Development and psychometric validation of a novel scale for measuring ‘psychedelic preparedness’

I think this paper in Scientific Reports is quite a 'big deal'. It really seems to provide helpful orientation when clarifying someone's readiness for taking a classic psychedelic trip. The authors write: "Preparing participants for psychedelic experiences is crucial for ensuring these experiences are safe and, potentially beneficial. However, there is currently no validated measure to assess the extent to which participants are well-prepared for such experiences. Our study aimed to address this gap by developing, validating, and testing the Psychedelic Preparedness Scale (PPS). Using a novel iterative Delphi-focus group methodology (‘DelFo’), followed by qualitative pre-test interviews, we incorporated the perspectives of expert clinicians/researchers and of psychedelic users to generate items for the scale. Psychometric validation of the PPS was carried out in two large online samples of psychedelic users (N = 516; N = 716), and the scale was also administered to a group of participants before and after a 5–7-day psilocybin retreat (N = 46). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis identified four factors from the 20-item PPS: Knowledge-Expectations, Intention-Preparation, Psychophysical-Readiness, and Support-Planning. The PPS demonstrated excellent reliability (ω = 0.954) and evidence supporting convergent, divergent and discriminant validity was also obtained. Significant differences between those scoring high and low (on psychedelic preparedness) before the psychedelic experience were found on measures of mental health/wellbeing outcomes assessed after the experience, suggesting that the scale has predictive utility. By prospectively measuring modifiable pre-treatment preparatory behaviours and attitudes using the PPS, it may be possible to determine whether a participant has generated the appropriate mental ‘set’ and is therefore likely to benefit from a psychedelic experience, or at least, less likely to be harmed." They go on to comment: “Our studies provide compelling evidence for the existence of a measurable psychological state of psychedelic preparedness, which is predictive of positive acute and long-term outcomes associated with psychedelic use … revealing four distinct underlying factors of psychedelic preparedness: Knowledge-Expectations, Intention-Preparation, Psychophysical-Readiness, and Support-Planning … the PPS could serve as a valuable screening tool to identify individuals who may require additional preparation or support prior to undergoing psychedelic interventions, thereby functioning as a pre-intervention assessment to pinpoint areas of preparedness that necessitate attention. Furthermore, the PPS could serve as an outcome measure to evaluate the effectiveness of psychedelic preparedness interventions.”

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