Psychedelic somatic interactive psychotherapy

Domain VII · Transpersonal, psychedelic & altered states · Saj Razvi, Steve Elfrink · 2008

What it is

PSI calls PSIP "a body-based, relationally engaged, comprehensive trauma modality" for the altered state, aimed mainly at complex developmental and attachment trauma and dissociation. It is not a drug protocol. PSI says it works with any medicine that produces an altered state, and in US private…

Format

• Formats on record
• Non-medicine PSIP. The 2008 pilot used 12 one-hour weekly sessions with 14 adults. The therapists were supervised psychology trainees.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Preparation. Psychoeducation about dissociation, the treatment course and its risks. Grounding and self-regulation skills. A clear, positive motive for treatment. Move on when: the client can use at least one grounding skill and can explain the plan, the risks and how to stop a session.
• Version followed: Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) as Saj Razvi and the Psychedelic Somatic Institute (PSI) describe it on their own site (Razvi's articles from 2020 to 2024, the FAQ, the "Is PSI training right for me?" page and the Introduction to PSIP training page), plus the session frame of the one published PSIP case report (Ragnhildstveit et al., 2023, cannabis-assisted, Utah). Checked in…
• Name and authorship. Some listings call it "psychedelic somatic interactive psychotherapy". Its developers call it Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP): PSI's FAQ, its training pages and the 2023 case report all use "Interactional", and none uses "interactive". This guide keeps the "interactive" wording in its title for indexing only; the correct name is the developers'. Saj Razvi, LPC, is PSI's…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• symptoms of iatrogenic dissociation after use (see 5).
• the client feeling criticised. Frame looping as protection, not failure.
• pressure to build a story. Razvi says narrative may not come, and that's fine.
• a shift from describing to experiencing. That shows in a change of voice, breath or body.
• new dissociative symptoms, intrusive memories or suicidal thoughts. Act on your risk protocol.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.