Zendo Project

Media, Articles & Resources

A collection of articles, interviews, resources and other media about Zendo Project and written by Zendo Project staff and volunteers via the MAPS Bulletin.

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Zendo in the Media

  • Chelsea Rose Pires interviews Andrew Tatarsky for the MAPS Bulletin
    *Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity*   Dr. Andrew Tatarsky is an internationally recognized leader in the treatment of problematic substance use and a psychobiosocial process model for understanding it. He has developed Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (IHRP) as an effective treatment for the full spectrum of substance use issues. IHRP has […]
  • Psychedelic Support hosts Sara and Chelsea for a Harm Reduction Talk
    Chelsea Rose Pires, MA, LMFT and Sara Gael, MA, LPCC have over 17 collective years of harm reduction and peer support expertise with MAPS Zendo Project. Chelsea, a CIIS Counseling Psychology graduate has a passion for harm reduction as a therapeutic and practical approach to drug use and abuse prevention while Sara, a Naropa University […]
  • Clarity Project Hosts Chelsea Rose of Zendo Project and Wesley Bellanca of Fireside Project
    Clarity Project is a Hawaiʻi-based organization working on psychedelic access through education & advocacy. Wesley was part of volunteer harm reduction Sanctuary Team with smaller Burning Man events. He started writing for Psychedelic Times and became editor-in-chief. He now works with Fireside Project, started in April of 2021. Fireside is a totally free service and nonprofit for people to […]
  • Intro to MAPS and Harm Reduction with Sara Gael
    Q&A with Sara Gael, M.A., Harm Reduction Officer, Zendo Project & MAPS What is the history of MAPS and how did it begin? Since 1986, MAPS has been conducting research to create safe, legal, qualified access to psychedelic therapies for people who may benefit. As we conduct trials to inform our application for approval from […]
  • MAPS and Fireside Project Announce Collaboration to Expand Access to Psychedelic Peer Support
    Today, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Fireside Project announced a collaboration that will be recognized as a major step forward in creating a safer, more thriving psychedelic movement. As medicine and mental healthcare begin to embrace psychedelic therapies, and as increasing numbers of people use psychedelics in retreats and social contexts, there […]
  • 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 Rock City. The groups gift to the community became the Zendo […]
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Zendo Project Articles from MAPS Bulletin

  • 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 Rock City, providing around-the-clock psychedelic peer support services in […]
  • 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 U.S., Europe, Central America, and Africa. The project has grown into a […]
  • 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 valuable learning opportunities. We work to reduce the number of unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations and arrests and […]
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Zendo Project
Manuals & Resources

  • Zendo Project Training Manual
    Being a Zendo Volunteer This manual will help you understand the principles of Harm Reduction, how the Zendo operates, what you need to know for your shifts, and is required reading for all Zendo Project Volunteers. The Zendo fulfills its mission to provide harm reduction services through the dedication and commitment of our volunteers. By […]
  • Manual of Psychedelic Support
    The Manual of Psychedelic Support is a comprehensive guide to setting up and running compassionate care services for people having difficult drug experiences at music festivals and similar events. The Manual grew out of the work of its original creators at KosmiCare, the psychedelic care service at the iconic Boom Festival in Portugal.  This manual a compilation […]
  • How to Work with Difficult Psychedelic Experiences
    A true psychedelic experience, even a so-called bad trip, is sacred. In earth-oriented, shamanic cultures, even a psychotic breakdown, induced by a psychedelic, is part of the initiation. So remember the way of the ancients: this is a process, a process of awakening, healing, and ultimately celebrating life. To avoid psychologizing the psychedelic experience I […]
  • Handbook for the Therapeutic Use of LSD: Individual and Group Procedures (1959)
    This handbook, written by D.B. Blewett, Ph.D., and N. Chwelos, M.D., in 1959, was one of the earliest manuals written for LSD-assisted therapy. It is still one of the most comprehensive guides on psychedelic therapy, offering a wealth of details on dosage, setting, the stages of the LSD experience, and common issues that may arise. […]