Help Provide Compassionate Care for Difficult Psychedelic Experiences
Keep Festival Attendees Safer
The Zendo Project provides a safe space and professionally trained staff to care for individuals at festivals, concerts, and other events where psychedelic substance use may be present. Zendo Project staff and volunteers work closely with event security and medical response teams to provide comprehensive psychedelic first aid services.
We’re asking for your help to expand the Zendo Project’s services. More event producers are recognizing the need for psychedelic harm reduction services at their events and asking for our services—we need your help to get there.
Donate now to expand psychedelic harm reduction services at festivals.
What is the Zendo Project?
Compassionate care at global festivals
Since 2012, the Zendo Project has assisted over 1,000 guests, most of whom were having challenging psychedelic experiences when they arrived. We have trained approximately 500 volunteers to provide psychedelic harm reduction services at events, totaling over 10,000 hours of volunteer time. While most guests arrive to the Zendo after having taken psychedelics, many also come to integrate previous psychedelic experiences, or to rest and reintegrate during an overwhelming festival experience.
Zendo Project staff and volunteers have provided compassionate care and psychedelic first aid services at Burning Man (Nevada, USA), Boom Festival(Portugal), AfrikaBurn (South Africa), Symbiosis Gathering (Calif., USA), Bicycle Day (Calif., USA), the Denver Cannabis Cup (Colorado, USA), Envision Festival (Costa Rica), and Lightning in a Bottle (Calif., USA).
“This human-to-human support, where the impact is beneficial for everyone involved, is what generates growth and social change. That is the work I’m inspired to support through the Zendo Project.”
— Chelsea Rose
Zendo Project Event Operations Coordinator
The mission of the Zendo Project is to provide a supportive space for guests undergoing difficult psychedelic experiences or other psychological challenges, in order to:
- Transform difficult experiences into opportunities for learning and personal growth
- Reduce the number of psychiatric hospitalizations and arrests
- Create an environment for volunteers to work together to improve their harm reduction skills through training and feedback
- Demonstrate that safe, productive psychedelic experiences are possible without the need for law enforcement-based policies.
By making a gift and sharing this page, you’re helping:
- Provide essential infrastructure for community-based psychedelic support at Burning Man 2016
- Train volunteers and develop new resources for public trainings
- Expand our capacity to deliver psychedelic support services at festivals and events around the world
This year, the projected expenses for the Zendo Project are approximately $90,000.
Every gift—no matter the size—helps us provide community-based compassionate care to people having a difficult psychedelic experience.
The Zendo Project at Burning Man 2016
Zendo Project staff and volunteers provided psychedelic harm reduction services at Burning Man 2016 from August 29-September 5. This year, the Zendo space was located near the 9:00 and 3:00 keyholes (on D between 3:00 and 3:15, and on D between 9:00 and 9:15).
Every Burning Man 2016 attendee (expected attendance 65,000) received a community care handout describing the Zendo Project’s Services and listing our location. A newly designed Zendo Project sticker with information about our locations and services (pictured, left) was also be distributed at the event. The Zendo Project was also included in the official Burning Man 2016 Survival Guide: “On-Playa Resources” and “How to Be a Good Citizen of Black Rock City.”
The Zendo Project Psychedelic Harm Reduction training took place on Tuesday, August 30, from 11:00 AM-2:00 PM in the ReFOAMation Village speaker dome at 2:15 and E. The Zendo Project also hosted an Intention Setting Ceremony and an Integration Circle during the week.
Help build a model for a post-prohibition world—donate today.
Medical care at festivals
The Zendo Project works in partnership with security and medical personnel to ensure that individuals not requiring medical care receive timely psychological support. Sometimes, medical or legal interventions are unnecessary, costly, and sometimes even harmful for someone having a psychedelic experience. Learn more in the Manual of Psychedelic Support.
“After providing medical services for over 200 large-scale events, I’ve learned that an effectively integrated harm reduction team is a vital component of ensuring safety for your guests and participants.”
—Richard Gottlieb, RGX Medical
Are you an event producer? Would you like to get involved? Contact zendo@maps.org to learn more about our requirements—we’d love to hear from you.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of the Zendo Project is being part of a community of individuals dedicated to the care and well-being of others. We provide an environment where volunteers can really have a positive impact on the quality of life of another person.”
—Sara Gael, Zendo Project Training and Education Coordinator
Donate now to support psychedelic safe spaces and harm-reduction education
About MAPS
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.
Since our founding in 1986, MAPS has raised over $43.8 million for psychedelic and medical marijuana research and education. Every dollar has come from visionary donors committed to our mission. For now, the continued expansion of psychedelic research and education relies on the generosity of individual donors.
Bitcoin donations can be made by using this wallet address:
1kqgaGfUKsE82NhZV37uptnRtrz7Lqpti
$15,000 matching grant generously provided by
