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Glossary
Short, plain-English meanings of the words you'll see on provider and law pages.
- 5-MeO-DMT
- A short-acting psychedelic found in some plants and in the secretion of the Sonoran Desert toad. Schedule I under US federal law.
- Ayahuasca
- A brewed drink traditionally made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and leaves containing DMT, used in South American ceremonies.
- Decriminalization
- A law or policy that removes or lowers criminal penalties for certain conduct, such as personal possession. It does not create legal sales or licensed services.
- DMT
- N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, the psychedelic compound in ayahuasca. Schedule I under US federal law.
- Facilitator
- The trained person who supports a client before, during and after a session. In Oregon and Colorado facilitators must hold a state license.
- Healing center / service center
- A state-licensed location where adults may use regulated psilocybin under supervision. Colorado says healing center; Oregon says service center.
- Ibogaine
- A psychoactive compound from the iboga shrub, studied for opioid withdrawal. It carries serious heart risks and needs medical screening and monitoring.
- Integration
- Sessions after a psychedelic experience that help a person make sense of it and apply what came up to daily life.
- Legalization (regulated)
- A law that creates a licensed, legal system for producing and providing a substance, with rules on who can take part.
- Microdosing
- Taking very small amounts of a psychedelic on a schedule. Research results are mixed, and it is not legal outside permitted programs.
- Preparation session
- A required meeting before a session in programs like Oregon's, covering expectations, safety and consent.
- Psilocybin
- The main psychoactive compound in so-called magic mushrooms. Schedule I under US federal law; legal in licensed programs in some states.
- Schedule I
- The strictest US federal drug category: substances the law treats as having high abuse potential and no accepted medical use.
- Screening
- Questions a provider asks before booking about medications, health conditions and mental-health history, to decide whether a session is safe.
- Set and setting
- Your mindset (set) and the physical and social environment (setting), both widely considered to shape a psychedelic experience.
Want more depth? Read the guides or check what's legal where you live.
General information, not medical or legal advice.