Soul Quest Ayahuasca Church (Orlando, FL)
Florida-based ayahuasca church (founded 2015) at the centre of Soul Quest Church of Mother Earth Inc. v. DEA — the leading post-2018 federal-court test of religious-exemption claims for ayahuasca. 2018 in-ceremony death of Lindsey Poulson.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 for documented participant death (Lindsey Poulson, 2018) and ongoing federal litigation over DEA exemption.
In context
Soul Quest, founded by Christopher Young, operates ayahuasca and kambo retreats from a campus near Orlando under the claim of religious-exemption status modelled on the Supreme Court's 2006 UDV ruling. A 2018 participant death (Lindsey Poulson, sepsis after a kambo ceremony) triggered Florida investigations and a long-running DEA denial of religious-exemption status; the case (Soul Quest v. DEA, 11th Cir.) has continued through 2023. Representative case for the documented harm patterns of unregulated US psychedelic facilitator networks.
Lifton's 8 criteria of thought reform
Robert Jay Lifton's 1961 framework, complementary to BITE. Criteria this group exhibits according to the cited sources.
- Milieu ControlRestricting communication and information so the group controls what members see, hear, and discuss.
- Sacred ScienceThe group's doctrine is presented as the absolute, unquestionable truth — beyond critique.
- Doctrine Over PersonPersonal experience or memory is overridden when it conflicts with the group's narrative.
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 2015Soul Quest founded near Orlando
- 2018Lindsey Poulson dies after kambo ceremony
- 2020+DEA denies religious exemption; litigation begins
- 202311th Circuit ruling against Soul Quest
Sources
- WFTV9 reporting, Orlando (2018+)
- Soul Quest Church of Mother Earth Inc. v. DEA, 11th Cir. (2023)
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Search the source title plus the group name to find the original.