Resources / Information for Facilitators?

[stuartroelke]

I have noticed an increased number of cities and states in the U.S. working toward legalizing the facilitation of psilocybin through initiatives and bills.
Currently, these proposals are referring to its natural (wet or dry) form

My concern centers around the minimal training requirements (sometimes as low as 20 hours) mandated for individuals seeking licensure as facilitators in these states.

I have absorbed limited formal content related to psychedelics (DMT - The Spirit Molecule and The Psychedelic Handbook by Rick Strassman, parts of Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide by Dennis and Terence McKenna, and random lectures / threads online). Apart from my personal experiences--including "trip sitting" for friends and family--I recognize that I am not equipped to handle the intricacies of guiding experiences for strangers in a public setting.

Therefore, I am seeking resources and guidance that might be beneficial for myself, those within my circle, and others on this forum who wish to understand the duties and responsibilities of an excellent public facilitator.

My hope is that these resources will aid individuals--particularly those interested in understanding work within clinical or other communal environments--in deciding if they feel comfortable taking on that role within their community.

So far, I have only found the Handbook for the Therapeutic Use of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-25: Individual and Group Procedures from MAPS. I shall start my exploration there. Please share any additional resources you consider valuable.

 

[The Traveler]

OHT


Kind regards,

The Traveler

 

[Voidmatrix]

It'll be hard to find many papers and/or resources that will openly and freely talk about this. While there is historical precedence for this kind of work, not many are part of the cultural milieus that happen to still practice this work, such as many indigenous practices. There are many people and groups that are developing practices in many ways by combining, adapting, and practicing a variety of modalities. It's one of those things where there's more than one right way to do this work.

I am largely self-taught in guiding, in the beginning doing a great deal of research, taking on guiding when it was requested, guiding myself, thinking critically the whole time, and developing a practice. I truly feel, like many shamans, that we have to be willing to put ourselves what we're ready to guide others through. That honors the journeyers, the medicines, and ourselves. After practicing underground for a while, I did end up taking some classes to see if I was on the right track and to better hone my skills. I now work part-time for therapeutic psychedelic center along with my private practice.

If there's any advice I can think to offer in this moment, is be wary of dogma and practice in ways that align with how you feel and what your values are. Don't appeal to something just because others do simply because it's what appeals to others. That's why there's a lot of questionable stances, positions, and rhetoric in a lot of psychedelic groups and circles.

It's been a long day, but when I have some time this weekend, I'll try to compile some resources that helped me and that will hopefully help you.

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