Have you heard or read about the rapidly growing field of psychedelic science investigating psychedelic-assisted therapies and medicine for the treatment of mental health and substance use-related challenges? Are you curious about the evidence behind these novel approaches that are being investigated around the world? Have you been doing your own reading and investigation but are not sure what information is credible?
Join us for a unique opportunity for members of the general public to learn from some of the world’s top researchers in the area of psychedelic-assisted therapies and medicine.
Open and accessible to all, the panel covered the following topics:
- Introduction to psychedelic therapies for mental health and substance use-related challenges
- The latest research in the field
- Facts vs. fiction regarding psychedelics
- Opportunities and challenges for the psychedelics industry
- Indigenous and cultural perspectives on psychedelics and traditional medicines
- Audience Q&A
event Overview
On May 27, 2022 a public event was held with some of the world's top scholars in psychedelic-assisted healing modalities. Questions were taken from the audience to address and correct "facts and fiction" about the fast-growing field of psychedelic-assisted therapies and medicine.
The Speakers
Rick Doblin, PhD
Panelist
Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). 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.
Olivia Marcus, PhD
Panelist
Olivia Marcus (she/her) completed her Phd in Medical Anthropology from the University of Connecticut and an MPH in sociomedical sciences from Columbia University. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (5T32 DA007233), where she is conducting mixed-methods research on the design and evaluation of complex interventions to address addiction recovery and mental health issues in Indigenous/First Nations communities in Mexico and Canada. She is also working to co-develop a survey on integration practices among people who drink ayahuasca in the US and Canada. For the past few years, she has led the qualitative component of the mixed-methods Ayahuasca Treatment Outcome Project to assess outcomes for addiction recovery in an all-male therapeutic community in Peru. Olivia conducted her doctoral fieldwork in the upper Peruvian Amazon, where she investigated perceptions of mental wellness and healing among mestizo curanderos (i.e., vegetalistas) and their clientele.
Dr. Dawn D. Davis
Panelist
Dawn D. Davis is a mother, a wife, CEO of NativeSci LLC, co-editor of the Journal of Native Sciences, a founding member of Source Research Foundation, a Newe and a citizen of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Dawn is an Indigenous Researcher and educator with a PhD in Natural Resources and Water Resources. Her research has focused on Peyote [Lophophora williamsii] decline and conservation efforts since 2006. Dawn has shared her research among Indigenous, academic, ethnobotanical, and psychedelic audiences nationally and internationally.
Ifetayo Harvey
Panelist
Ifetayo Harvey is the founder and board president of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective. Ifetayo’s experience of growing up with her father in prison brought her to drug policy reform work at the Drug Policy Alliance. In 2013, Ifetayo was the opening plenary speaker at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Denver, Colorado. Ifetayo briefly worked at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in 2015. Ifetayo worked at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) for five years because of her passion for ending the war on drugs. While at DPA, Ifetayo penned the piece Why the Psychedelic Community Is So White in 2016 and began organizing other folks of color and allies in psychedelic circles. Ifetayo is from Charleston, South Carolina. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Smith College in history and African studies.
David Nutt
Panelist
Professor David Nutt is a British neuropsychopharmacologist, globally renowned for his innovative research on the treatment of anxiety, substance abuse, and sleep disorders. In recent years, Nutt has pioneered psychedelic neuroimaging studies and carried out influential research on the therapeutic application of psilocybin. He is currently an editor of the Journal of Psychopharmacology, president of the European Brain Council, and both the Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology and deputy head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at the Imperial College London. Nutt is the founder of DrugScience, an independent UK-based drugs advisory committee which reviews scientific findings on drug harms. He is a strong advocate of evidence-based drug policy, working tirelessly to bridge the gap between legislators and researchers.
Dr. Monnica T. Williams
Panelist
Dr. Monnica T. Williams is a board-certified licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. She is also the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Connecticut, where she provides supervision and training to clinicians for empirically-supported treatments. Dr. Williams’ research focuses on BIPOC mental health, culture, and psychopathology, and she has published over 150 scientific articles on these topics.
