2016 speakers have not yet been announced.
Speakers are listed alphabetically.
Please see the Schedule page for details about space and time.
“Reuniting with Oneself in the Face of Cancer: the Lived Experiences of Participants in the NYU Cancer Anxiety Study”
“Psilocybin, Meditation, Mystical Experiences, and the Brain”
Draulio Barros de Araujo, Ph.D.
“Ayahuasca, Awareness and Depression”
“Psychedelic-assisted Treatment of Addiction: Current Work with Psilocybin in the Treatment of Alcoholism”
Robin Carhart-Harris, MA, Ph.D.
“Psychedelic Brain Imaging and Depression”
“FDA Approval of MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy: On the Horizon”
“Psychedelics and Death: A Brief Introduction”
Jeffrey Guss, M.D.
Patrick Murphy, B.F.A.
Stephen Ross, M.D.
“The Voices of the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Project”
“Psychedelics, Partying, and Policy”
“Psychedelics and Deep Ecology”
“Reclaiming Religious Freedom and Family Values: A Conversation on Psychedelic Parenting”
“Psychedelic Drug Policy Activism: Why Cognitive Liberty Matters”
Co-Investigator, NYU Qualitative Interview Study
“Reuniting with Oneself in the Face of Cancer: the Lived Experiences of Participants in the NYU Cancer Anxiety Study”
This talk will share and discuss findings from qualitative investigations into the effects of a phase II clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of cancer-related anxiety at NYU School of Medicine (NYUSoM), which aims to analyze the phenomenological processes of participants (n=13) who participated in a psilocybin session with supportive psychotherapy to treat existential anxiety related to having a cancer diagnosis.
Biography
Gabrielle Agin-Liebes has been conducting clinical treatment research with psilocybin at NYUSoM since 2012, under the tutelage of Stephen Ross. She is a co-investigator of a qualitative interview study, utilizing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to subjectively describe the experiences of participants in a NYUSoM study of psilocybin-mediated treatment of existential distress provoked by cancer diagnoses. She is also a session guide for a study investigating psilocybin-facilitated mystical experiences of religious professionals. Gabrielle is currently completing her doctoral training toward a PhD in clinical psychology at Palo Alto University.Faculty Member in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
“Psilocybin, Meditation, Mystical Experiences, and the Brain”
There are many paths up the same mountain. Comparing notes from different paths may tell us something about the journey. Two paths up the mountain (via either meditation or psychedelics) may share some striking similarities. I will discuss preliminary findings and possible implications of a groundbreaking study that uses behavioral and brain imaging techniques to investigate mystical experiences encountered with meditation and psilocybin. I will also provide a brief update of current programs of research with psychedelics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Biography
Frederick Barrett is a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed graduate studies in cognitive neuroscience at the University of California, Davis, where he used computational models of music cognition to study brain activity during music-evoked emotions, memories, and spiritual experiences. He received training in the behavioral pharmacology of classic hallucinogens as a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Roland Griffiths at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Fred is currently collaborating on a number of behavioral, cognitive, and brain imaging studies of the effects of hallucinogenic substances including psilocybin.
Professor of Neuroimaging, Brain Institute, Natal, Brazil
“Ayahuasca, Awareness and Depression”
Draulio will present neuroimaging results related to the effects of Ayahuasca and describe the ongoing project on its antidepressive effects.
Biography
Draulio is a professor of Neuroscience at the Brain Institute, Natal, Brazil. He has been investigating the neural basis of Ayahuasca’s effects, particularly related to metacognition and mental imagery. He is also coordinating a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Ayahuasca in treatment-resistant major depressive disorders.
Professor of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine
“Psychedelic-assisted Treatment of Addiction: Current Work with Psilocybin in the Treatment of Alcoholism“The use of psychedelics to treat addiction is an old idea that is receiving renewed attention after many years of neglect. This talk will provide a review of historical and contemporary research on the use of psychedelics in the treatment of addiction, followed by presentation of preliminary findings from an ongoing program of research on psilocybin-assisted treatment of alcoholismBiography
Prior to coming to NYU this year, Dr. Bogenschutz was Vice-Chair for Addictions and Vice-Chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. In that capacity he oversaw the addictions treatment programs at the university and conducted a broad program of clinical research on addictions. He recently completed the first study of psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence and is now leading a multi-site randomized trial testing a similar model.
