Post-psychedelic and meditation-related challenges: a protocol for a mixed-methods longitudinal-observational study
- 1Emory University School of Medicine
Abstract
Introduction: Psychedelics and meditation are increasingly used for therapeutic and wellness purposes. However, research into adverse effects (AEs) has been limited, without adequate investigation of the nature, clinical characteristics, and diversity of persisting challenges following psychedelic use and meditation practice. This study aims to better characterize the clinical and contextual features of these challenges, describe their longitudinal course, and compare psychedelic-related challenges to meditation-related challenges, selected as comparator conditions given previously characterized phenomenological and contextual overlap between the two. Methods and Analysis: This is a mixed-methods, enriched-sample, active-comparator (psychedelics vs. meditation) observational study comprising (1) a cross-sectional retrospective survey (N = 1,600), (2) a prospective 12-month longitudinal design involving six bimonthly surveys (n = 800), (3) 12 weeks of weekly ambulatory assessments combining quantitative symptom ratings with narrative voice report (n = 40), and (4) qualitative interviews (n = 60). Participants are recruited into two parallel arms of 800 each: individuals reporting psychedelic-related challenges and individuals reporting meditation-related challenges, defined as distress or impairment persisting after the acute effects of a psychedelic experience or period of meditation practice have subsided. Data collection includes a tailored item pool aimed at capturing the symptoms and phenomenology of these challenges in detail, developed from qualitative research and collaboratively with stakeholders with lived experience. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) and measures of agent/exposure, set, setting, and social response are administered to characterize biopsychosocial correlates and functional impacts of AEs. Initial analyses will describe the phenomenology, course, and functional impact of psychedelic- and meditation-related challenges, and evaluate the structure and psychometric properties of the novel item pool. The study will produce a publicly available de-identified dataset supporting subsequent analyses, such as correspondence with recognized clinical syndromes, trajectory characterization, and cross-arm comparison of measurement structure, reported in registered reports or preregistrations.
Related
- Decoding death and dying in people with dementia by digital thanotyping: a longitudinal observational study protocol
- Real-world device survival, revision burden and observed pain patterns after epidural spinal cord stimulation for neuropathic pain in adults with spinal cord injury: protocol for a longitudinal observational cohort study using routine clinical data
- The Temporal Investigation of Multimodal Elements (TIME) Study: protocol for an observational, longitudinal study to characterize the dynamic structure of molecular and digital data in older adults in stable health
- Neuropsychosocial–Spiritual Correlates of Serene Abstinence in Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder Receiving Community-Based Recovery Care in Romania: A Longitudinal Observational Study Protocol (SER-ABS-AUD)
- Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Prospective Cohort of Living Kidney Donors, Recipients, and Healthy Controls and Correlations With Markers of Renal Function, Fibrosis, and Aging (MPRENAL): Protocol for a Longitudinal Observational Study.
BibTeX
@misc{lipson2026postpsychedelic,
title = {{Post-psychedelic and meditation-related challenges: a protocol for a mixed-methods longitudinal-observational study}},
author = {J. Lipson and N. Canby and Z. Salako and D. Kaplan and S. J. Arconada Alvarez and H. Levin-Aspenson and W. Britton and A. Rae and T. Korthuis and N. Van Dam and C. Raison and B. Dunlop and J. Maples-Keller and B. Rothbaum and R. Palitsky},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.26.26366468},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.26.26366468v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Post-psychedelic and meditation-related challenges: a protocol for a mixed-methods longitudinal-observational study
AU - J. Lipson
AU - N. Canby
AU - Z. Salako
AU - D. Kaplan
AU - S. J. Arconada Alvarez
AU - H. Levin-Aspenson
AU - W. Britton
AU - A. Rae
AU - T. Korthuis
AU - N. Van Dam
AU - C. Raison
AU - B. Dunlop
AU - J. Maples-Keller
AU - B. Rothbaum
AU - R. Palitsky
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.26.26366468
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.26.26366468v1
AB - Introduction: Psychedelics and meditation are increasingly used for therapeutic and wellness purposes. However, research into adverse effects (AEs) has been limited, without adequate investigation of the nature, clinical characteristics, and diversity of persisting challenges following psychedelic use and meditation practice. This study aims to better characterize the clinical and contextual features of these challenges, describe their longitudinal course, and compare psychedelic-related challenges to meditation-related challenges, selected as comparator conditions given previously characterized phenomenological and contextual overlap between the two. Methods and Analysis: This is a mixed-methods, enriched-sample, active-comparator (psychedelics vs. meditation) observational study comprising (1) a cross-sectional retrospective survey (N = 1,600), (2) a prospective 12-month longitudinal design involving six bimonthly surveys (n = 800), (3) 12 weeks of weekly ambulatory assessments combining quantitative symptom ratings with narrative voice report (n = 40), and (4) qualitative interviews (n = 60). Participants are recruited into two parallel arms of 800 each: individuals reporting psychedelic-related challenges and individuals reporting meditation-related challenges, defined as distress or impairment persisting after the acute effects of a psychedelic experience or period of meditation practice have subsided. Data collection includes a tailored item pool aimed at capturing the symptoms and phenomenology of these challenges in detail, developed from qualitative research and collaboratively with stakeholders with lived experience. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) and measures of agent/exposure, set, setting, and social response are administered to characterize biopsychosocial correlates and functional impacts of AEs. Initial analyses will describe the phenomenology, course, and functional impact of psychedelic- and meditation-related challenges, and evaluate the structure and psychometric properties of the novel item pool. The study will produce a publicly available de-identified dataset supporting subsequent analyses, such as correspondence with recognized clinical syndromes, trajectory characterization, and cross-arm comparison of measurement structure, reported in registered reports or preregistrations.
ER -