New peer-reviewed paper in Science Advances analyzes 25,419 support interactions and makes de-identified data available to researchers studying psychedelic safety, public health and effective support
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Fireside Project today announced the publication of "The Fireside Database: Large-Scale Evidence from 25,419 Psychedelic Support Interactions" in Science Advances, providing researchers and policymakers with an unprecedented empirical window into psychedelic use and support outside clinical settings.
The study analyzes 25,419 interactions with Fireside Project's Psychedelic Support Line conducted by 220 trained peer supporters between April 2021 and February 2026, along with 2,777 post-interaction satisfaction surveys. To the authors' knowledge, it is the largest dataset of psychedelic support interactions ever assembled.
Most psychedelic experiences take place outside clinical trials—in homes, at festivals, in ceremonies and other community settings—yet systematic evidence about these experiences remains limited. The Fireside Database captures structured information about substances used, distress, social setting, presenting concerns, support techniques and other factors, as well as demographics when voluntarily disclosed. It also includes thousands of open-ended survey responses that provide a qualitative dimension often absent from large surveys of naturalistic psychedelic use.
"We've spent more than five years building this resource because the vast majority of psychedelic use is happening in a world that researchers have had very little ability to see," said Joshua White, founder and executive director of Fireside Project and a co-author of the study. "We want researchers to use these data to ask better questions about what makes psychedelic experiences safer, more supportive and potentially more healing, and what puts people at greater risk."
Among the study's findings:
- Psilocybin was the most commonly reported substance, appearing in 59.9% of substance-coded interactions. Cannabis accounted for 12.8% and generated the highest pooled distress rate, although the authors found this was largely explained by cannabis users being more likely to contact Fireside while actively intoxicated; within comparable call types, distress rates did not differ significantly among major substances.
- Whether someone sought help during or after an experience was more predictive of distress than which substance they reported, suggesting implications for crisis-support and harm-reduction training across multiple drug categories.
- Forty-three interactions were classified as reports of facilitator abuse, with reports disproportionately associated with ceremonial settings and plant medicines. This is a quantitative signal of harms occurring in unregulated settings that warrants further study. Fireside did not independently investigate or verify individual reports.
- The dataset's structure enables researchers to investigate "supporter effects" (whether individual differences among peer supporters predict caller outcomes) potentially informing how psychedelic therapists, facilitators and harm-reduction workers are selected and trained.
The authors emphasize that the database represents people who chose to contact a support line, not a representative sample of all psychedelic or cannabis users. Accordingly, its distress rates should not be interpreted as estimates of population-level drug risk.
"Clinical trials have taught us an enormous amount about psychedelics under controlled conditions, but they are only a small fraction of how these substances are actually being used," said Felix Schoeller, PhD, lead author. "The goal of this resource is to make the real-world landscape more scientifically tractable, from epidemiology and safety monitoring to the study of what effective psychological support actually looks like."
The de-identified interaction and survey data, along with analysis code used to reproduce the paper's figures and statistics, are being made available for research use. The authors envision applications spanning psychedelic epidemiology, public-health policy, qualitative and computational research, practitioner training, supervision and quality assurance.
- Read the open-access paper: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeg4737
- Access the research data: https://osf.io/m5s4k/overview
About Fireside Project
Fireside Project is a nonprofit organization providing free, confidential peer support to people during and after psychedelic experiences through the Psychedelic Support Line, available by phone or text at 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433). The organization also offers Fireside-Certified™ Psychedelic Coaching, a telehealth service providing preparation and integration support, and has developed Lucy, an AI-powered, voice-based simulation platform for psychedelic therapy practitioner training. Founded in 2020, Fireside Project is committed to helping minimize risks and maximize the benefits of psychedelic experiences through accessible support, education, and training, and has supported over 35,000 callers through the Psychedelic Support Line. Fireside Project has received national media attention in Rolling Stone, Forbes, Esquire, Mashable, WIRED, and more.
Media Contact
Brad Burge, Fireside Project, 1 6508636887, [email protected], https://firesideproject.org
SOURCE Fireside Project
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