Risk & Harm Reduction
Psychedelic substances are already being used, in Belgium and everywhere else, whether or not a legal framework exists for it. Some people use them in clinical trials, some in retreats or ceremonies, and some on their own. PSBE believes that pretending this isn’t happening serves no one, and that the people most exposed to risk are precisely those who have nowhere reliable to turn for information.
This section brings together resources for anyone navigating this territory: people considering use, people supporting them, and health professionals who may encounter it in their practice. They cover what to know before an experience, how to reduce risks during one, and how to make sense of it afterwards.
A word on what these resources are, and are not. Harm and risk reduction does not mean encouraging or promoting the use of psychedelic substances, and nothing here should be read as such. It starts from a simple observation: use is already happening, no zero-risk option exists, and people are better protected by clear, honest information than by silence. Our aim is to reduce the risks and harms associated with existing use, not to create demand for it.
10 Things a Psychedelic-Informed Practitioner Should Know
Many patients who consult a therapist, GP, or other health professional have used psychedelics, or are considering it, often without mentioning it. This factsheet gives practitioners a concise grounding in the clinical essentials: what the research currently shows, key contraindications, how to recognise a difficult experience versus an emergency, and how to respond when a patient discloses use. It closes with a short practical checklist for that conversation.
We bring you this PSBE factsheet in three languages: