Code of Ethics

Modeled after MAPS Code of Ethics:

https://maps.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MAPS_Psychedelic_Assisted_Psychotherapy_Code_of_Ethics_V4_22_June_2022_Final.pdf

Revised: Apr 25, 2024

For the purpose of protecting the safety and welfare of participants in sacrament ceremony, the Code of Ethics outlines ethical principles governing decisions made by facilitators administering psilocybin for healing and spiritual awakening within our protocol.

For the remainder of this document, participants in sacrament ceremony are referred to as “mystics” and facilitators are referred to as “ministers.”

As spiritual teachers and ministers, it is our individual and collective responsibility to aspire to the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct. We agree to facilitate psilocybin-assisted healing within our scope of competence and in accordance with this Code of Ethics. When ethical dilemmas arise, we directly address concerns and consult with fellow ministers from similar entheogen churches.

The practice of psilocybin-assisted healing aims to provide an environment of safety and support for a person to engage with their own inner healing intelligence, one’s innate wisdom and ability to move towards wholeness and spiritual wellbeing.  

We act in the spirit of service to support each mystic’s connection to their own inner healing intelligence. We devote ourselves to establishing spiritual relationships based on trust, care, and attunement, and to support the mystic’s own unfolding experience.

This practice involves deep spiritual work with trauma and attachment, as well as non-ordinary states of consciousness; therefore, psilocybin-assisted healing carries unique ethical considerations. 

These considerations include the potential for greater suggestibility, the particular need for sensitivity regarding consent, and the likelihood of stronger and more complex transference and countertransference. 

Given the special considerations of this practice, we take seriously our obligation to the safety of our mystics.  

This work requires an elevated quality of presence, tending to the process consistently throughout psilocybin sacrament ceremony, as well as during the phases of preparation and integration.

In order to provide meaningful support and to evolve ethically, we engage in practices of self-care, self-growth, and self-examination, aligning with our own inner healing intelligence. We give and receive feedback from mentors and colleagues, and participate in continuing education.

This modality is founded on the practices of healers, explorers, researchers, and indigenous traditions which stretch back centuries. We honor these contributions and recognize the privilege of working with non-ordinary states of consciousness. The ability to participate in these spiritual practices, as ancient as they are innovative, is both a gift and a responsibility.

Ultimately, we envision a world where all people can access spiritiual healing.  We view our mystic’s challenges, as well as their growth, within a greater web of relationships, acknowledging that trauma, as well as healing, is passed between people, across cultures, and through generations. 

We aim to validate and support the intrinsic wisdom and healing intelligence in others as well as in ourselves, in service to collective healing, liberation, and greater engagement in the fullness of life.

Code of Ethics

1. Safety

We commit to the safety of our mystics.

We ensure that a person is an eligible candidate for ceremony before enrolling them, both medically and psychologically. 

An eligible candidate has the resources necessary to engage in ceremony, ideally including supportive people in their life and a stable and safe living environment.

We conduct thorough and comprehensive preliminary screening and preparation.

We take measures to prevent physical and psychological harm. We ask mystics not to leave during sacrament ceremony. We inform mystics that we will take precautions to ensure their safety, such as preventing falls or injuries.

We immediately address medical emergencies.

We have a crisis plan prepared, where a qualified professional is available in the event of crisis or medical complications. We maintain responsibility for addressing crises as long as the mystic is under our spiritual care.

We provide thorough post-ceremony integration with mystics

We never abandon a mystic. We conduct appropriate termination, with preparation when possible, and provide referrals to other practitioners.

We maintain best practices with regard to storage and security of psilocybin containing mushrooms; our sacrament.

2. Confidentiality and Privacy

We commit to the privacy of our mystics and uphold professional standards of confidentiality.

We discuss the limitations of confidentiality with our mystics during the informed consent process and before initiating a ceremony.  

