PNW-COSMOS/AGEP Scholar, NSF-ISTEM Scholar, and NSF-IGERT Associate, Indigenous Researcher

“Peyote Habitat Loss: An Examination of Threats Using GIS”

Dawn D. Davis, Ph.D. (cand), is a mother, a wife, a microfarmer, a small-business owner, a PhD student, and a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. She resides on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Idaho with her husband Cleve and two daughters Lilianna and Isla Rain. Dawn is an Indigenous researcher with an interest in peyote perpetuation.

She holds a master’s degree from the University of Arizona and is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Idaho. Current research includes sustainability of ethno-significant plants, particularly medicinal plants and first foods, in addition to small-scale food and energy security. Dawn is a scholar of the Indigenous Program for STEM (ISTEM) research, including collaborative research funding from the Pacific Northwest Alliance-Cosmos and the National Science Foundation (NSF). She has also been an NSF fellow under the Integrated Graduate Education and Traineeship program.

Abstract

The peyote cactus [Lophophora williamsii] which is ingested for its medicinal qualities has been a conservation concern for members of the Native American Church (NAC) and peyotists, since 1976. In 2010, the United States' Natural Resources Conservation Service identified peyote as a plant of cultural concern due to destruction of the habitat in south Texas. The country of Mexico also created a federal regulation considering peyote a subject of special protection, justly so, as 80 percent of the peyote habitat exists in Mexico. The primary threat to long-term conservation of peyote is overharvesting due to increased demands by members of the NAC and improper harvesting techniques of peyote distributors. Other threats include: root plowing, oil development, disturbance from feral hogs and exurban development. Due to these threats, it is imperative that conservation and sustainability measures by members of the NAC, peyote enthusiasts, peyotero distributors and Texas landowners be developed. This presentation advocates for the conservation of the peyote cactus habitat and development of a harvest strategy that will perpetuate a viable population of wild peyote cacti. Additionally, educating NAC members, and peyotists of the Peyote Gardens’ depletion and possible development of self-regulation on peyote purchases are needed to ensure long term conservation. These threats have potential to reduce wild peyote populations to the point of extermination and federal mandates such as the Endangered Species Act would have little to no effect considering these tracts of land are predominately privately owned. An Indigenous approach to preserving the peyote sacrament in its habitat is needed, including an examination of the spatial distribution of peyote as it relates to course scale fragmentation of habitat today through digitization of a previously created distribution map from 1980. Key in this effort are Indigenous voices discussing Indigenous topics.

Co-Clinical Investigator, MAPS MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Study
Postdoctoral Fellow, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
Director, Psychedelic Education and Continuing Care Program
Board Member, Horizons Media, Inc.

“MAPS MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Severe PTSD”

Ingmar Gorman, Ph.D., is a psychologist who specializes in assisting populations who have had experiences with psychedelics and other psychoactive compounds. He is the Director of the Psychedelic Education and Continuing Care Program, where he leads groups, trainings, and works with individual clients. Dr. Gorman is also site co-principal Investigator and therapist on a Phase 3 clinical trial studying the potential psychotherapeutic utility of MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder. He is a NIH funded fellow at New York University and a board member of Horizons Media, Inc.

Clinical Psychologist, Sub Investigator and Therapist, MAPS MDMA Clinical Study of PTSD

“MAPS MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Severe PTSD”

Willa Hall received her A.B. in Psychology from UC Berkeley in 1987 and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from New School in 1999. Over the past 20 years, she has dedicated herself to raising her children while working in community mental health and private practice in New York City. In 2017 she began work on the MAPS NYC site as a co-therapist on the Phase III trials assessing the efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for severe PTSD. Dr. Hall has a long-standing interest in understanding the ways in which the therapeutic relationship and, in particular, the therapist’s authenticity facilitate a client’s deepening appreciation of their own authentic self. More recently, Dr. Hall’s attention has turned to understanding the therapist’s role in treatments that utilize non-ordinary states of consciousness in order to maximize growth and healing.

Clinical psychologist
Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Alabama

"Psilocybin-facilitated Treatment for Cocaine Use"

Peter S. Hendricks, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He has studied the development of novel and potentially more effective treatments for substance dependence since 1999, with specific areas of focus on tobacco, cocaine, and polysubstance dependence in vulnerable populations. He is principal investigator of the first clinical trial of a classic psychedelic (psilocybin) for cocaine dependence and has published more than 10 peer-reviewed manuscripts and/or book chapters on classic psychedelics since 2014.

