EPA, 2024, “Negotiating Gender Identities Through Psychedelic Use

Very proud of our PSYGEN team, Ksenia Cassidy, Britt Healy, Sapna Desai, and Dr. Pani Farvid for our presentation at the 2024 EPA Eastern Psychological Association Conference.

Our study involves key informants (mental health professionals) insights to understand the relationship between psychedelics and gender exploration. Through multiple interviews and qualitative analysis, we extracted 4 consistent themes across the experiences of clients: (1) Experiences of gender-based rejection and transphobia, especially in early life, (2) A desire to use psychedelics with the intention of therapeutic healing, (3) The presence of a "positive gender role model," and (4) A breakthrough/insight moment experience through psychedelic use.

The insight gained at the conference was indispensable, and we look forward to drafting a paper for publication over the next few months.