In this video, I offer a brief overview of the core findings from my doctoral research exploring psychedelic facilitation practices in naturalistic settings. My study involved in-depth qualitative interviews with 27 underground facilitators working across a wide range of contexts, lineages, and philosophies. These conversations generated a rich and nuanced body of data, including how facilitators conceptualize healing, how they assess readiness, how they understand safety and risk, what they believe creates transformation, and how they support integration over time. Despite the diversity in training, worldview, and approach, several “golden threads” consistently emerged: • Safety & Trust – Transformation best unfolds within a safe container. Trust is foundational. • Pacing & Readiness – Discernment matters. Not everyone is ready, and not all growth should be accelerated. • Facilitator Integrity & Self-Work – The facilitator’s nervous system, humility, and ongoing self-examination deeply shape outcomes. • Systems of Support – Healing does not occur in isolation. Community, aftercare, and broader relational ecosystems matter. • Participant Empowerment – The work is not about dependency, but strengthening internal agency and self-trust. • Recursive & Non-Linear Transformation – Growth rarely moves in straight lines. Participants revisit themes, layers, and lessons over time. These findings point toward what I describe as an ecology of transformation — a developmental process and consideration road map shaped before, during, and long after any single session. In future videos, I’ll go into depth on each of these themes, exploring their implications for practice, training, research, and policy as the field continues to evolve. Thank you for being here! #psychedelicresearch #psychedelicfacilitation #humandevelopment #qualitativeresearch #psychedelictherapy #transformation #ecologyoftransformation

In this video, I briefly walk through the research design behind my doctoral study exploring psychedelic facilitation practices. Motivated by my ongoing desire to support human flourishing - especially amidst a worsening mental health crisis - I set out to better understand how facilitators conceptualize healing and transformation throughout the facilitation process. My study involved in-depth qualitative interviews with 27 underground facilitators working in a range of contexts. I share why I designed the study the way I did, how and what participants were recruited, and how I approached data analysis. This video is for anyone (and especially nerds like me) who wants a little more context for the research findings I share here. Enjoy! #psychedelicresearch #qualitativeresearch #psychedelicfacilitation #doctoraldissertation #researchmethods #mentalhealthcrisis

What actually creates lasting change in psychedelic healing? As interest in psychedelics continues to grow, this series shares findings from my doctoral research, where I interviewed psychedelic facilitators to better understand their practices, approaches, and lived wisdom. Through a human development lens, these videos explore what consistently supports real, lasting transformation. This series is for people curious about psychedelic healing, facilitators and guides, and those shaping programs or policies seeking responsible, effective, and ethical approaches to psychedelic work. This content is educational and research-informed. It is not therapy or instruction on substance use. If you’re interested in psychedelic transformation and what actually supports change over time, you’re in the right place. I’m glad you’re here. — Miriam Grace Kaiyo, Ph.D.

In this video, I share my background and what led me to study psychedelics as part of my doctoral research in human development and social policy. My interest began with early, transformative experiences with altered states, but eventually deepened into a broader question: how can these substances be used to support sustained healing, particularly in the context of trauma and mental health?

We are often led to believe in quick-fix and shortcut transformation: take this pill, follow this practice, drink this drink, and your life will change. 😳 (P.S. mixing those misconceptions with psychedelics is dangerous - I'll go more into this in another video). In my doctoral research, I interviewed psychedelic facilitators. Again and again, they shared a very different understanding of transformation - one rooted in human development rather than optimization culture. Transformation is rarely linear or comfortable. It is often slow, messy, and disorienting. It involves rupture and repair, moments of collapse followed by reorganization, and the gradual rebuilding of meaning, identity, and capacity. From a human development perspective, these moments of breakdown aren't failures but invitations. As parts of us collapse, new ways of being have the opportunity to form - ways that are more mature, integrated, and aligned with who we are becoming. And as uncomfortable as that process can be, it's just the way we evolve. #transformation #humandevelopment