Manualized psychedelic psychotherapy delivery

Across the manuals, the common thread is a manualised, protocol-bound psychotherapy model that runs alongside psychedelic or ketamine administration, with clear phases such as preparation, dosing or experimental sessions, integration, and follow-up. The manuals repeatedly emphasise fidelity to the treatment manual, consistency across sessions and sites, and structured support for the participant’s therapeutic process within a research setting. They also converge on a largely non-directive stance during medicine sessions, with therapists offering active listening, support, and space for spontaneous inner experience rather than steering content. Several manuals explicitly frame the medicine as an adjunct or catalyst for psychotherapy, and many include integration practices such as reflection, grounding, journalling, homework, or action planning. The main differences are in therapeutic content and emphasis. Some manuals are trauma-focused and highlight working with traumatic material, window of tolerance, and safety, while others are oriented to depression, anxiety, alcohol use, demoralisation, or methamphetamine use disorder, and therefore foreground CBT, motivational enhancement, existential exploration, or supportive psychotherapy. Training and oversight also vary, with the MDMA manuals especially explicit about formal training, video review, role play, and adherence review, whereas the psilocybin, LSD, and ketamine extracts place more emphasis on the treatment model and session structure than on therapist training procedures.