Most of us have heard of the notion that “psychedelics increase suggestibility,” that people become “more suggestible” while under the influence of psychedelics. As Taylor emphasizes above, when we become more suggestible, we become more vulnerable. In my research, I’ve found that most of the ethical issues related to psychedelic suggestibility appear to be centered on or connected to this increased vulnerability.

“Vulnerability” is often viewed as the capacity “to be easily hurt, influenced, or attacked”. However, I argue (echoing what Kylea Taylor told us for this article) that becoming vulnerable is also often the key to facilitating intended inner change, such as growth or healing. In order to become open for deep, meaningful, profound transformation, we must turn to the more intimate dimensions of our inner lives, bypass or relax our defenses, and open ourselves up to change within those inner dimensions. Sometimes we may knowingly and consciously choose to open ourselves up like this, and other times our defenses may fall away without us even realizing what happened. It is important for us to be able to anticipate when we might become suggestible, so that we can give our fully informed consent before entering into these vulnerable states, and so that we can be highly intentional about the circumstances within which we suspend our defenses and open ourselves up to change…