PsyCare is a free service aimed at providing professional help in the context of larger music events, especially to individuals undergoing a challenging psychedelic experience that could otherwise have unpleasant psychological consequences.
Author: CZEPS.org
Public knowledge and access to information about psychedelics, as well as their benefits, effects and risks is negligible. For this reason, many people use these substances in ways that can prove to be dangerous for them as well as their surroundings.
The increasing number of attendees at larger music events and festivals that are eventually hospitalized due to using psychedelics led us to a realization that it is no longer enough to destigmatize psychedelics - and that we must also actively take care of their impact on people's lives that these substances can have in case of irresonsible use.
We want to provide a safe place for those who are going through a challenging psychedelic experience at events where such help is needed (especially various selected festivals). We will do our best to help individuals move through their experience without any serious undesirable effects and if possible to also benefit from their experience.
The Czech Psychedelic Society (Česká psychedelická společnost - CZEPS) is trying to create a public space for the open discussion of psychedelic substances, their benefits as well as their risks. Through the PsyCare project, we will associate, educate and coordinate volunteers (from psychologists to artists) who want to help others going through challenging psychedelic experiences usually induced by using psychedelic substances in unadvisable contexts. A misstep can happen to anyone...
The current legislative environment does not recognize psychedelics as useful even in a safe and controlled environment (for example a psychotherapeutical context, administered by a trained professional). That is one of the reasons why people choose to use these substances on their own.
Many people (not just the young crowd) use consciousness-altering substances they bought from unknown sources. The risks associated with such behavior are rarely, if ever, discussed. Using these substances in unadvisable contexts can have far-reaching consequences, but these can be minimized if we administer timely and professional help.
According to the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies, the largest number of challenging experiences with psychedelics occurs among uninformed first users. The number of people who can't deal with such an experience is relatively low (expecially when compared to the overall number of users), but we think it is worthwhile to try helping every individual out there. Without our help, it is possible these users could end up medicated and in psychiatric care.
In other countries, this service is already a well-established standard. With each year, it's effectiveness is confirmed again and again by the lower number of hospitalized users when compared to events where no PsyCare service was provided.
Our project can be viewed as part of a meaningful public health policy. That's why we decided to turn to our wider community and society as a whole - because we can never know if or when a challenging experience can happen to our loved ones or ourselves.
We will use the financial support received to buy a yurt that is surely the best solution for this type of service. We will need to provide mattresses, rugs and blankets as well as a lot of paper cups (for drinking water) and some medical consumables. Some of the funds will be used to print out information sheets and to train and educate more volunteers.
You can either help by providing financial support or some of the equipment, but sharing information about this crowdfunding campaign is also appreciated.
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