren't dangerous — a few can simply soften the experience. Lithium is the exception: it's the one interaction with a real safety risk, so if you've taken it in the last 30 days, we can't proceed, in line with Oregon Health Authority rules.⁴

Physiological safety

Psilocybin is generally well-tolerated by the body.⁷ It can mildly raise heart rate and blood pressure, so we take extra care — sometimes asking for physician clearance — with anyone who has a history of cardiac conditions.

Psychological safety

Because an intense experience can, in rare cases, trigger certain conditions, we ask carefully about personal and family history of schizophrenia, bipolar, and other psychotic disorders — the same criteria used in clinical research.¹²

What we screen for

Medication & supplement interactions, including the 30-day lithium rule

Cardiac history & blood pressure, with physician clearance where needed

Personal & family psychiatric history, following clinical-trial best practice

What the evidence says

In controlled settings, the safety record is strong.

Decades of research, across thousands of sessions, point the same direction — especially with screening, preparation, and professional support in place.²¹

<1%

of 360 research participants had lasting negative symptoms — and those resolved with support¹⁹

~2,000

doses safely given in controlled settings since the early 1990s²²

100k+

U.S. adults studied, with no link found to mental illness²³

During & after

Held the whole way

The single biggest factor in a safe, positive journey is the person guiding it. We choose facilitators first for a warm, steady, compassionate presence — and we use one simple test: would we send a close family member to work with this person? For every facilitator at Odyssey, the answer is yes.

They follow a non-directive approach — the same style used in modern clinical trials — offering grounded support without steering your experience.²⁸ And the support doesn't end when the medicine does. Integration — turning insight into lasting change — is built in: a full day of it on retreats, and two one-on-one calls after private sessions.

If something harder surfaces and lingers, we stay with you — extending additional support, including financial assistance, at no extra cost. You are never left to process alone.

References & sources29 peer-reviewed

4Nayak et al. (2021). Classic psychedelic coadministration with lithium is associated with seizures. Pharmacopsychiatry. View study →
5Oregon Health Authority. OAR 333-333-4000 — psilocybin services application process. View study →
6Nichols, D. E. (2016). Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews. View study →
7Johnson, Richards & Griffiths (2008). Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. J. Psychopharmacology. View study →
12Morton et al. (2023). Risks and benefits of psilocybin use in people with bipolar disorder. J. Psychopharmacology. View study →
17Carbonaro et al. (2016). Survey of challenging experiences after psilocybin mushrooms. J. Psychopharmacology. View study →
19Studerus et al. (2011). Acute, subacute and long-term effects of psilocybin in healthy humans. J. Psychopharmacology. View study →
20Yaden, Earp & Griffiths (2022). Ethical issues regarding nonsubjective psychedelics. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics. View study →
21Aday et al. (2020). Long-term effects of psychedelic drugs: a systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. View study →
22Ross et al. (2016). Psilocybin for anxiety and depression in life-threatening cancer (RCT). J. Psychopharmacology. View study →
23Krebs & Johansen (2013). Psychedelics and mental health: a population study. PLOS ONE. View study →
27Doyle et al. (2022). Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: a scoping review. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety. View study →
28Bogenschutz & Forcehimes (2016). A psychotherapeutic model for psilocybin-assisted treatment. J. Humanistic Psychology. View study →
29Griffiths et al. (2016). Psilocybin decreases depression and anxiety in cancer patients (RCT). J. Psychopharmacology. View study →

Taking safety seriously.