The “Third” Eye: Ethics of Video Recording in the Context of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

In light of high-profile cases of sexual assault and other unethical conduct by therapists, recent clinical research involving psychedelic drugs has generally mandated the video recording of therapy sessions. In this paper, I address a gap in the literature by investigating ethical issues related t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Khaleel Rajwani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Programmes de bioéthique, École de santé publique de l'Université de Montréal 2023-12-01
Series:Canadian Journal of Bioethics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://cjb-rcb.ca/index.php/cjb-rcb/article/view/610
Description
Summary:In light of high-profile cases of sexual assault and other unethical conduct by therapists, recent clinical research involving psychedelic drugs has generally mandated the video recording of therapy sessions. In this paper, I address a gap in the literature by investigating ethical issues related to video recording in the unique context of psychedelic therapy sessions. I begin by summarizing the important benefits and risks related to video recording. I then examine ethical concerns about mandatory recording of psychedelic therapy sessions from a patient perspective and argue that these concerns must be taken seriously by clinicians and researchers. I also examine the view that video recording is essential for clinician safety. Given the legitimacy of concerns from both perspectives, I outline some basic informed consent considerations that could generate dialogue around potential patient concerns and defend the option to opt-out for both patients and clinicians. In conclusion, I underscore the importance of further critical bioethical inquiry and qualitative research regarding video recording practices in the context of psychedelic-assisted therapies.
ISSN:2561-4665