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London
“Psychedelic Brain Imaging and Depression”
This talk will describe the action of LSD and psilocybin in the human brain and report on our findings with psilocybin in depression.
Biography
Robin has been managing the psychedelic brain imaging and depression research at Imperial for the last 6 years.
Founder and Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
“FDA Approval of MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy: On the Horizon”
Since MAPS was founded in 1986, it’s taken more than 29 years and about $5 million in direct costs for us to be on the verge of completing an international series of Phase 2 pilot studies exploring the risks and benefits of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in about 90 subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD. In early 2016, we’ll submit our data to FDA along with a proposal for the design of our pivotal Phase 3 multi-site studies. I’ll review our Phase 2 findings, our leading design for Phase 3, and the potential route to FDA approval in 2021. I’ll also review our soon to start marijuana/PTSD study in 76 US veterans, funded by a $2.1 million grant from the CO Dept. of Public Health and Environment, comment on our Zendo psychedelic harm reduction project, and raise several ethical/strategic issues with which MAPS is wrestling.
Biography
He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master’s thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife and three children.
Psychotherapist and author, Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development
“Psychedelics and Death: A Brief Introduction”
The concept-and at times the actuality-of death always attends the psychedelic experience. This lecture will provide a brief overview of the many ways in which death influences the psychedelic experience. It will also offer a recontextualization of that relationship, providing a broader conceptual umbrella for the various ways in which death infuses and informs the psychedelic mindset, in ways which better resonate with the modern worldview.
Biography
Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and author specializing in psychospiritual development. He is author of dozens of popular and scholarly articles, curates and hosts innovative workshops, salons, and conferences, and a frequent speaker on psychotherapy and change, adult developmental psychology, psychedelics research and policy, and the integral future of society.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine
“The Voices of the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Project”After a brief presentation of selected findings from the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety project, we will screen a short film (Patrick Murphy, director) in which several of the participants in the study describe their journey through cancer, their experience in the NYU research project and how their lives and relationship to cancer have changed. Some of the individuals in the film will be present and participate the Q and A session that will follow the film.
Biography
Jeffrey Guss, MD is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. He is Co-Principal Investigator and Directory of Psychedelic Therapy training for the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Project. He is a Co-Investigator with the NYU Double-Blind Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Treatment of Alcoholism. Dr. Guss is a graduate of the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis and is interested in the integration of psychoanalytic concepts with the emerging practice of psychedelic therapy and clinical training for psychedelic therapists. He maintains a full-time private practice of psychiatry and psychotherapy in New York City with specialization in the treatment.
Nightlife Community Engagement Manager, Drug Policy Alliance
“Psychedelics, Partying, and Policy”
The vast majority of psychedelic drug use takes place outside of medical or therapeutic settings – and likely always will. What are the trends and future of drug use, harm reduction and policy at festivals, clubs and concerts? Is there a path toward ending the criminalization of MDMA and other psychedelics or even legalizing them more broadly?
Biography
Stefanie Jones is nightlife community engagement manager at the Drug Policy Alliance, based in New York. She runs the Music Fan program, which introduces harm reduction principles and drug policy alternatives to partygoers, event producers, public health officials and city nightlife regulators across the United States.
Film & Television, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Casa Vera Productions
“The Voices of the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Project”After a brief presentation of selected findings from the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety project, we will screen a short film (Patrick Murphy, director) in which several of the participants in the study describe their journey through cancer, their experience in the NYU research project and how their lives and relationship to cancer have changed. Some of the individuals in the film will be present and participate the Q and A session that will follow the film.
Biography
Since graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Pat has been involved in producing and editing a variety of documentaries and video content. His feature-length documentary about psychedelics in psychiatry, Psychedelia, is currently in the festival circuit. He worked as an editor on a number of musical documentaries for PBS and Showtime, and together with his colleague from NYU, produces socially-conscious documentary and commercial video under the name Casa Vera Productions.
