Frequently Asked Questions

Psychedelic is the umbrella term for substances that cause non-ordinary or altered states of consciousness and includes psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, and ayahuasca. The term psychedelic was coined by Humphry Osmond and comes from the Greek words psyche ("soul” or “mind") and delos ("to manifest").

Non-ordinary states involve changes in what we see, hear, think and feel. These states can include hallucinatory or mystical experiences. Psychedelics can alter the way we relate to ourselves, others, and the world around us. Most of these substances work by affecting particular serotonin receptors and neurotransmitters in the brain, in particular as 5-HT2A receptor agonists.

Due to their particular impact on our neurochemistry, psychedelics do not cause physical dependence and are generally non-addictive.

No, to both of those things. I also cannot tell you how to grow shrooms or extract crystal DMT. While there is an increasing number of places where psychedelics are decriminalized, they remain highly illegal in most jurisdictions, including NSW, Australia, where I’m based.

If you are going to utilize psychedelics anyway, you should connect with psychedelic communities near you, as their knowledge and experience will help you be as safe as is reasonably possible.

Many nonprofit and community groups can help with education and risk-reduction information, though they will not help you source psychedelics unless it is legal for them to do so. In Australia, you should seek out the Australian Psychedelic Society. Internationally, you can find a comprehensive list of community organisations via psychedelic experience, or tripsitters directory.

Research indicates that psychedelics can be paired with therapy to produce rapid and enduring improvements to various mental health conditions. Psychedelic-assisted therapy usually consists of several one-on-one therapy sessions with a qualified mental health professional to prepare the patient, a supervised moderate or high dose psychedelic experience, followed by one or more integration sessions. During the psychedelic session, therapeutic teams generally do not interact with patients unless needed, primarily acting to help the patient feel safe.

Given that psychedelic-assisted therapy is illegal almost everywhere, this can be difficult. Organizations such as psychedelic support maintain lists of psychedelic-friendly and integration therapists who, while they generally cannot provide psychedelic-assisted therapy, can help you before and after psychedelic experiences.

Yes! Psychiatrists and multi-billion-dollar corporations should not control psychedelics and who has access to them. There is no reason why decriminalization and broader legalization should reduce the profitability of psychedelic assisted therapy and novel psychedelic drug development.

While the exact form full legalization would take is a complex issue, I can say with absolute certainty that no one should be getting criminal charges for possession or use of psychedelics. I would also argue that there should be no penalties for growing naturally occurring medicines such as Psilocybe mushrooms, mescaline-containing cacti, and other psychoactive plants like cannabis and kratom. There are some safety considerations for people using psychedelics, but we can address these through education and connection to the community. As things are now, prohibition makes all of us less safe.

Many entrepreneurs and therapists who are relatively new to psychedelics have good intentions. But they aren’t intimately familiar with all relevant stakeholders, including existing psychedelic communities. This gap can lead to well-meaning actions being misconstrued, resulting in loss of community support, adversarial social media interactions, and poor PR. A consultant who’s a respected community leader (like me) can help bridge this gap.

There are different reasons for needing a psychedelic content writers or copywriter, depending on your intended audience.

If you are communicating with investors, they need to be confident that you can deliver the returns you’ve promised.

If you are writing for policy-makers or regulators, you need to demonstrate knowledge of relevant research and law and that psychedelics’ benefits outweigh any potential harms.

If you’re writing for the general public and potential customers/clients, your copy needs to be accessible, persuasive and accurate and authentic.

Authenticity and accuracy are essential if you are speaking to existing psychedelic communities. Due to the high level of scrutiny that psychedelic businesses attract, organizations should always strive for authenticity and accuracy in their communications.

My writing rate varies depending on the number of words, the complexity of research and SEO required, and your available budget. If you are interested in my writing services, please contact me for an up to date rate sheet.

My consultancy and advisory rates likewise vary. But, I would say straight up that if you are not coming to me with an offer of at least $50 per hour, you need to put something else on the table, e.g., equity or considerable positive exposure.

I’m happy to undertake speaking engagements (especially panels!), but the fees must at least cover travel and accommodation.

All this said, for charities with little money to spend, I will try keep my rates as low as I can.

No, it’s not necessary. I’ve worked with very detailed briefs and vague content ideas and have succeeded in both cases. But more detail and information mean that I can work faster and that what I produce is more likely to be what you want on the first draft.

While I am open to working for many commercial and nonprofit organizations, I will not work for just anyone. In reality, I make my decisions on a case by case basis, but here are my much less-negotiable standards:

● I will not work for any organization that does not publicly and sincerely support the decriminalization of psychedelics, including in non-clinical settings.

● I will not work for any organization that I feel pursues unacceptably aggressive patent strategies.

● Organizations that provide therapeutic services must ensure a high level of ethical practice and professional standards from any therapists/guides/sitters they employ, contract or subcontract.

● If companies base their products on the extraction of naturally occurring psychedelics or traditional Indigenous knowledge, I expect them to work within the Nagoya protocol and demonstrate reciprocity with the relevant Indigenous communities.

● I expect organizations to treat their workers well. Organizations that tolerate abusive or toxic workplaces, engage in union-busting, or whose workers can not afford to maintain a reasonable standard of living will not have access to my services. I expect companies to take responsibility for these standards across their supply chains.

The only exception I might make to the above points is if an organization wants my assistance in changing for the better. Even then, I would reserve the right to cancel the contract at the first hint of insincerity or lack of commitment.