Examining the Psychedelic Renaissance
Season 2
2020 MAPS Canada Webinar
Sept 22th – Dec 29th, Tuesdays at 5PM PST
25+ Speakers
15+ Live Episodes
10+ Private Events
Join us for our second season of Examining The Psychedelic Renaissance! Featuring…
Industry leading scientists, doctors, visionaries & luminaries, shamans, researchers, along with leading voices in the emerging world of psychedelic medicine.
The series will include expert presentations with Q&A, panel discussions, and post episode private sessions with our presenters.
During this 15-week online event, we will explore:
- Discussions on the most pressing issues that we are dealing with today in regards to psychedelic science, research, medicine and legalization.
- Additional post-episode semi-private sessions with our guest speakers (limited)
- The history and usage of various psychedelic medicines
- Hear from our leadership team: MAPS founder Rick Doblin, and MAPS Canada executive director, Mark Haden
- The leading edge of working with psychedelic medicines for eating disorders, cognitive processing therapy, and PTSD
- What exactly is the Psychedelic Renaissance?
Featuring...
Hear from over 25 expert speakers on the latest innovations in psychedelic research and medicine. Episodes running every Tuesday from September 22nd – December 29th at 5PST.
Mark Haden
What is MAPS Canada?
September 15th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Mark Haden is the Executive Director of MAPS Canada as well as an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health. He has been published on the issue of drug policy in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, the International Journal of Drug Policy and was involved in producing the Health Officers Council paper on the regulation of illegal drugs in 2005. He currently provides public education on drugs and drug policy
Webinar Topic: This will be the first introductory episode to our webinar series featuring MAPS Canada Executive Director Mark Haden. Mark Haden will be joined by our host for the series Shannon Smadella for an intimate interview styled episode. Mark will speak to more length about what is going on behind the scenes at MAPS Canada and also about the current studies we are funding.
Recent Work:
The Healing Trip – The Goop Lab on Netflix
LSD Overdose Case Study – Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
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Dr. Adele Lafrance
Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders
Panel discussion with Dr. Reid Robison and Dr. Anne Wagner
November 24th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Adele Lafrance, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, and author. She is co-developer of Emotion-Focused Family Therapy. Adele is a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine, with a focus on ayahuasca, MDMA, and psilocybin. She is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study for eating disorders and a collaborator on the Imperial College study for psilocybin and anorexia nervosa. She is also co-developer of Emotion-Focused Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy. Adele has a particular interest in mechanisms and models of healing, including spirituality, emotion processing, and couples and family therapy.
Webinar Topic: In this episode we will get to hear from some of the leading experts in the field of clinical psychedelic research. Both Dr. Adele Lafrance and Dr. Reid Robinson are currently focussed on a study looking at using MDMA to treat PTSD. While Dr. Anne Wagner also has a background investigating Eating Disorders, she will be touching on her work with MDMA + Cognitive Processing Therapy.
Recent Work:
“Psychedelic use and intimate partner violence: The role of emotion regulation” – Journal of Psychopharmacology
“Exploratory Research on Ayahuasca & Eating Disorder Recovery” – MAPS, Youtube
Can Psychedelic Drugs Heal? – American Psychological Association
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Amanda Sage
The Role of Visionary Art in the Psychedelic Renaissance
October 27th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Amanda Sage is an artist driven by the desire to reveal art’s critical role in regenerative culture. A celebrated Visionary Artist, she is a citizen of the world, exhibiting in galleries, art fairs and festivals, as well as lecturing and teaching worldwide at places such the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in New York, Paradise One in Australia and the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art in Austria. A contemporary nomad, she is passionate about artistic social experiments such as the WUK in Vienna, Burning Man and bridging worlds for creative flourishing. The Vision Train embodies her passion for art and community, creating a platform for experimentation to support individuals and communities in creative solutionary activism.
Webinar Topic: For this episode, Amanda is going to be joining three other visionary artists (Chris Dyer, Jake Kobrin and Simon Haiduk) in a Visionary Art panel.
Recent Work:
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Jazmin Pirozek
Canadian Psychedelic Association
December 22nd, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Jazmin Pirozek HBA, MSc practices and teaches traditional and contemporary methods regarding plants of the Boreal and Amazon forests. Currently, Jazmin is a consultant combining scientific and traditional methods, focussing on remediating chronic illnesses for the people of Northern Ontario, Canada. Jazmin has applied concepts of Nishnawbe Aski Nation Health Transformation perspectives in her work to combine Traditional and Contemporary Health practices to create better access to Integrative medicine for all. Jazmin founded Boom Bay Integrative Healing and Learning Centre on Beautiful Lake of the Woods, Kenora, Ontario, which is set to continue construction into 2021.
Webinar Topic: In this episode, Jazmin will be joined by CPA Board Member Trevor Millar to discuss what the CPA is and what role is seeks to serve in the psychedelic space.
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Rick Doblin
The Leading Edge of Psychedelic Medicine
September 22ND, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: 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, dog, and empty rooms from three children, one of whom is in college and two have graduated.
