Joshua White is a lawyer, peer support advocate, psychedelic researcher, and the founder and executive director of Fireside Project. He believes in the power of peer support and the role of support lines like Fireside Project as foundational components of an equitable mental health ecosystem. Joshua joins Ibogaine Uncovered to discuss the role and value of non-clinical support in the psychedelic space, and to share about his recent ibogaine experience at Beond.

What we discuss:

• How Joshua’s experience with the Zendo Project and Safe and Sound’s Talk Line for Parents informed the creation of Fireside Project

• What volunteer experience taught him about the value of peer support

• Is the emphasis on therapists in the psychedelic space problematic?

• The role of non-clinical support (including coaches and peer support) in the psychedelic space

• Essential ingredients for building a safe psychedelic container, from a peer’s perspective

• Key questions to ask when looking for a psychedelic facilitator,  why it’s important to be thorough when making your selection

• How practitioners can maintain healthy relationships with their clients/peers

• The intersection of medicalization and spirituality within the ibogaine experience: is it possible to have a transformative experience in a hospital bed?

• The role of peer support in making psychedelic treatment more accessible, particularly to BIPOC and vulnerable populations

• What the future of ibogaine treatment could look like if scaled

Why it’s important: 

As more people look to psychedelic medicines to improve their health and well-being, it’s clear that a model that requires two therapists to sit with every individual receiving psychedelic therapy is not scalable. Joshua underscores the need for more non-clinical support in the psychedelic realm, including coaches and peer supporters like the ones at Fireside Project. Not only is peer support more accessible, he suggests it may also offer a psychedelic journeyer more of what they need before and after a transformative experience, especially depending on a peer’s familiarity with psychedelics. As Josh experienced during his time at Beond, having the right support, whether clinical or not, helps create a safe container for a psychedelic journey – whether that journey takes place in the Amazon, or in a hospital bed at an ibogaine treatment center in Cancun.

Relevant Links:

• Fireside Project
• How Effective Is Fireside Project’s Psychedelic Hotline? New Study Aims To Find Out
• Fireside Project: The Psychedelic Support Line Matching Callers With BIPOC, Trans, And Veteran Volunteers
• Warning Signs When Selecting a Psychedelic Facilitator
• Questions to Discuss with a Prospective Psychedelic Facilitator