Allegations of sexual, financial, and psychological abuse sometimes arise in the growing psychedelic church movement in Utah and beyond. A leader or guide might use their authority to pressure people – usually women – into having sexual contact with them. How might mind-altering substances play into such abuses of power? How should practitioners navigate consent? And what can psychedelic churches do to keep people safe?

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Co-produced by PRX and the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, Altered States is an award-winning podcast, taking home a 2025 Signal Award for Science and the 2026 Webby Award for Science and Education. To learn more, visit us our website.