Webinar Topic: Hear from the Executive Director and Founder of MAPS US, Rick Doblin in a one hour, question packed interview style webinar. Rick will cover the latest updates on what’s happening in the world of psychedelic medicine in the US and Canada, and where our leadership team sees the future of psychedelic medicine going. Don’t miss this action packed episode and your opportunity to be in this episode with MAPS own Rick Doblin!
Recent Work:
Psychedelics: Science, Medicine and Politics – Lecture
People Should Have the Fundamental Human Right To Change Their Consciousness’ – Reason
MAPS Completes 30million Capstone Challenge – MAPS Press Release
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Ifetayo Harvey
Psychedelic Healing: Imagining a Better Tomorrow
November 3rd, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Ifetayo Harvey is the marketing coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and founder of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective. She is a graduate of Smith College with a BA in History and African Studies, and has shared her experience of being personally impacted by the drug war in major media outlets. Ifetayo is currently a student of Somatic Sex Education. In Ifetayo’s free time, she enjoys TV, fitness, crafts, and playing her euphonium or listening to music.
Webinar Topic: Psychedelics have gained a lot of traction in the mainstream for their healing properties. How can psychedelics be used as a tool for creating a better future? In the wake of 2020, a year filled with collective trauma, how can we use this moment to make a better world.
Recent Work:
Psychedelics and the War on Drugs – SoundCloud
Inside the Rift: Interview With Ifetayo Harvey of MAPS – MAPS
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Chris Kilham
The Lotus and The Vine: Yoga and the Psychedelic Landscape
October 6th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter, explorer, lifelong yogi, psychedelic advocate and media personality. He has investigated medicinal plants among indigenous people globally for decades, from Siberia to the Amazon to Congo. The author of fifteen books including the international best-seller The Five Tibetans, Chris has appeared on over 2000 radio and 500 TV programs. The New York Times calls Chris “part David Attenborough, part Indiana Jones.”
Webinar Topic: Methods of yoga and meditation can provide powerful support and navigational aid in the psychedelic landscape. Conversely psychedelics can help to enhance one’s yoga practice as a result of profound and radical spirit immersion. Drawing upon 53 years of psychedelic journeying and 50 years of daily yoga and meditation practice, Chris Kilham describes the potent fusion of psychedelics and yoga, and how to harness this power. Discover the place where psychedelics and kundalini meet. “Chris Kilham offers to jog the mind with good psychedelic plants…” Ken Kesey
Recent Work:
Psychoactive Plants, Auras and Color Therapy – Coast to Coast AM with George Noory
Is a Psychedelic Date Night Worth the Trip? – Playboy Magazine
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Dr. Joe Tafur
Epigenetics in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies: Spiritual Healing in Modern Healthcare
October 20th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Joe Tafur is an integrative family physician, educator and ayahuasquero/curandero trained in the Peruvian Shipibo lineage. Dr. Tafur completed his medical studies at the UCSD School of Medicine and his Family Medicine Residency at UCLA. He also completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at the UCSD Department of Psychiatry. He is the author of The Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor’s Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine (foreword by Dr. Gabor Maté) in which he shares his fascinating journey into spiritual healing work.He is a founding member and medicine carrier of the Church of the Eagle and Condor, a multicultural spiritual community based in Arizona. Dr. Tafur also co-founded the traditional healing center Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual in Iquitos, Peru, where he was trained over seven years in Shipibo curanderismo (traditional spiritual healing involving ayahuasca ceremony and Amazonian master plants, sometimes referred to as shamanism). He continues his medical work through the Ocotillo Center for Integrative Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Tafur also founded the nonprofit organization Modern Spirit, dedicated to demonstrating the value of spiritual healing in modern healthcare. Modern Spirit is currently funding the Modern Spirit Epigenetics Project, in collaboration with USC and MAPS, which is investigating the epigenetic impact of transformative healing experiences observed in the MAPS MDMA-assisted Psychothearpy for PTSD trial.)This fall, Dr. Tafur will be reaching his live online 8-week River Course: An Integrative Approach to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Sacred Plant Medicine. Learn More at modernspirit.org/the-river-course
Webinar Topic: For the last two years, Modern Spirit, a nonprofit dedicated to demonstrating the value of spiritual healing in modern healthcare, has been collaborating with MAPS and the USC Department of Psychiatry. Participating study centers have been collecting saliva samples before and after the MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy intervention for PTSD. The initial set of samples are now being analyzed at TGEN in Phoenix, Arizona. These samples are being evaluated for epigenetics changes, looking for ways in which the therapeutic intervention, which has led to so many transformational experiences, may be influencing the way genes are expressed in study participants. PTSD has been associated with certain epigenetic modifications, lasting healing from PTSD may similarly involve change at the epigenetic level. Dr, Tafur will discuss this groundbreaking study (Modern Spirit Epigenetics Project), its formation and current progress, as we explore where the intersection between biology, emotion and spirituality. Learn more at modernspirit.org
Recent Work:
Modern Spirit – Podcast
Epigenetics and the House of Spirits – Live Talk
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Wade Davis
The Story of Bufo Alvarius
December 8th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Wade Davis is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker whose work has taken him from the Amazon to Tibet, Africa to Australia, Polynesia to the Arctic. Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society from 2000 to 2013, he is currently Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Author of 22 books, including One River, The Wayfinders and Into the Silence, winner of the 2012 Samuel Johnson prize, the top nonfiction prize in the English language, he holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. His many film credits include Light at the Edge of the World, an eight-hour documentary series written and produced for the NGS. Davis, one of 20 Honorary Members of the Explorers Club, is the recipient of 12 honorary degrees, as well as the 2009 Gold Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the 2011 Explorers Medal, the 2012 David Fairchild Medal for botanical exploration, the 2015 Centennial Medal of Harvard University, the 2017 Roy Chapman Andrews Society’s Distinguished Explorer Award, the 2017 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration, and the 2018 Mungo Park Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. In 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2018 he became an Honorary Citizen of Colombia. His latest book, Magdalena: River of Dreams, will be published by Knopf in September, 2020.
