1. Study title

Digital Intervention for Psychedelic Preparation (DIPP)

2. Brief summary

This study evaluates a 21-day digital preparation programme designed to support psychological readiness before a supervised psilocybin session. We aim to determine whether the programme is feasible and acceptable, and to explore how preparation relates to the psychedelic experience and longer-term wellbeing.

3. Full study description

DIPP is a randomised controlled feasibility trial investigating a mobile-accessible, self-guided 21-day digital preparation programme delivered before a supervised 25 mg psilocybin session at UCL. The primary purpose is to assess feasibility (recruitment, retention, and adherence), and secondarily to examine acceptability/usability and preliminary signals relating to psychedelic preparedness, the acute psychedelic experience, and wellbeing over time. Methods include a digital intervention, questionnaires, cognitive tasks, neuroimaging (naturalistic fMRI movie-viewing at key timepoints), physiological monitoring (e.g., wearable-derived metrics and salivary cortisol), and neurophysiology during dosing (EEG/ECG recorded at standardised timepoints). The study uses incomplete disclosure to minimise expectancy effects: participants are informed they will complete daily audio-based preparation activities but are not told detailed condition differences or hypotheses until debrief. Ethical approval: UCL Research Ethics Committee (ID: 19113/003). Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06815653.

4. Recruitment status

Actively recruiting

Eligibility (high-level):

  • Adults aged 21–65

  • UK resident (registered with a GP)

  • Generally physically and mentally healthy

  • Limited prior psychedelic exposure (and no recent use)

  • Minimal prior meditation experience

  • Able to attend in-person visits at UCL and complete remote study components

  • Must meet medical, psychiatric, and MRI safety screening requirements

To sign up, please complete this pre-screening survey.

Contact:
📧 dipp-project@ucl.ac.uk

5. Participation details

Participants complete a 21-day digital preparation programme (up to ~60 minutes/day, ideally completed in the morning), delivered remotely via a mobile-accessible web app. Study participation also includes four in-person visits at UCL (baseline, pre-dosing assessment, dosing day, and 2-week follow-up) plus remote follow-ups.

What participation involves (broadly):

  • Online pre-screen → remote screening and clinical assessment (if eligible)

  • Visit 1 (Baseline): questionnaires, interviews, cognitive tasks, physical checks (e.g., ECG, blood pressure), saliva sample; set-up of study tools

  • Remote preparation period (21 days) + short daily check-ins/reflective activities

  • Experience sampling via a chatbot (“DIPP-bot”) using brief voice notes at specified periods (e.g., before/after dosing and later follow-ups)

  • Visit 2 (Pre-dosing): repeat assessments + fMRI movie-viewing scan

  • Visit 3 (Dosing day): supervised 25 mg psilocybin session with neurophysiology at standardised timepoints (EEG/ECG) and safety monitoring

  • Visit 4 (2-week follow-up): repeat assessments + fMRI movie-viewing scan + integration session

  • Online follow-up assessments at 3, 6, and 9 months (with additional brief thought-sampling periods)

Time commitment:

  • Daily digital engagement for 21 days (up to ~60 min/day)

  • Four in-person visits across ~4–5 weeks (including a full dosing day)

  • Remote follow-ups through 9 months

Compensation:
Participants are compensated up to £200 for their time; details are provided during screening/consent.

6. Team members

Lead investigators:

  • Dr Rosalind G. McAlpine

  • Dr Jeremy I. Skipper

  • Prof. Sunjeev K. Kamboj

Additional team / collaborators:

  • Magdalena Jaglinska

  • Krisztina Jedlovszky

  • Joanna Kuc

  • Ariel Castro

  • Alexandre Piot

  • Dr Christopher Timmermann

7. Outputs / publications

8. Contact information

📧 dipp-project@ucl.ac.uk
For non-participant queries: rosalind.mcalpine.18@ucl.ac.uk