Bianca
I love holding space on the support line because it serves as an accessible resource for callers in real time.
The Psychedelic Support Line
We’ve been there.
We’re here now.
Whether you’re in it, making sense of it,
or supporting someone else through it,
you’re in the right place.
We open at 11:00 a.m. Pacific. You can schedule a call with us. If you’re having an emergency, call 911.
Upcoming Journey? Schedule a TripCheck
The Support Line is for you if…
You’re having a hard trip right now
You’re having a beautiful trip right now
You’re sitting with someone who’s tripping
You’re still trying to
make sense of a past trip
You have questions about psychedelics
You’re just curious
What happens
when you call?
We meet you where you are.
No script, no agenda.
A peer answers.A real, trained person picks up. No AI. No phone tree.
You set the pace.Share as much or as little as you want. We follow your lead.
We listen.Our role is to be a grounded presence.We don’t try to “fix” or give you answers.
Caller
I think I took too much. My heart is racing and I’m a little scared.
Fireside peer
I’m right here with you. You’re safe. Let’s take one slow breath together.
Caller
Okay… that helped a little.
Fireside peer
There’s no rush. Tell me as much or as little as you’d like. I’m not going anywhere.
Caller
I don’t even really know why I called. I feel kind of embarrassed.
Fireside peer
There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. People call us for exactly this. Reaching out was a good move.
Caller
It’s just, the room keeps shifting and my thoughts are moving so fast I can’t tell what’s real.
Fireside peer
That sounds like a lot to hold. You don’t have to make sense of any of it right now. I’ll stay with you while it moves.
Caller
Can you just keep talking to me? Your voice is helping.
Fireside peer
Of course. I’m not going anywhere. Is there anything near you that feels soft or solid? Sometimes it helps to rest a hand on something real.
Caller
There’s a blanket next to me. And my dog is here.
Fireside peer
That’s a good place to be. Put your hand on the blanket if you want to. Feel your dog breathing next to you. You’re not alone in this.
Caller
The racing is slowing down a little. I think I’m going to be okay.
What counts as a psychedelic?
If it makes you trip,
chances are,
we’ll support you with it.Yes, even cannabis.
We don’t support non-psychedelic substances such as cocaine, alcohol, meth, heroin, fentanyl, benzodiazepines, GHB, or Adderall.
Meet the people
answering your call
answering your call
100+ volunteers. We’ve all been there.
Hollye
When I’m on a call, I feel a strong sense of Ubuntu: “I am, because you are.” Our humanity is inextricably connected - to share space with fellow humans on potent inner journeys is an honor and a gift.
Corey
I love the deep sense of connection that comes from supporting healing and transformation.
Lina
I love working for Fireside Project because it’s an honor to witness others’ journeys during such vulnerable, life-changing moments, and I find immense joy in both supporting and learning from their transformative, mystical experiences.
Mallory
What I love most about taking calls on the Support Line is that I never know who will answer on the other side, yet it’s always someone entirely unique, and they consistently broaden my view of the tapestry of life.
Madelyn
I am always blown away by the joy and silliness that callers find within themselves, even during their most challenging psychedelic experiences.
Grant
Hearing about the unique diversity of experiences, identities, and life stories of callers, and how much having Fireside as a support means to them.
Sally
I love holding a non-judgmental, compassionate space for callers, acting as a co-pilot on their journey and helping them reconnect with the wisdom they already carry within themselves.
Kristin
What I love most about taking calls on the line is, being able to create a safe space of acceptance, compassion, and reassurance for our callers.
Merryn
I love taking calls and answering texts on the line because it warms my heart to know that I can be of service to witness and support someone in a challenging or even ecstatic moment of a vulnerable time.
Steve
Working on the Fireside Project hotline allows me to hold space, share, and give back to individuals in the community at large, while also providing a fellowship with my fellow volunteers.
Suzanne
Everyone has a unique story. I love that I have a safe space here at Fireside Project where people can share such a vulnerable and beautiful part of their story.
Olivia
My favorite part of taking calls on the support line is the honor of being trusted to hold space for deep stuff - it is a beautiful experience!
Alexander
Fireside provides a textured and layered support structure to anyone who interacts with it.
Crystal
Holding compassionate space for others is never anything less than a privilege.
Bita
What I love most is the privilege of witnessing the inner healing intelligence at work as people arrive at their own realizations, where nothing is forced and everything feels real - a pure celebration of what it means to be human together.
Lyssa
Being an anchor, partner, and source of care for courageous travelers reminds me that we are all deeply connected and are here to walk each other home … with warmth and love.
Julia
I love knowing I have an amazing team of peers and supervisors supporting me so that I’m able to best support callers.
Cory
Being present and prepared to spend time at the Fireside with whoever shows up.
Stephanie
I love holding space for other journeyers!
Kimmy
I love the opportunity to hold space for folx in a vulnerable moment, allowing them to untangle their own thoughts and ideas, and in the process make some kind of sense out of their psychedelic experiences that they can move forward with in peace.
Lexi
I love that for each call, the caller and I, we get to share a world where vulnerability and care can breathe freely and our humanity gets to peek more fully at one another.
Jayse
I love how meaningful the shared time feels, however brief, as I join others on their paths of exploration and inquiry, offering compassionate support that helps them reconnect with their intuition and innate wisdom.
Curious what it’s like
to call the line? Try it out!
The Fireside app
Real-time support
at your fingertips.
Our app is made for people in the middle of psychedelic experiences. It’s free, and it’s simple: Just open it up and press the big orange button to call us. Trust us: it’s way easier than scrolling through your contacts to find our number.
