Chad Charles is a facilitator of 5-MeO-DMT experiences who has worked full-time and exclusively with 5-MeO-DMT since 2016. Over >1400 sessions with >1000 individuals, he has refined client-centred approaches for both inhalation and injection routes, integrating these into psychedelic and psycholytic contexts to facilitate transformative potential. His work is informed by cross-cultural and intersectional perspectives, drawing from practice in 15 countries.

The Value of Dissociation: Integrating Peak Experiences into Trauma-Informed Approaches with 5-MeO-DMT

In trauma-informed frameworks, dissociation often occupies a contentious space. Within the dominant perspective, it is believed that for repressed experiences to be fully processed and resolved, an element of conscious awareness—some cognitive processing—must remain present. This perspective dismisses dissociative experiences as akin to bypassing critical aspects of the client’s healing journey.Yet, the peak experience of a “full release" facilitated by 5-MeO-DMT challenges this assumption, reframing complete dissociative states as an opportunity within specific therapeutic contexts. This presentation proposes that complete dissociation, when carefully facilitated and integrated, can unlock pathways to healing that transcend conventional trauma-informed paradigms.