When anthropologist and ethnomedicine archivist Julia Mandoki sat down with Hystelica founder Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley to discuss her work, she highlighted how women’s health research and studies on women and psychedelics remain profoundly shaped by assumptions that exclude half the population.

Long before turning her focus to psychedelics, Julia was deeply immersed in feminist scholarship and activism. Her journey began during graduate studies in religious studies and anthropology, where she engaged with pioneering feminist thinkers such as Donna Haraway, bell hooks, and Sandra Harding. These early encounters challenged the notion of an objective “view from nowhere,” teaching her to question who writes history, whose voices are erased, and how power shapes what counts as scientific knowledge.

Julia’s entry into psychedelics began through her work archiving holistic medical traditions, where she developed a fascination with plant medicines. As she explored psychedelic science, she noticed a striking pattern: the most celebrated narratives—from Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception to today’s major conference keynotes—were overwhelmingly dominated by white men. Clinical trials frequently overlooked critical factors such as menstrual cycles, hormonal contraceptives, and menopause, treating participants as if their biology didn’t matter.

Motivated to address these blind spots, Julia launched two ambitious initiatives: a philosophical paper advocating that feminist critical theory must underpin psychedelic research, and a comprehensive audit of gender representation across studies, conference panels, and publication authorships. You can also watch her presentation at the ICPR conference, “Exploring the Intersection of Psychedelics and Feminism with Julia Mandoki.”

Critical theory challenges us to examine how knowledge is constructed and whose perspectives are marginalized. Drawing heavily on Donna Haraway’s Situated Knowledges, Julia Mandoki explains that feminist critique highlights both gender blindness—the assumption that research protocols apply equally to all—and gender bias, where women are reduced to hormonal caricatures or excluded from funding and study participation.

In her paper, Julia argues that without recognizing how gender intersects with pharmacology, psychology, and culture, psychedelic research risks reinforcing the inequities it seeks to address. By re-examining study designs, dosing schedules, and the language used in media reporting, a feminist lens can corr

Julia Mandoki’s data-driven audit meticulously catalogued every mention of “women,” “female authors,” and “gender diversity” in psychedelic research journals and conference programs. Her findings revealed stark inequities: very few studies adjust their protocols for menstrual-phase–dependent hormone fluctuations, and almost none investigate psychedelic interactions with menopause or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

In addition, she noted that retreat integration workshops often rely on romanticized “divine feminine” imagery, without addressing real-world issues like workplace discrimination, pay gaps, or gender-based trauma. Most concerningly, women occupied fewer than 30 percent of keynote slots at major psychedelic conferences, with similar underrepresentation among first authors in leading publications.

These data gaps are not just statistics; they translate directly into safety and efficacy concerns for millions of women seeking therapeutic relief. Julia’s findings underscore the urgent need for inclusive research practices and gender-sensitive approaches in psychedelic science, ensuring that women’s unique physiological and psychosocial experiences are recognized and prioritized.

Julia Mandoki’s critique of psychedelic practices extends beyond the laboratory and into the ceremony circle. While women-only retreats often promise empowerment through moonlit goddess rituals and archetypal journeys, such essentialist approaches can unintentionally narrow the definition of what it means to be female.

By overlooking factors such as race, class, sexual orientation, and the pressures of balancing career and caregiving, these retreats risk feeling exclusionary. Julia emphasizes that psychedelic practitioners should pair mystical exploration with practical, real-world skills—including negotiating for equal pay, setting personal boundaries, and engaging in collective advocacy.

Only by combining psychedelic insights with actionable social tools can the transformative experiences gained in women’s retreats translate into lasting empowerment and meaningful social change.

For Julia Mandoki, a truly feminist psychedelic protocol must weave together biological, psychological, and social dimensions. Rather than ignoring women’s hormonal cycles, researchers could schedule dosing during more stable phases, monitor interactions with contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy, and provide tailored support for postpartum and menopausal participants.

Ensuring psychological safety requires trauma-informed clinicians who understand gender-based violence and facilitate clear consent agreements. Since healing is never purely individual, sessions should also incorporate community-building exercises that teach advocacy skills, such as negotiating for a promotion or challenging ingrained social stereotypes.

Julia emphasizes that these layers reinforce each other: biological considerations guide dosing, psychological support shapes emotional integration, and social empowerment makes insights actionable. By integrating these elements, feminist-informed psychedelic protocols can create safer, more effective, and truly inclusive experiences for women.

To move forward, Julia calls for new funding structures dedicated to sex-disaggregated analysis, menstrual-cycle trials, and women-centered integration research. She envisions interdisciplinary teams where feminist theorists, neuroscientists, and community organizers co-design studies from the ground up, ensuring that every protocol reflects women’s lived experiences. Equally important is transparency: all published research should disclose participant demographics, author gender ratios, and whether hormonal variables were considered. Only by holding the field to these standards can we avoid the “pink-tax” trap of marketing wellness products without rigorous clinical backing.

Psychedelics amplify what resides within us—trauma and resilience alike. Julia Mandoki emphasizes the importance of robust safety nets in psychedelic practice, including written boundary agreements modeled on consent communities, anonymous reporting hotlines for misconduct in both clinical and underground retreats, and ongoing peer support networks. By collaborating with trauma advocacy organizations, practitioners can ensure women have trusted allies and clear pathways for accountability. Julia stresses that this infrastructure is not optional—it forms the backbone of ethical, feminist psychedelic practice.

Julia’s research into the history of plant medicine uncovers a tragic reality: patriarchal witch hunts and the rise of mechanistic science erased centuries of women’s healing knowledge. The current psychedelic renaissance offers an opportunity to reclaim this legacy. Julia advocates for genuine collaboration with Indigenous communities, positioning female healers as co-authors and keynote speakers, and publishing both positive and negative findings to avoid repeating past mistakes.

By combining ancestral wisdom with rigorous scientific trials, the field of psychedelic research can transcend colonial frameworks and honor the holistic, relational epistemologies that historically sustained diverse cultures.

Julia’s pioneering work shows that psychedelic science—and our broader vision of women’s health research—cannot simply retrofit existing methods. It demands a wholesale rethinking of who designs studies, whose voices are amplified, and how healing is envisioned. In her words, “We need courage and solidarity to face our data gaps—and the funding to back our convictions.” Only then can psychedelics fulfill their promise as tools of genuine empowerment for all women, steering us toward a future where gender equity and scientific excellence go hand in hand.