In my master’s research into psychedelic practices in the Netherlands, autonomy came up as one of the core values contributing to a safe, beneficial, and meaningful experience. While autonomy is considered as important by leading spiritual and therapeutic facilitators, it is not an inherent part of all spiritual or therapeutic practices. With the exception of peer pressure, autonomy is the norm in recreational use.
The notion of autonomy includes a few interrelated aspects contributing to the psychedelic experience. The first concerns the absence of hierarchy and authority. Whether at a rave or a small, friendly gathering, there are no experts or professionals who claim to know the right way of engaging with psychedelics. People may give friendly advice if asked. Other than that, you are your own master. Responsible use is up to you, and no authoritative figure (i.e. therapist, scientist, shaman) will tell you what to do. Indeed, this freedom means that you are also free to turn your brain into oatmeal. Yet in many cases, it is the absence of “a responsible adult” which gives you the opportunity to become one: to learn about what you are consuming, about careful experimentation and about your own preferences and limits.
This brings us to the second point: everybody has different preferences, and recreational settings usually supply a much larger variety than any other practice. During one festival, you can dance, go to a lecture, lie quietly by the fireplace, go to a yoga class, watch an art exhibition, have a deep conversation, or laugh your heart out with friends. A festival is, in fact, a multitude of settings, allowing people to navigate freely between them. The free choice of substance and dose, often deemed problematic, also allows people to test how substances affect them personally and how different days may call for different dosages.
The third aspect is non-judgement, which I have written about here and here. To me, non-judgement is a necessary element for keeping a setting safe. Without it, there is no real autonomy. Non-judgement means accepting a variety of preferences, motivations, and behaviours (up to a certain limit, of course, like violence). The combination of no authority and non-judgement produces real freedom and a potential for meaningful agency, granting the experimenting individual an ocean of possibilities. To be sure, risk is inherent in such an environment and should be taken seriously. Whether at a festival, party, at home or in nature, risk exists, and it does not vanish when psychedelics are taken in other settings either.
Research into extended post-psychedelic difficulties highlights a few interesting statistics on this matter. Almost half of the people who experienced difficulties linked them to a childhood trauma or to a previously diagnosed mental illness. In clinical trials, ayahuasca ceremonies, therapy, and retreat centres, people are usually screened before they are allowed to take part. During screening, people who suffer from certain disorders or take certain medications are screened out for safety reasons. In this sense, recreational use is the most inclusive one, open to everyone: no gatekeepers, no filling forms, no signing papers. Whether or not you have previous experience, if you are diagnosed with a mental condition, or if you are mature enough to go through the experience, these are all your own considerations and your own responsibility.
Interestingly, when participants (who all had long-term post-psychedelics difficulties) were asked if they “believe that the insights and healings gained from psychedelics, when taken in a supportive setting, are worth the risks involved”, the vast majority (ca. 90%) agreed. In fact, more than 50% strongly agreed, and a majority reported continued usage. Thus, in hindsight, even people “who paid the price” consider the risk worth taking.
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