Statements from The Psychedelic Society/Symbiota on allegations related to Stephen Reid
UPDATE: 3 April 2024
On 10 June 2021, a series of allegations were published about Stephen Reid, a co-owner of Symbiota and former director of the Psychedelic Society, concerning incidents between 2014 and 2017 - none of which occurred at events run or hosted by The Psychedelic Society.
When the allegations were released, Stephen immediately stepped away from his duties which gave us space for an independent review of both our response and our internal processes.
We engaged two independent professionals for a 6-week review to assess our internal processes and consult each of the members of our core team in a discussion around the allegations and the broader work environment of the Symbiota/The Psychedelic Society.
On 8 July 2021, they shared the results of these interviews and led us in a workshop to develop steps we could take to improve both our internal processes and transparency of our work to the public. This work encouraged us to take a more process-driven and protective approach to our decision-making. As a result, we introduced a range of safeguarding procedures including:
a formal complaints procedure that includes two ombudspeople
terms and conditions that reflect the legal relationship between Symbiota and event organisers we work with
We also hosted sharing circles led by a third-party facilitator to provide a space for people to share their views and experiences and a series of workshops on the subject of power dynamics in the psychedelic space. We feel this is a tremendously important issue that needs greater awareness and will continue to host events related to it.
Stephen’s role in the organisation
We were grateful to Stephen for stepping back from his duties during our 2021 review process. In December 2021, we released a statement acknowledging that Stephen had been on a significant learning journey since the time of the allegations as well as complying with all the requests put forth by the Seeds of Solidarity group. With the help of independent advisors and guided by the principles of Transformative Justice, we decided that Stephen should remain a member of Symbiota. This aligns with the tenets of transformative justice prioritising responsibility, repair, and growth over punishment. His role at The Psychedelic Society, one of Symbiota’s member organisations, remained limited to facilitating online events in the area of technology and social change.
In April 2023, Stephen approached the Society with a proposal to run an in-person retreat designed to bring together people interested in technology and social change, which was subsequently promoted by the Psychedelic Society. It was his first in-person event with the Psychedelic Society since the allegations two years previously. Although the retreat was a success, in retrospect, the team realises that the process of deciding whether to invite Stephen back as a facilitator of in-person events should have been more in-depth.
This prompted us to conduct a more thorough three-month review of both our organisational response to the initial allegations and how we should move forward.
The 2023 review
In August 2023, we engaged an external ombudsperson for a thorough three-month review to research the responses to the allegations and interview affected parties and our team with a request that she offer us recommendations moving forward.
This results of this review process included:
A 21 page report by the ombudsperson with her findings and reflections
An external facilitator guiding a team reflection
A external facilitator to guide a full-day in-person team reflection process to arrive at consensus next steps
Decisions based on review
In January 2024, the Symbiota team gathered for an in-person meeting guided by an external facilitator for a team reflection process to arrive at a consensus on next steps on Stephen’s involvement in both Symbiota and The Psychedelic Society.
To allow the team of the Psychedelic Society space to establish an identity and presence independent of Stephen, we collectively agreed that it was best that he once again step back from any roles at the Psychedelic Society, meaning no event facilitation or coordination or any position of power in the organisation.
We will review this decision in one year from the release of this statement.
We decided it is appropriate for him to remain a Symbiota worker-member in his role as lead developer of the events platform dandelion.events.
There were very different opinions on the way forwards within the team and this statement cannot fully represent the diversity of views held and expressed. Two team members, Stephen Reid and Anya Oleksiuk were not present when the final vote for this decision was made.
The report offered deep insights on our organisational process and acknowledged our self-reflection and growth as a team and Stephen’s as an individual since the original allegations and our initial response to them. It made clear that the ombudsperson believes there is a low risk of future serious harm in the office, at a workshop or at a retreat being caused by Stephen.
Upon evaluation, it would have been appropriate to have a more formal process for Stephen to return to his roles at Symbiota following the 2021 allegations, and especially returning as a facilitator of in-person events at Psychedelic Society in 2023. We consider this omission a failure on the part of the organisation.
This lack of clearly delineated boundaries and responsibilities is one of the ongoing challenges of a Teal-inspired organisation (one without a fixed hierarchy) meaning that fundamental changes require greater consensus. We see this process as an opportunity for us to step into ever greater coherence, integrity and trust as an organisation, modelling how we would like to respond to challenging circumstances both inwardly and externally.
