Why I volunteer with the Australian Psychedelic Society: Community, Story Telling and Leadership

You may have noticed comments that give themselves away, appearing within threads, sometimes on posts as old as 4-5 years. These comments are often vague, generic, and slightly personable, appearing under a person's comment with their name tagged as a personal response, as though they are referring you to their buddy/dealer. Facebook groups seem to be set up for the sole purpose of establishing these purported ‘psychedelic marketplaces.’

The Australian Psychedelic Society (APS) has set up a Veterans and First Responders Group to share news and resources focusing on mental health support, job opportunities, and educational programs. Through discussions, the Group aims to address issues and find solutions, with the opportunity to get involved through meetups, events, and advocacy.

From using our cannabis all together as a group, to being stuck in the elevator stoned, to doing the yoga, it was all an experience that we had not had before and one we would not forget.

While solo journeying is seen by many to be one of the ultimate goals of the psychedelic journeyer, it should probably not be attempted until one has attained a certain level of experience.

In some cases, your first psychedelic experience may well deliver some huge spiritual revelations, but this will definitely not be the case every time. At some point, you will almost certainly be forced to face up to yourself, and to the personal issues that you may have been ignoring or suppressing, or may even have been totally unaware of. Be prepared for some hard work—if you are not ready for this, you should wait until you are, or maybe reconsider your reasons for wanting to try psychedelics, although curiosity is as valid a reason as any other.

This year on International Harm Reduction Day, I organised and ran overdose prevention training for the members of the Australian Psychedelic Society and their loved ones. I am very passionate about overdose prevention training and advocating for the importance of naloxone being available to the public, as I have lived experience of overdose and having to have naloxone administered to myself. I might not be alive today if people didn’t know how to respond to an overdose and administer naloxone. I have had to respond to overdoses and administer naloxone to other people as well, and it makes it a lot less stressful if you do know what to do to save someone’s life.

With psychedelics there is typically little confusion while under the influence, and immediately after the substance has worn off, it is usually understood that any ‘entities’, visual patterns, sounds and so on, were not a part of the consensus ‘normal’ reality. With delirium, however, there is no awareness that what you are experiencing isn’t real.

We must work to create a culture of transparency and accountability, and establish structures and support systems to ensure that victims of abuse are heard, supported, and given a voice. It is only through these efforts that we can hope to create a truly inclusive and responsible psychedelic community.

Psychedelic therapy is unique and unlike any other type of psychological or psychiatric therapy. And that is because true psychedelic medicines such as LSD and psilocybin have the potential to introduce a whole new spiritual, transpersonal or entheogenic dimension of human experience into this work. Now that doesn’t always happen, but when it does the effects can be profound.

As Dr Stephen Bright points out, ‘This decision makes Australia the first country in the world to recognise MDMA and Psilocybin as medicines.’ This means people who would benefit from these therapies have a chance at accessing them through legal channels.

Read on to learn the facts of the TGA decision as well as the implications for patients and people who use psilocybin and MDMA in non-clinical settings.