About

SLO Psychedelic Society is a grassroots, community-based organization designed to provide education, harm reduction, integration services, and a safe space for people to discuss experiences with psychedelics. 

1. Organizational Structure & Formation

• Mission-Driven: SLO Psychedelic Society's mission is to de-stigmatize, educate, and provide safe spaces for sharing, focusing on integration (processing experiences) rather than consumption.

• Legal Status: Currently, SLO Psychedelic Society is an Unincorporated Nonprofit Association.  We are a conglomerate, or club of individuals with a shared mission to support education, advocacy, and community linkage.  We hope to apply for IRS not-for-profit status when our membership body warrants.

• Decriminalization Roots: We are working to support a Decriminalize Nature movement, and hope to emulate movements that have been successful in cities such as Denver or Oakland, which have deprioritized enforcement of psychoactive plants and fungi.

• Model: We foster a "Teal" organizational model, which focus on self-management, wholeness, and evolutionary purpose. We hope that this approach will model the community connection that we hope to unfold in the process of our work and advocacy.  

2. Core Activities and Services

• Integration Circles: We hold periodic peer-led integration circles.  These are peer-support meetings where members share experiences in a non-judgmental setting, focusing on supporting individuals as they make sense of their experiences.

• Educational Workshops: Some of our members and special guests have areas of expertise to share. Event topics may be on the science of psychedelics, harm reduction, safe usage, and preparation.

• Community Building: We work to create safe inclusive spaces for community members to network, connect, and reduce the isolation often felt in the human predicament.

• Special Interest Groups: As the membership grows, we will hold specialized circles for specific demographics, such as BIPOC,  veterans, LGBTQ, women, or men. 

3. Key Components of Setup (Integration Circles)

• Physical Space: Our meetings may move location from time to time.  In order to meet in person, we aim to ensure a calm, comfortable, and private environment (often with pillows, mats, or chairs in a circle).  Some community members may volunteer their home or comfortable office space for get togethers and events, and in some cases, we may rent a space for larger group events. 

• Facilitation: Some circles are peer-led, and in some cases, trained facilitators who guide the discussion, maintain safety, and ensure everyone has a voice.

• Ethical Guidelines: Some of the basics of our group rules include confidentiality, non-judgment, and maintaining healthy boundaries.

• Supporting Resources: We provide resources that may support in accessing professional integration therapists or resources for those who had difficult experiences. 

4. Safety and Ethics

• No Active Consumption: We emphasize that we are not a place to obtain or consume illegal substances.  Rather we focus on education, preparation and post-experience integration to minimize harm.

• Screening Processes: For events that our group may host or be a part of, organizers may use screening to ensure the setting is appropriate for the participant's needs as participant safety is a top priority.  At the same time, as a group of equal members, self-management, never putting oneself in a situation where safety is a concern (rather discuss this with other group members that can support at an appropriate time), respect, and common decency are an expectation within our membership.

5. Financial and Operational Model

• Membership Fees: Our  society is sustained through member subscriptions and ticketed events and donations.

• Donations: We rely on donations to pay for space rental.

• Volunteering: Our operations depend on community volunteers.