We are committing to several recommendations made by external advisors and our team, including:
No mission critical role in any co-operative should ever be the exclusive domain of a single specialist
Stephen has agreed not to deliver workshops or trainings that create the impression or engender a dynamic of him as the knowledge-holder or educator on subject areas relating to consent or sexual intimacy
We will shift towards co-facilitation as a standard of practice especially in retreat settings to encourage power sharing and multiple perspective-holding
Our Facilitator Code of Conduct applies to all parties, even those who hold an administrative or leadership role in the team
We will offer an email address for people to contact with queries on this safeguarding process and be as transparent as possible in our communications
Our team will gather for two ‘Ways of Working’ critical reflection team sessions
Support and feedback
Our top priority is the safety of our members and workshop participants. If you have any questions or concerns about the 2021 allegations or our response to them, we encourage you to reach out to us at enquiries@psychedelicsociety.org.uk.
UPDATE: 6 December 2021
Since our last update in August, we have continued to discuss and reflect on our response. Since then, more high-profile allegations in the psychedelic space have surfaced, including allegations made against one of our scheduled guest speakers, Francoise Bourzat.
Crucially, this process has also opened our eyes to the much broader, and widely overlooked, issues around misconduct in the psychedelic world today. As a leader in this space, we have realised that addressing this reality and providing space for those affected to share and process is an important part of our mission.
To begin, we will be hosting a new sharing circle on 14 December called Power, Privilege, and Consent in Psychedelic Spaces with external moderator Josephine Davies of the Existential Academy. This is a space for members to openly discuss these questions, process how they may have been personally affected, and perhaps create a space for shifting the psychedelic culture in a more positive direction.
We're also seeking new training for our facilitators to increase trauma awareness, safety and inclusivity for a more diverse group of identities, and reduce barriers to reporting harm. If you have suggestions or contacts about who might be well placed to help us here, please reach out.
In terms of Stephen's involvement, we have carefully considered Stephen's future role in Dandelion Collective. When the allegations were released, Stephen immediately stepped away from his duties which gave us space for an independent review of both our response and our internal processes. Today, we recognize that he has been on a significant learning journey since the time of the allegations and as well as complying with all the requests put forth by the Seeds of Solidarity group. With the help of independent advisors and guided by the principles of Transformative Justice, we have decided that Stephen should remain a member of Dandelion Collective. This aligns with the tenets of transformative justice prioritising responsibility, repair, and growth over punishment.
As always, we greatly appreciate any and all feedback about our response and encourage you to reach out to us via email with any comments or questions.
UPDATE: 12 August 2021
The past few months have been ones of deep reflection at the Psychedelic Society. As promised, we’d like to update you on the results of the internal review process we’ve been engaged in since our initial statement here.
Last month, we engaged two independent professionals to assess our internal processes and consult each of the members of our core team in a discussion around the allegations and the broader work environment of the Psychedelic Society.
On 8 July, they shared the results of these interviews and led us in a workshop to develop steps we could take to improve both our internal processes and transparency of our work to the public. Our agreed plan includes:
Creating and implementing policies to be shared publicly on our website, including a:
Privacy Policy
Grievance and Disciplinary Policy
Several of these (linked) are already available. The rest will be released in autumn. These are living documents that we are continuing to review and tweak internally as we learn and receive advice from external professionals. We welcome any feedback or questions on their content.
Hosting sharing circles led by a third-party facilitator to provide a space for people to share their views and experiences. We will also welcome direct feedback via the facilitator on the reactions and response of the Psychedelic Society to this situation.
Hosting a series of lectures or workshops on the subject of power dynamics in the psychedelic space. This is a tremendously important issue that we feel needs greater awareness and look forward to developing our own awareness.
Seeking Safeguarding accreditation on sexual harassment and assault from GNO
As always, we greatly appreciate any and all feedback about our response and encourage you to reach out to us via email with any comments or questions to enquiries@psychedelicsociety.org.uk
ORIGINAL STATEMENT: 12 June 2021
On 10th June 2021, a series of allegations were published about Stephen Reid, a member of Dandelion Collective and former director of the Psychedelic Society, concerning incidents between 2014 and 2017.
We are deeply saddened by these reports and wish to acknowledge the pain and hurt felt by all those who offered testimonials. We know that the repercussions of these allegations will be felt by many, and we wish to hold all those involved with empathy and compassion.