Webinar Topic: Fin this webinar episode, Wade will be recounting the wonderful and fascinating story if his encounters with bufo alvarius.
Recent Work:
Psychedelics and Spirituality – CBC Radio
Revitalization of Psychedelics – YouTube
Interview with Wade Davis: Part I – Altered states – Mind Hacks
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Zoe Helene
Psychedelic Feminism—Ancestor Medicine
November 17th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Zoe Helene is an artist and cultural activist who founded the environmental feminism collective, Cosmic Sister, in 2007, to advocate for women, wildlife, wilderness and wildlife, and for our natural right to work with nature’s psychedelic medicines—our “co-evolutionary allies.” She believes that a true balance of power across the gender spectrum—globally—is the only way humans (and non-humans) will survive.
Zoe coined the term “Psychedelic Feminism” to describe a sub-genre of feminism that embraces intentional work with sacred psychedelic plants and fungi—such as ayahuasca, peyote, iboga, psilocybin mushrooms and cannabis—and encourages women to explore the wilderness within, where they can learn more deeply about themselves, in part to revisit core feminist issues in fresh and exciting ways.
In her TEMENO talking circles, Zoe welcomes all respectful, open-hearted truth-seekers who wish explore the damaging effects of late-stage patriarchy, including the wounds, harmful social conditioning and emotional burdens we each carry from surviving an abusive culture.
Her loving, hopeful methods for “evoking intentions” in preparation for medicine work follow a “character is action” approach to improving relationship dynamics—with ourselves, each other, and all living beings. Zoe is a spiritual agnostic with a passion for cultural and biological diversity and archetypal psychology as the “Language of Psyche.” Her ancestors were tribal people who developed sophisticated nature-based spiritualities that included psychedelic ceremonies. Her medicine work around ancestral trauma addresses loss of cultural diversity and identity through dominator religions, xenophobia-driven genocide, persecution, and oppression, and diaspora and assimilation.
Zoe travels the globe with her ethnobotanist husband, Chris Kilham, promoting plant medicine, indigenous rights, and environmental protection. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Professional Theatre from Brandeis University, where she was closely mentored by legendary costume designer Patricia Zipprodt. Her work has been featured in Forbes, BBC, Bust, Playboy, VICE, Broadly, Tonic, New York Magazine, Boston Magazine, Huffington Post, AlterNet, Sensi, Civilized, DoubleBlind, Psychedelics Today, Psychedelic Times, The Journal for the Study of Radicalism, ABC Australia, Radio New Zealand, and many other top-tier media venues
Webinar Topic: Exploring ancestry with the help of sacred plant allies can be empowering in surprising ways. Delving deeply into our individual and collective past can help inform choices we make in the present—for ourselves as individuals, for the people we love, and for the future of life on earth. All of our backstories brought us to where we are today, as a collective. This is classic psychedelic journeying work. It’s about truth-seeking and treasure hunting. Discovering, reconnecting, recreating for a better future. Who are you? Where do you come from? How did you get to where you are today? The paths of our ancestors all lead to the present. You. Me. Us. Where will we go together, tomorrow?
Recent Work:
Psychedelic Feminism: Women’s Work in the Medicine Space – Psychedelics Today
Saving the World One Trip at a Time – Sensi Magazine
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Rabbi Zac Kamenetz
How To Prepare An Ancient Religious Tradition for a Psychedelic Renaissance
November 10th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Zac is a rabbi, community leader, and aspiring healer based in Berkeley, CA. He holds an MA in Biblical literature and languages from UC Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union and received rabbinic ordination in 2012. A sought-after educator and qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, Zac’s work has been centered on seeking answers to life’s essential questions within the Jewish tradition and embodied spiritual practice. As the founder and CEO of Shefa, Zac is pioneering a movement to integrate safe and supported psychedelic use into the Jewish spiritual tradition, advocate for individuals and communities to heal individual and inherited trauma and inspire a Jewish religious and creative renaissance in the 21st century. He will begin psychedelic-assisted therapy training at CIIS in March 2021.
