Glossary: Psychedelic Medicine

Terpene

A class of aromatic compounds found in many plants that contribute to fragrance, flavor, and biological activity and may influence therapeutic effects.

Therapeutic Alliance

The collaborative relationship between clinician and client characterized by trust, mutual respect, shared goals, and agreement on therapeutic tasks. It is one of the strongest predictors of positive treatment outcomes.

Therapeutic Presence

The clinician's capacity to remain fully attentive, emotionally regulated, empathic, and intentionally engaged, fostering psychological safety and supporting healing without directing the patient's experience.

Tinnitus

The perception of ringing, buzzing, hissing, or other sounds without an external auditory source.

Touch Ethics

Ethical guidelines governing the use of therapeutic touch, emphasizing clinical necessity, informed consent, cultural sensitivity, competence, and appropriate professional boundaries.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

A cumulative body of ecological knowledge, practices, and beliefs developed through long-term observation and interaction with local ecosystems. TEK informs sustainable stewardship of land, water, plants, animals, and human health.

Traditional Healer

A practitioner recognized within a cultural tradition for providing healing through inherited knowledge, ceremony, herbal medicine, spiritual practices, manual therapies, or other culturally specific methods.

Traditional Knowledge Sovereignty

The right of Indigenous peoples to control, protect, preserve, and determine the use, interpretation, and transmission of their traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.

Trauma-Informed Care

An approach to care that recognizes the prevalence and impact of trauma and emphasizes safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural responsiveness while avoiding re-traumatization.

Trauma-Informed Ceremony

The intentional adaptation of ceremonial or consciousness-expanding practices to prioritize participant safety, informed consent, cultural respect, psychological screening, skilled facilitation, and integration.

Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk)

A guiding principle introduced by Albert Marshall that encourages learning to see with one eye the strengths of Indigenous knowledge systems and with the other eye the strengths of Western science, using both together for the benefit of all.