SUMMARY
Over the next five to six years, thanks to psychedelic legalization efforts, many people interested in exploring psychedelic modalities may undergo high-dose journeys with a non-medical professional psychedelic facilitator. Despite this pending shift, most of the academic and government-sanctioned research to date has occurred in medicalized contexts. To bridge this gap, it will likely become increasingly important to have a way to objectively rate non-medical professionals to discern their impact on clients.
That’s why Greg Ferenstein, Third Wave’s Director of Research, has developed this (draft) survey to help participants reflect upon their high-dose psychedelic experiences.
Background
After a journey, people often get wrapped up in ineffable ambiguity. They might report that the ceremony was “meaningful” or “transformative”, but what exactly does this mean? Additionally, they may have had a profound experience because of the substance they consumed, but the facilitator wasn’t a crucial part of the equation. On the flip side, the substance may not have been agreeable, but the facilitator may have helped to bring significant healing or insights to light. A final point to consider is the extent to which the psychedelic experience impacts individuals when they are also making other changes in their lives (like incorporating a meditation practice, eating healthier, or engaging in regular talk therapy).
In light of these considerations, this survey aims to:
- Obtain objective measures of quality-of-life outcomes that individuals realize after working with a psychedelics professional.
- Describe the domains of expertise (spirituality, productivity, etc.) of various psychedelics professionals.
- Obtain details on the behavioral changes that occur related to psychedelics.
Third Wave’s Psychedelic Services Survey
Participants can respond to the questions with a variety of multiple choice answers, number ratings, and free responses, which allows for a range of objective and personal answers (we recognize that quantification and narration are both important when it comes to assessing an experience). On the whole, this survey aims to evaluate the impact that the psychedelic experience had on the individual’s overall quality of life as indicated by three categories: personal, professional, and health.
A Request for Practitioner Feedback
This survey is still a work-in-progress. There are plenty of places on the survey itself to provide feedback. So, we’re inviting psychedelics professionals to take the survey and give it to their clients.
If you’d like to reflect more deeply on a high-dose psychedelic experience, we invite you to take the survey here. Your responses will help us in our commitment to training and supporting more efficacious psychedelic facilitators.