Webinar Topic: What implications might the psychedelic renaissance have for religious communities and traditions, especially those without a reliable history of using entheogens in spiritual practice and development? What is the religious significance of incorporating psychedelic plants and compounds for a tradition where there has been very little before? Join Rabbi Zac Kamenetz, founder and CEO of Shefa, as he shares his process for preparing communities and individuals and reenvisioning theologies and practices by grounding psychedelic sacraments within Jewish spirituality.
Recent Work:
Can psychedelics heal the Jewish people? – The Jewish News
How Psychedelics are Reigniting Judaism – Double Blind Magazine
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Trevor Millar
Canadian Psychedelic Association
December 22nd, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Trevor Millar is a social-entrepreneur and owner of Liberty Root Therapy Ltd., a business dedicated to healing and transformation using the anti-addictive plant medicine ibogaine and other psychedelic compounds. Trevor currently serves as Board Chair for the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Canada and is a former Executive Director of the Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance. Featured in the award-winning documentary about using magic mushrooms and Iboga to heal addiction, anxiety and depression called DOSED, he is also a founding member of the newly formed Canadian Psychedelic Association.
Webinar Topic: In this episode, Trevor will be joined by CPA Board Member Jazmin Pirozek to discuss what the CPA is and what role is seeks to serve in the psychedelic space.
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Dr. Anne Wagner
Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for PTSD + MDMA
Pannel discussion with Dr. Adele Lafrance and Dr. Reid Robison
November 24th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Anne is one of the investigators of Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD + MDMA, a Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) sponsored trial. She will be leading the MAPS funded trial of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD + MDMA. Anne has done extensive work with communities impacted by HIV, and collaborates on projects with LGBTQ and AIDS service organizations (ASOs) on trauma-informed care and trauma treatment. Anne trains and supervises students in evidence-based PTSD treatment and couples therapy, and provides consultation and training to other providers learning these treatments. Anne sits on the Quality Committee of Casey House, Toronto’s HIV/AIDS hospital, and is the past-Chair of the Traumatic Stress Section of the Canadian Psychological Association.
Academic Appointment – Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Arts, and Associate Member, Yeates School of Graduate Studies, Ryerson University
Fellowship – Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ryerson University
Residency – Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
Ph.D. – Clinical Psychology, Ryerson University
Webinar Topic: Anne will be joining Dr.Adele Lafrance and Dr. Reid Robinson to discuss studies that MAPS Canada is currently funding around psychedelic assisted psychotherapies and MDMA. Specifically, Anne will be sharing about her work with combining Cognitive Behavioural Therapies for PTSD with MDMA.
Recent Work:
From Ecstasy to Remedy – MDMA Therapy with Anne Wagner – Soul Space Podcast
Mental Health Innovation, PTSD, MDMA and More with Dr. Anne Wagner – SoundCloud
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Dr. Reid Robison
Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders
Pannel discussion with Dr. Adele Lafrance and Dr. Anne Wagner
November 24th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Reid Robison, MD MBA, is a board-certified psychiatrist and co-founder at Cedar Psychiatry and serves as Medical Director of Center for Change, a leading Eating Disorder program. He is the co-developer of the Emotion-Focused Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy model. Reid is currently the coordinating investigator for the MAPS-sponsored study MDMA assisted psychotherapy study of eating disorders. As an early adopter and researcher of Ketamine in psychiatry, Reid led a pivotal ketamine study leading up to the FDA-approval of Spravato. To date, Reid has guided thousands of ketamine therapy journeys and hundreds of Spravato dosing sessions and provides medical support and psychedelic therapy at plant medicine retreats abroad.
Webinar Topic: TBD
Recent Work:
Novamind Appoints Dr. Reid Robison as Chief Medical Officer – Psychedelic Finance
Psychedelics and Mental Health:Ketamine, MDMA, and Ayahuasca – Therapy Thoughts Podcast, Episode 31
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Sensei Kevon Simpson
Beyond the Heroic Skyline
October 13th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Sensei Kevon Simpson is an ordained Minister, multidisciplinary artist, international Two Spirit Medicine Man, a Shotokan Karate black belt, and founder of the Entheogen Integration Circle (NYC). He is from a lineage of Jamaican spiritual healers, and in the spirit of Sankofa he calls upon his Taíno and Akan ancestry often. He is also initiated through ‘dieta’ into the path of curanderismo, the ancient sacred healing plant medicine shamanism of the Amazon Rainforest, and Andes. During his extended stays in Pucallpa, Iquitos, and Chavín de Huantar, Perú, he learned the techniques of guiding ceremonies from fellow indigenous keepers of the Earth, with the intent of bringing the experience back to marginalized communities. He has traveled as far as Taiwan, Jamaica, Canada, and even Japan within his path as a medicine guide and high dose solo sitter. Known as one of the leaders of the underground psychedelic renaissance, clinical psychotherapists often come to him for advice with their clients. Since 2018 he has graced Chacruna’s stage twice as a speaker and panelist at their psychedelics and science conferences. In 2019 he opened the world renowned HORIZONS psychedelic conference as the ritual voice of spirit. He is a Reiki Master, who also has over 15 years of guiding meditation experience, and often combines the practices of mindfulness with poetry, dance, and sound healing, in order to lift people out of their wounds, and into their divine purpose. Kevon’s whole life changed in 2017 when he became public with his HIV status, and has since been an advocate to help lower the stigma through articles, appearances, and more. In his spare time you can find him practicing medicine songs and icaros, playing his handpan, or doing live feeds of spiritual upliftment under his social media handle Medicine Sensei, or by following the hashtag #planetocatch.
