Sexual Content and Client Wishing to Remove Clothing
When a client accesses sexually-themed content or acts out sexually-charged behaviour, such as propositioning a health professional, requesting sexual touch by the health professional, or engaging masturbation, the health professional must be able to hold firm sexual boundaries without shaming or shutting down the client’s process.
Preparation Sessions
Establishing clear boundaries and expectations regarding sexual content and touch supports this process. Agreement to remain clothed is also important to review prior to psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions.
Navigating Sexual Content
This depends on the health professional’s level of skill and comfort navigating sexually charged content and their capacity to remain aligned and grounded in the face of amplified arousal states, enhanced transference dynamics, and enhanced intimacy in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
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Responding to Personal Questions
On the following page, we will learn about some approaches you can take when responding to personal questions.
Clients Violating the Non-Sexual Agreement
Despite this agreement, clients in alternate states of consciousness may wish to remove clothing for sexual, non-sexual, or unknown reasons. If this occurs, the health professional is to gently and neutrally remind the client of this agreement (again, without shaming through explicit verbal or implicit somatic communication) the client’s process.
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How to Navigate
In both situations, remaining curious and exploring the motives and sensations behind the actions, using SIBAM to gather information from different channels, offering alternatives for expression such as other movements or sounds are all examples of ways to meet these experiences respectfully and productively.
When the Client is Unresponsive
If the client is unresponsive and continues to remove their clothing, the health professional is encouraged to ask them to remain covered with a blanket and seek assistance of the nurse and other staff to continue to gently work with the client to help them process the energy underneath the behaviour.
References
Haden, M. (2019). Manual for Psychedelic Guides.