Episode Details

Content Warning: This episode addresses sensitive and potentially triggering topics within the psychedelic space, including ethical misconduct, facilitator abuse, and sexual abuse. We encourage you to prioritize your well-being and skip this episode if you are feeling sensitive to these topics at this time.

This episode explores how unbalanced power dynamics create an environment where abuse patterns, like overriding client autonomy and gaslighting, flourish in caretaker positions like psychedelic facilitation. To counter this, the community must embrace open communication and foster facilitator accountability, recognizing that conflict is generative and vital for ethical healing.

Our guest is Mikaela de la Myco, a mother, herbalist, educator, researcher, and facilitator whose work centers on ancestral healing, sacred earth medicine, and trauma-informed care.

As the founder of MushWomb, she creates education and containers for birthing people, queer folks, and BIPOC. Based in the occupied Kumeya and Luiseno territory in San Diego, California, Mikaela draws from her indigenous Mexican, Afro-Caribbean, and Southern Italian roots to promote well-being. 

Professionally, she spearheads organizations like Ma’at, the Matriarchal Alliance for Accountability and Transparency that represents the collective voices of survivors in the psychedelic space, and Mothers of the Mushroom Research and Resources for Psychedelic Families. Known as a maternal caretaker in her community, Mikaela collaborates with individuals, families, and organizations alike in the struggle to rematriate entheogens.

Key Takeaways

• A core principle of harm reduction is that harm and re-traumatization frequently occur when an experience is “too much, too fast, too strong.” Practitioners should adopt a soft, cautious approach to avoid moving too quickly and overwhelming the client’s system.
• Harm is an inherent risk of vulnerability, often occurring in caretaker positions like facilitation. Unethical practices are highly varied and range from obvious breaches (e.g., unconsensual touch, overcharging, cult-like dynamics) to more nuanced, subtle situations that are harder for newcomers to discern.
• Conflict is Generative: Healing requires moving past the “psychedelic halo effect” and embracing open communication and accountability. Conflict is a unique opportunity to strengthen ethics and build trust.

This podcast is edited by Chad Eschman. 

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