![A lavender armchair on a hillside at first light, a folded blanket over one arm and the valley below still in mist](https://viacara.com/img/content/psychedelic-experiences-feature-light.webp) # After a Psychedelic Experience A trip that will not settle, a shift you cannot explain, or a question you cannot put down. Find a professional who will talk it through without judgement. You took something, and it left something behind. A trip that frightened you, or one that opened a door you cannot close. Either way, you are not sure who you can tell. Most people who use psychedelics are not dependent on them. Some use them for fun, some for a reason of their own. This page does not judge that, and it does not pretend it did not happen. It is about what comes after. The Royal College of Psychiatrists says the same in its 2025 position statement: > Under circumstances in which someone may have experienced adverse or destabilising psychological effects after self-administration, they should be encouraged to seek psychotherapeutic support towards processing their experiences. Source: [RCPsych PS02/25](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-1) ## What we are and what we are *not* We help you find a professional to talk with after the experience. That is all. We do not encourage or assist drug use, and neither do the professionals listed here. A professional found here will not prepare you for a trip, guide one or sit with you during one. They will not advise on doses or on where to get anything. That line is written into the terms every professional agrees to. We do not list, name or recommend any clinic or retreat that gives a drug as part of treatment. We do not claim that any psychedelic works as a treatment. ## How it can *feel* afterwards Some experiences fade by the next morning. Others stay. People come to us with: - A bad trip that keeps replaying, days or weeks later - Anxiety or panic that was not there before - Feeling cut off from yourself or from the world around you - Visual changes that have not gone away - A sense that something big happened and no one to tell FRANK says flashbacks and ongoing visual distortions can occasionally happen, and often cause great distress. It also says LSD can make an existing mental health problem worse. Not every experience is a bad one. Some people come back with a question about their life, their work or a relationship. That is a fair thing to bring to a professional too. Source: [FRANK: LSD](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-6) ## When to see a *GP* first Some things need a doctor before they need a therapist. Visual changes that persist, paranoia, low mood that stays or panic that keeps returning go to your GP first. If help cannot wait for an appointment, our [UK crisis page](https://viacara.com/crisis/gb/) lists people you can reach at any hour. Tell the doctor what you took and when. They have heard it before, and it changes what they look for. ## Where the *law* stands Psilocybin, LSD and MDMA are Class A drugs. All three sit in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Class sets the penalty. Schedule sets whether a doctor can prescribe. Schedule 1 means no doctor can, outside an approved research trial. Heroin, which is diamorphine, shows the difference. It is Class A too, but it sits in Schedule 2, so a doctor can prescribe it. The Royal College of Psychiatrists puts it plainly: > Other than ketamine and esketamine, these treatments are not currently available in the UK on a legal basis outside of clinical research trials. Talking about an experience you have already had is lawful. Nothing on this page, and nothing a professional here does, helps anyone take a drug. Release runs a free and confidential advice line on drugs and the law. Take a caution, a charge or a drug test at work there. [Release](https://www.release.org.uk) Anyone in the UK with a question about drugs and the law A free, confidential and non-judgemental national advice service on drugs and drug laws, with a phone line and an email service. Email replies take three to five working days. Tuesday and Thursday, 11am to 1pm [Call](tel:+442073242989) [Email](mailto:ask@release.org.uk) Sources: [Home Office: controlled drugs list](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-2), [UK Parliament: MDR 2001 Sch 1](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-3), [RCPsych PS02/25](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-1), [Release: helpline](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-8) ## Microdosing and the *evidence* Many people microdose in the hope of a lift in mood or focus. The trials so far do not back that up. A 2021 self-blinding study found that the reported benefits could be explained by the placebo effect. Two placebo-controlled trials published in 2026 found no reliable gain in thinking or mood beyond placebo. That is not a verdict on you. If you microdose and feel better, the feeling is real. The research says the capsule may not be what caused it. Sources: [Szigeti et al. 2021](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-4), [Prochazkova & Marschall 2026](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-5) ## Someone who has been there The Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project runs a free online peer support group. People who have been through it themselves run the group. It is not therapy, and it says so. [Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project](https://challengingpsychedelicexperiences.com) Anyone struggling after a psychedelic experience A research project with a free, confidential online peer support group, run by volunteers who have been through a post-psychedelic crisis. Peer support, not therapy. Not run by medical or therapeutic professionals. Last Sunday of the month, 5pm to 6.30pm [Email](mailto:contact@challengingpsychedelicexperiences.com) [About the group](https://challengingpsychedelicexperiences.com/online-support-group) For anything about the drug itself, FRANK answers around the clock. What it does, how long it lasts and what mixes badly are all fair questions. [FRANK](https://www.talktofrank.com) Anyone