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The Interconnection of Psychedelic Spirituality, Social Justice, and BIPOC Therapist Engagement in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Insights from the Psychedelic Therapists Diversity Study

Candace Oglesby, Yvan Beaussant

Psychedelic Intersections January 17, 2025 DOI: 10.70423/0002 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Population BIPOC therapists
Topics Psychedelic-assisted therapy
Key findings BIPOC therapists perceive unique challenges and barriers to entering the psychedelic therapy space.

Abstract

This paper presents insights from the Psychedelic Therapists Diversity (PTD) study, a qualitative study conducted to understand how BIPOC therapists perceive psychedelic therapy and research. The inciting incident for this research occurred during our collaboration on a clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression in cancer patients.1 Candace Oglesby was the only therapist of color, and the participant population included only a small number of patients of color. Recognizing she was not the only therapist who experienced challenges and barriers to entering the psychedelic therapy space, she realized that studying this experience would fill a significant research gap and could potentially support BIPOC clinicians.