Psychedelics can transform experience. Preparation for psychedelics can shape how this transformation unfolds. Could meditation-based preparation support psychedelic transformation? Prior research has found that an individual’s state of mind predicts both the quality of a psychedelic experience and its therapeutic outcomes. Meditation can shift one's mind state, yet it remains largely unexplored as a way to prepare for psychedelic experiences. Our new paper, "Practitioner perspectives on meditation-based preparation for psychedelic experiences," in press at Mindfulness, explores how meditation may support psychedelic preparation. We surveyed 123 individuals from 24 countries, all of whom were regular meditators who had at least one high-dose psychedelic experience (such as from psilocybin or LSD). They rated the benefits they believed meditation training can offer, which specific practices might help most, and how a preparation program could be designed and implemented. Here are the key themes that emerged: ➡️ Meditation was consistently rated as beneficial for psychedelic preparation. Participants perceived meditation as helpful across several dimensions, including post-session integration, increasing the likelihood of positive experiences, gaining helpful insights, and creating lasting benefits. ➡️ Meditation was thought to support psychedelic experiences by enhancing psychological acceptance, present-moment focus, and feelings of boundlessness while reducing anxious ego-dissolution. ➡️ Participants rated loving-kindness meditation as the most helpful practice type for psychedelic preparation, followed, in order, by open monitoring, self-transcendence, and focused attention. ➡️ Among participants with less meditation (1-3 years) and psychedelic (1-20 sessions) experience, those adhering to specific meditation traditions reported significantly higher perceived benefits compared to non-adherents. This pattern was reversed for highly experienced meditators (10+ years) with less psychedelic experience. ➡️ Regarding implementation, participants indicated preferred three weeks of preparation at about 30 minutes daily, with a majority favoring online (86.2%) and asynchronous (84.6%) delivery methods. Because we recruited participants experienced in both meditation and psychedelics, our sample may have favored those who already viewed both positively and were therefore more receptive to combining them. Future trials should test whether meditation-based preparation improves clinical outcomes for psychedelic interventions, while rigorously assessing the safety and adverse events related to this context. Full manuscript PDF: meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/f… My gratitude to first author Rosalind G. McAlpine (@rosmcalpine) and co-authors Merve Utangac, Joanna Kuc (@joanna_kuc), Henok Pankhurst, Amelia Sellers, Doug Kraft, Andrew Litchy, Naina E. Gupta, Christopher Timmermann (@neurodelia), and Sunjeev K. Kamboj (@sunjeevk). I’m grateful to the participants who shared their experiences and perspectives, making this research possible. May this work benefit many 🙏 #contemplativescience #psychiatry #wellbeing #advancedmeditation #mentalhealth