Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) describe the conditions for accessing and using The Brazen Word website, its editorial content, newsletter sign-up features, submission forms, and related publication services. Please read our Privacy Policy as well.

1. Publisher, scope, and acceptance

The Brazen Word is owned and published by Dane Jackman, an individual publisher, not a separately incorporated company. “The Brazen Word,” “Brazen,” “we,” “us,” and “our” mean Dane Jackman operating the publication.

Legal contact: hello@brazenword.com
Business mailing address: The Brazen Word, Attn: Dane Jackman, 400 W 41 St, Suite 402, Miami Beach, Florida 33140, United States.

When these Terms are brought to your attention and you agree to them or use an interactive feature subject to them, they apply to that interaction to the extent a valid agreement is formed under applicable law. If you disagree, do not use the affected interactive feature. Intellectual-property, privacy, and other legal obligations may apply independently of a contractual agreement.

These Terms do not replace a separate signed contributor agreement, publication release, or other written agreement for a particular project. Such an agreement controls for its subject matter if it conflicts with these Terms. Reviewing the Privacy Policy is not a substitute for a separate consent where the law requires one.

2. The editorial publication

Brazen is an independent journal exploring consciousness, science, medicine, psychedelics, culture, and human experience. Content may include journalism, research summaries, essays, interviews, opinion, visual artwork, and firsthand accounts.

Publication does not necessarily mean endorsement of a person, product, treatment, claim, political position, or worldview. Contributors' opinions may differ from those of the publisher. We endeavor to distinguish evidence, emerging research, individual experience, and speculation; consult our Editorial Standards for the publication's approach.

The Brazen Word is a free editorial publication written by the publisher and a group of contributors. We do not charge readers, collect payments or donations through the website, or offer paid subscriptions, purchases, or paid services. The current site provides editorial access, newsletter sign-up, and contact or proposal forms, without reader accounts or payment processing.

3. Age and authority

The website is not directed to children under 13. Children under 13 must not submit personal information or sign up for communications.

If you are under the age of legal majority where you live, involve a parent or legal guardian before using submission features, and obtain any permission legally required for the interaction. You must have legal capacity, or appropriate adult authorization, to enter a binding contributor agreement or grant a publication release. We may decline a sensitive personal-story submission if an appropriate permission process cannot be established.

If you act for an organization or another person, you must have authority for the particular action. You cannot authorize publication of another person's private health information merely by submitting a story about them.

4. Medical and mental-health disclaimer

All website content is provided for informational, educational, and editorial purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, psychotherapy, or a personalized treatment recommendation.

Do not start, stop, change, or delay medication or medical treatment based solely on this publication. Seek advice from an appropriately qualified professional who can assess your circumstances. Never disregard professional advice or postpone seeking help because of something you read here.

The website, newsletter, and contact channels do not provide emergency support and are not continuously monitored. In a United States emergency, call 911. For a United States suicide or mental-health crisis, call or text 988; outside the United States, contact the appropriate local emergency or crisis service.

The publication is not a healthcare service or patient portal. Reading, subscribing, submitting a story, or contacting Brazen does not establish a physician-patient, therapist-patient, or other healthcare-professional relationship. A contributor's separate professional credentials do not create such a relationship with readers. Ordinary editorial correspondence should not be treated as a confidential clinical consultation.

5. Emerging research, treatments, and controlled substances

Science, clinical guidance, and legal rules change. Articles may discuss preliminary research, off-label uses, investigational therapies, experimental practices, or disputed findings. Publication is not a determination that a practice is safe, effective, approved, available, or lawful for you.

Discussion of psychedelics, ketamine, or other substances is not encouragement to obtain, manufacture, possess, distribute, or use a substance unlawfully, or to self-administer a prescription or controlled drug. Federal, Florida, and other jurisdictional laws may differ, and an exemption, research authorization, or lawful clinical use in one setting does not authorize every other use.

Consult current authoritative sources, licensed clinicians where relevant, and qualified legal advice concerning your own circumstances. The website does not provide individualized legal, financial, or professional advice.

