Survivors of Dr. Parth Gandhi

Parth Gandhi PhD was an SLC based psychedelic therapist who completed murder-suicide against his 16 year old son Om Moses Gandhi in May 2023. 

I THRIVE's creator initially learned of Dr. Parth Gandhi as a state & national leader in the psychedelic sciences in 2019. After I THRIVE's creator experienced psychedelic facilitated sexual assault at the hands of a Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) professor in 2020, she signed up for Dr. Parth Gandhi's July 2020 psychedelic assisted therapy course in hopes of garnering support and healing related to her experience. I THRIVE's creator found great healing in the openness, education, integration, community, & virtual healing offered through Parth's course, which was taught by guest lecturers and national leaders in the psychedelic sciences. I THRIVE creator's experience in this course was positive & healing such that she went on to offer scholarships for future students and survivors through his virtual zoom training in 2020 and early 2021.

In an effort to expose psychedelic facilitated sexual assault in Utah as related to her own June 2020 assault, I THRIVE's creator pursued peaceful protest, performative art, and mass outreach in the SLC mental health community January 2021 seeking inclusion and the opportunity to share her work and side of the story at HMHI. When HMHI professors failed to intervene and instead retaliated, I THRIVE's creator went to Dr. Parth Gandhi & several local mental health providers for help to expose these abuses in the summer of 2021. In the process of this advocacy I THRIVE's creator first learned that Parth might be dangerous from his former business partner James Evans BSc late summer 2021. James told I THRIVE's creator that Parth was dangerous and that she should be careful. He indicated that there was a lot of money in psychedelics and that I THRIVE's creator could be harmed, potentially murdered if what she was exposing in Utah were to harm the psychedelic medicine movement.

 

Given these concerns for her own and the public safety, I THRIVE's creator reported these threats to >10 University of Utah doctors late summer 2021. No action was taken by these providers to protect the Utah community at that time, and rather I THRIVE's creator was threatened with criminal citation for reporting Parth and associated peers as dangerous. Fearing for her life and knowing she would not be believed in setting of Utah providers' combined efforts to cover these ethical and moral violations, I THRIVE's creator continued to pursue advocacy, performative and investigative efforts, and to collect evidence to expose violations occurring in the Utah mental health community throughout 2021. We cancelled our 2021 photo advocacy series in its early planning phases to focus on personal safety, local, and national advocacy efforts, and to apply to the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) Certificate Program in Psychedelic Therapies and Research (CPTR) where we hoped we might be successful in gaining additional resources to report Parth and violations occurring in the Utah mental health and psychedelic science community.

 

Post her acceptance to CIIS, I THRIVE's creator was approached by Parth in February of 2022. Parth indicated that he could provide I THRIVE's creator healing for her history of psychedelic facilitated sexual assault by engaging her in a physical (sexual) relationship while on psychedelic medicines. I THRIVE's creator immediately recognized this as dangerous, unethical, & immoral, however, because she had only been solicited and not harmed, she was later told by police that this was not a crime and there was little she could do to intervene or to stop Parth at that time. I THRIVE's creator feared for her life in setting of the threats of hypothetical murder she had received for exposing psychedelic facilitated sex assault in Utah & feared reporting Parth in setting of these dangers. Additionally, because I THRIVE's reports also involved other local Utah mental health providers who were intent to cover their crimes and abuses, I THRIVE's creator had difficulty being believed by local police and authorities who she made her reports to. I THRIVE's creator continued to report Parth's attempted solicitation to lead physicians in the Utah mental health community (Paul Carlson MD and Reid Robison MD) in March & April 2022, attempting to gain support and counsel to determine how to proceed in setting of these circumstances. These providers failed to intervene, and in the case of Dr. Carlson, were antagonistic toward I THRIVE's creator for her advocacy, leaving I THRIVE's creator increasingly concerned for the safety of women and patients in Utah and intent to find a way to secure support to stop Parth and these grievances. 