Exceptions to confidentiality may include mandated reporting if there is reason to believe that a child, elderly person, or dependent adult is being abused or has been abused, if there is a serious threat to harm an identifiable victim, including oneself or another, and when required by a court order. Under these conditions, we release the minimum amount of a mystic’s information required.

We may occasionally discuss cases as part of professional consultation or continuing education, in which our consultants are also obligated to respect a mystic’s privacy, and we will provide the minimum amount of identifying information.

Outside of these limitations in confidentiality, we never release personal information about a mystic without their explicit permission.

We securely store records and integration recordings.  We promptly respond to breaches in confidentiality.

We seek legal counsel as needed to maintain mystic confidentiality.

3. Transparency

We respect mystics’ autonomy and informed choice.

We obtain informed consent before conducting a ceremony. We honor the participant’s option to withhold or withdraw consent at any time.

We inform participants of all procedures, including an accurate description of sacrament used, potential risks, and benefits.

We inform mystics if we have significant reason to believe they may not be benefitting from sacrament ceremony.

In advance of ceremony, we inform mystics of suggested donation amounts and the process for giving their offering.

We obtain consent to record integration discussions, when applicable, and to use recordings solely for purposes explicitly agreed upon by the mystic, such as for training and continuing education, or for the mystic’s personal use.

We obtain informed consent for any physical touch by describing the type of touch. Physical touch is never sexual and we make agreements about how the mystic can stop touch at any time.

We inform mystics in advance about the possible or scheduled presence of assistants, providers, or any other ministers who may be a part of ceremony and/or have access to identifying information.

We provide consistent support to our mystics and arrange backup and emergency contact when we are unavailable to them.

4. Therapeutic Alliance and Trust

We act in accordance with the trust placed in us by mystics.

We aspire to create and maintain spiritual alliances built on trust, safety, and clear agreements, so that mystics can engage in inner explorations.

We respect the inner healing intelligence of our mystics to guide their experience.

We understand that the spiritual healing process is deeply personal; each mystic has different needs for support.

We treat mystics receiving sacrament or reaching out for sacrament ceremony with respect and compassion.

We acknowledge the inherent power differential between ministers and mystics and act conscientiously in the service of mystics’ self-empowerment.

We avoid entering into dual relationships that are likely to lead to impaired professional judgment or exploitation. In cases where there is a dual relationship, we give special attention to issues of confidentiality, trust, communication, and boundaries, and seek consultation as needed.

When facilitating ceremony for couples or families, we always consider potential conflicts of interest, disclose policies on communicating information between mystics, and discuss continued support and integration plans.

5. Use of Touch

When using touch as part of our ceremony, we commit to obtaining consent and offering touch only for the purpose of grounding and comfort.

When touch is part of our practice, we discuss consent for touch during intake, detailing the purpose of grounding and comforting touch, how and when touch might be used and where on the body and that there will be no sexual touch.

We obtain consent for touch prior to the mystic ingesting sacrament, as well as in the therapeutic moment. 

Aside from protecting a person’s body from imminent harm, such as catching them from falling, the use of touch is always optional, according to the consent of the mystic.

We discuss in advance simple and specific words and gestures the mystic is willing to use to communicate about touch during ceremony. For example, mystics may use the word “stop,” or a hand gesture indicating stop, and touch will stop.

We practice discernment with touch, using intuitive judgment and assessing our own motivation when considering if touching a mystic is appropriate.

6. Sexual Boundaries

We do not initiate, respond to, or allow any sexual touch with mystics.

While we respect the sexual identities and expression of our mystics and validate their processes that might relate to sexuality and sexual healing, we firmly maintain the responsibility, as ministers, of upholding clear professional boundaries.

We do not engage in sexual intercourse, sexual contact, or sexual intimacy with a mystic, or a mystic’s spouse or partner, or immediate family member, during or after the spiritual advisor relationship.

We commit to examining our own sexual countertransference, to not act in ways that create ambiguity or confusion about sexual boundaries, and to seek consultation as needed.

