The Moral Injuries of Psychedelics
Publication information:
Welker, Joe. 2023. “The Moral Injuries of Psychedelics.” in Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract
Abstract: Many Veterans seeking psychedelic-assisted therapy suffer not only psychological injuries but also moral injuries. Such injuries occur in humans when we witness or participate in acts that violate our deeply held moral beliefs. Moral injuries often cost an important piece of ourselves; as war journalist, Presbyterian minister, and HDS graduate Chris Hedges remarks, ""War, like all idols, begins by demanding the sacrifice of others but ends with the demand for self-sacrifice."
But it is not just Veterans with moral injury. Joe Welker (MDiv '23) explores how moral injury is endemic to the psychedelic field and many psychedelic communities, how poor responses to moral injury fuel abusive systems, and the hidden sacrifices of psychedelics.
Presenter bio: Joe Welker (MDiv '23) is a Ministry Fellow at Harvard Divinity School. He is a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Presenter affiliation: Harvard Divinity School
But it is not just Veterans with moral injury. Joe Welker (MDiv '23) explores how moral injury is endemic to the psychedelic field and many psychedelic communities, how poor responses to moral injury fuel abusive systems, and the hidden sacrifices of psychedelics.
Presenter bio: Joe Welker (MDiv '23) is a Ministry Fellow at Harvard Divinity School. He is a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Presenter affiliation: Harvard Divinity School