Abstract

Research investigating classic psychedelics as treatments for addiction was initiated in the first wave of classic psychedelic research in the mid twentieth-century, but was ultimately terminated as a result of misinformation, stigma, lack of funding, and legal proscription. Conclusions about the effectiveness of such treatments were largely uncertain secondary to methodological limitations, however, a 2012 meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials evaluating LSD treatment of alcohol misuse yielded significant reductions in alcohol consumption as compared to control treatments. These and more contemporary findings have reinvigorated the investigation of classic psychedelics in the treatment of addictive disorders. Peter Hendricks will present preliminary quantitative outcomes from an ongoing double-blind placebo-controlled trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cocaine dependence, the first of its kind.

Psychiatrist and Author

Saturday Science & Medicine Program Host and Moderator

Julie Holland, M.D. is a psychiatrist specializing in psychopharmacology with a private practice in New York City. Her book “Weekends at Bellevue” chronicles her nine years as an attending physician on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine, running the psychiatric emergency room. Featured on the Today show and CNN’s documentary series “Weed,” Holland is the editor of “The Pot Book”; and “Ecstasy: The Complete Guide.” (Both books are non-profit projects that help to fund clinical therapeutic research.)

Dr. Holland is the medical monitor for several MAPS PTSD studies utilizing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy or testing strains of cannabis with varying CBD/THC ratios. She has worked for decades on US drug policy reform based on harm reduction principles. Her 2016 book, “MoodyBitches: The Truth About The Drugs You’re Taking, the Sleep You’re Missing, the Sex You’re Not Having, and What’s Really Making You Crazy” has been translated into eleven languages. (It was not a non-profit project.)

Clinical Psychologist

“Microdosing: The Phenomenon, Research Results, and Startling Surprises”

Sophia Korb received her PhD from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA. She has clinical experience with children and families with trauma, individuals with chronic psychiatric disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS, veterans, people using substances, and people who are formerly incarcerated.

Adjunct Faculty, California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)
Public Education and Culture Specialist, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
Chief Editor, Chacruna

Sunday Culture & Philosophy Host & Moderator

Beatriz Caiuby Labate has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her main areas of interest are the study of psychoactive substances, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, and religion. She is Adjunct Facultyat the East-West Psychology Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco and Visiting Professor at the Center for Research and Post Graduate Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS) in Guadalajara. She is Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She is co-founder of the Drugs, Politics, and Culture Collective, in Mexico (http://drogaspoliticacultura.net), and co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil, as well as editor of NEIP’s website (http://www.neip.info). She is also Chief Editor at Chacruna (http://chacruna.net). She is author, co-author, and co-editor of eighteen books, one special-edition journal, and several peer-reviewed articles (http://bialabate.net).

Postdoctoral Fellow, Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alabama

"Psilocybin-facilitated Treatment for Cocaine Use"

Dr. Sara Lappan is a couple and family therapist whose research focuses on therapeutic alliance as well as family health outcomes.

Abstract

Research investigating classic psychedelics as treatments for addiction was initiated in the first wave of classic psychedelic research in the mid twentieth-century, but was ultimately terminated as a result of misinformation, stigma, lack of funding, and legal proscription. Conclusions about the effectiveness of such treatments were largely uncertain secondary to methodological limitations, however, a 2012 meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials evaluating LSD treatment of alcohol misuse yielded significant reductions in alcohol consumption as compared to control treatments. These and more contemporary findings have reinvigorated the investigation of classic psychedelics in the treatment of addictive disorders. Peter Hendricks will present preliminary quantitative outcomes from an ongoing double-blind placebo-controlled trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cocaine dependence, the first of its kind.

Founder and Executive Director, International Center for Ethnobotanical Education Research & Service

“The Inner Search For A Better World:
The Challenging Journey of Integrating Psychoactive Plant Practices Into Contemporary Society”

Benjamin De Loenen studied audiovisual media in The Netherlands, where he graduated with his documentary “Ibogaine-Rite of Passage” (2004), a film that remains an important reference on this subject matter. Since this achievement, Benjamin has been dedicated to making ayahuasca, iboga and other plant practices into valued and integrated parts of society. In 2009, he founded the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service (ICEERS), a charitable non-profit organisation with United Nations consultative status, where he serves as Executive Director. ICEERS is the organizer of the World Ayahuasca Conference and runs the Ayahuasca Defense Fund. Benjamin is the author of several publications and films, has presented at conferences around the world, and has participated in various leadership roles, including as a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Ibogaine Therapist Alliance (2012 - 2014).