As ministers, we aim to uphold clear sexual boundaries and ethics in our daily lives.

7. Diversity

We respect the value of diversity, as it is expressed in the various identities and experiences of our mystics.

We do not condone or knowingly engage in discrimination. We do not refuse spiritual service to anyone on the basis of race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.

We take steps to examine unconscious biases that we may hold and commit to ongoing self-reflection to unlearn oppressive patterns.

We make every effort to include people living with physical, mental, and cognitive disabilities.

We respect the unique experiences of our mystics, and practice openness towards different peoples’ values, belief systems, and ways of healing.

We are attentive to the impact of power dynamics in our relationships with mystics, particularly where there are differences in privilege, gender, race, age, culture, education, and/or socioeconomic status.

We strive to be honest with ourselves and with our mystics about the limits of our understanding, and to hold genuine curiosity and interest as we relate to their experiences.

We aim to provide culturally-informed care, and seek education in support of greater cultural understanding. We refer mystics to other practitioners as appropriate.

8. Special Considerations for Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness

Mystics in non-ordinary states of consciousness may be especially open to suggestion, manipulation, and exploitation; therefore, we acknowledge the need for increased attention to safety and issues of consent.

We examine our own actions and do not engage in coercive behavior.

In working with non-ordinary states that can evoke unconscious material for both the mystic and minister, we acknowledge the potential for stronger, more subtle, and more complicated transference and countertransference, and, with that in mind, we practice self-awareness and self-examination, and seek consultation as needed.

We respect the spiritual autonomy of our mystics. We practice vigilance in not letting our own attitudes or beliefs discount or pathologize our mytics’ unique experiences. 

We hold and cultivate an expanded paradigm, which includes the experiences people have in extraordinary states.

We protect our participants’ health and safety through careful preparation and orientation to the ceremony, as well as thorough integration.

We support mystics who may experience crisis or spiritual emergency related to psychedelic experiences with appropriate medical and psychological care, engaging the support of outside resources as needed.

9. Finances

We maintain clear communication with mystics about suggested donation for ceremony and aspire to increase financial access to services.

We disclose our suggested donation and procedures before enrolling a mystic in sacrament ceremony.

We create opportunities for mystics who are unable to afford the full cost up-front to engage in ceremony, by considering income-based fees, sliding scale, pro-bono work, scholarship, sponsorship, and donor-supported services.

We do not take on or continue holding space for a mystic solely for financial gain; we only take on or continue to support a participant if we believe sacrament ceremony will have healing and spiritual value.

We do not accept payment or charge money for referrals.

We establish and maintain clear and honest business practices.

10. Competence

We agree to practice within our scope of competence, training, and experience specific to the populations we are working with and the modalities we offer.

We agree to represent sacrament ceremony honestly and accurately.

We assess at intake whether a potential mystic’s needs can be addressed within our scope of competence and, if not, make informed referrals to other providers and services.

We commit to ongoing professional development, seeking consultation and continuing education to further our space holding and spiritual consult.

11. Relationship to Colleagues and the Profession

We establish and maintain compassionate and positive working relationships with fellow ministers and adjacent practitioners, in a spirit of mutual respect and collaboration.

To maintain the highest integrity in our ministry, we agree to seek counsel with our fellow ministers and adjacent practitioners, being open to feedback when given, and offering feedback when it may be needed.

As ministers, we are mindful of how we represent this sacrament ceremony to the public, including through the media, social media, and public presentations.

12. Relationship to Self

We commit to ongoing personal and professional self-reflection regarding ethics and integrity.

We adhere to an ongoing practice of self-compassion and self-inquiry.

We agree to seek professional assistance and community support for our own emotional challenges or personal conflicts, especially when, in our view or in the view of colleagues, they affect our capacity to provide ethical ministry to mystics.

We subscribe to the value of humility, out of respect for the transformative power of the experiences we have the privilege to witness and support, and out of respect for human dignity.