Frictionless Access to Psychedelic Services

Part 1: An ethics-based approach to choosing a provider

No system exists today for accountability in the above or underground economy that is designed for seekers, that’s free of conflicts of interest, is unbiased, independent, and therefore can be trusted. No provider, government, or professional association created system, can be trusted.

It took me 3 years to find the help I needed

Navigating is complex - My experience

In order for me to find, filter, and select who I should even make first contact with, wasn’t an easy process. There are many provider-based directories. However, when one is in a state of trauma, these directory services didn’t help me and they aren’t going to help those who are seeking mental health or well-being care. If they are in a state of trauma at that moment, it is even more daunting.

The questions that went through my mind:

• How do I find the right person for me? I am of Asian-Indian descent and it was going to be my first time.

• How do I know I am READY?

• Where do I start?

• Who can I trust?

• How many people do I have to talk to before I choose one?

• How do I know what questions to ask?

• Who should I contact first?

• What’s right for me?

• How do I evaluate from a list of integration therapists?

• What does “experience” mean?

• What “credentials” are sufficient?

• What is their reputation? How do I know?

• Are they ethical? How do I know?

• What are my criteria for choosing?

I’m not choosing a restaurant, I am entrusting my MIND to someone

We need a way to evaluate facilitators and retreats in an objective, yet simple way. A 5-star rating system is not an effective way to choose a facilitator or retreat. I am not choosing a restaurant or a vacation destination. While I may want some vacation-like amenities when going on a retreat, I am entrusting my mind to a potential stranger so it is critical that all my fears and nervousness are allayed so my mind(set) is ready.

The only thing I wanted to focus on was getting help and healing.

A different approach to choosing a provider

The majority of the people that are curious about psychedelic experiences are very nervous and cautious. Rightly so. It is not something to be taken lightly. It’s also not something that needs to go through the medical model. The “psychedelic renaissance” is enabling the fulfillment of a need that many have. Our current system of mental health care is inadequate to help most who are seeking it. The most beneficial experiences are in a non-clinical setting.

Those of us in the psychedelic community know the 4 key things to any rewarding experience are Intention, Mind(set), Setting, and Integration with ongoing support.

Many more providers are needed to help the seekers. They don’t have to have a bunch of letters behind their names to be great facilitators. Yes, education, certification, or maybe even some minimal licensing will be fine. The most important thing is experiential training with ethical practices in business and care.

As many people and organizations are jumping into providing healing services, there’s a need for accountability in the system free from conflicts of interest - whether the services are provided above or underground.

We need a system that’s based on ethics so we can create a reputation model to enable seekers to know BEFORE they make contact with a facilitator, retreat, or clinic.

Provider-based models have built-in conflicts of interest in a capitalistic system.

An ethics-based reputation system is not a review or a 5-star rating system. It’s a system based on observable and measurable criteria. An automatic matching system with human navigators can use this reputation score as a filter. The match should be based on seekers’ criteria and not on provider listings. To narrow the list of providers, there needs to be full transparency on the provider’s intake process, price, and administration of their services. Transparency is one key criterion to use in an ethical reputation system among others. Example: training programs for facilitators.

This allows the seeker to narrow the list of facilitators that match their needs easily. There shouldn’t be a long directory that the seekers have to hunt through. Once a seeker's criteria are known, the matches are automatically presented to them. If I as an Asian, care about my culture and heritage, then only Asian facilitators should be presented as pre-filtered criteria.

The focus for both the seekers and facilitators should be on healing and nothing else. No pricing, no administrative headaches, etc. There is an inherent conflict of interest when a seeker contacts the facilitator. In a capitalistic system, even the most well-intentioned facilitator will have these conflicts because they will be recruiting them as their “client” or “patients”. These terms are extractive.

Whether someone is operating a Ketamine Clinic or an Ayahuasca retreat somewhere in the world, there isn’t a way to know whether they are reputable or ethical. No provider-based system will ever be trusted because it’s based on their self-interest to recruit clients and patients to themselves. No business or professional association of guides, facilitators, or therapists is immune from conflicts of interest.

Other things add friction to seekers, like having to go through multiple screening and intake processes just because they want to have a different experience with a different substance. Not all facilitators have “experience” with every substance. Most specialize in one or 2.

If we don’t have an ethics-based reputation system, then the capitalistic system under which we all operate can be re-traumatizing to the seeker at the precise moment of their trauma. One bad apple can ruin it for all of us.

To have an unbiased, independent, and trusted system, it has to be seeker-centered.

Next up: How do we observe and measure ethics?

DISCLAIMER: We are a harm & risk reduction navigation service. Mind Lumen does not provide any controlled substances. Many controlled substances are illegal in the US and abroad. The illegal use of a controlled substance may result in criminal consequences. Using controlled substances without supervision, outside the law, may also result in serious health complications including death. We are not licensed therapists, counselors, or medical professionals. Please use your discretion. Any referrals to third parties that we may provide are informational, for your convenience only, and based on seeker criteria you provide to us. You are solely responsible for choosing and working with any provider on our network. No referral is an endorsement or recommendation of the practitioner or their services. Please conduct your due diligence on any practitioner you use. Any information received through our services should be considered for educational purposes and not be misconstrued as medical or legal advice.