For decades, a widely accepted belief has circulated in both scientific and psychedelic communities.
If you want to embark on a psilocybin journey, you must first discontinue your SSRI.
This view became dogma. It was repeated, assumed, and rarely questioned.
At The Journeymen Collective, we have always held a more nuanced understanding. We have seen firsthand that the intersection between SSRIs and psilocybin is not a forbidden zone but a frontier. This frontier requires discernment, evolving scientific insight, and a sophisticated approach to preparation and facilitation. And now, the science is finally catching up.
Science Is Never Final And This Field Is Evolving Fast
Psychedelic research is experiencing a renaissance, yet many of the clinical rules we still see today were written during an era of extreme caution. Some of those rules made sense at the time, because studies wanted to eliminate confounding variables and avoid even theoretical risks of serotonin toxicity.
Here is the important truth:
The emerging evidence does not support the blanket exclusion of clients taking SSRIs during psilocybin work.
The concern has always been serotonin toxicity, a potential overstimulation of serotonin receptors. While this is a real medical condition, it has rarely been associated with psilocybin. The scientific record shows that:
Therapeutic psilocybin does not meaningfully raise serotonin levels to dangerous ranges.
SSRIs do not combine with psilocybin in ways that reliably produce toxicity.
Most interactions result in a softening or blunting of the psychedelic intensity rather than health risks.
People have safely participated in guided psilocybin sessions while continuing their SSRI with no cases of serotonin syndrome.
This represents a significant shift in how the field understands these medicines.
Our Philosophy: Precision, Safety, Sovereignty
At The Journeymen Collective, our stance remains grounded in safety, experience, and the highest integrity.
Our recommendation is that clients ideally are not on SSRIs or SNRIs when preparing for deep ceremonial psilocybin work.
The reason is simple. SSRIs often soften the depth, clarity, and emotional resonance of the journey.
However, and this is key:
Being on an SSRI is no longer an automatic barrier to safe and effective psychedelic work.
We work with clients individually, holistically, and in collaboration with their health care providers. The emerging science supports what we have seen in our practice.
It is possible for a person to journey safely while on an SSRI when guidance, screening, and facilitation are conducted with care and expertise.
And here is something we stand strongly behind:
There will be growing evidence that supports this truth.
This is only the beginning. We are stepping into a new era where personalized medicine, neuroscience, and ceremonial practice are merging to create deeper understanding of human consciousness.
We Are in a New Frontier of Plant Medicine
Psychedelic work is not static. This field is alive and continually evolving. Modern science is only now rediscovering the layers of truth embedded in this work.
Facilitators who operate in both the relational space and the mystical space feel this evolution unfolding daily.
We stand in that space of convergence.
What matters most is not rigid rules but attuned, ethical, and skilled facilitation supported by both traditional wisdom and contemporary evidence.
Clients deserve clarity, not fear.
Empowerment, not prohibition.
Context, not blanket statements.
The science is now confirming what intuitive facilitators have sensed for years.
Safety arises from professional screening, preparation, dosage, guidance, and integration.
Peer Reviewed Scientific Evidence Supporting This Shift
Below is a curated selection of peer reviewed research that challenges the outdated assumption that SSRIs make psilocybin unsafe.
Goodwin G M and colleagues, 2023
Psilocybin for treatment resistant depression in patients taking a concomitant SSRI medication
Neuropsychopharmacology, volume 48 pages 1492 to 1499
This phase two clinical trial allowed participants to remain on their SSRI. There were no cases of serotonin syndrome and psilocybin remained effective.
Do A and colleagues, 2024
Serotoninergic antidepressants combination in psilocybin assisted psychotherapy
Frontiers in Psychiatry, article 1394962
A client taking two serotonergic antidepressants successfully completed psilocybin assisted therapy sessions with no toxicity or cardiovascular concerns.
Gukasyan and colleagues, 2023
Attenuation of psilocybin mushroom effects during and after SSRI and SNRI antidepressant use
Journal of Psychopharmacology
This large survey found that psilocybin effects are often reduced in intensity while on SSRIs, but signs of serotonin toxicity were extremely rare.
Recent scientific reviews from 2024 and 2025
Multiple overviews in major journals emphasize that empirical evidence for serotonin toxicity with SSRIs and psilocybin is extremely limited. The trend is moving toward case by case assessment rather than blanket exclusion.
Closing Reflections
At The Journeymen Collective, we honour the scientific method and the timeless wisdom carried through plant medicine traditions. We are committed to safety, embodied presence, and impeccably guided transformative excellence.
The older narrative told us that SSRIs and psilocybin could not mix.
The new narrative, supported by emerging evidence and lived experience, tells a more accurate and compassionate story.
It is nuanced. And with the right guidance, it can be safe.
This is the frontier we walk.
This is the frontier we illuminate for our clients.
And this is the frontier the world is beginning to understand with greater clarity.
