This training is designed for those who are interested in learning how to assist in difficult psychedelic experiences.
Developed for peer counselors, educators, mental health clinicians, event producers, and individuals who are interested in volunteering for harm reduction organizations like the Zendo Project.
Demonstrating that safe, productive psychedelic experiences are possible without the need for law enforcement-based prohibitionist policies.
This course is Eligible for CE Credits • Number of Credits: 4 • CE Credit Registration is available onsite at the workshop
This training is designed for those who are interested in learning how to assist in difficult psychedelic experiences.
Developed for peer counselors, educators, mental health clinicians, event producers, and individuals who are interested in volunteering for harm reduction organizations like the Zendo Project.
Demonstrating that safe, productive psychedelic experiences are possible without the need for law enforcement-based prohibitionist policies.
This course is Eligible for CE Credits • Number of Credits: 4 • CE Credit Registration is available onsite at the workshop
The Zendo Project Mission Statement:
It is our mission to 1) provide a supportive space for Guests undergoing difficult psychedelic experiences or other psychological emergencies in order to transform potentially traumatic experiences into valuable learning opportunities, and to reduce the number of drug-related psychiatric hospitalizations; 2) to provide an environment where volunteers can work alongside one another to improve their therapeutic skills and receive training and feedback; and 3) to demonstrate that the psychedelic community can take care of its own without the need for law enforcement-based policies.
Four Basic Principles of Psychedelic Harm-Reduction - Create a safe space - Sitting, not guiding - Talk through, not down - Difficult is not the same as bad
This year, millions of people will use psychedelics outside of supervised medical contexts, many of them for the first time. Many psychedelic users are unprepared to tend to a psychedelic-induced crisis. As part of our efforts to minimize harm related to the non-medical use of psychedelics, on this page we provide advice for helping someone having a difficult psychedelic experience.
It is not uncommon for psychedelic users to have difficult experiences. This is most likely with first-time users, especially with high doses and without adequate preparation or guidance. Society has termed these experiences "bad trips." A difficult psychedelic experience is not necessarily a bad one. With proper preparation and understanding, it is possible to help a person having a difficult experience so that they can receive the most benefit from it.
Difficult psychedelic experiences can be frightening, but they are also potentially among the most valuable experiences someone can have. Difficult psychedelic experiences can be the result of external factors, such as a chaotic environment or traumatic events, or the result of painful or troubling emotions that arise during the experience.
By working with these experiences, rather than trying to "talk someone down," together the sitter and the psychedelic user can make a difficult psychedelic experience a chance for personal growth.
The Zendo Project Mission Statement:
It is our mission to 1) provide a supportive space for Guests undergoing difficult psychedelic experiences or other psychological emergencies in order to transform potentially traumatic experiences into valuable learning opportunities, and to reduce the number of drug-related psychiatric hospitalizations; 2) to provide an environment where volunteers can work alongside one another to improve their therapeutic skills and receive training and feedback; and 3) to demonstrate that the psychedelic community can take care of its own without the need for law enforcement-based policies.
Four Basic Principles of Psychedelic Harm-Reduction - Create a safe space - Sitting, not guiding - Talk through, not down - Difficult is not the same as bad
This year, millions of people will use psychedelics outside of supervised medical contexts, many of them for the first time. Many psychedelic users are unprepared to tend to a psychedelic-induced crisis. As part of our efforts to minimize harm related to the non-medical use of psychedelics, on this page we provide advice for helping someone having a difficult psychedelic experience.
It is not uncommon for psychedelic users to have difficult experiences. This is most likely with first-time users, especially with high doses and without adequate preparation or guidance. Society has termed these experiences "bad trips." A difficult psychedelic experience is not necessarily a bad one. With proper preparation and understanding, it is possible to help a person having a difficult experience so that they can receive the most benefit from it.
Difficult psychedelic experiences can be frightening, but they are also potentially among the most valuable experiences someone can have. Difficult psychedelic experiences can be the result of external factors, such as a chaotic environment or traumatic events, or the result of painful or troubling emotions that arise during the experience.
By working with these experiences, rather than trying to "talk someone down," together the sitter and the psychedelic user can make a difficult psychedelic experience a chance for personal growth.
Zendo Project is sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a 501©3 research and education organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