What would a future where psychoactive plant practices are integrated and valued in our societies look like? We can imagine a world where there is less suffering, where our relationships with the natural world and each other have been restored, and where there is hope for a more loving future for our planet. Yet, the road to progress towards this vision is a long road – one that is a work in progress and this presentation will explore some of the key questions that arise when we begin to engage in a dialogue about what “integrated into society” means from different perspectives. Some of the major obstacles on the journey include increasing levels of legal prosecution, problematic media discourses, reductionist policy at international and local levels, misinformation, and lack of duty of care or unethical behaviours by people offering these experiences. Additionally, as medical psychedelic drug development moves forward, questions arise on how this paradigm can co-exist with other psychoactive plant practices. And, in light of the psychedelic renaissance, how equitable partnerships can be built that support the indigenous peoples who continue to steward these plant medicines and how to be fierce allies in their struggles for self-determination and the protection of their territories.

Professor of Criminology in the Department of Sociology, Durham University, United Kingdom
Director, The Loop

“Psychedelics in Nightlife and Festivals, Drug Testing, and Harm Reduction: The UK Experience”

Fiona has been Professor of Criminology at Durham University since 2013, conducted research on changing trends in drug use and their policy implications for over 25 years, and has been going to clubs for even longer. Her frustration at lack of progress in UK drug policy combined with her genetic predisposition to contrariness led her to co-found the Loop in 2013 and she has been on a mission to enhance harm reduction and introduce drug safety testing ever since.

American Author, Journalist, and Activist
Professor of Journalism, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

“How to Change Your Mind : What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence”

Michael Pollan is a writer, teacher and activist. His most recent book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence, was published in 2018. He is the author of seven previous books, including Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire, all of which were New York Times Bestsellers. The Omnivore’s Dilemma was named one of the ten best books of the year by both The New York Times and The Washington Post. Pollan teaches writing in the English department at Harvard and at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, where he has been the John S. and James, L. Knight Professor of Journalism since 2003. Several of his books have been adapted for television: a series based on Cooked (2015) is streaming on Netflix and both The Botany of Desire and In Defense of Food premiered on PBS. In 2010 Time Magazine named Pollan one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Pollan lives in Berkeley with his wife, the painter Judith Belzer.

Michael Pollan joins us for a conversation on his new book. When he set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into the experience of various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.

Photo by Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Pharmacologist
Head of Research, Human Neuropsychopharmacology Research Group, Saint Pau Institute of Biomedical Research, Autonomous University of Barcelona

“From Enhancing Mindfulness Abilities to Promoting Neurogenesis: New Findings on the Therapeutic Potential of Ayahuasca”

Jordi Riba holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology. He leads the Human Neuropsychopharmacology Research Group at Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona. He has a broad interest in psychoactive drugs with publications on psychedelics, psychostimulants, cannabinoids, and kappa receptor agonists. He has been studying ayahuasca for over fifteen years and has published nearly forty journal articles and book chapters on the subject. He has also supervised two doctorate theses on the acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca in humans, and collaborated in the first clinical studies involving ayahuasca administration to patients with depression. His current research deals with the post-acute psychedelic “after-glow” and the use of ayahuasca in the treatment of various psychiatric conditions. He is also investigating the neuroprotective and neurogenic potential of ayahuasca alkaloids. Initial data obtained from studies in animals have revealed that several active principles present in the tea protect brain cells from hypoxia and stimulate the birth of new neurons in adult mice. These stunning results open a whole new avenue of research for ayahuasca. Potential applications of its active principles range from depression, to neurodegenerative disorders, to neural deficits associated with hypoxia and trauma.