The original allegations can be found at whoisstephenreid.com. Stephen’s response to these allegations is available on his website. An independent testimony from friends and supporters of Stephen is available to view at thisisstephenreid.com.
Although none of the incidents referenced in the allegations took place at Psychedelic Society events, we’re grateful to Stephen for volunteering to step back from his roles in the organisation while we respond to them. We have engaged an independent third-party organisation “Human Organising Co-specialists” who help navigate complex cultural challenges, including Patrick Andrews (a former solicitor) to help facilitate this period of self-reflection. We will offer a more in-depth response upon its completion in around six weeks.
Below, we would like to offer some clarity on Stephen’s current role in the organisation, the historical context in which the incidents referred to in the allegations took place and our response as an organisation.
1. Stephen’s role
Stephen founded the Psychedelic Society in 2014. The organisation has evolved significantly over the years, and since 2020 has been operating as part of a not-for-profit worker co-operative, Dandelion Collective. Stephen is no longer a director of Dandelion Collective or The Psychedelic Society, and for some time, has been working only on the administrative and technical side of Dandelion Collective and the Dandelion web platform.
Over the past months, Stephen has run online courses on decentralisation and decentralised finance promoted via the Psychedelic Society. Stephen has agreed not to run any more courses in collaboration with the Psychedelic Society and step back from his other roles whilst we receive independent advice.
2. The gatherings referred to in the allegations
The incidents referred to in the allegations, bar one (referenced below) took place at informal, co-created gatherings within a community called Find The Others and were not events advertised or run by The Psychedelic Society.
3. The trial Experience Retreat
The event referenced in the allegations was not advertised or held by The Psychedelic Society. This was an informal gathering among a group of close friends who were experienced with psychedelics, with the aim of testing out the idea of running psychedelic retreats in the Netherlands (where psilocybin truffles are legal). The informal nature of the event and the role that Stephen held there is referenced in this statement by the person involved in the incident referred to.
Following this trial, a group of qualified facilitators went on to run professional and legal psychedelic Experience Retreats in the Netherlands until 2019. There were no reports of misconduct over the several years they ran and they consistently received four and five star ratings from the participants.
4. Our position and response
We are grateful to Stephen for volunteering to step back from Dandelion Collective whilst we engage in an independent review of our response to this situation, and the values we want to espouse. We recognise that we are a boundary-pushing organisation that invites people into experimental spaces, and we are constantly learning how to do this better, and in a way that increasingly benefits both the individual and the communities they are part of.
As an organisation, we take allegations of misconduct extremely seriously. Our top priority is the safety of our members and workshop participants. We will be reviewing how to make it easier for people to raise concerns and allegations in this area. Our aim is to introduce independent facilitators to provide an impartial space in which any concerns raised around discrimination, harassment or misuse of power can be worked through. Meanwhile, if you have concerns about the behaviour of any of our facilitators, we welcome your comments at enquiries@psychedelicsociety.org.uk
We want to acknowledge that many of the team have both personal and professional relationships with Stephen and that our friendship means we do not have an impartial view of the allegations. As such, we have engaged two independent professionals to facilitate a 6-week internal review process, helping guide our response. We will be releasing statements showing the results of this process in six weeks time.
We would like to reiterate that The Psychedelic Society does not advocate for the recreational consumption of psychoactive substances or engagement in intimacy practises under the influence of psychedelics. All of our events are explicitly advertised as sober spaces. We offer talks and workshops for people to explore the practices, culture and theory related to psychedelic states of consciousness and authentic ways of connecting, while being held and supported by well-informed facilitators.
We strive to create awareness of the potential risks and pitfalls in these forms of self-exploration in order to empower people to make well-informed decisions from a place of authentic self-connection. Many of our talks and workshops are designed to equip people with the information and psychological tools they need to navigate their journey of personal growth in a safe way.
We recommend people take psychoactive substances in legal, professionally supported environments and we signpost our community to established, independent therapeutic centres in the Netherlands. We continue to put significant resources into education and harm reduction in relation to psychedelic substances and related practices.
We appreciate your feedback and patience and hope to move towards restoration and healing for all involved. Comments are welcome to enquiries@psychedelicsociety.org.uk
Statement updated 17.6.21 to clarify Stephen stepping away from roles at Psychedelic Society, and to add further details on the Experience Retreats
Statement updated 18.6.21 to clarify our position on misconduct amongst our team, facilitators or event participants.