Brian Rush
Moderator
Brian has worked for over 45 years as a substance use/mental health researcher with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) where is currently appointed as Scientist Emeritus. Brian is a Full Professor at the University of Toronto in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Psychiatry, and also holds a position as Collaborating Scientist at the Homewood Research Institute.
His work spans population health, evaluations of mental health and addictions treatment services and systems, including those focused on alternative and traditional medicine. Brian is currently the Project Leader for the multi-site study known as the Ayahusaca Treatment Outcome project (ATOP). He is also active in facilitating the collaboration among Canadian researchers, students and policy makers interested in psychedelic science, including traditional plant-based medicine.
Rick Doblin, PhD
Panelist
Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). 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.
Olivia Marcus, PhD
Panelist
Olivia Marcus (she/her) completed her Phd in Medical Anthropology from the University of Connecticut and an MPH in sociomedical sciences from Columbia University. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (5T32 DA007233), where she is conducting mixed-methods research on the design and evaluation of complex interventions to address addiction recovery and mental health issues in Indigenous/First Nations communities in Mexico and Canada. She is also working to co-develop a survey on integration practices among people who drink ayahuasca in the US and Canada. For the past few years, she has led the qualitative component of the mixed-methods Ayahuasca Treatment Outcome Project to assess outcomes for addiction recovery in an all-male therapeutic community in Peru. Olivia conducted her doctoral fieldwork in the upper Peruvian Amazon, where she investigated perceptions of mental wellness and healing among mestizo curanderos (i.e., vegetalistas) and their clientele.
Ifetayo Harvey
Panelist
Ifetayo Harvey is the founder and board president of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective. Ifetayo’s experience of growing up with her father in prison brought her to drug policy reform work at the Drug Policy Alliance. In 2013, Ifetayo was the opening plenary speaker at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Denver, Colorado. Ifetayo briefly worked at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in 2015. Ifetayo worked at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) for five years because of her passion for ending the war on drugs. While at DPA, Ifetayo penned the piece Why the Psychedelic Community Is So White in 2016 and began organizing other folks of color and allies in psychedelic circles. Ifetayo is from Charleston, South Carolina. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Smith College in history and African studies.
David Nutt
Panelist
Professor David Nutt is a British neuropsychopharmacologist, globally renowned for his innovative research on the treatment of anxiety, substance abuse, and sleep disorders. In recent years, Nutt has pioneered psychedelic neuroimaging studies and carried out influential research on the therapeutic application of psilocybin. He is currently an editor of the Journal of Psychopharmacology, president of the European Brain Council, and both the Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology and deputy head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at the Imperial College London. Nutt is the founder of DrugScience, an independent UK-based drugs advisory committee which reviews scientific findings on drug harms. He is a strong advocate of evidence-based drug policy, working tirelessly to bridge the gap between legislators and researchers.
Dr. Dawn D. Davis
Dr. Monnica T. Williams
Panelist
Dr. Monnica T. Williams is a board-certified licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. She is also the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Connecticut, where she provides supervision and training to clinicians for empirically-supported treatments. Dr. Williams’ research focuses on BIPOC mental health, culture, and psychopathology, and she has published over 150 scientific articles on these topics.
Brian Rush
Moderator
Brian has worked for over 45 years as a substance use/mental health researcher with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) where is currently appointed as Scientist Emeritus. Brian is a Full Professor at the University of Toronto in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Psychiatry, and also holds a position as Collaborating Scientist at the Homewood Research Institute.
His work spans population health, evaluations of mental health and addictions treatment services and systems, including those focused on alternative and traditional medicine. Brian is currently the Project Leader for the multi-site study known as the Ayahusaca Treatment Outcome project (ATOP). He is also active in facilitating the collaboration among Canadian researchers, students and policy makers interested in psychedelic science, including traditional plant-based medicine.
