Establishing Physical Boundaries in Guided Plant Medicine Journeys

CW: Sexual Assault

When you’re tripping, whether recreationally or therapeutically, you are in a vulnerable and suggestive state.

This places the impetus of your physical safety and well-being on the facilitator or tripsitter.

Sexual assault can and does happen during ‘guided’ sessions. There are documented cases of this happening with underground facilitators, indigenous facilitators (e.g. jungle ceremonies), and clinical facilitators at well regarded institutions and retreats. To make matters worse due to the legal status and lack of regulation, there’s very little recourse a victim can apply afterwards. Next to none, in fact.

Most cases are undocumented, and, unfortunately, incidents are rarely discussed so a perpetrator will keep up their behavior.

A good facilitator will bring up & establish physical boundaries proactively during your prep work. They will also outline their own boundaries, because sometimes the person trying to initiate inappropriate contact is the client/patient.

Here are 3 questions a plant medicine facilitator should ask about physical boundaries:

❓If you’re experiencing a challenging part of your trip, you might ask me to hold your hand or hug you. Is it ok to do so if you ask?

❓If you’re going through a challenging part, do you want me to ask you if you'd like me to hold your hand or hug you?

❓Do you want me in the same room as you if you’re lying down in bed or on a couch?

A plant medicine facilitator should also establish these expectations or similar:

❗️If I see you walking into a potentially dangerous situation I want you to know that if you don’t listen or hear me asking you to stop, I'll have to physically intervene. I’ll do so as gently as possible.

❗️If I’m not in the same room as you, I will quietly check in from time to time to make sure you’re ok.

❗️When I’m not actively in ceremony with you, I will be reading/writing right here in this chair/couch.

A note:

Holding hands is an effective grounding technique used during challenging aspects of a trip.

A hug can be powerful if the person tripping is working through repressed emotions such as abandonment.

This is why a facilitator will check to see if these are ok. However, this doesn’t entitle them to break a pre-established boundary if that boundary has been set.

These questions and boundaries should be PROACTIVELY asked/set while prepping AND on the day of the experience before ingesting anything.

If your facilitator doesn’t do this, don’t work with them. And, trust your gut, if they make you uncomfortable for whatever reason, opt out.

What questions about physical boundaries do you have for a plant medicine guide?

As a plant medicine guide, I’d love to hear about your journey and answer any questions you have on plant medicine facilitation. Reach out for a free consultation.