Welcome to Back from the Abyss. I'm Dr. Craig Kiecock.

I got a letter a couple weeks ago that I wanted to read to all of you because I think it brings up a very interesting issue.

So here's how the email starts.

Dear Dr. Hiccock, I'm a huge fan of your podcast and have just finished listening to your most recent episode, The Dark Side of Psychedelics.

I found your interview with Devon thought-provoking and balanced, as is the case with all of your interviews.

I appreciate your willingness to sit with the tension between individual freedom and access to psychedelics on the one hand,

and medicalization and patient safety on the other.

I mostly agree with your support of platforming harm reduction and safe underground psychedelic work. One issue I wish you had

raised in your interview is a phenomenon of spiritual narcissism. The underground psychedelic world

seems particularly susceptible to these types of healers, the ones who have developed an inflated

confidence in their own powers of discernment. When I hear your guest repeatedly deferring to her inner voice when making decisions about

whether or not to illegally treat people with psychedelics, I cringe a lot, especially because

she is a licensed professional who's elevating her personal ethics above the standards set by her

regulatory board.

It seems at odds to advocate for ethical and safe boundaries around healing work

while violating a clear legal boundary set by her own licensing board,

a body that exists specifically to protect patients from therapists who violate boundaries.

Thanks again for your incredible podcast.

I appreciate how you take your listeners into dark or psychological terrain

while holding difficult and complex conversations with curiosity and compassion.

Oh, that's a sweet letter. Thank you.

And yeah, the writer brings up such a good issue.

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