Postdoctoral fellow in psychiatric genetics at the University of Chicago

“Beyond Fear: The Effects of MDMA in Humans”

Dr. Baggott will discuss new findings on how MDMA and related drugs alter emotions and social interactions in people.

Biography: Baggott is a neuroscientist who has been studying the perceptual and emotional effects of drugs like MDMA in healthy human volunteers for over 12 years.

Fellow, New York University, Department of Applied Psychology

“The Rule of Three from NYU: (1) A patient speaks, (2) A proposed narrative study of patient experiences, and (3) Recent findings from the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Study”

Human stories are powerful. Patient-driven stories have the ability to convey complex psychospiritual experiences in a way that raw data may not. First, a participant who has received psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the NYU study will share her experiences as a patient. Secondly, I will introduce a new study exploring the inner experiences of patients who have received psilocybin and conceptual challenges. Finally, I will share recent findings from the study, and speak about my experience as a “young investigator” in the field of psychedelic research.

Biography: Alexander Belser, M.Phil. is a Fellow in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University (NYU). He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. He was awarded a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) degree from Cambridge University, and studied clinical psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Alexander serves as the Administrative Director of the New York University Psilocybin Cancer Project, a Phase II randomized double blind placebo-controlled crossover study investigating the effect of psilocybin on end-of-life anxiety in patients with advanced cancer. Alexander has also authored or co-authored peer-reviewed articles appearing in publications such as the APA Journal of Family Psychology and the Oxford Handbook of Prosocial Behavior. His research interests at NYU include counseling lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adults and youth, identifying risk and protective factors for suicidal behaviors among LGBT youth. Broader research interests include the study of ecstatic human experiences, in the psychological tradition of William James and Abraham Maslow.

Director of Clinical Research, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

“MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD Research: Bridging Biology and Psychology”

In this discussion we will take a quick look at the overall structure of a clinical research program and the steps/time and strategy needed to take MDMA from experimental to prescription. I will also provide an overview of the exciting progress of MAPS MDMA/PTSD studies to date with a review of study results so far. After taking a look at the big picture of the clinical studies we will dive into what happens in the actual treatment. We will look at why might be happening on a biological level and how this relates to the therapeutic process. What are the elements of the therapy and how do we try to standardize the process while leaving room for the individual therapist and participant.

Biography: Amy earned her BS in genetics and cell biology from Washington State University. She has worked in clinical development and research for the last 15 years in the fields of immunology (Applied Immune Sciences), oncology (RPR), and most recently in vaccine development (Chiron and Novartis). Amy has worked with MAPS as a volunteer since 2003 facilitating the development of the MDMA clinical program. She is currently working as Director of Clinical Research and is involved with creating the structure needed to support the growing needs of the clinical operations group and MAPS clinical research studies.

Washington State University

“Ayahuasca & Law: International Perspective”

Religions have established a global presence; as a result, many nations are faced with the predicament of balancing the interests of these religious minorities with the international “war on drugs.” On the international stage, three prominent regulatory themes have emerged in response to the expansion of ayahuasca religions. The first concerns the scope of international treaties regarding plant-based psychoactive substances. The second concerns the scope of religious liberty and the problem of determining religious legitimacy. The final theme addresses the potential dangers of ayahuasca to health and public safety. Each of these themes will be explored using a variety of legal cases from Europe and the U.S. in order to illustrate the variety of legal outcomes, the reasoning behind these different legal decisions, and to discuss potential legal trends regarding religious use of ayahuasca in an international context.

Biography: Kevin Feeney, J.D., M.A., received his law degree from the University of Oregon in 2005, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at Washington State University, where he is studying the religious use of psychoactive plants. His research interests include the study of folkloric and archaeological evidence for traditional uses of psychoactive mushrooms, and examining legal and regulatory issues surrounding the modern religious and cultural use of psychoactive substances, with an emphasis on ayahuasca and peyote. He is co-author, with Richard Glen Boire, of Medical Marijuana Law (2007).

Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine and the Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

“Why Psychedelics Matter”

This talk will explore twenty years of research experience and will examine historical and contemporary contexts of psychedelic use, the significance of medical research in revealing the potential for therapeutic use and the need for reducing harm among non-clinical users.

Biography: Over the past twenty years Dr. Grob has conducted approved clinical research investigations of MDMA, ayahuasca and psilocybin, and he has published extensively in the psychiatric and neuroscience literatures on the range of effects and implications of psychedelics.

Director, Paititi Institute, Iquitos, Peru

“Amazonian Grass Roots Research on Entheogen-based healing of Physical Pathologies”

The main focus of our work at the Paititi Institute is to implement the original, indigenous healing and spiritual practices of the sacred and medicinal plants as a viable healing alternative in the western society. This talk will be about Amazonian grass roots research on entheogen-based healing of physical pathologies.

