Article 4 of 12 in the series “Facilitating Transformation: Insights from the Psychedelic Underground” Conversations about psychedelics are brimming with myth and misinformation. And it makes sense given our tumultuous history with them: prohibition, the War on Drugs, the this-is-your-brain-on-drugs commercials on repeat. So if your relationship with psychedelics is confusing or complicated - especially considering the federal government's latest push to fast-track psychedeli

Article 3 of 12 | Facilitating Transformation: Insights from the Psychedelic Underground If you sat down to work with one of the facilitators I interviewed, you'd probably hear something unexpected from them: they do not want to heal you. But this isn't because they don’t want you to heal, but because they will insist that the healing is yours. And that their job is not to lead you, but to help you find your own leadership on your healing path. For me, this is one of the mo

Preparing for a journey can be a lot. There are lots of considerations - what will you take, with whom, where, and when. For many people, uncertainty or a lack of experience might result in a search for an expert or guru, the right protocol, and tips and tricks that will guarantee a meaningful experience. There's valuable guidance out there, no question. But I want to name what's been missing from conversations about preparing for a journey: you, and your own capacity for sel

On this 420, I want to shift the conversation about cannabis. Even if just slightly. Please hear me out. From my vantage point, cannabis has long been the red-headed stepchild of the psychedelic family. When it comes to therapeutic value, it's almost completely absent from the conversation. Sometimes it doesn't even make the cut as a "real" psychedelic. And it is most certainly disregarded for its transformative depth. In our culture, cannabis has become synonymous with check

Becoming a psychedelic facilitator isn't exactly a straight and narrow path. There is no degree program with a well-worn, tried and true curriculum, no licensing exam you can cram for, no governing body handing out certificates of completion. So it was especially interesting to learn how each of the 27 facilitators I interviewed for my dissertation research arrived to this work. The paths were nonlinear. Sometimes strange. And almost always guided by their own brush with su

Somewhere between the clinical trial and the ceremony, between the legal dispensary and the living room altar, there are people quietly doing some of the most intimate work imaginable - guiding others through the depths of their own minds and souls, one journey at a time. You will not find them on social media or with some sophisticated website. Most won't even tell you what they do. And yet their work is shaping how we might understand healing for generations to come. This i

Background & Study Objectives I am asking for your voluntary participation in a research interview about the facilitation approaches, practices, and protocols you bring to your work. It is important that you read this consent form to understand the study goals, interviewee criteria, interview expectations, risks and benefits, and confidentiality protocols and procedures. Study objectives: The overarching goal of this study is to gather the approaches, practices, and protocol

Abstract: Psychedelic therapy is demonstrating safety and efficacy in treating mental illness at a time when novel treatments are desperately needed to address the nation’s mental health crisis , with one in five Americans struggling with mental illness annually. To date, scientific data informing psychedelic policies and approaches overwhelmingly comes from clinical trials that demand highly controlled environments and strict protocols. In fact, surprisingly little scientif