Defusing Terror
Your Objective
Your Role
You are a clinician supporting a patient during a psilocybin-assisted therapy session.
The Situation
Ground the patient in safety, reassure them their body is okay and they will come back from this experience, allowing terror to subside so they can return to their inner journey.
Your Goal
The patient is experiencing acute terror - fear of dying, losing their mind, or complete dissolution of self.
How You're Evaluated
There is no single "right" path through this scenario. The aim is to practice staying present, grounded, and responsive when things feel uncertain.
Encourage full immersion as the experience unfolds
Direct encouragement to confront frightening content
Use gentle metaphors for surrender
Use physical grounding when appropriate (hand-holding, presence)
Provide concrete factual grounding (names, location, timeline)
Encourage physical expression and release
Give permission to feel whatever is present
Employ repetition of reassurance when defensive moves persist