Becoming Your Own Gatekeeper: Psychedelics and the Practice of Self-Consent

Watch the Webinar Replay: You Are the Gatekeeper: Psychedelics and Self-Consent with David Drapkin, LCSW.

This article recaps the Psychedelic Support webinar “You Are the Gatekeeper: Psychedelics and Self-Consent,” presented by psychotherapist and educator David Drapkin, LCSW. In this session, David explores the inner dimension of consent and how learning to trust our own boundaries supports integrity, readiness, and transformation in psychedelic work.

Drawing on over 15 years of clinical experience across hospital psychiatry, addiction treatment, and private practice, David bridges psychology and spirituality to help individuals navigate consciousness with care and intention. He currently serves as Head of Media & Partnerships at Marpa Minds and hosts The Healing Mindset podcast, where he continues to expand conversations on healing, ethics, and self-awareness.

In psychedelic spaces, the conversation around consent usually focuses on the relationship between guide and participant. But what happens when we turn that lens inward? In You Are the Gatekeeper: Psychedelics and Self-Consent, psychotherapist and educator David Drapkin, LCSW, invites us to explore the often-overlooked dimension of embodied self-consent—a practice of listening deeply to our inner “yes,” “no,” and “not yet.”

Far from being a checklist or intellectual exercise, self-consent is a living dialogue between body, psyche, and spirit. Drapkin describes it as the foundation for intentional, ethical, and transformative psychedelic use—where agency is not just granted but actively inhabited.

“Consent isn’t something that happens once before a ceremony,” Drapkin reminds us. “It’s an ongoing relationship with ourselves—moment by moment, breath by breath.”

Beyond Agreement: What Self-Consent Really Means

Traditional consent frameworks in psychedelic contexts often focus on preparation, agreements, and external ethics. Drapkin reframes this: self-consent begins within, as an act of radical self-awareness.

When we align our decisions with the quiet truth of our bodies—rather than impulse, pressure, or curiosity alone—we open the door to psychedelic work that is integrated and meaningful. Drawing from models such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Jungian depth psychology, and Somatic Experiencing (SE), Drapkin bridges established psychological frameworks with the spiritual and relational dimensions of consent.

He describes self-consent as a compass that points us toward integrity. It teaches us to pause, sense, and discern whether a choice arises from alignment or avoidance.

The Inner Gatekeeper

At the center of Drapkin’s approach is the idea that each of us carries an “inner gatekeeper”—the aspect of consciousness that watches over our well-being. This gatekeeper isn’t a rigid guard, but a wise inner witness that asks the essential questions:

• Am I ready for this experience?
• Is this the right setting, dose, or facilitator for me?
• Am I acting from curiosity, pressure, or genuine readiness?

This process, Drapkin explains, is both deeply empowering and deeply humbling. It requires us to acknowledge not only our desires but also our fears, hesitations, and limits. “Our true consent comes from wholeness,” he says, “not from performance or pressure.”

From Reflection to Embodiment

Drapkin’s webinar guided participants through moments of reflective writing—an experiential way to embody consent. Below are some of the journal prompts he shared for ongoing practice.

Reflective Prompts for Self-Consent

✏️ Write about a time your body said “no” but your mind said “yes.” What did you learn from that experience?
✏️ If your highest good fully aligned with you, what’s one thing it would say YES to—and one thing it would say NO to?
✏️ Which of your “parts” (excited, scared, cautious, curious) are showing up around psychedelic decision-making? What do they need from you?

These exercises can transform self-awareness from concept into embodied wisdom. As Drapkin puts it, “When our body and mind are in dialogue, consent becomes more than a boundary—it becomes a bridge to integrity.”

For Practitioners and Seekers Alike

While much of Drapkin’s work centers on clinicians, his message resonates with anyone drawn to psychedelics for healing or growth. For practitioners, cultivating self-consent deepens ethical discernment and strengthens therapeutic presence. For individuals, it invites autonomy, accountability, and self-trust.

Drapkin links this to cognitive liberty—the right to explore consciousness while maintaining self-governance and care. Psychedelic journeys can catalyze profound transformation, but without embodied consent, they risk bypassing the very wisdom they aim to awaken.

“When we move too fast, even in the name of healing, we lose contact with our truth,” Drapkin cautions. “Embodied consent slows us down enough to remember who’s actually choosing.”

Self-Consent as Harm Reduction

This inward practice also intersects with harm reduction. Rather than simply minimizing risks, Drapkin reframes harm reduction as a way of maximizing benefit through mindful decision-making. Self-consent creates the conditions for safety because it honors readiness, boundaries, and the body’s innate intelligence.

Resources such as Bluelight.org, DanceSafe.org, and Erowid.org offer practical frameworks for informed, safe engagement with psychoactive substances. When combined with self-awareness practices, they support a holistic model of integrity and empowerment.

“Consent isn’t something that happens once before a ceremony. It’s an ongoing relationship with ourselves—moment by moment, breath by breath.”

— David Drapkin, LCSW

From Intention to Integration

Embodied self-consent doesn’t end when the substance wears off. It continues into integration—the process of making meaning from what emerged. Here, Drapkin draws from both clinical and contemplative traditions, emphasizing that integration is not about “fixing” but about staying in relationship with what the experience revealed.

He often invites clients to revisit their experiences through journaling, movement, or therapy, asking:
What part of me said yes to this experience—and what part of me is still catching up?

Closing Reflection

Self-consent is the quiet backbone of psychedelic integrity. It asks us to become both participant and protector, both explorer and gatekeeper. In doing so, it redefines healing not as something done to us, but with us—through awareness, honesty, and deep respect for our own readiness.

As Drapkin concludes:

“When we learn to trust our inner gatekeeper, we stop outsourcing wisdom. We remember that the greatest guide we’ll ever meet already lives within.”

About David Drapkin, LCSW

David Drapkin is a clinical psychotherapist, educator, and thought leader at the intersection of mental health innovation, consciousness exploration, and psychedelic care. With over 15 years of experience spanning hospital psychiatry, addiction treatment, and private practice, he’s worked with organizations such as Mount Sinai Hospital, Hackensack Meridian Health, and Forge Health’s addiction centers.

Previously serving as Director of Education & Training at Psychedelics Today, he co-designed the Vital Certificate in Integrative Psychedelic Studies and hosted more than 100 podcasts and webinars. Today, David is Head of Media & Partnerships at Marpa Minds, where he pioneers ketamine-based depression care and hosts The Healing Mindset podcast.

His integrative psychotherapy approach draws from psychoanalytic, somatic, and mindfulness-based traditions, supported by training in CBT, IFS, DBT, hypnosis, and transpersonal psychology.

Further Resources

🌐 Connect with David Drapkin:

• Connect with David on LinkedIn
• See David’s profile on Psychedelic Support’s directory
• Find David on Psychology Today

📚 Books & Links From the Webinar:

• Get the Slides from the webinar
• Listen to The Healing Mindset podcast
• Visit the online harm-reduction sites bluelight.org and dancesafe.org
• Reference erowid.org for information about psychoactive substances
• Register for Upcoming Online Speaker Events: Monthly Speaker and Professional Networking Series

📜 Featured Courses & Continuing Education:

• Free Harm Reduction Course: Riding the Wave: Principles of Psychedelic Harm Reduction
• Ethical Right Relationship in Psychedelic Therapy (Ethics 101 | Ethics 102 | Ethics 103)
• All CE/CME Courses: Psychedelic Therapy Education & Training Programs
• Earn CE for Webinar Events: Psychedelic Therapy Continuing Education Series (CE) – $120 for the entire series!