The Pitfall of Psychedelic Apps

By: Dr. Denise Renye

Because of my specialty in the realm of psychedelics, I receive numerous emails from app developers looking for support in creating an app for psychedelic use, preparation as well as integration. The app ostensibly takes people through the preparation process, offers instruction possibly for the day of, and then helps with the integration afterward.

An app is an interesting idea and we have come to rely on apps for all sorts of things like learning how to meditate, log our food and/or exercise, set reminder alarms, and pretty much anything else our mind can conceive of. But outsourcing this process in particular to an app is trying to find a shortcut for something that requires extensive preparation and direct support  and specialized training.  

Ideally, there needs to be someone present who is trained in trauma-informed work, the human psyche, somatic-oriented understanding of the human experience, and psychedelics. While psychedelic-assisted therapies and research are still in the early stages of roll out, some people, like myself, are trained through the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Science together with private training programs, such as the Center for Psychedelic Therapy and Research (through the California Institute of Integral Studies). This person would know how to hold the depths of the realms that people go to, and someone to adequately conduct in-depth integration after the psychedelic journey. I understand the temptation to automate the process, I do, and especially so in our ever-evolving automated world. We’re outsourcing so much to our devices, living more and more online.

We’re turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to solve our problems because it’s easier, less intimidating, less fraught than interacting with a human. There’s no fear of judgment when asking Siri or Alexa a question. We don’t have to worry about looking stupid or being vulnerable. Using an app gives us the semblance of control. It’s the ultimate “do-it-yourself” setup. AI has its uses for sure, but part of what makes psychedelic work so powerful, so effective, is the container that someone else holds during the experience. If the person is properly trained and highly ethical, they provide a safe space for healing to occur.

Similar to what happens in the consulting room with a therapist, the medicine worker, clinician, practitioner, or sitter is integral to the psychedelic experience as they are able to support a person before, during, and after their journey. They act as a shepherd which is something that cannot be outsourced to an app primarily because an app lacks a key ingredient: humanity.

If a person is having a crisis or an overwhelming experience, what are they going to do? Press two to be connected to an information page about “bad trips”? If they start crying as they remember a traumatic experience, will they be directed to a dropdown menu? I can’t see that working.

I can’t see that working because a phrase that’s used over and over again in the psychedelic world is “set and setting.” “Set” refers to mindset. It’s the person’s internal landscape, their headspace, how they’re feeling. Setting is the external environment where the psychedelic journey is occurring. “Set and setting” are so emphasized with psychedelics because these substances amplify what’s already present.

In a 2013 paper, Dr. Ido Hartoghson writes, “LSD’s action is thus primarily not psychotomimetic, psychotherapeutic, creative, or even spiritual – but just what it is: mind-manifesting. It acts as a mirror and magnifying glass to its user’s state of mind. If the state of that mind is anxious, LSD could easily function as an anxiety-inducing drug. If it is creative, then it could equally serve as a creativity enhancer. Should it be spiritual, then spirituality will be enhanced.”

Psychedelics magnify what is already present and other people act as mirrors to reflect that presence. Furthermore, psychedelics have the potential to uncover parts of the self that may have been unreachable or buried for quite some time. They can act as a deconditioning agent of change, change into who someone really is. And when someone may not have known themselves at a deeper level until this experience, it can be jarring, to say the least. An app is easily manipulated – a person can lie to get the outcome they want without any safety check. It also means no one is there to tell the person, “Maybe today isn’t the day to take this psychedelic journey,” for instance if they want to self-medicate or escape their feelings. Taking a psychedelic in that mindset could make things worse. With a well-trained and experienced person, they are usually able to tell if someone is upset, troubled, or trying to escape. An app? Not so much.

I know our culture is accustomed to the phenomenon of, “There’s an app for that,” but my response is there shouldn’t always be. Say “no” to a psychedelic app and instead turn to a trained professional.

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Reference

Hartoghson, Dr. Ido. “The American Trip: Set, Setting, and Psychedelics in 20th Century Psychology.” MAPS Bulletin Special Edition. Spring 2013. https://maps.org/news-letters/v23n1/v23n1_p6-9.pdf  

Note: Whole Person Psychology and Whole Person Integration does not endorse nor support any illegal activity.