Author and Co-founder of evolver.net and Reality Sandwich
“Psychedelics and Deep Ecology”
We find ourselves at a critical juncture: According to most scientists, we are on the verge of runaway climate change and biospheric collapse. Without a rapid, global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, we confront an imminent apocalypse that could lead to the death of billions of people and perhaps even our extinction. We can look at the ecological crisis as a collective initiation we, as a species, must pass through. Entheogens are tools that can catalyze individual and collective awakening. What role will these chemical catalysts and traditional medicines play in the time ahead? Can they help inspire a transformation of our species consciousness, before it is too late?
Biography
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine
“The Voices of the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Project”
After a brief presentation of selected findings from the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety project, we will screen a short film (Patrick Murphy, director) in which several of the participants in the study describe their journey through cancer, their experience in the NYU research project and how their lives and relationship to cancer have changed. Some of the individuals in the film will be present and participate the Q and A session that will follow the film.
Biography
Dr. Ross is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine and Associate Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology and Medicine at the NYU College of Dentistry. He directs the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Opioid Overdose Prevention Program at Bellevue Hospital Center. He is also the Director of Addiction Psychiatry at NYU Tisch Hospital, and the Director of the NYU Addiction Fellowship. He directs an NIH funded Addictive Disorders Laboratory at Bellevue Hospital Center. Dr. Ross researches the therapeutic application of hallucinogen treatment models to treat psychiatric and addictive disorders. He is an expert in psycho-oncology and is studying novel pharmacologic-psychosocial approaches to treating psychological distress associated with advanced or terminal cancer. He is the Principal Investigator of the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Project, a recently completed phase II randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in patients with cancer and psychosocial distress. Dr. Ross is a co-investigator of a multi-center trial (NYU &UNM) exploring the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for patients with alcoholism, as well as the NYU PI of a trial (NYU & Johns Hopkins) investigating the effects of psilocybin administration on religious professionals. Dr. Ross is also an expert in mood disorders pharmacotherapy and is studying the effects of ketamine as an acute acting anti-depressant as part of a randomized controlled trial at Bellevue and Tisch Hospitals, in patients with major depression who present to the emergency room.
Founder and “Chief Operating Dad” of PsychedelicParenting.org
“Reclaiming Religious Freedom and Family Values: A Conversation on Psychedelic Parenting”
In a Post-Burwell v. Hobby Lobby world, “Religious Freedom” has become a code for discrimination and bigotry, but at PsychedelicParenting.org we are redefining community, religious expression, and passing our values onto the next generation through the sharing of stories, song, and sage advice. Join Jonathan for a sampling of the stories we’ve collected.
Biography
Jonathan is the Founder of PsychedelicParenting.org, a resource for building community and family traditions around traditional plant sacraments in the Global North. He is also a father of three, a committed husband, and “sunlights” as Office Manager for a well-established Holistic Health practice in Mid-Michigan.
Lecturer, School of Law, University of Leicester and member of the ICEERS Expert Committee for the Regularization of Psychoactives
“Psychedelic Drug Policy Activism: Why Cognitive Liberty Matters”
This talk will take a look at the crucial importance of - and challenges involved with - rooting psychedelic drug policy activism in the principle of cognitive liberty.
Biography
Charlotte Walsh (LLB; MPhil) is Lecturer in Law at the University of Leicester School of Law, England, where she runs an undergraduate course on Criminology, largely concerned with drug policy. Her main research focus is on the interface between psychedelics and the law, viewed from a liberal, human rights-based perspective, and she has published widely on this subject: she believes that drug prohibition conflicts with our fundamental right to cognitive liberty. Charlotte has been involved with advising people who are being prosecuted for activities involving plant psychedelics. She is a member of the ICEERS Expert Committee for the Regularization of Psychoactives, a group concerned with co-ordinating a common defence strategy in ayahuasca cases and with the development of a global strategy of normalisation for ayahuasca.
