The Mission

The Dakini Foundation raises awareness and advocates for social responsibility in contexts of altered states of consciousness. We create knowledge and resources that support a culture of altered state practice in which standards are raised for safety and autonomy.

Why do we exist?

We recognise that altered states, for all their potential to heal and transform, are also able to be taken advantage of. It is not abnormal to experience or to hear of experiences of people feeling psychologically or sexually harmed in spiritual settings or contexts such as with psychedelics, meditation, and other spiritual practices.

However, this reality is not yet part of the mainstream conversation around altered states!

Social responsibility is the obligation held by facilitators, practitioners and participants to honour the full therapeutic and transformative potential of altered states of consciousness. This means understanding and guarding against the power imbalances, vulnerability and harm that can arise within them. Through informed practice, these states can be engaged with safely and autonomously, and to their fullest potential.

- the dakini foundation

How do we increase social responsibility in altered states?

We raise awareness and advocate through a three-step framework.

we conduct dedicated research into how harm occurs in contexts in which altered states of consciousness occur, and the social dynamics that support safety and best honour their therapeutic potential

we then translate the knowledge harnessed through study into accessible resources that help facilitators and participants understand and mitigate harm in altered state practices

• we make the resulting resources available to altered state faciliators, participants, and spaces (e.g., music festivals, breathwork and yoga centres, psychedelic therapy practices) 

• host seminars and workshops that inform and support socially responsible dynamics for facilitators and participants 

• broadcast dedicated conversations with experts through podcasts and other media artifacts about social responsibility

projections

upcoming

• STUDY | academic, peer-reviewed study analysing the social dynamics involved in altered states abuse

[projected for early 2027]

• RESOURCES | original zine integrating perspectives on social dynamics of altered state practices

[projected for early 2027]

medium-term

• STUDY | global prevalence survey tracking altered states abuse

[projected for 2027]

• SERVICE | online videos and podcast episodes raising awareness on healthy vs harmful social dynamics in altered state practices

[projected for 2027]

long-term

• STUDY | corpus of peer-reviewed research

• RESOURCE | second zine edition, pamphlets, free distribution

• SERVICE | seminars, workshops, therapeutic support groups for victims of altered state abuse

Support the Journey

Support our mission. We are not-for-profit. All donations will go towards start-up costs of the organisation, and study and resource creation as outlined in the projections tab.

Donate Now

Bio

The Dakini Foundation was founded by Amber Bunting, who holds a Bachelor's, Honours, and Master's degree in psychology, alongside a lifelong immersion in diverse spiritual practice contexts dating back to early childhood. Her research focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of self as explored through meditation and psychedelics. She is currently a PhD candidate at Macquarie University, Australia.

Having both experienced and witnessed harmful social dynamics within settings involving altered states of consciousness (yoga retreats, music festivals, and conspiritual groups among them) and observing a lack of active response to these harms, she founded the Dakini Foundation. Her goal is to cultivate a culture in these spaces where social responsibility is a normal part of the conversation, where participants and facilitators alike stay aware and mindful of it, preventative measures are put in place, and where those affected receive real, focused support.