6. Individual experiences and outcomes

Human Experience stories and testimonials describe individual accounts, not clinical evidence establishing a treatment's safety, effectiveness, or suitability for other people. Results, recollections, and interpretations may vary. An account may contain uncertainty, limitations, or the narrator's subjective beliefs.

Articles may also discuss observations from clinical practice, including treatment setting, preparation, patient comfort, dosage, and sensory experience. These are identified as practice-based observations or hypotheses where appropriate; they are not presented as controlled research findings or proof that an approach produces superior outcomes.

Spiritual, philosophical, or personal interpretations are not scientific findings merely because they are compelling. Neither an article nor a testimonial guarantees a medical, psychological, financial, professional, spiritual, or other outcome. Contextual disclosures and editorial notes form part of the relevant article.

7. Accuracy, updates, and editorial independence

We endeavor to publish accurate, responsibly sourced work, but do not promise that every item is complete, free of error, or permanently current. A publication, update, or review date is not a guarantee that no subsequent development exists.

We may investigate corrections, revise a headline or article, add context, decline a proposal, archive material, or remove content in accordance with editorial judgment, applicable law, and relevant contributor agreements. An inquiry does not guarantee a particular editorial decision, response time, or publication.

The publisher also has ownership interests in Ketamine Lounge and Tristar Wellness. These relationships do not make Brazen a healthcare service. Where an article discusses those organizations, draws on their practice experience, or concerns another relevant publisher or contributor interest, we disclose the relevant connection alongside the article. Editorial independence does not mean an absence of ownership or professional relationships.

Report a factual concern through Contact or hello@brazenword.com, identifying the article, the disputed passage, and reliable supporting sources. A reported disagreement is not by itself proof of an error.

8. Intellectual property and permitted use

Original articles, branding, design, artwork, and other materials created for Brazen are owned by or licensed to the publisher or their identified rights holders. Third-party research, photographs, quotations, trademarks, and other materials retain their respective ownership.

You may read the site, share links, and make reasonable personal, noncommercial use of its material. You may quote or otherwise use content when permitted by fair use or another applicable legal exception; please identify the publication and link to the original where appropriate. Nothing here removes an exception or right provided by law.

Except with permission or as allowed by law, do not reproduce, republish, commercially distribute, sell, translate for republication, or commercially exploit substantial portions of the content; strip attribution or rights notices; or use Brazen branding in a way that suggests a false affiliation or endorsement. No general license to use a third party's work is granted through its appearance on this site.

Commercial republication, syndication, substantial dataset creation, or model-training use of protected material requires an appropriate license unless the use is otherwise lawful. Contact hello@brazenword.com for permission questions.

9. Copyright and rights concerns

If you believe material on our site infringes a copyright or another right, send a specific report to hello@brazenword.com. Include:

Your name and contact information, and your authority to act if reporting for someone else.
Identification of the work or right at issue and the exact page or material concerned.
An explanation of the alleged violation and relevant supporting information.
A statement that the report is accurate and made in good faith, and your electronic or written signature where appropriate.

We may seek clarification, contact the relevant contributor, restrict access, or take another appropriate action. This reporting channel does not guarantee a finding in either party's favor and does not replace any notice, counter-notice, or legal process required by applicable law. Do not submit knowingly false rights complaints.

10. Ideas, proposals, and other submissions

You may submit proposals, corrections, interview suggestions, or a personal-story outline for consideration. Provide accurate information, disclose relevant professional or financial interests, and submit only material you are entitled to share. Do not submit unlawful, defamatory, stolen, misleading, or privacy-infringing material.

You retain ownership of your original submission. By providing it for consideration, you authorize the limited handling needed to receive, store, review, discuss internally, verify, and respond to that submission. Submitting a proposal is not a blanket transfer of copyright or a blanket license to publish it.

A separate agreement may be required before we commission work, publicly reproduce a substantial submission, agree compensation, or grant republication rights. Unless agreed in advance in writing, submission does not create an employment, agency, partnership, commissioned-work, or paid-contributor relationship, and does not obligate us to pay a submission fee.

