Psychedelic Education Information & Resources
Comprehensive Education & Trainings
In addition to creating safe spaces for those in need of support and assistance, the Zendo Project also provides harm reduction trainings for the public, providing education on how to work with challenging experiences and creating a platform for honest and responsible conversations about substance use. These topics include:
- The principles of psychedelic harm reduction
- How to work with difficult or extreme state experiences
- Role of the sitter or facilitator
- Ethics
- Developing harm reduction protocol
Trainings Available – Onsite & Virtual
We provide knowledgable and professional Zendo Project representatives to speak at your event, conference, or university. Additionally, Zendo Project creates trainings and workshops for festivals and can provide custom training geared for medical, security, and production staff.
Qualities of a Challenging Psychedelic Experience:
Psychedelic experiences can vary tremendously, and are sometimes unpredictable, but are most influenced by these factors:
Drug
- Type
- Dose
- Duration
- Presence of impurities
Setting
- Familiarity
- Sense of safety
- Level of noise/activity
Mindset
- Intention/expectation
- Emotional state
- Psychological well-being
- Previous experience with substance
Anxiety
Feeling alone or trapped
Memory Loss
Altered sense of time and space
Confusion
Disorientation
Fear of losing control
4 principles for helping someone having a difficult experience
Safe Space
Talk through, not down
Sitting, not guiding
Difficult is not bad
Psychedelic Peer Support Educational Videos
Psychedelic Peer Support Articles
Tripsitters.org Psychedelic Guide Manual
Excerpt from The Tripsitters.org Psychedelic Guide Manual PDF: Introduction The practice of working with psychedelics for healing or spiritual purposes is not new. Many indigenous traditions have used “sacred medicines” in ceremonial healing and spiritual contexts for...
How Zendo Project Got its Name
Cardboard Yurt Origins: The Zendo In 2006, Austrian Zen teacher Vanja Palmers began bringing a large group of European Buddhists to Burning Man. After experiencing the event, Palmers saw the need for a refuge/quiet space for people to retreat to in the bustling Black...
Life is a Festival Podcast: Sara Gael of the Zendo Project – How to Help Someone Having a “Bad Trip”
Written by Eamon Armstrong on February 13, 2020. Posted in Multimedia Library Originally appearing here. Summary: Learn about psychedelic harm reduction and techniques to support someone going through a challenging experience by listening to a recent episode of Life...
How to have a safe psychedelic trip
Originally published on Psyche.co: https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-have-a-safe-psychedelic-trip How to have a safe psychedelic trip A psychedelic experience can be deeply rewarding, but also carries real risks. Here’s how to avoid a bad trip Humans have consumed...
Statement of Solidarity
Standing in Solidarity During this time of extreme crisis, the Zendo Project stands in solidarity with those protesting against racism, white supremacy, structural violence, and police brutality. To our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities—we...
Nashville, TN Psychedelic Peer Support Workshop | April 25, 2020
CANCELLEDSecond Presbyterian Church3511 Belmont BlvdNashville, TN 37215 The Nashville public training workshop scheduled for April 25 has been canceled. All registrations are currently in the process of being refunded – please be patient as our accounting team...
Psychedelic Peer Support and the Zendo Project: Winter Update and Testimonials
This article was written by Sara Gael, M.A. and appeared in the MAPS Bulletin Winter 2019: Vol 29, No. 3 This August marked the Zendo Project's eighth consecutive year at Burning Man. Over the course of the event, Zendo Project volunteers served 546 guests in Black...
Salt Lake City Peer Support Workshop on January 19, 2020
January 19, 10am – 7pmDoors Open 9:30am | Doors close 10:30amClubhouse SLC850 E South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84102 $100 General Admission | $75 Students, Veterans and Seniors | $110 at the Door Topics include: physical, mental, and emotional effects of...
Enthusiastic Donors Pony Up In Support Of Psychedelic Research, Harm Reduction Efforts
This article was written by David Carpenter and appeared on Forbes.com on Nov 18, 2019 As an increasing number of Americans embrace the use of mind-altering substances like psilocybin and MDMA to treat conditions such as depression, addiction and PTSD, so too are...
SOAP Peer Support Workshop on Sept 27
Wilkinsburg, 1300 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 Sept 27, 2019 | 6-9pm Topics include: physical, mental, and emotional effects of psychedelics; factors that contribute to a difficult experience; Zendo Project’s four principles of psychedelic support; tools,...
Archetypes of the Feminine in Psychedelic Peer Support
This article was written by Brooke Balliett, LMFT and Sara Gael, M.A.and appeared in the MAPS Bulletin Spring 2019: Vol 29, No. 1 The Zendo Project has provided specialized harm reduction services for those experiencing psychedelic and emotional crises at events in...
The Zendo Project: Six Years of Psychedelic Peer Support
This article was written by Sara Gael, M.A., and Ryan Jay Beauregard and appeared in the MAPS Bulletin Winter 2018: Vol 28, No. 3 The Zendo Project provides a supportive environment and specialized care designed to transform challenging psychedelic experiences into...
Allied Organizations
MAPS.org
Founded in 1986, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
Psychedelic Integration List on MAPS.org
Millions of people have had a psychedelic experience at some point in their life. Without support it can be challenging to understand and incorporate these experiences. The Psychedelic Integration List is a resource of individuals and organizations in the mental health field who help people integrate past psychedelic experiences.
Erowid.org
Erowid is a member-supported organization providing access to reliable, non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants, chemicals, and related issues. They work with academic, medical, and experiential experts to develop and publish new resources, as well as to improve and increase access to already existing resources. They also strive to ensure that these resources are maintained and preserved as a historical record for the future.
Bluelight.org
Bluelight is an international, online harm-reduction community, committed to reducing the harm associated with drug use. Bluelight understands that drug use encompasses a broad range of behaviors, some safer than others, and that drug use can progress towards increased risk with some individuals. They encourage our community to be honest and cognizant of their drug use and understand the warning signs of abuse and addiction before they manifest.Bluelight also hosts a robust recovery community for those seeking a way out of drug abuse and addiction.
DanceSafe.org
DanceSafe is a 501(c)(3) public health organization promoting health and safety within the nightlife and electronic music community. Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998 by Emanuel Sferios, DanceSafe quickly grew into a national organization with chapters in cities across North America. Combining harm reduction and peer-based, popular education has enabled us to create successful programs to reduce drug misuse and empower young people to make healthy, informed lifestyle choices.
Psychedelic.Community
An open source list of psychedelic clubs, societies, and harm reduction groups throughout the world, maintained in an Airtable spreadsheet. Organized by type of groups: society, service provider, harm reduction, NGO, media, conferences, events, and educational programs.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)
The largest global youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs. At its heart, SSDP is a grassroots organization, led by a Board of Directors primarily elected by and from our student and youth members. We bring young people of all political and ideological orientations together to have honest conversations about drugs and drug policy. We create change by providing a platform where members collaborate, communicate, share resources with, and coach each other to generate policy change, deliver honest drug education, and promote harm reduction. Founded in 1998, SSDP is comprised of thousands of members in hundreds of communities around the globe.
The Drug Policy Alliance
The mission of The Drug Policy Alliance is to advance those policies and attitudes that best reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and bodies. They envision a just society in which the use and regulation of drugs are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, in which people are no longer punished for what they put into their own bodies but only for crimes committed against others, and in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more.