This article is part of a series on
Sitting Safe: Navigating the Evolution of NeoShamanism
Ethics
Ethics guide the way…
With the rapidly spreading interest in psychedelics, there is a growing vacuum for providers and few qualified people to fill it. We have seen many step into the space that arguably have not grown sufficiently enough in their own personal work before serving, resulting in the wounding of others when coming from a place of the ‘wounded healer.’ Our community needs to take a deep look at not just the work itself but HOW it is being conducted.
If you are not coming from love, then what are you creating?
Many groups have created codes of ethics and ethical commitments to agree to when stepping into the role of therapist/provider/facilitator/shaman. We would like to highlight a few here in an effort to call our community leaders into their highest selves when they act.
The most important quality to embody, when it comes to ethics, is being open to feedback from your peers.
Unfortunately, we have seen what can happen when feedback falls on deaf ears and attempts to “call in, not out” fails (i.e. particular toad facilitators). We dearly want to protect the community and the stability of the movement by adhering to basic standards of care.
MAPS:
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has been developing a code of ethics for their clinical trials on psychedelics. The full document can be found here.
5-MeO-DMT Conclave:
A council of 5-MeO-DMT practitioners has written an Ethical Commitments document for their work.
Council on Spiritual Practices:
“Spiritual practices, and especially primary religious practices, carry risks. Therefore, when an individual chooses to practice with the assistance of a guide, both take on special responsibilities. The Council on Spiritual Practices proposes the following Code of Ethics for those who serve as spiritual guides.” Find the whole document here.
“Work is love made visible.” - Kahlil Gibran
This article is part of a series on Sitting Safe: Navigating the Evolution of NeoShamanism. Check out the other chapters here:
Part 1: Recommendations to would-be participants
Questions to ask yourself
Questions to consider asking a practitioner
Questions a practitioner should ask you