Reflections on crafting an ayahuasca community guide for the awareness of sexual abuse

Abstract

This article reflects upon the conception and development of a set of guidelines for the awareness of sexual abuse in ayahuasca settings, an assortment of scenarios that take place in local and global settings entailing the use of a psychedelic brew known for producing visionary and purgative effects composed of Amazonian Banisteriopsis caapi (ayahuasca vine) commonly combined with the leaves of Psychotria viridis (chacruna) or Diplopterys cabrerana (chaliponga). The globalization and diaspora of ayahuasca expertise, usage, and plant materials has broadened the diversity of individual and group interactions and geographical and social contexts in which this hallucinogenic concoction is ingested, and thus given rise to a range of possibilities, which also may, despondently, include possibilities for sexual harassment and abuse. The authors raise the key issues and processes that have led to formation, publication, and dissemination of the Ayahuasca Community Guide for the Awareness of Sexual Abuse of Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, focusing specifically on the needs for such guidelines, as well as the challenges faced in collaboratively creating them. The creation of guidelines as an educational task is wrought with concerns, as they must first and foremost convey the fact that abuse is never the victim/survivor’s fault, and yet they must also aim to inform individuals of potential common scenarios that can lead to abuse. In this sense, guidelines themselves are held up to scrutiny, and the process of collaboratively crafting the Chacruna Institute’s Guide for the Awareness of Sexual Abuse has not been an exception.

Psychedelic Communitas: Intersubjective Experience During Psychedelic Group Sessions Predicts Enduring Changes in Psychological Wellbeing and Social Connectedness

“…Lastly, psychedelic-induced increases in suggestibility ( Carhart-Harris et al, 2015 ) and perceived meaning ( Hartogsohn, 2018 ), raise the ethically complex question to what extent culturally rich ceremonial environments of psychedelic use may lead to a transmission of beliefs and behaviors ( Dupuis, 2016 ; Dupuis, 2020 ), a question that we are currently studying through the assessment of post-psychedelic changes in belief structures ( Timmermann et al, 2018 ). As an extreme negative case, it is conceivable how enhanced suggestibility, paired with a felt dissolution of boundaries between the self and a social environment functioning under radically different cultural or cosmological priors, apart from immediate risks such as sexual abuse (the prevalence of which has been pointed out recently by Peluso et al, 2020 ), could lead to psychological destabilization, or unconscious and thus not fully consensual conversion experiences ( Dupuis, 2018 ). The consequential need for grounded practices for the mediation and validation of psychedelic insights has recently been discussed by Timmermann et al (2020) .…”

Ethical and legal issues in psychedelic harm reduction and integration therapy

“…Second, some retreat centers may have negligible procedures for screening or preparing participants and therefore may include individuals who are not adequately prepared or stable enough for psychedelic experiences. Moreover, there have been reported instances of sexual abuse perpetrated by shamans or guides in psychedelic contexts [ 61 ]. For these reasons, it is recommended that clients considering traveling to other countries familiarize themselves with guidelines for reducing such risks, such as traveling with trusted companions, conducting thorough research, and understanding norms for psychedelic ceremonies (e.g., that nudity or sexual touch is not part of traditional ayahuasca ceremonies).…”

Entheogens and psychedelics in Canada: Proposal for a new paradigm.

“…The latter included a lack of knowledge and understanding about the profound potential benefits of nonordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) for spiritual development and general well-being, not just ENTHEOGENS AND PSYCHEDELICS IN CANADA within the government but within our culture. In addition, there were risks that needed to be taken into consideration, such as health and safety concerns, and the measures needed to assure safety (e.g., Johnson et al, 2008;Peluso et al, 2020). Under the regulations of the Exemption, licensed centres are obligated to report any health concerns or incidents regarding the Sacrament and church members or visitors to Health Canada.…”

“…Despite the vigor and quality of emerging work, ethical problems remain. Scholars have noted problems with sexual abuse in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and in conjunction with some Ayahuasca ceremonies (Passie, 2018; Peluso et al, 2020). For example, in the aforementioned MAPS PTSD trials, it came to light that one of the participants experienced psychological harm in connection with a sexual relationship with an unregistered study psychologist.…”

“…In a NOSC, these heightened senses can be confused with personal attraction and/or sexual attraction, requiring a greater need for ethical vigilance on the part of practitioners. There are documented cases of sexual exploitation by therapists and healers (e.g., Peluso et al, 2020). Working in NOSC also requires a greater awareness of, and sensitivity toward, culture and diversity (Ching, 2020; Williams, Reed, & George, 2020).…”