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delic states. warned us by saying she might never want any more psilocybin after her previous Peak experience. (On the other hand, I didn't want to disappoint to study the psychedelic, not sub-psychedelic, properties of psilocybin. Lower doses would not do, and the setting could not hold higher doses. 288 © TAKING PAUSE remained convinced that leaving the Research Center against our advice, and under the influence of psilocybin, was the only thing—in fact, the courageously noble thing—to do. My "negative influence" left her little choice. Neither Laura nor I, after many months, could make even the slightest inroads into her fear and anxiety about what she began experi- encing that morning. We made some modifications in our protocols, requiring that we in- terview more carefully volunteers' spouses in order to learn about the nature and basis for any serious misgivings on their part. We more clearly stated the requirement that the research team give final permission to leave the hospital. We also decided to begin with the administration of a high dose of DMT in anyone interested in the psilocybin project. By doing so, we could assess more carefully their ability to handle extreme psyche- Francine's session also effectively dashed any hopes for taking the research out of the hospital. I was deeply shaken. Francine was intelligent and experienced, and she had been through our DMT work before. On the one hand, she had her by refusing further participation. Her unpleasant experiences on DMT could have warned us about her inability to let go into fully psychedelic states, but it was hard to tell at the time. In addition, I chose to ignore the warning signs that morning: the peculiar bed arrangement and the visit- ing medical student's intrusiveness. I began doubting my own judgment. I also feared for giving fully psychedelic doses of psilocybin in the hos- pital. But if we didn't give full, active doses, what was the point? We needed Research team conflicts also began emerging as the study progressed. A particularly difficult one involved a part-time graduate student who joined us after we completed the first dose-response study.