Dual and Multiple Relationships in Psychedelic and Profound States of Consciousness

Course Description

Dual relationships are often built into psychedelic practice.

Dual and multiple relationships are not rare cases in psychedelic practice — they are often built into the work itself. Yet there is remarkably little formal ethics education that addresses how to navigate these relationships when clients are in heightened, vulnerable, and extra-ordinary states of consciousness. Ethics 104 was created to meet this need.

Unlike many ethics courses focused primarily on avoidance or prohibition, this course offers a capacity-based approach. It recognizes that practitioners often cannot eliminate dual relationships entirely, and instead need sophisticated ethical tools, supervision strategies, and self-reflective practices to meet professional standards.

This course is directly relevant to licensed mental health professionals, psychedelic-assisted therapy practitioners and trainees, clergy and spiritual leaders whose roles inherently involve overlapping relationships, and practitioners in small, rural, or close-knit communities where avoiding dual relationships is often impractical.

Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals, as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.

Format & Materials

Six video sections plus an assessment.

Course Content

What you’ll study.

• Introduction (6 min) — Orientation to the structure, core ethical questions, and relational challenges of Ethics 104.
• Section 1 — Intro to Dual and Multiple Relationships (19 min): Definitions, examples, and research on harm involving unmanaged multiple roles in psychedelic contexts.
• Section 2 — Law, Ethics, Benefits, and Risks (24 min): APA guidelines, boundary management across cultural and rural settings, and balanced discussion of risks and benefits.
• Section 3 — Challenges of Dual Relationships (22 min): How extra-ordinary states amplify vulnerability, power shifts, and meaning-making; introduction to moral capacity.
• Section 4 — Should I Take On This Relationship? (31 min): Discernment frameworks and the capacities required for responsible dual-role practice.
• Section 5 — Multiple Roles in Real Life (70 min): Real-world stories — ministerial roles in a psychedelic church, love transference with a friend-as-sitter.
• Section 6 — Supervision and Dual Relationships (23 min): Self-supervision, peer consultation, mentoring, formal supervision, and an integrated ethical decision-making model.