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.
Looking for support integrating an experience?
Integration, the work of making sense of a psychedelic experience and translating what arose into daily life, is a legal and legitimate therapeutic practice in Belgium, whatever the setting the experience itself took place in: a clinical trial, a retreat, a ceremony, or on your own.
If you’ve had such an experience and would like support processing it, PSBE can put you in touch with a therapist trained to accompany this kind of work. Our network brings together practitioners selected on the basis of their training, clinical experience, and capacity to support integration specifically, not simply general psychotherapists who happen to have heard of psychedelics.
A few things worth knowing before you reach out. This is a curated suggestion, not a guarantee of the quality of any individual practice. Psychedelic-informed therapy is not a regulated profession in Belgium, so we encourage you to ask a prospective therapist about their training, supervision, and working framework before starting to work together. PSBE does not screen, supervise, or take responsibility for the therapeutic relationships that follow.
Please note that since psychedelic assisted therapy is still illegal in Belgium, these therapists unfortunately cannot offer this service, so please do not ask them.
To request contacts, write to integration@psbe.org, and we’ll get back to you with suggestions and more information.