I THRIVE's creator began her studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in April 2022. At CIIS, I THRIVE's creator was able to network with national leaders in the psychedelic sciences and to share her concerns regarding patient and community safety in Utah with teachers and students at the training who encouraged her continued reporting of these grievances. In June and July 2022, I THRIVE's creator learned from two local psychedelic medicine churches (The Divine Assembly and Temple of Hermes) that there may be others who Parth had solicited or possibly harmed. With Utah patient and community safety in mind, I THRIVE's creator once again made a stand for survivor rights in Utah on a state and national level when she pursued public whistleblowing efforts on July 31, 2022 reporting Dr. Parth Gandhi to police, the University of Utah, national leaders in the psychedelic sciences, & to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL). Shortly after these whistleblowing efforts, I THRIVE's creator learned October 2022 that Parth had completed alleged rape against a patient. She was recruited to DOPL's investigation into the abuses committed by Dr. Parth Gandhi at this time. In setting of reports of additional abuses, I THRIVE's creator doubled down her reporting efforts and has maintained active participation in all investigations associated with these matters since October 2022. She was later recruited to SLCPD's investigation into Parth and University of Utah peers' associated abuses during winter 2022. Intent to protect the Utah community and concerned regarding these reports,  I THRIVE's creator continued to contact DOPL, the FBI, and local police related to these cases throughout spring 2023 when we would learn of a tragic turn of events. 

On May 13, 2023 I THRIVE's creator learned that her prior professor, Dr. Parth Gandhi, had completed murder suicide against his 16 year old son, Om Moses Gandhi amidst a long-standing custody battle and the ongoing sex assault investigation that I THRIVE's creator had helped secure. At the time of the murder in summer of 2023, I THRIVE's creator contacted the Utah Attorney General (AG) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting investigation into these events citing concern for local corruption, community cover-ups, and failure to intervene on I THRIVE's reports that Parth was dangerous for nearly 2 years preceding these events. Despite our greatest efforts and in setting of multiple local cover-ups, we had minimal success securing investigations outside of the Utah Division of Professional Licensing to address these grievances. Both the Utah AG and the DOJ deferred investigations into these crimes and episodes of community corruption. These experiences and I THRIVE's involvement in these investigations has been a large part of our organization's mission and our creator's life from 2020 to present day. These events remain under review by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing. Learning of such grave offenses from a local professor after witnessing our local police, government, and mental health community's failures to intervene has merited a period of healing and introspection.

 

Post the murder of 16 year old Om Moses Gandhi, I THRIVE's creator offered all legal materials and reporting history to the liaison for the family of the slain child as well as anonymous referrals to the SLC Rape Recovery Center, crime reparations funds applications, and legal service referrals to a local Utah law firm that had been briefed on the details of I THRIVE's reporting history for those harmed by Dr. Parth Gandhi. I THRIVE's creator was subsequently invited to the funeral of Om Moses Gandhi, which she attended, as well as to a healing offered by the family by invitation from their liaison Cherise Udell. At the healing for those harmed by Parth, the liaison for the family harmed indicated a wish to pursue Om's Law to protect future Utah children and to keep our platforms separate, which I THRIVE's creator has agreed to and respected.

 

In honor of the family of Om and in effort of her own healing, I THRIVE's creator waited until September 2024 to more fully itemize details relative to this investigation on our site. That said, these events have been described on our Kintsukuroi Project page and throughout our site in lesser detail since these events transpired summer 2023. I THRIVE was told by legal counsel that any of the survivors harmed by Dr. Parth Gandhi after I THRIVE's reports were filed or reported to University of Utah officials in late summer 2021 and spring 2022, and to multiple police and government officials 2022-2023, may have a case against the University of Utah or the state for its failure to intervene on reports of prospective harm and corruption in the Utah community. I THRIVE's creator remains a willing and cooperative witness in all aspects related to these investigations and has made our reporting history available to the survivors of Dr. Parth Gandhi as it relates to their cases by request. We continue to pray for Justice in any investigations related to these events and for the healing of all those harmed by Dr. Parth Gandhi and associated providers in our Utah mental health community.

 

The local law offices of Parker and McConkie have been briefed on these cases and I THRIVE's reporting history and have offered their legal counsel for the survivors of Parth Gandhi. If you are a survivor of Parth Gandhi's harms, we recommend reaching out to them or a trusted attorney to explore your options and to determine if legal action is appropriate in your case and recovery journey. Healing from sexual assault is a challenging endeavor and it is important to seek support throughout this process. 

 

If there are any survivors of Dr. Parth Gandhi who are in need of healing resources we invite them to explore our recovery resources and offerings in the links above, to consider reaching out, and to remember, You Are Never Alone. 

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To learn more about the University of Utah's involvement in these abuses, please visit our Culture of Harm page HERE.