Dear Lucy: Preventing Abuse in Psychedelic Spaces, part 1
Written by: JOSEPHINE EMBRY
Trigger Warning: This article includes references to non-consensual behavior or sexual misconduct. The content may be triggering or uncomfortable for individuals who have experienced sexual trauma or abuse. Please take care of yourself and seek support if needed.
Dear Lucy,
I’m a social worker specializing in child welfare in a small, conservative, religious community. The work is meaningful to me because of my own healing journey associated with sexual trauma that I experienced as a teenager. A few years ago a friend encouraged me to participate in a professionally guided psychedelic experience as a compliment to the therapy and personal work that I was already doing. I did my research, got the OK from my therapist, found a fantastic guide and had a powerful, transformative session that I believe served as a catalyst for my healing. Afterwards I was excited to share my experience with others, but struggled to find people who could relate to something like that as the subject of psychedelics is still considered taboo amongst the people closest to me.
I became interested in finding a community and learning more about how I could help others with their own psychedelic experiences so I enrolled in and graduated from a six month course in a training program for psychedelic therapy in a larger city relatively close to me. The course is offered once per year by a local collective of academics and licensed professionals specializing in work with psychedelics. My class was small and the members and instructors became close. We spent quite a bit of time together both online and in person discussing the history of psychedelic use for therapeutic purposes, the current research landscape, our own reasons for wanting to do that work, our future plans and how it all intersects. We even had a somewhat vulnerable group session together that I count as one of the most personally illuminating experiences of my life. I learned a lot, particularly from one instructor who I came to respect and admire in large part due to their sensitive and mindful approach to topics regarding working with victims of trauma.
Even though I graduated last year I stayed in touch with this instructor and even referred several friends of mine to their practice. Recently I discovered through another friend that this instructor is under investigation for sexually assaulting multiple patients and apparently there have been whispers of consent violations associated with this particular person for several years. This seems to be more than just hearsay or a jilted ex trying to spread rumors. Lucy, I’m shook. I can’t stop thinking about it. This is a person that I trusted. I considered them to be a pillar in the community and someone at the forefront of education for practitioners. I never even imagined this being an issue in the community I’ve come to know and love. I referred my friends to them. I’m trying not to beat myself up for not seeing the red flags because apparently I wasn’t the only one and even those who saw them didn’t know what to do. My question is this: as a new wannabe practitioner who cares a lot about my community, how do I help to create safe spaces and prevent this from happening again?
Signed,
Disillusioned in Wonderland
Dear Disillusioned,
Oof, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I wish I could tell you that I believed this to be an isolated incident, but unfortunately this column exists because of situations just like this. Psychedelic experiences can be incredibly profound and transformative, but they can also be intense and vulnerable. Reports of sexual abuse by psychedelic practitioners, healers and guides are on the rise and it’s important to the safety of individuals and the health of our communities to bring these issues out into the light where they can be addressed.
I think it’s helpful to note here that this is not a scenario that’s unique to the psychedelic space. It seems that anywhere there are real or perceived power dynamics at play there are people who are poised to take advantage of those in more vulnerable positions. It’s also not uncommon at all that a perpetrator would hide their abusive actions behind credentials and community accolades. We see this over and over again in organized religion, education, medicine, law enforcement and the workplace just to name a few. That’s not to say that there aren’t good people doing good works in any of these institutions, only to say that you aren’t alone in being caught unaware. It also doesn’t do anyone any favors to sweep these transgressions under a rug so thank you for writing in.
Because of the comprehensive nature of psychedelic experiences, harmful abuse can happen in a multitude of ways that aren’t just sexual. Emotional, spiritual and dosing related consent violations also occur, sometimes in conjunction with each other.
There are some unique factors at play when talking about consent issues in the psychedelic community that need to be acknowledged:
Psychedelic experiences induce vulnerable states in which individuals may be more susceptible to sexual advances and misconduct.
The use of psychedelic substances can impair judgment and decision-making, making it difficult to recognize and communicate boundaries.
Psychedelic spaces often involve a great deal of trust and intimacy between individuals. Participants may share personal and emotional experiences, creating a sense of closeness and connection.
Cultural taboos and misperceptions in sex-negative, drug-negative communities make it hard for survivors to get support.
Sometimes survivors are even silenced and perpetrators are not addressed in misguided attempts to “protect” the psychedelic movement from harm.
Some practitioners refuse to disclose the substance, dosage or content of their “proprietary” ceremonies making informed consent impossible for their clients
Psychedelics are also, for the most part, still illegal which forces a lot of these issues underground.
Group events can be poorly vetted and not well supervised. Practitioners are often not trained to recognize or respond to consent violations among group members.
So, what can you do to promote safer spaces in the psychedelic community?
(To be cont… check back next week for part 2 of this important conversation with Dear Lucy.)