Do not send trade secrets or material that requires a confidentiality agreement unless we have first agreed in writing to receive it on those terms. We handle personal information as described in the Privacy Policy, but an unsolicited submission does not create an unlimited confidentiality or exclusivity obligation. Similar ideas may be independently proposed or developed; ideas themselves are not protected in the same way as an original written work.

11. Personal stories, images, and publication permission

Voluntarily submitted personal stories and testimonials are received for private editorial consideration. Submission, correspondence, or acceptance of these Terms is not permission to publish your story, identity, image, medical history, treatment details, religious views, or other personal information.

All voluntarily submitted personal stories and testimonials undergo editorial review, and we require separate, documented written consent before publication, including for stories published anonymously or under a pseudonym. Before publishing a supplied portrait or other identifiable personal image, we obtain the appropriate written permission. Permission cannot be assumed from your relationship with another person, and your own consent does not authorize disclosure of someone else's private information.

The publication agreement or release defines the permitted use and may address editing, attribution, anonymity or pseudonyms, imagery, and compensation if any. Publication in newsletters, social media excerpts, or promotional materials must fall within the scope of the permission granted; website publication permission does not automatically authorize every other use. You must also have the necessary rights to any photographs or other materials you provide.

You may contact us to withdraw publication consent. Before publication, we will stop publication of material that depends on that consent. After publication, we review requests to change or remove material in light of the authorization, applicable law, and legitimate editorial obligations. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing already carried out. We cannot guarantee removal of copies controlled by search engines, independent archives, or other third parties. Our Privacy Policy provides further information about retention and deletion.

Joining Stay Curious requests editorial updates to the email address you provide. It is not consent to unrelated third-party marketing. Submitting a contact form does not separately subscribe you.

You can opt out by contacting hello@brazenword.com, or by using the unsubscribe mechanism in a newsletter if one is sent. We do not charge for opting out. Our Privacy Policy explains the applicable timeline and any minimal suppression record.

We may respond to an inquiry you initiate or send a legally required notice even after a newsletter opt-out. Email delivery, frequency, and receipt cannot be guaranteed. The current website stores sign-ups but is not connected to a separate automated email-campaign service. Before introducing an email marketing provider, we will update the Privacy Policy to describe the provider's processing and any email tracking features, and provide notices or choices required by applicable law.

13. Acceptable use and security

Do not use the site or forms to:

Break applicable law or infringe intellectual-property, privacy, publicity, or other rights.
Impersonate a person, misrepresent authority or affiliations, or submit fraud, unlawful threats, or knowingly false material.
Send spam, malicious links, malware, or material intended to exploit systems or people.
Attempt unauthorized access, defeat access controls, interfere with service availability, or probe systems destructively.
Harvest personal information unlawfully or use contact details for unsolicited bulk messages.
Use automated requests that materially disrupt the site, evade lawful restrictions, or copy protected material for an unlawful purpose.

These restrictions do not prohibit lawful criticism, good-faith corrections, legally protected research, accessibility tools, or legitimate search-engine indexing that does not interfere with the site. If you find a security concern, send a limited description to hello@brazenword.com; do not access, copy, expose, or alter someone else's information to demonstrate it.

14. Third-party sources, links, and tools

Links to journals, research databases, government resources, healthcare organizations, and other sites are for information and convenience. They are not a guarantee of accuracy, security, suitability, or endorsement.

Third-party services operate under their own terms and policies. We do not control their content, availability, or processing of your information. Use judgment before submitting information to another site or acting on its content. Any applicable affiliation or financial-interest disclosure should be considered alongside the relevant material.

15. AI-assisted editorial work

As described in our Editorial Standards, tools may assist editorial tasks such as organizing research, drafting, editing, or visual development. AI output is not an authoritative source and does not replace verification or editorial responsibility.

This provision describes editorial tool use; it is not consent to send a reader's private contact submission or health information to an AI service. Such information is handled under the Privacy Policy, and any materially different processing requires the appropriate disclosure and legal basis.

16. Privacy and information handling

Our Privacy Policy describes the information requested by the forms, website infrastructure, fonts, purposes of use, disclosures, retention, and ways to make a request. Do not submit confidential clinical records or sensitive identifiers through ordinary forms.