Webinar Topic: From stoned ape theory to 5g of dried psilocybin in silent darkness, and from clinical trial research all the way to transdimensional crystals, the call to push the envelope of consciousness exploration has reached the mycelium network of the urban underground. It is there in the belly of change, that the spirit of the psychedelic renaissance is compelling some brave psychonauts to push the edge of consciousness exploration a bit further than what has currently been made mainstream. What can we learn from doses beyond 10g? What can we learn from doses beyond 20g? What are safe ways to dive in and integrate these one of a kind experiences that twist our perception of reality into new forms? Lastly, how might this information be useful for the soul during these changing times?
Recent Work:
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Paul Stamets
Psilocybin Mushrooms vs. Psilocybin: The Dialectic Between Nature vs. Synthetic
December 29th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Paul Stamets, speaker, author, mycologist, medical researcher and entrepreneur, is considered an intellectual and industry leader in fungi: habitat, medicinal use, and production. He lectures extensively to deepen the understanding and respect for the organisms that literally exist under every footstep taken on this path of life. Paul is the author of six books (including Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms, and Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World), he has discovered and named numerous new species of psilocybin mushrooms. Paul has been awarded more than 40 patents with several patent applications in queue for unexpected activity of psilocybin analogues stacked with other substances. He has received numerous awards, including: Invention Ambassador (2014-2015) for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Mycologist Award (2014) from the North American Mycological Association (NAMA), and the Gordon & Tina Wasson Award (2015) from the Mycological Society of America (MSA). His work has entered into the mainstream of popular culture. In the new Star Trek: Discovery series on CBS, the Science Officer is portrayed by an Astromycologist…. a Lt. Paul Stamets. Paul’s work with mycelium is a central theme of this series.
Webinar Topic: Paul will discuss the history and advances in our understanding of psilocybin mushrooms. He will make the case for the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms which afford benefits to the greatest number of people in need. In these COVID times, the need for antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines is of paramount importance and serves a societal need currently not being addressed by conventional medicine.
Recent Work:
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Chris Dyer
The Role of Visionary Art in the Psychedelic Renaissance
Pannel discussion with Jake Kobrin and Simon Haiduk
October 27th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Chris Dyer is a Peruvian-Canadian artist based in Montreal, Quebec, who exhibits, performs and teaches his art worldwide. Some of his broader artistic themes include consciousness, truth, oneness, introspection, personal development and kindness. He paints using acrylic, pencil, pen, spray paint, gouache and other media on a variety of different forms, including broken or blank skateboards in his early years, various sculptured and recycled items, and now commonly fabric or wood canvas. He is also known for his murals, logos, album covers, posters, illustrations, comic books, travel diaries (The Sunlight Chronicles), and YouTube adventure vlogs (Artventures). He was the art director and brand manager of Creation Skateboards/Satori Movement for three and a half years, creating designs for hundreds of skateboard decks. He teaches many art workshops and classes on technique, spray painting, traditional medicinal healing, and the business of art, as well as offering an online class. He has created his own brand of conscious clothing and other goods, Positive Creations, which features some of his most well-loved art. Though his styles, mediums and subject matters are always in flow, the main theme seen through his artwork is cultural and spiritual oneness of humanity and beyond.
Webinar Topic: For this season, Chris is going to be joining four other visionary artists (Simon Haiduk, Jake Kobrin, Chor Boogie and Amanda Sage) in a Visonary Art panel.
Recent Work:
Do we Need Psychedelics to Make Visionary Art? A Discussion of Creativity and Spirituality with Chris Dyer – The Lucid Planet
Art, Psychedelics and Thundercats with Chris Dyer – Medicine Path Podcast
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Dr. Dennis McKenna
Ayahuasca-Assisted Psychotherapy in America? Why and How?
Pannel discussion with Dr. Leanna Standish and Dr. Victoria Hale
SEPTEMBER 29th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Dennis McKenna’s research has focused on the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology. He has conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon. His doctoral research (University of British Columbia,1984) focused on the ethnopharmacology of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two tryptamine-based hallucinogens used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key organizer and participant in the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna. From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on Ethnopharmacology and Plants in Human affairs in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In 2019, in collaboration with colleagues, he incorporated a new non-profit, the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy. He emigrated to Canada in the spring of 2019 together with his wife Sheila, and now resides in Abbotsford, B.C.