Biography: Roman Hanis is dedicated to the study and implementation of the many deep transformative healing methods that have been in use for thousands of years, paying special focus to the construction of intercultural bridges in the Western natural alternative approach to health with the Amazonian, Andean & Eastern healing spiritual traditions. Using these very traditions, Roman was fortunate enough to be cured of a terminal, genetic illness 10 years ago. The non-conceptual universal essence of these tools and the wisdom behind them are being integrated into western culture by Roman through his daily healing practices, aimed at providing maximum benefit of the profound re-emergence of ancestral values in our modern world.

Author of ‘Psychedelic Information Theory: Shamanism in the Age of Reason’

“Psychedelic Information Theory: Mapping the Limits of Human Perception and Imagination”

The capacity of the human imagination is widely considered to be infinite, but the reality is that human perception is limited, flawed, and held together by illusions of predictive analysis. Psychedelic Information Theory poses questions that have not yet been considered by modern science, such as “What is the functional capacity of human perception?” and “How does the information quality of perception change as we move through waking, dreaming, or hallucinating states?” Various methods for defining the capacity of human perception are explored, and definite limits on human imagination are proposed.

Biography: James Kent is a software engineer and writer specializing in neuroscience and psychedelic research. He is the author, most recently of ‘Psychedelic Information Theory: Shamanism in the Age of Reason‘

Family nurse midwife for twenty five years

“Gender and Psychedelics: Exploring Women’s Experience”

In what ways do women report that their social experiences in relation to psychedelics are different from those of men? How does the evolving narrative of psychedelic exploration represent the experiences and contributions of women? What might account for any gender disparities in the psychedelic community?[/typography]

Biography: Mariavittoria Mangini is one of the founders of the Women’s Visionary Council, and a long-time student of the impact of psychedelic experiences on her contemporaries.

Psychotherapist, author, psychedelic pioneer, philosopher, Professor Emeritus at California Institute of Integral Studies

“Psychoactive Substances in Shamanism and Psychotherapy”

This talk will review and compare the experiences and uses of ayahuasca in traditional Amazonian shamanic healing practices and contemporary contexts; the use of psilocybe mushrooms in historical, indigenous Mesoamerican culture for vision seeking and their contemporary applications (as psilocybin) in pre-dying preparation; the uses of iboga root in African initiation ceremonies and contemporary treatment of drug addiction. Emphasis will be on considering not only the drug effect, but the set and setting of the experience, and the underlying worldview of the individual and the culture (for example, about the after-life).

Biography: Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. is a recognized pioneer in psychological, philosophical and cross-cultural studies of consciousness and its transformations. He collaborated with Leary and Alpert in classic studies of psychedelics at Harvard University in the 1960s, co-authored The Psychedelic Experience and was editor of The Psychedelic Review. He is a psychotherapist and Professor Emeritus at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where he was also the Academic Dean for ten years in the 1980s. His books include The Unfolding Self, The Well of Remembrance, Green Psychology, The Expansion of Consciousness, Alchemical Divinationand Mind Space and Time Stream. He is the editor of two collections of essays on the pharmacology, anthropology and phenomenology of ayahuasca and of psilocybin mushrooms. He is also the president and co-founder of the Green Earth Foundation, dedicated to healing and harmonizing the relations between humanity and the Earth. More information on the Green Earth Foundation can be found here: www.greenearthfound.org.

Neuroscience professor and director, Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

“Seeing with the Eyes Shut: Neural Basis of Enhanced Visual Imagery following Ayahuasca Ingestion”

In this talk, Dr. Ribeiro will discuss results obtained with functional magnetic resonance imaging, showing that Ayahuasca “visions” stem from the concerted activation, during voluntary imagery, of an extensive network of cortical areas involved with vision, memory, and intention.

Biography: Sidarta Ribeiro, Ph.D. holds a Bachelors degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Brasilia (1993), a Masters in Biophysics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1994), and a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from the Rockefeller University (2000). He performed post doctoral studies in Neurophysiology at Duke University (2000-2005). Currently he is full professor of Neuroscience at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), and director of the Brain Institute of UFRN. He has experience in the areas of neuroethology, molecular neurobiology, and multi-electrode neurophysiology, and works mainly in the following areas: sleep, dreaming and memory; immediate genes and neuronal plasticity; vocal communication in birds and primates; and symbolic competence in non-human animals. He is greatly interested in the study of the neural bases of consciousness and its alteration, including the investigation of the ayahuasca experience. He has also been involved in the public debate on the medicinal uses and the legalization of cannabis in Brazil