Honest, confidential information about drugs, with a helpline, a text service and a search for local drug treatment services. Standard call rates 24/7 [Call](tel:+443001236600) [Text](sms:82111) [Find local services](https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you) Sources: [CPEP: support group](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-9), [FRANK: contact](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/#ref-7) ![The same hillside in full morning, the mist gone and the path down the valley plain to see](https://viacara.com/img/content/psychedelic-experiences-mid-light.webp) The night is over. What it showed you can still be talked through ## What *talking* can do An experience like this can be hard to hold on your own. It may not fit the words you have, and the people around you may not want to hear it. A professional gives you somewhere to put it. Together you can sort what the experience showed you from what it did to you. If a bad trip is still replaying, it can behave like any frightening event. Our [trauma page](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/) explains how that works and what helps. If anxiety has stayed, our [anxiety page](https://viacara.com/support/anxiety/) covers it. If sleep has gone, our [sleep page](https://viacara.com/support/sleep/) may help. If the drug has become the way you cope, the [alcohol and drugs page](https://viacara.com/support/addiction/alcohol-and-drugs/) lists free specialist services. ## Who to *look* for We do not yet list a professional with specialist training in this area. What you need is a professional you can tell the whole story to, without flinching on either side. Ask in a first session how they feel about drug use. A good professional will answer honestly. If the answer makes you feel smaller, try another. A [person-centred](https://viacara.com/approaches/person-centred/) counsellor may suit an experience you want to explore at your own pace. If the fear is the main thing, a [trauma-focused](https://viacara.com/approaches/trauma-focused-cbt/) approach may fit better. You might find it helps to write down what happened before you start. Not to hand over, only so the shape of it is clear to you. Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment. ## Ready to make sense of it? We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit. Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you. This conversation helps us find you the right support. What you share helps us understand what you're looking for and find someone who fits. Your email keeps you updated on what's happening next and isn't shared with anyone we introduce you to. [Privacy policy](https://viacara.com/privacy) [Terms of service](https://viacara.com/terms) ## References 1. Royal College of Psychiatrists (2025). *College Position Statement PS02/25: Psychedelic and related substances for medical use (including pharmacologically assisted psychotherapy)*. [Link](https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/better-mh-policy/position-statements/position-statement---ps02_25-pars-for-medical-use.pdf) 2. Home Office (2025). *List of most commonly encountered drugs currently controlled under the misuse of drugs legislation*. [Link](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/controlled-drugs-list--2/list-of-most-commonly-encountered-drugs-currently-controlled-under-the-misuse-of-drugs-legislation) 3. UK Parliament (2001). *The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, Schedule 1*. [Link](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/3998/schedule/1) 4. Szigeti, B., Kartner, L., Blemings, A., Rosas, F., Feilding, A., Nutt, D. J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. & Erritzoe, D. (2021). *Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing*. eLife. [doi:10.7554/eLife.62878](https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.62878) 5. Prochazkova, L., Marschall, J., Lippelt, D. P. et al. (2026). *Cognitive and subjective effects of psilocybin microdosing: results from two double-blind placebo-controlled longitudinal trials*. Neuropharmacology. [doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110722](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110722) 6. FRANK (2026). *LSD*. [Link](https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/lsd) 7. FRANK (2026). *Contact FRANK*. [Link](https://www.talktofrank.com/contact-frank) 8. Release (2026). *Helpline*. [Link](https://www.release.org.uk/helpline) 9. Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project (2026). *Online support group*. [Link](https://challengingpsychedelicexperiences.com/online-support-group) ## Related ### [Trauma and PTSD](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/) Trauma can keep a frightening event alive long after it ended. PTSD is common and treatable. Find a professional who works with trauma. ### [Understanding Anxiety](https://viacara.com/support/anxiety/) Learn about anxiety, its symptoms and how therapy can help. Find the right practitioner for anxiety support. ### [Alcohol and Drugs](https://viacara.com/support/addiction/alcohol-and-drugs/) Free NHS and charity services treat drinking and drug problems, and you can refer yourself. Talking support works alongside them, never instead. ### [Sleep Problems and Insomnia](https://viacara.com/support/sleep/) Insomnia is thought to affect around 1 in 3 people in the UK. Find a professional who works with sleep and with what keeps you awake. ### [Person-Centred Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/person-centred/) Learn how person-centred therapy works, what sessions look like and why the relationship with your therapist matters most. ### [Finding the Right Practitioner](https://viacara.com/guides/finding-a-practitioner/) A practical guide to finding a mental health practitioner who fits your needs, preferences and budget. ### [Transpersonal Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/transpersonal-therapy/) Learn how transpersonal therapy makes room for spiritual experience and meaning, including psychosynthesis and core process psychotherapy.