A trip sitter is a person who supervises others' psychedelic experiences.
This means that outside of participating in aclinical trial, these drugs are still illegal.
Trip sitters supervise another person’s psychedelic “trip” to ensure their safety.
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Read on to learn more about psychedelics and the role of a trip sitter.
What Are Psychedelics?
Psychedelics are a class of drugs that disrupt an individuals experience of reality.
Examples of psychedelics include:
What Does the Term ‘Trip’ Refer To?
A “trip” refers to the experience of taking a hallucinogen.
Psychedelic drugs can lead to individualsexperiencing the effects for hours.
Therefore, when one takes a psychedelic drug, they are taking a trip from reality.
However, a psychotherapist offering psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in a professional setting would not use this terminology.
What Does a Trip Sitter Do?
But what exactly does a trip sitter do?
The trip sitter can prevent this person from taking part in activities that might harm them.
In case of an emergency, they are the point person to determine the best course of action.
Remaining nonjudgmental is a preferred quality of a trip sitter.
What Is Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy?
The frequency and throw in of psychotherapeutic interventions can vary.
What Can Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Treat?
It is possible for those who usepsychedelic drugsto experience hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPDD).
What Is HPDD?
This disorder causes people to re-experience the perceptual symptoms that were experienced when the hallucinogen was initially used.
These symptoms can cause significant distress or impairment in important areas of one’s life.
Those who use psychedelics recreationally are at an increased risk for HPDD.
While there has been little risk found for those using it in a clinical trial, research is ongoing.
A Word From Verywell
It can be tempting to turn to substances when experiencing struggles with reality.
Despite the temptation, remaining mindful of the effects of drug use is critical.
This person can keep you safe while you are experiencing the effects of the drug you took.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
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Psychedelics, online forums and preferences for interpersonal interactions.Addict Res Theory.
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