What is the DIPP Study?
The Digital Intervention for Psychedelic Preparedness (DIPP) study aims to investigate the neural and subjective effects of psilocybin experiences and any subsequent changes in psychological well-being and cognition.
As a participant, you'll undergo a specialised 21-day digital preparation program designed to mentally and emotionally equip you for your psilocybin experience. This program includes reading materials, reflective writing exercises, mood check-ins, and various other practices to deepen your self-awareness and understanding of the psychedelic journey.
The 21-day course involves completing up to 60 minutes of preparation every day, for 21 days. It is important to note that these preparation activities should ideally be completed in the morning, preferably as the first task of your day. Therefore, you should only sign up to participate if you can commit to morning sessions every day for the entire 21-day period.
What Does Participation Involve?
Data collection for this study will take place between October 2024 and March 2025. Participants will need to visit UCL for a 4-week period within this timeframe.
If you decide to take part in the DIPP study, you'll be invited to attend four in-person sessions at UCL:
Visit 1 (Baseline) (4 hours): Complete interview, surveys, and computer tasks. During this visit you will gain access to the DIPP course. The DIPP course involves completing up to 60 minutes of preparation every day, for 21 days. It is important to note that these preparation activities should ideally be completed in the morning, preferably as the first task of your day. Therefore, you should only sign up to participate if you can commit to morning sessions every day for the entire 21-day period. You will also receive access to a specialised mobile bot that will prompt you to provide voice note samples during the 10 days leading up to your dosing and the 10 days following it. The bot will be installed on your smartphone and will send you notifications twice a day, asking you to record and share a brief voice note about your inner thoughts. This will occur between your baseline visit (Visit 1) and your follow-up visit (Visit 4)
Visit 2 (Pre-Dosing) (4 hours): Another round of surveys, computer tasks, and brain scans after completing the 21-day DIPP course.
Visit 3 (Dosing Day) (8-10 hours): Receive a psilocybin dose under the careful supervision of our experienced research team.
Visit 4 (Follow-up) (4 hours): A final round of surveys, computer tasks, and brain scans two weeks after dosing.
Additionally, you'll be asked to complete online follow-up surveys at 1, 3, 6, and 9 months after the dosing session to help us monitor any long-term changes in your mood, mental health, and language.
Is Psilocybin Safe?
The psilocybin used in this study is sourced exclusively from Filament Health, an approved supplier accredited by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). When administered in a controlled, clinical setting by experienced professionals, psilocybin is generally considered safe with a low risk of adverse reactions. However, individual responses can vary, and some participants may experience intense emotional and visual experiences. Our study has stringent safety protocols in place, and you'll be under the supervision of trained healthcare professionals throughout the process.
Who Can Participate?
We're recruiting healthy males and females aged 21-65 who do not currently have a diagnosis or are receiving treatment for a major mental or physical health condition. Due to the nature of the study, we're specifically looking for individuals with some prior experience with psychedelic drugs (e.g., LSD, psilocybin, DMT) but who have never used these substances regularly or have an extensive history of use. Please note that we have several strict criteria beyond those mentioned here, which we'll need to check with you before confirming your eligibility.
Compensation and Confidentiality
Participants will be compensated for their time and involvement at the standard UCL rate of £7.50 per hour, with a total of approximately £200 for complete participation. All information collected will be pseudonymised and treated with the utmost confidentiality.
Take the Next Step
If you're interested in contributing to this exciting research and meet the eligibility criteria, we invite you to complete our pre-screening survey. Our team will then contact you to discuss the next steps and answer any questions you may have.
For more information please contact Rosalind McAlpine (rosalind.mcalpine.18@ucl.ac.uk).