Webinar Topic: In this episode we will explore some of the following questions regarding Ayahuasca-assisted therapy to the U.S: Should western scientists and clinicians have access to the sacred medicine called Ayahuasca? Is this cultural misappropriation? Is it appropriate to seek FDA approval of Ayahuasca-assisted therapy? Is it possible to meet the FDA requirements for chemistry, safety and efficacy? What is the best method of Ayahuasca therapy? How might Ayahuasca therapy someday become approved by Medicare? How can the sacred and the scientific be entangled? Who is qualified to conduct an Ayahuasca circle? How can and should this work be funded? How can indigenous and western scientists understand each other’s ontology? How can authentic reciprocity be established between the drug companies that are making sacred medicines for secular use and the indigenous South American Amazonian tribes that have given the world Ayahuasca? Why not pharmahuasca?
Recent Work:
What the Plants are Telling Us – World Ayahuasca Conference video
Change Before It’s Too Late! – Interview by Simeon Ivanov
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Chor Boogie
The Role Visionary Art In The Psychedelic Renaissance
October 27th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Chor Boogie, a.k.a. Joaquin Lamar Hailey, is a critically acclaimed spray paint artist. His visionary murals and art exhibitions have appeared all over the globe including venues such as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Smithsonian, Museum of Public Arts in Baton Rouge, Museum of Art Puerto Rico, LA Art Fair, Scope Art Fair Miami Beach, Torrance Art Museum in Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, Museum of Man in San Diego, San Diego Museum of Art, Children’s Museum in San Diego, Syracuse University Museum, and the Samstag and Bathurst Museum in Australia. Miami New Times named his mural as the Best Miami Mural for 2016. In 2017, he was awarded the role of lead artist in an NEA grant with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, to mentor a group of under-served high school art students through a professional level mural project.
Chor Boogie is recognized for having achieved a groundbreaking level of technical and emotional virtuosity in the medium of spray paint. He approaches his use of color as a form of therapy and visual medicine. Chor is primarily a self-taught artist, though he was first nurtured by the world of street art.
Through his dynamic range of artistic styles, Chor addresses social issues including environmental preservation, human rights, class struggle, corporate corruption, drug policy reform, and health care.
He has resided in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2007 where he has been an active member of the street art community.
Webinar Topic: Chor will be joining four other visionary artists (Chris Dyer, Simon Haiduk, Jake Kobrin and Amanda Sage) for our Visionary Artist panel.
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Josh Sarvis
Cannabis Awakening - Cannabis as a Master Plant and Her Significant Leadership Role in This Time of Great Transition
Pannel discussion with Kelly Dunn and Delphina Dorrance
December 1st, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Josh Sarvis and Kelly Dunn are humus beings dedicated to the regeneration of the earth and her inhabitants. Vitality of water, soil, plants, humans, mycology and cellular renewal has been their focus for over 30 years.They have always cultivated pure, closed loop cannabis and other medicinal plants for a better understanding of the healthy mind, body, soil connection. Soil in it’s most basic form holds nutrients and microbiology for the creation of all life. Each region has its own soil which contains a microbial community that supports indigenous bacteria, fungi, microbes and ultimately plant life that is particular to that region. It is their soul agreement/ or dharma to help people ally with nature and to understand how to Utilize natural systems created by nature. They are dedicated to intentionally and actively educating cannabis gardeners on purity in cultivation. They are passionate about being a clear, conscious voice for the cannabis plant, whom has given so many benefits to all of humanity. They created Dragonfly Earth Medicine which is not only a nutrient company but also a educational platform for regenerative outdoor and indoor cannabis cultivation. The Pure Certification was also started by DEM and has become a community driven, beyond organic certification for cannabis cultivation and extraction. They have consulted many large cannabis facilities and farms to grow the highest quality cannabis using biodiversity, polyculture, soil building, nutrient intelligence, seed breeding and regenerative farming practices
Webinar Topic: Josh Sarvis and Kelly Dunn from Dragonfly Earth Medicine and Delphina Dorrance from 1Heart HUB and Heartwood Mountain Sanctuary will talk about the important role cannabis has had in health and wellness of body, mind and spirit in this time of great transition. This transformative master plant is coming out of oppression and stigma and making her grand entrance into worldwide popular culture. How can we learn from her karmic path and follow her lead of resilience and weaving collective consciousness at a time of uncertainty for humanity? Josh, Kelly and Delphina will dive deeply into the critical role this plant has taken to bring awakening and clear recognition of our own evolutionary roles on the planet; how she has emerged and given the spotlight to other master plants, and how they each learn an adaptive language required to speak to humans. This guidance from Cannabis is a gift, creating and offering a delicate healing and balance for the rapid changes humanity faces to move forward into our ultimate potential.
Recent Work:
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Dr. Victoria Hale
Ayahuasca-Assisted Psychotherapy in America? Why and How?
Pannel discussion with Dr. Dennis McKenna and Dr. Leanna Standish
SEPTEMBER 29th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Victoria G. Hale PhD is co-CEO of Sacred Medicines, PBC. Dr. Hale founded the nonprofit pharmaceutical company The Institute for OneWorld Health in San Francisco, California in 2000 and was its chairman and CEO. She then went on to found Medicines360, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing medicines for women and children, including pregnant women. She received the McArthur Genius Award in 2006. She is also a MAPS Board member.
