The Arch Under the Arch: A Note from Our Medical Director

So it was raining at Red Rocks Amphitheater…

And like most other initiations, it felt like there really wasn’t any other way out but through. Cold drizzle conjures mythopoetic energies, even through the pounding thrum from the stage.

We put up our tapestries, softened the halogen lights with covers, and began a gentle disarmament of the clinical and authoritative feel of the medical and law enforcement area in which we’d been so honored to be included.

“What’s the Zendo Project?”

Literally one of my favorite sentences, asked over and over again by folks adorned with vests, earpieces, radios, tasers. Even in the Denver emergency department where I hustle, at all hours of the Earth’s spinning, this question arises. There is an essence to this work, and a curiosity which I feel accelerating around me. I am a doctor; society told me I’m a healer, gave me a license citing the Hippocratic Oath and everything. But anyone who’s cared for a single patient has the opportunity to recognize the inadequate toolbox healthcare providers wield in service of humans who suffer. In my desire to discover a lifetime in service beyond the technical focus of emergency medicine, I involved myself in the psychedelic re-emergence in Colorado and found myself as the medical director for the pre-hospital ambulance agency Stadium Medical as well as for Zendo Project. Both event-focused safety making organizations, two sides of the same intention, and both honoring me with the opportunity to lead.

So we began receiving guests, usually termed “patients,” brought to us by caring but firm security guards. My job is to determine which concertgoers need medical attention straightaway versus those safe to bypass medical and receive the peer support which I believe in so much. In all, we safely diverted more than half the arrivals away from medical and law enforcement and supported them through. These guests gifted us with hugs, openness, tears, and catharsis. Guests with colorful unitards, rave sprouts, and chunky boots navigated their process and offered statements like “Ben is my rock,” “Case is the ground,” and “Zendo rules!”

“When can Zendo come back?”

That’s my favorite sentence now.

I keep feeling that this organization is emblematic of the way in which we all show up for each other, as individuals and communities. We are like stones in an arch, growing stronger the heavier the weight. Things press down on us, and we exert a unity in response. We are subsequently the keystone in our own arch and also the footing of another’s, an infinity of superposition. The real healing, the real breakthroughs, the tallest peaks and the sturdiest footing all depend on our surrendering to the weight with a unified support of others.

It is my absolute honor to be able to bring Zendo Project into the unknown spaces where toolboxes are otherwise lacking, straight into the shadow of institutions that became unwitting containers for people needing support on their way through. I leave you with loving awareness, and a simple poem if I may be so bold.

We are the ground. Press your feet into us at the river’s edge Lit by the flickering softness of embers. The arch has its place here, creating space for all.

We traverse the arch to meet the future And gaze in awe at your shoulders like Atlas holding all of eternity The arch under the arch under the arch under…

Case Newsom, DO (he/him) is a practicing emergency medicine physician and EMS medical director with a specialization in event medical care who lives and works in Denver, Colorado. He is medical director for Stadium Medical, the state’s leading special event prehospital agency, and has spent several years working as an outspoken advocate statewide for sensible drug policy reform and public harm reduction efforts surrounding the emerging community use of psychoactive substances occurring presently around the country.  He joyfully joined the Zendo Project as medical director in 2023 with the specific purpose of onboarding a medical protocol to vigilantly assess and observe guests during their time in the Zendo as well as maintain excellent communication and situational awareness with on-site medical organizations.

Burning Man Update: Introducing haven Harm Reduction

After much heartfelt deliberation…we are returning to Burning Man 2025!

We’re excited to announce a new collaboration between Black Rock Rangers and Zendo Project: haven Harm Reduction, a peer-based harm reduction service at Burning Man 2025. haven volunteers, trained and supported by Zendo Project leadership, will offer emotional support and care to participants in need of a safe, comfortable space to process difficult experiences, psychedelic or otherwise.

The haven Harm Reduction sanctuary will be located at 6:30 between Esplanade and Atwood. The sanctuary will be open 24/7 from 6pm on Monday, August 25 to 12pm on Monday, September 1.

To apply as a volunteer, head to the Burning Man website. You’ll need to complete or update your Burner Profile, then navigate to the Volunteer Questionnaire and select haven (Harm Reduction) in the Volunteer Teams section. Applications close 7/21.

Zendo SIT: August Weekend Intensive

At Zendo Project, we know that sitting with others in non-ordinary states of consciousness is one of the most meaningful gifts we can offer. It is also a practice, a skill that deepens with reflection, intention, and care.

Our July SIT course is now in action, but there is still one more opportunity to join us this summer. On August 2nd and 3rd, we are offering a Weekend Intensive version of SIT. This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the Four Principles of Psychedelic Care and learn tools for holding space, whether at a festival, in your community, or simply in your relationships.

If you have been feeling called to this work, we would love to have you join us. Together we can continue weaving a culture of support, courage, and care.

A limited number of partial scholarships are available for this cohort. Please apply by 7/20 for consideration.

Phish Update and Impact

Earlier this month, Zendo Project offered peer support services during three nights of Phish shows in Colorado, partnering with venue medical and security teams to care for concertgoers.

Our space was centrally located near steady foot traffic, allowing us to serve as a visible and approachable resource for guests and staff alike. Throughout the event, medical teams regularly called on our team to support guests, offering them a quiet space for grounding and care. Instead of defaulting to sedation or unnecessary hospital transports, attendees were able to process their experiences with our trained volunteers in a supportive, nonjudgmental environment.

By the end of the weekend, we:

✔️ Operated for 18 hours over three nights
✔️ Supported 25 guests with compassionate care
✔️ Helped reduce strain on medical and security resources by preventing avoidable escalations such as sedations, hospital transports or arrests.

This event highlighted the vital role Zendo Project’s supportive presence plays in creating safer spaces at large gatherings. By meeting people where they are and holding space with care, our team helped weave calm into a busy, high-energy environment.

We are deeply grateful to the volunteers, partners, and venue staff who made this possible and we look forward to bringing this care to more events in the future.

Interested in learning more about volunteering or bringing Zendo Project to your event? Visit our website to get involved!