Biography/Memoir

…the shadow of [Oregon] psychedelic…

The Oregon Health Authority used the Synthesis course as the template for its psychedelic… programme… at one point the Synthesis retreat facilitators tried to unionize, but instead they were shifted from long-term to short-term contracts.

The first sign that things were going awry in Oregon was in early 2022; reported in Vice; that Tom Eckert – the head of the Oregon psilocybin programme advisory board – and Rachel Aidan, the CEO of the biggest corporate player in the Oregon psilocybin programme – had become romantically involved. When it was suggested this could present a conflict of interest, Eckert resigned from the Oregon Health Authority advisory board and subsequently set up Inner Trek, which offers facilitator training and is therefore a direct competitor to his partner’s company (the two got engaged, while Rachel’s ex-husband Ethan continued to work with her as the financial controller of Synthesis). What happened [does not appear to be] illegal… but the relationship made Synthesis and the Oregon programme look bad… retreat facilitators burnt out and suffered serious health problems – staff care was terrible and therapists were cannon fodder’ says one former member of the advisory board. These incidents of burnout were not addressed or treated compassionately by the leadership.

Original Article (Ecstatic Integration):
Synthesis and the shadow of psychedelic capitalism
Artwork Fair Use: Mariojan photo

Biography/Memoir

Patented…

Biography/Memoir

…launch of…