Webinar Topic: In this episode we will explore some of the following questions regarding Ayahuasca-assisted therapy to the U.S: Should western scientists and clinicians have access to the sacred medicine called Ayahuasca? Is this cultural misappropriation? Is it appropriate to seek FDA approval of Ayahuasca-assisted therapy? Is it possible to meet the FDA requirements for chemistry, safety and efficacy? What is the best method of Ayahuasca therapy? How might Ayahuasca therapy someday become approved by Medicare? How can the sacred and the scientific be entangled? Who is qualified to conduct an Ayahuasca circle? How can and should this work be funded? How can indigenous and western scientists understand each other’s ontology? How can authentic reciprocity be established between the drug companies that are making sacred medicines for secular use and the indigenous South American Amazonian tribes that have given the world Ayahuasca? Why not pharmahuasca?
Recent Work:
Learn More
Jake Kobrin
The Role of Visionary Art in the Psychedelic Renaissance
Pannel discussion with Chris Dyer and Simon Haiduk
October 27th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: The work of Jake Kobrin is psychedelic, unusual, dark, beautiful, and elegant. His work seeks to illuminate experiences which Jake has had that are outside of the realm of normal waking consciousness, moving into numinous and visionary realms with natural ease. His work explores the interplay of shadow and light, both in the delicate modelling of the forms of his pictures but also in the character of the subjects he portrays, his work showing a willingness to embrace all aspects of emotion from revelation and peace, to fear and disharmony. He considers himself an “interdimensional midwife and conduit” believing that the role of the artist is to be able to move outside of themselves and to act as a conduit for higher consciousness to move through them. In this way he says, “I do not claim authorship for any of the works of art I have painted. I am a channel for Great Spirit to create through me.” He currently lives in Ubud, Bali and he grew up in San Francisco. He is one of the few psychedelic artists with a formal classical art education, having studied classical realist drawing and painting in Florence, Italy at the Angel Academy of Art. He is also a tattoo artist, and is inspired by the traditional ceremonial contexts that ancient cultures held around tattooing. He is honoured to bring people through the ancient rite of passage of being tattooed in a way that is intentional and reverent. Besides painting and tattooing, Jake is also the founder and designer of a jewellery and fashion brand called Medicine Dragon Designs, and is a DJ and musician, as well as a tattoo artist, published writer, speaker, and podcaster.
Webinar Topic: Jake will be joining four other visionary artists (Chris Dyer, Simon Haiduk, Chor Boogie and Amanda Sage) for our Visionary Artist panel.
Recent Work:
Jake Kobrin Ozora 2018 | Newtonian Shamanics – YouTube
It is High Time to Resurrect Research on Psychedelics and Creativity – Medium
Learn More
Delphina Dorrance
Cannabis Awakening - Cannabis as a Master Plant and Her Significant Leadership Role in This Time of Great Transition
Pannel discussion with Josh Sarvis and Kelly Dunn
December 1st, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Delphina Dorrance, co-founder and CVO of 1Heart HUB, Centers for Food, Arts, Culture & Ecology, is dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of people and planet by developing places and programs for “all ages, all cultures” to Feed Your Soul. Delphina is directly involved in physical, operational and social design to support local economies in regenerative local farming, local arts & culture healing arts, education and events to help create and enhance community connections. Delphina is CVO/ creatrix of Kohala Village HUB PUB, Kohala Village Inn and Learning Center, Heartwood Mountain Sanctuary and Heartwood Mountain Farm, DEM Pure certified Dragon Heart Farms, Touching the Earth Land Company, Blue Dragon Bodywork, and artistic director of Blue Dragon Tavern & Cosmic Musiquarium. She is president of Feed Hawaii board, Dorrance Family Foundation member, Ohana Homeschool Cooperative member, DEM Pure Collective founding board member, and a current student of Gregg Braden, Charles Eisenstein, Lynn Twist and Starhawk. Delphina has a BA from Ithaca College, certified in Permaculture Design and Permaculture Teacher training, is a licensed massage and aquatic therapist, a professional musician including principal bassist with Kamuela Philharmonic and Maui Pops Orchestra, mom of 3 children, a budding songwriter, dancer and founder of the new 1Heart World initiative.
Webinar Topic: Josh Sarvis and Kelly Dunn from Dragonfly Earth Medicine and Delphina Dorrance from 1Heart HUB and Heartwood Mountain Sanctuary will talk about the important role cannabis has had in health and wellness of body, mind and spirit in this time of great transition. This transformative master plant is coming out of oppression and stigma and making her grand entrance into worldwide popular culture. How can we learn from her karmic path and follow her lead of resilience and weaving collective consciousness at a time of uncertainty for humanity? Josh, Kelly and Delphina will dive deeply into the critical role this plant has taken to bring awakening and clear recognition of our own evolutionary roles on the planet; how she has emerged and given the spotlight to other master plants, and how they each learn an adaptive language required to speak to humans. This guidance from Cannabis is a gift, creating and offering a delicate healing and balance for the rapid changes humanity faces to move forward into our ultimate potential.