Read the article in Mashable: “There’s an app for that”
TripCheck
A gift from your present self
to your future self.
Making a phone call mid-journey can be hard. So can remembering Fireside exists.
Tell us when you'd like us to call you, and we will. Even if you don't pick up - knowing someone reached out can be enough.
We'll even call you multiple times during the same journey if you'd like.
Schedule a TripCheckFireside Stories
Real callers.
Real journeys.
A four-gram trip
with no map.
“It was like everything kind of came crashing down all at once.”
Read her story
A door that wouldn’t stop slamming.
“Everything was insane and fine.”
Read his story
Leaving Mormonism, finding oneness.
“Who am I, and where do I fit in this whole big picture?”
Read his storyCallers share how
their call impacted them.
I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever felt so heard, understood, supported, and - most importantly - accepted by somebody else.
The person who answered was so calm. That calmness moved through the phone into me.
I was terrified I was losing my mind. They helped me realize I was just going through something profound.
My conversation changed the course of my night. And quite possibly my life.
I felt so touched hearing a total stranger see such light in me. I felt so seen that I broke down in tears.
What you all are doing is sacred work, and it is not an exaggeration to say I was saved by it.
I was dealing with severe psychedelic trauma from a recent experience, and they helped calm me and aided in my processing. My volunteer understood my experiences and helped me contextualize them.
Knowing you’re talking to someone who completely understands where you’re at can make all the difference in this situation.
I was in a very dark place and felt hopeless and trapped in my mind. My volunteer not only helped pull me out of that, but patiently spent a great deal of time listening and helping me work through a lot of really deep issues.
Read 200+ more testimonials in our
Five-Year Impact Report →
Honoring Your Trust
Everything we do rests on your trust, and part of honoring that trust is a commitment to keep getting better. That’s why we record conversations after stripping out personal information: so supervisors can give volunteers better feedback; so we can make sure our safety protocols are followed, and so we can train practitioners across the field with Lucy, our AI-powered practitioner training platform. Your conversation never leaves Fireside, and you can opt out at any time. Here’s how it works.
You’re told before and after the call
A short message plays the moment you reach us. You’re told again the day after, with the option to delete the recording.
Opt out, any time
Before the call, press a button and your data won’t be recorded; after the call, check a box in the text message to delete your data.
Your number gets deleted
After a short window, we permanently sever the link between any recording and the phone number it came from.
Your data gets de-identified
All personally identifying information is deleted, including your name and any other personal information you chose to give us.
Recordings never leave Fireside
Two narrow exceptions: peer-reviewed research with universities (under signed agreements), or a valid subpoena. Voices used to train Lucy are distorted beyond recognition.
FAQ
Our scope
Who is the support line for?
- People who are tripping right now.
- People trying to make sense of a past trip, whether it happened days or decades ago.
- People supporting someone who is tripping now.
- People who have questions about psychedelics.
- People looking for resources about psychedelics.
- People who are just curious about Fireside.
Is this just a bad trip hotline?
Nope! We support people having beautiful trips, wanting to make sense of past trips, supporting someone else who’s tripping, or are just curious about psychedelics.
Also, we prefer the term “challenging trip” to “bad trip.” We know some trips can get hard, but we see those trips as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Trips can get hard when you meet parts of yourself you may have suppressed or towards which you have negative feelings. Those moments can be opportunities to cultivate love for those parts.
Will you help me prepare for a psychedelic journey?
No, but we can refer you to some resources that discuss how to safely prepare.
Before you call
Do I have to give my name? Tell you what I’ve taken?
Nope. It’s all up to you. You can give us your real name, a made-up name, or no name at all. You don’t have to tell us what substance you’re working with - though many callers find it helpful context.
Is it really confidential?
Yes. You don’t have to share any personal information, and even if you do, we don’t save it. We don’t even save phone numbers. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Is the support line available outside the U.S.?
Right now we serve the United States only. We hope to expand internationally soon, starting with Canada.
Who answers
Who are the people on the other end of the line?
Trained peer volunteers. We’re people who get it because we’ve been there ourselves. Each volunteer completes 40+ hours of training and is supervised by experienced staff.
We aim to maintain personal and cultural sensitivity to the unique needs of every caller.
What kind of support do volunteers provide?
Our volunteers provide non-clinical emotional support only. This is not a doctor-patient relationship, a therapist-client relationship, an attorney-client relationship, or any other professional relationship - even if a volunteer happens to be a licensed professional in their life outside the line.
On the line, volunteers don’t disclose their profession. They listen. They hold space. That’s the relationship.
Can callers stay in touch with volunteers outside of calls?
No. To protect everyone’s privacy and safety, volunteers don’t communicate with callers outside the support line. But you can always call back.
What we do - and don’t
How is the support line different from coaching?
The Psychedelic Support Line is free, anonymous, one-off conversations - by phone or text - with peer volunteers. You don’t pick who answers, and you don’t schedule.
Fireside-Certified Psychedelic Coaching is a paid, long-term, scheduled service over video. You select your coach. All coaches are employees who’ve completed our 30-step, 300-hour certification process.
For a side-by-side breakdown, see the comparison chart.
Do you provide medical care or assessments?
No. We provide non-clinical support only. If you’re seeking medical care, please contact a doctor or other medical professional.
Do you make recommendations about substances or providers?
No. We don’t recommend or endorse particular substances, products, people, or services. We may point to sources of information, but we haven’t independently vetted them - it’s up to you to decide what to rely on.
What if my conversation needs to keep going after we hang up?
Call us back. As many times as you want. Some integration journeys take days, others take years - and we’re here for all of it.
Are there any restrictions on how I can use the line?
Yes - see our Terms of Use.