A conversation about intersectionality in the psychedelic community
[Adele] I know how progressive the values within this movement are, but there is this major disconnect from other progressive movements as far as representation goes… [Leia]: Extractive economy… [Adele] : Even though our movement employs, for the most part, some very out-of-the-box thinking, it is still impacted by these same old values and trends that the Western World operates by.
[Leia] You’re not alone. I’m sure you’ve read the ton of articles and attended workshops run by community members who are actively pursuing answers and solutions to this issue. I feel like awareness has been brought to some of the issues in the psychedelic community… Like privilege, and how that affects safe access to psychedelic therapy. [Adele] Yes! To psychedelic therapy, and also to festivals and conferences where psychonauts are gathering and playing. [Leia] Retreat centers, too; it’s expensive to travel to drink ayahuasca in the Amazon basin where its use originated, and can cost even more to find someone in the US that leads ceremonies… not to mention illegal and potentially immoral, unsafe… [Adele] Right. And those Westerners with that level of economic privilege, heading down to the Amazon to drink ayahuasca, or to Gabon to do Iboga, or to Mexico to sit with mushrooms… can lead to cultural appropriation or worse, exploitation.
Original Article (Psymposia):
A Conversation about Intersectionality in the Psychedelic Community
Artwork Fair Use: NASA Public Domain
