TRIPP, the fastest-growing digital psychedelics platform today acquired PsyAssist to commercialize a first-of-its-kind offering that supports the psychological healing journey of patients in psychedelic-assisted therapies. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The acquisition will empower psychotherapists and patients to safely and effectively use TRIPP’s VR, AR, and mobile experiences for ketamine-assisted therapy, and clinical trials of MDMA, and psilocybin treatment.
Acquisition Impact for TRIPP
Combining TRIPP’s cross-platform offering with PsyAssist’s protocols for psychedelic medicine, TRIPP PsyAssist will support psychiatric clinics and researchers working with the Schedule III drug, ketamine, and ongoing research with MDMA and psilocybin medicines on how to leverage TRIPP to reduce patient anxiety before, during, or after treatment. The company has designed a beta program and will scale deployment under the guidance of advisors such as Dr. Joseph Peter Barsuglia, Ph.D., and Dr. Geeta Arora, MD, on the research validation and commercialization of each protocol.
As part of the acquisition, PsyAssist’s founders, Sunny Strasburg, LMFT, and David Starfire, will join the TRIPP team to oversee the integration and go-to-market of the new mental health-focused solution called TRIPP PsyAssist. Sunny Strasburg will be the TRIPP PsyAssist Director of Clinical Operations, and David Starfire will expand his current role as Head of Music and Sound to Creative Director.
Supporting Patients in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
In recent years, psychedelics have moved from being categorized as illegal, Schedule I substances to groundbreaking treatments for mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, even with ongoing clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapies and the clinical availability of ketamine to address mental health issues, patients need support with onboarding, pre-session anxiety reduction, and post-session integration, whether in-clinic or at home.
Clinics are increasingly turning to the TRIPP platform, which immerses users into alternate realities, to support the emotional and mental well-being of patients before, during, and after ketamine-assisted therapy. With the release of TRIPP PsyAssist, therapists will have access to clear, step-by-step guidelines on how to leverage TRIPP so that clients undergoing psychedelic-assisted treatment can better integrate and contextualize the enduring effects of these consciousness-altering experiences.
“Altered states of consciousness are often disorienting, overwhelming, and challenging to navigate and integrate. TRIPP is essentially aiding trained experts when patients are not able to properly contextualize and absorb the psychedelic experience so they can get the most out of their treatment,” said Nanea Reeves, CEO, and Founder of TRIPP.
Following collaboration with researchers to validate protocols for each use case in these pilots, TRIPP plans to execute strategic content development and distribution with subject matter experts. “With the musical genius of David Starfire and psychedelic expertise of Sunny Strasburg, TRIPP is positioned to offer an aesthetically gorgeous, clinically grounded, and scientifically validated adjunctive modality which can serve as an essential dovetail for the psychedelic-assisted therapy experience,” said Dr. Barsuglia.
