Psychedelic therapy is on its way to becoming a mainstream medical treatment for mental health. While there is mounting evidence that psychedelics could offer much-needed new treatments for intractable mental illness, stories of abuse or trauma have also emerged — which have more to do with the therapists than the drugs. With others, the therapist may have had good intentions but still caused more harm than healing. In one recent clinical trial, which found that psilocybin could offer relief for treatment-resistant depression, three participants reported having suicidal thoughts and harming themselves in the weeks following the therapy. Twenty years of research has standardized the dosage of the drugs used in clinical trials, but the therapy part has not received similar scrutiny.

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Persons: Charles Raison Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, Usona Institute, University of Wisconsin Locations: Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin