Story by Lauren Ketwitz
Graphic by Layna Hong
Between 2015 and 2018, the use of psychedelics such as LSD increased by more than 50 percent in the United States. While many people were using psychedelics as a means to escape the reality of everyday life, now they’re also being used experimentally as a way to cope with depression and anxiety.
As the number of people trying psychedelics has grown, so has the need for trustworthy trip sitters – people who can offer physical and emotional support on a psychedelic journey. A small industry of these people have sprung up around the country, with websites like Trip Sitter Clinic and Psychedelic Passage, where users can find virtual or face to face help when it comes to using psychedelics as a form of therapy.
Researchers in North Carolina and across the country are testing the viability of psychedelic therapy, while also trying to identify what is required to provide the best therapeutic support.
Studies from the Roth Lab at the University of North-Carolina at Chapel Hill suggest that psychedelics like LSD, MDMA and psilocybin, the compound that gives magic mushrooms their appeal, could treat a myriad of mental illnesses.
People who used psychedelics in a clinical setting showed promising improvements in their mental health, including noticeable reductions in symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD and other trauma, according to the research. Eventually psychedelics could be prescribed in place of SSRIs, as they block the reuptake of serotonin in the brain just like anti-depressants do.
Despite the benefits that psychedelics may hold, they are still illegal in the United States, and many medical professionals not involved in their trial run strongly advise against their use, supervised or unsupervised.
In short, they aren’t for everyone; Using psychedelics, like any other medicine, comes with inherent risks.
Conditions such as psychosis and mania can be triggered through the use of psychedelics. In addition, some people can develop hallucinogen persistent perception disorder, which is characterized by an uncontrollable and recurring tripping sensation days, months or even years after an initial trip, according to a Healthline article.
Enter the trip-sitters, who accompany the users – sometimes live, sometimes virtually – to provide support and guidance.
“Psychedelics can reset our brain,” said Matthew Campeau, a psychotherapist and clinical director for Trip Sitter Clinic, a virtual site and telehealth platform that connects prospective customers with physicians to be evaluated for at-home ketamine treatment. “They give us the ability to reflect on ourselves through a clear lens that hasn’t been clouded by societal expectations.”
During these sessions, people often prefer to have someone like Campeau with them in case things don’t go as planned.
Right now, trip sitting services are available for a broad range of prices. Some organizations charge well over a thousand dollars for a sitter to travel to the tripper. Others work on a pay-what-you-can scale, while some independent sitters are happy to sit in exchange for a meal and somewhere to sleep.
Trip sitters are more than just babysitters, the experts say. First, trip sitters are able to assess the journeyer’s reaction to their environment and make changes to best suit their needs.
Second, they can act as a calming agent, encouraging the journeyer to reap the most benefits from the psychedelic.
“Surrendering isn’t about giving up, it comes from a place of strength,” said Jimmy Nguyen, the cofounder and facilitator of Psychedelic Passage, a trip-sitting provider that operates within the United States. “It is trusting in the medicine as an ally even during an adverse experience.”
Psychedelics are making a mainstream comeback after a long hiatus since the hippie culture of the 1960s and 70s. Campeau has over 12 years of clinical experience working with patients suffering from mental illnesses and says he has helped thousands of suicidal and high acuity clients with his expertise at holding space and facilitating altered states of consciousness.
Campeau spearheaded the new psychedelic trip sitter training program that has just launched at Trip Sitter Clinic. This program goes more in-depth into the professional expectations of trip sitters that will represent the business.
In addition to their training, trip sitters meet subjects beforehand to help identify goals, communicate stressors or worries, and ultimately decide on whether or not they are compatible with their potential client.
Many of the sitters trained by trip sitting businesses have previous experience in facilitating altered states of consciousness ranging from independent trip sitting in close-knit underground communities to spiritual guides, or shamans, that have led hundreds of people in ayahuasca ceremonies during multi-day retreats.
One of the most important traits Nguyen looks for in trip sitters is their own growth with plant medicine.
“It’s not a requirement, but having a personal relationship with psychedelics is helpful in relating to what the patient is feeling,” said Campeau.
Sitters should strive to respectfully take up space and be active listeners so they can meet the journeyer throughout the experience rather than trying to dominate the trip with their presence, Nguyen says.
In some cases, a trip sitter may not be physically present. Having recently celebrated its one-year establishment anniversary, the Fireside Project has brought new meaning to psychedelic support.
The Fireside Project works off of volunteer work, similar to a crisis hotline. Volunteers only take calls during certain hours of the week, but when banded together, they offer 24/7 assistance at the touch of a button.
“I actually had a trip sitter call in themselves and I could tell they felt ashamed since they’re usually the one helping,” said Leigh Ann Roberts, a Fireside Project volunteer. “But I stayed with them as they processed what was happening, and they ended up having a mental breakthrough.”
According to Roberts, reaching out for help can be the hardest part about using psychedelics. Outside of Fireside, her experience has prepared her in more ways than one for facilitating confused and frustrated clients, she says. Roberts has worked as an attorney, adjunct instructor in alternative dispute resolution, and also co-founded the Circle Center, which works with businesses to manage conflict, reduce stress and plan for success.
Even though Roberts has resolved many calls on a positive note, a happy ending isn’t always the case. During the Fireside Project’s hiring process, volunteers are subjected to an intensive training course to better prepare them for a plethora of situations that can unfold within a matter of seconds over the phone.
“We are instructed to identify and direct suicidal callers as soon as we notice certain patterns,” said Roberts. “While those calls can be scary, our goal is to approach people with companionship, rather than an expert and student dynamic.”
Regardless of the tough calls, Roberts is passionate about the work that she and her fellow hotline volunteers do; the impact of their work on people’s lives far outweighs any drawbacks.
“The way we are supporting people through their troubled state is holy work,” said Roberts. “I’m bringing safety and healing to people.”
Dr. Mark Braunstein, a psychotherapist and co-founder of Reconscious Medical, agrees. His clinic gives patients access to psychedelic therapy, and he says he prides himself on supplying trippers with trustworthy and compassionate trip sitters.
Braunstein was introduced into the world of psychedelics when he discovered the Grateful Dead. Soon after, he started a personal journey with psychedelics that’s still thriving after 20 years.
For the last two decades, that has taken shape through his work as a therapist and the collaborative creation of Reconscious Medical with co-founder Campeau.
“If more people had the same connection with our planet and everyone around them as I do, it would be a much happier place,” Braunstein said. “Once I experienced it for myself, I knew other people could benefit too.”
Although many psychedelics remain illegal, the American Medical Association has declared it will “support and promote research to determine the benefits and adverse effects of long-term psychedelic use”. As compounds like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine are approved for patients in conjunction with psychotherapy, anyone who wants to practice as a trip sitter in the future will most likely need a license.
“Hopefully Big Pharma doesn’t f*** this up for us,” said Braunstein. “Either way, it comes down to the power within the people. If the public can embrace psychedelics, the government will recognize that and respond accordingly.”