The old paradigm of an immutable brain has been abandoned following evidence that the human central nervous system undergoes functional and structural changes throughout adult life. Studies in animals have shown, in at least two brain regions, new neurons are constantly being born and integrated into neural circuits in a process known as neurogenesis. Psychedelics and ayahuasca in particular, are powerful substances with demonstrated capacity to change pathological patterns of thought and behaviour, such as those observed in depression and addiction. These beneficial effects suggest that ayahuasca has the ability to modulate brain function beyond the time-frame of acute effects. Here I present my group’s most recent findings on the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca. Data from neuroimaging studies in humans and from cellular biology studies in animals bridge the gap between the acute psychedelic experience and the long-term improvements observed in patients. In humans, neurometabolic and functional connectivity data obtained from ayahuasca users indicate that brain dynamics are modified in the post-acute stage following ayahuasca intake. Changes in brain metabolites and connectivity correlate with increases in mindfulness capacities, a series of facets known to have a positive influence on the outcome of psychotherapeutic interventions. In animals, studies in neural progenitor cells indicate that the alkaloids present in ayahuasca facilitate the formation of new neurons. They induce precursor cells from the hippocampus to proliferate, migrate, and differentiate into mature neurons. The hippocampus is a brain structure that plays a key role in cognitive processes including learning and memory. In humans, its function declines with the normal aging process, and more dramatically so in Alzheimer’s disease and other devastating neurodegenerative disorders. The present findings indicate that ayahuasca acts at multiple levels of neural complexity and time scales, all potentially contributing to the therapeutic effects observed in patients. The neurogenic effects of ayahuasca alkaloids opens a new avenue of research with potential applications ranging from psychiatric disorders to brain damage and dementia.

Associate Professor Division of Prevention Sciences Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco

“Psychedelic Justice: Exploring the Intersections of Healing, Liberation, and Social Change”

Jae Sevelius, PhD is Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and is a licensed clinical psychologist. At the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, Dr. Sevelius’ community-led research is focused on leveraging data to develop and evaluate transgender–specific, trauma-informed interventions to promote holistic health and wellness among transgender people, with an emphasis on serving transgender women of color and those affected by HIV in California and São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Sevelius holds a Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dr. Sevelius’ research and clinical interests lie at the intersections of social justice, sexuality, health, and identity.

Ph.D. candidate, Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College, London

“Dynamics of Brain Activity and Conscious Experience Induced By DMT”

Christopher Timmermann obtained a B.Sc. in Psychology in Santiago, Chile and a M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Bologna in Italy. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Imperial College London, leading a project focusing on the effects of DMT in the brain and consciousness. He is interested in the use of methods bridging the relationship between phenomenology and changes in brain activity by studying the effects of psychedelic compounds in human participants.

Psychedelics hold the potential to narrow the bridge between phenomenology and brain activity by inducing complex experiences in controlled environments. DMT is characteristic for being able to induce rich phenomenological features, usually accompanied by feelings of deep immersion, and complex transitions of experience. In our study, we administered intravenous doses of DMT and placebo to healthy volunteers, while brain activity was recorded using EEG. Advanced phenomenological methods were used to map the details of the experience induced by DMT. Results pertaining brain activity and experiential features will be presented and the discussion will be centred around the possibility of bridging these two levels of explanation and the relevance this investigation holds for consciousness research.

Clinical Psychologist
Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut, Director of the Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities, Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic, LLC, Mansfield, Connecticut, Board-Certified, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

“Race-Based Trauma: The Challenge and Promise of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy”

Monnica T. Williams, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Connecticut in the department of Psychological Sciences. Dr. Williams has published over 100 book chapters and peer-reviewed articles, focused on anxiety-related disorders and cultural differences. She has served on the board of directors of the Delaware Valley Association of Black Psychologists, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Main Line chapter, NAMI Louisville, and the OC Foundation of California. She is currently a member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) Scientific Advisory Board, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), where she serves as the Special Interest Group (SIG) leader for African Americans in Behavioral Therapy. Dr. Williams is the clinical director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Mansfield, CT, which serves adults and families with OCD, PTSD, and anxiety disorders.

Current research shows promise for a new intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)–assisted psychotherapy. This talk explicates the present state of research into clinical trauma related to the experience of racism in America, and the potential contribution MDMA-assisted psychotherapy might make to the efficacy of present interventions.

Artist, Founder and Director, Pioneer Works

“How Heavy is a Light Year”

Dustin Yellin was born in California in 1975, and raised in Colorado before establishing his art practice in Brooklyn, NY.

Often using a singular layered-glass process, Yellin’s work explores themes of nature at odds with human technological progress. Weaving together narratives of space travel, subterranean exploration, deluge, and inferno, Yellin’s work examines human consciousness careening into an uncertain global future.

Dustin Yellin is the founder and director of Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Pioneer Works is a cultural center dedicated to experimentation, education and production across disciplines. Through a broad range of educational programs, performances, residencies and exhibitions, Pioneer Works transcends disciplinary boundaries to foster a community where alternative modes of thought are activated and supported. Pioneer Works strives to make culture accessible to all.