Personal information collected through Brazen's website, newsletter registrations, contact forms, editorial submissions, and related correspondence is not shared with Ketamine Lounge or Tristar Wellness and is not used for patient recruitment, clinical marketing, or healthcare-related advertising.

Nothing in these Terms waives a privacy right, required publication permission, legally protected source relationship, or mandatory consumer protection.

17. Availability, restriction, and termination

We may change or discontinue a feature, perform maintenance, or restrict an interaction when reasonably necessary for security, unlawful activity, misuse, legal obligations, or editorial operations. We do not promise uninterrupted availability or indefinite storage of an unsolicited proposal.

You may stop using the site or withdraw from the newsletter at any time. Restricting access does not remove applicable privacy rights or authorize an otherwise unlawful use of your information. Provisions concerning ownership, permitted use, submitted material, liability, and dispute handling continue to apply to matters arising while they were in effect, where legally enforceable.

18. Disclaimer of warranties

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE WEBSITE AND ITS CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, COMPLETENESS, CONTINUOUS AVAILABILITY, OR FREEDOM FROM ERROR.

We do not guarantee that the site will meet an individual reader's needs or that its content will produce a particular result. Nothing in this section excludes a warranty or responsibility that cannot lawfully be excluded, excuses a knowingly false representation, or overrides a specific written commitment.

19. Limits of liability

TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE PUBLISHER AND PERSONS ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE PUBLICATION ARE NOT LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM USE OF THE FREE WEBSITE OR RELIANCE ON ITS EDITORIAL CONTENT.

To the extent a contractual cap is enforceable, the publisher's aggregate liability for claims arising from the free website under these Terms is limited to US $100. This is not a representation that a court will enforce a cap in every circumstance.

The exclusions and cap do not apply to fraud, intentional misconduct, gross negligence, a liability or remedy that law prohibits limiting, or a nonwaivable consumer or privacy right. Some jurisdictions do not allow particular exclusions or limits; in those circumstances, only the legally permitted limitations apply.

20. Responsibility for unlawful submissions

To the extent permitted by law and under a valid agreement, you are responsible for reasonable losses, liabilities, and costs arising from a third-party claim caused by your knowing infringement of another person's rights, unlawful submission, fraud, or intentional misuse of the website.

This responsibility does not extend to a claim caused by our own unlawful conduct, negligence, or use of your material outside the permission you granted. We will provide reasonable notice of a claim for which we seek your responsibility, permit appropriate participation in its defense, and not agree to a settlement imposing an admission or nonmonetary obligation on you without your consent.

21. Florida law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, together with applicable United States federal law, without applying conflict-of-law rules to defeat a mandatory protection.

To the extent a venue agreement is enforceable, disputes concerning these Terms or the website may be brought in the state courts located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, or the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, as appropriate to their jurisdiction.

Nothing here prevents you from using a court, small-claims procedure, regulator, or remedy that mandatory law makes available to you, or deprives you of a nonwaivable protection in your place of residence. These Terms contain no mandatory arbitration clause and no class-action waiver.

You may contact hello@brazenword.com to try to resolve a dispute informally, identifying the issue and desired resolution. This invitation is not a compulsory waiting period, does not shorten a statutory filing deadline, and does not prevent urgent relief or a regulatory complaint.

22. Changes, interpretation, and notices

We may revise these Terms as the publication, features, or law changes. The current version will show its effective and last-updated dates. For material changes affecting an ongoing interactive service, we will provide appropriate notice and obtain renewed agreement where required. Changes do not retroactively take away accrued rights or a permission required for an existing submission.

If a provision is invalid or unenforceable, the remainder continues to the extent lawful, without rewriting a provision to remove a mandatory protection. A failure to enforce a provision on one occasion does not automatically waive it in another circumstance. Headings are for convenience.

These Terms and any applicable separate written agreement describe the relevant arrangement; they do not create third-party rights except where expressly stated or required by law. A successor to the publication takes any transferred obligations subject to applicable law, publication agreements, and the Privacy Policy.

For legal questions, permission requests, or notices, email hello@brazenword.com or write to the business mailing address in section 1. An email does not necessarily replace formal service of legal process where a law requires another method.