Johns Hopkins Integration Clinic for Post-Psychedelic Difficulties
The Clinic for Post- Psychedelic Difficulties has been founded in partnership with Personalized Medicine and the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research (CPCR) in the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Psychedelics* can induce profoundly altered states of consciousness, making them a subject of growing interest for their therapeutic potential, risks, and broader effects. Recent studies have highlighted their possible benefits for mental health––but they also present certain psychological risks. While psychedelics are generally considered to have low medical risk and minimal addiction potential, they can be psychologically destabilizing, particularly in uncontrolled settings with physical or social risks, or in those with pre-existing psychiatric disorders. Understanding these risks and providing appropriate therapeutic support for people facing adverse effects from psychedelic experiences is an important medical priority as psychedelic use in uncontrolled settings increases worldwide.
This clinic offers specialized medical and psychotherapeutic support for individuals facing difficulties of any kind following a psychedelic experience. These difficulties, which can range in severity, may include confusion, anxiety, existential distress, ontological shock, persistent perceptual changes, dissociation, feelings of disconnection, or psychotic symptoms like hallucinations or delusions. The clinic’s mission is twofold: to provide world-class care to those affected by post-psychedelic difficulties and to advance understanding of these experiences through research.
Providers at this clinic will be licensed psychiatrists from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, bringing expertise in comprehensive assessment, and evidence-based treatment, including pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic approaches, and extensive clinical experience with diverse psychiatric populations. Additionally, they will be engaged in clinical research at the world’s largest and most comprehensive center for psychedelic science, ensuring a high standard of care informed by the latest advancements in the field.
The clinic’s first psychiatrist and co-founder, Dr. Azin Elizabeth Bekhrad, MD, is a specialist in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry with a strong emphasis on evidence-based therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy, and expertise in medication management. Dr. Bekhrad completed her psychiatry training at Johns Hopkins, where she has held numerous clinical and supervisory roles. She collaborates closely with other healthcare professionals to develop personalized treatment plans and is also involved with the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Dr. Bekhrad has been recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and named one of America’s Top Psychiatrists.
* We use the term psychedelics here in the broadest sense, to include the classic psychedelics––such as psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT––MDMA, and ketamine as well as other substances sometimes considered psychedelic (2-CB, salvia divinorum, ibogaine, and complicated cannabis experiences, and others).