As we welcome 2026, our hearts are full of gratitude for the community that stood beside Zendo Project throughout 2025.
Your generosity is enabling us to strengthen our model of care at events nationwide, scale Zendo Lab research initiatives exploring peer-based crisis support, and bring what we’ve learned from our psychedelic roots into Emergency Psychological Response training for healthcare providers.
This momentum is real: during the course of our end-of-year campaign, we raised over $220,000. But the number tells only part of the story. This support represents a collective commitment to a world where care in life’s most challenging moments is rooted in humanity, compassion, and presence.
To our donors—including our monthly Zendo Care Network members—volunteers, and supporters: thank you.
We’re also deeply grateful to the partners who share our vision: The Cohen Foundation, whose philanthropic investment is driving our new crisis response training programs; the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), our longtime ally and the origin of Zendo Project’s mission; andDr. Bronner’s, whose financial support and mentorship have been foundational to our growth for more than a decade.
Together, we are building a reality where compassionate care during times of emotional vulnerability is not a privilege, but a shared responsibility.
P.S. As a nonprofit, our fundraising efforts are essential and ongoing! If you missed our December campaign but want to be part of building this future, consider a one time donation or join the Zendo Care Network. Monthly support, even small amounts, helps us plan and respond with confidence year-round. In times like these, we need each other more than ever.
In Psychedelic Service,
Paige Riley
Zendo Project
Executive Assistant to the Executive Team
Ethical care is not always intuitive. It is learned and practiced.
When supporting someone through an intense experience, our best attempts to help can unintentionally escalate a situation. Words or actions that work in everyday moments can have the opposite effect under pressure.
Zendo Sitting & Integration Training (SIT) exists to address this gap.
SIT provides practical frameworks and skills for offering ethical, non-directive support when it matters most. Through training in harm reduction, attunement, and trauma-informed presence, participants learn how to support others without steering, escalating, or causing unintended harm.
This is a live, online course focused on real-world application. Participants learn how to stay present under pressure, use language intentionally, and recognize what to say—and what not to say—during challenging moments.
You’ll learn how to:
- Stay present when situations feel overwhelming
- Use language that de-escalates rather than intensifies
- Support autonomy while maintaining safety and clear boundaries
- Show up skillfully in uncertain moments
While rooted in psychedelic harm reduction, these skills extend into caregiving, clinical settings, community support, and everyday relationships.
Scholarships Available
We are committed to making this training accessible. A limited number of needs-based scholarships are available for the March cohort.
Community Highlights and Opportunities
Modern Psychedelics: The Essential Guide to Safer Exploration
Modern Psychedelics recently published a handbook on psychedelic safety and harm reduction. We’re excited to pass this along because the handbook references Zendo Project’s approach to peer-based support!
The guide covers preparation, integration, dosing, and harm reduction with focus on psychological and physical safety. It includes sections on spiritual emergencies, substance testing, retreat vetting, crisis support, and less commonly discussed challenges like derealization, HPPD, and spiritual bypassing.
Add this guide to your toolkit for supporting safer, more informed psychedelic experiences in community settings.
Volunteer Opportunity: Harm Reduction Support at Psychedelic Culture Conference
Chacruna Institute is seeking experienced harm reduction volunteers to provide support at their upcoming Psychedelic Culture Conference in San Francisco, April 17-19.
If you are interested, you can apply directly through Chacruna’s volunteer form:
We are grateful to Chacruna for their trust in the Zendo Project volunteer network and for their shared commitment to responsible, human-centered care within psychedelic spaces.