Grofians Unauthorized
Discussion Group
Grofian Peyotists
Critical Situations in Psychedelic Sessions - Part IV
The following excerpts are from
LSD PSYCHOTHERAPY. Grof, S. 1980
ISBN 0-89793-166-1
http://www.promind.com/bk_lps.htm
--excerpts from Chapter 5:
[SEXUAL ACTING-OUT]
"On occasion, 'sexual acting-out' can present technical problems. When it does not involve the sitters directly, as in the case of genital and anal masturbation, the sitters should be sufficiently open-minded to allow it. Occasionally, one episode of this kind properly handled by the guides can provide a powerful corrective experience that will heal a long-lasting psychological trauma caused by insensitive parents, who may have drastically punished infantile instinctual activities. If the sitters have difficulty accepting such behavior, this should be an incentive towards and a unique opportunity for exploration of the roots of their own attitudes and reactions.
The situation is more difficult if the acting-out behavior involves sexual activities directed toward the sitters. The general rule hear should be to exclude any explicit adult interaction that involves the genitals, breasts, or the mouth. The reasons for this are serious and go beyond considerations of a moralistic nature. Sexual activity of this kind on the part of the patient is frequently a manifestation of resistance to deeper issues. A typical example would be a male patient who feels the need for comforting contact on the infantile level and, fearing the dependency and helplessness that this entails, attempts to approach a female therapist in an adult sexual way. In situations like this the sitters should always direct the client to a deeper experiential level and discourage acting-out. This can be done in a constructive way an does not have to involve rejection. Reference to the explicit rules agreed upon before the session can make this situation easier for the sitters.
Adult sexual activities in . . . sessions can be very tricky; no matter what the external circumstances are, they are experienced by the client on many different levels since the ability for narrow and accurate reality-testing is impaired by the drug. Frequent involvement of the infantile levels can result in a specific vulnerability, particularly fear associated with the incest taboo. There is danger that such experiences will be traumatic and have lasting negative consequences for the client and the relationship with the sitter. . . . In general, there should be no limits to what the client can experience on the fantasy level. However, the sitters should be very clear about their own attitudes and motives, and approach the subject with integrity and sensitivity. . . . there is no need or justification for adult sexual activities in psychedelic therapy, and whenever a sitter considers it seriously, he or she should examine his or her own motives. The only place for adult sexual activities during a psychedelic experience should be between partners who have an emotional and sexual commitment to each other in everyday life. Such an approach can add interesting dimensions to sexual interaction, but is not without dangers and pitfalls even under these circumstances; it should occur only between mature partners with deep knowledge of the nature of the psychedelic process.
It is clear that the question of sexual boundaries is much more problematic in sessions that involve physical intimacy than in those where the sitters maintain a detached attitude toward the clients. Since the use of close physical contact is extremely useful in psychedelic therapy this issue will be briefly discussed here. Deep age-regression in . . . sessions is frequently accompanied by intense anaclitic feelings and tendencies, especially in patients who experienced serious emotional deprivation in early childhood. They might want to hold, fondle, or suck the sitter's hand, put their head in someone's lap, or cuddle up and be cradled and caressed. Sometimes the regressive quality of these phenomena is beyond doubt and the patients show convincing signs of deep regression. At other times these activities can present technical problems because it may not be easy to distinguish whether a certain behavior is an authentic regressive phenomenon, an inadvertent occurrence, or sexual overture on a more-or-less adult level. This is particularly true in later stages of the sessions when the drug effect has subsided. Sometimes both levels seem to be involved simultaneously, and the client can oscillate from one to the other." (pp. 160, 195)
". . . periods of deep regression with strong anaclitic needs are of crucial importance from the therapeutic point of view. . . . the therapist's approach to such situations can represent a deep corrective emotional experience or, conversely, perpetuate and reinforce old, pathological patterns of deprivation and rejection. . . . The [physical] boundaries can be defined and negotiated in very subtle verbal and non-verbal ways. If the situation moves into problematic areas, it is possible to restore acceptable limits without withdrawing close contact altogether. The key here seems to be the therapist's clarity about his or her own motives and the ability to communicate clearly with the client, verbally and non-verbally. It is the therapist's ambiguities and conflicting messages that allow or breed problems. This is a complex and sensitive area and it is difficult to establish any fixed rules. The therapist has to rely on intuition and clinical experience in every individual case. The nature and specific characteristics of the therapeutic relationship and the degree of trust in it will remain the most important factors in charting the course." (p. 196)
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