Recent Work: TBD
Learn More
Kelly Dunn
Cannabis Awakening - Cannabis as a Master Plant and Her Significant Leadership Role in This Time of Great Transition
Pannel discussion with Josh Sarvis and Delphina Dorrance
December 1st, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Josh Sarvis and Kelly Dunn are humus beings dedicated to the regeneration of the earth and her inhabitants. Vitality of water, soil, plants, humans, mycology and cellular renewal has been their focus for over 30 years.They have always cultivated pure, closed loop cannabis and other medicinal plants for a better understanding of the healthy mind, body, soil connection. Soil in it’s most basic form holds nutrients and microbiology for the creation of all life. Each region has its own soil which contains a microbial community that supports indigenous bacteria, fungi, microbes and ultimately plant life that is particular to that region. It is their soul agreement/ or dharma to help people ally with nature and to understand how to Utilize natural systems created by nature. They are dedicated to intentionally and actively educating cannabis gardeners on purity in cultivation. They are passionate about being a clear, conscious voice for the cannabis plant, whom has given so many benefits to all of humanity. They created Dragonfly Earth Medicine which is not only a nutrient company but also a educational platform for regenerative outdoor and indoor cannabis cultivation. The Pure Certification was also started by DEM and has become a community driven, beyond organic certification for cannabis cultivation and extraction. They have consulted many large cannabis facilities and farms to grow the highest quality cannabis using biodiversity, polyculture, soil building, nutrient intelligence, seed breeding and regenerative farming practices
Webinar Topic: Josh Sarvis and Kelly Dunn from Dragonfly Earth Medicine and Delphina Dorrance from 1Heart HUB and Heartwood Mountain Sanctuary will talk about the important role cannabis has had in health and wellness of body, mind and spirit in this time of great transition. This transformative master plant is coming out of oppression and stigma and making her grand entrance into worldwide popular culture. How can we learn from her karmic path and follow her lead of resilience and weaving collective consciousness at a time of uncertainty for humanity? Josh, Kelly and Delphina will dive deeply into the critical role this plant has taken to bring awakening and clear recognition of our own evolutionary roles on the planet; how she has emerged and given the spotlight to other master plants, and how they each learn an adaptive language required to speak to humans. This guidance from Cannabis is a gift, creating and offering a delicate healing and balance for the rapid changes humanity faces to move forward into our ultimate potential.
Recent Work:
Learn More
Dr. Leanna Standish
Ayahuasca-Assisted Psychotherapy in America? Why and How?
Pannel discussion with Dr. Dennis McKenna and Dr. Victoria Hale
SEPTEMBER 29th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Leanna J. Standish ND, PhD is co-CEO of Sacred Medicines, PBC. She is a research neuroscientist and physician living and working in Seattle. She has held faculty appointments at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, School of Public Health. She is professor at Bastyr University and co-director of the Advanced Integrative Medicine Science (AIMS) Institute in Seattle where the Phase I trial of Ayahuascas will be conducted.
Webinar Topic: In this episode we will explore some of the following questions regarding Ayahuasca-assisted therapy to the U.S: Should western scientists and clinicians have access to the sacred medicine called Ayahuasca? Is this cultural misappropriation? Is it appropriate to seek FDA approval of Ayahuasca-assisted therapy? Is it possible to meet the FDA requirements for chemistry, safety and efficacy? What is the best method of Ayahuasca therapy? How might Ayahuasca therapy someday become approved by Medicare? How can the sacred and the scientific be entangled? Who is qualified to conduct an Ayahuasca circle? How can and should this work be funded? How can indigenous and western scientists understand each other’s ontology? How can authentic reciprocity be established between the drug companies that are making sacred medicines for secular use and the indigenous South American Amazonian tribes that have given the world Ayahuasca? Why not pharmahuasca?
Recent Work:
“From the Front Lines of Research in Naturopathic Oncology” – Natural Medicine Journal
Learn More
Simon Haiduk
The Role of Visionary Art in the Psychedelic Renaissance
Pannel discussion with Jake Kobrin and Jake Kobrin
October 27th, 5:00-6:30pm PST
Bio: Growing up in British Columbia, Canada, Simon developed a strong affinity to nature with artistic foundations in visual art and music. In 2004 he gravitated towards painting as a full time endeavour bringing his musical background into the visual realm. Simon has explored many visual mediums, often with a strong influence in spiritual themes connected to nature. In 2007 he graduated from Vancouver Film School, Digital Design, where he learned motion-graphics, among other computer skills. This led to him animating many of his paintings, and subsequently has now brought this to many live VJ performances with various global music acts including his own. He continues to also produce music, and has released four full length solo albums since 2002. Within art galleries, festivals, conventions, and online platforms, his work is exhibited globally. He currently works out of his studio in Roberts Creek, BC, while continuing to explore an ever expanding palette of creative endeavors. Artist Statement: I’m curious about our psychic connection to nature and the interconnected universal source of all life. In my devotion to the creative process, I strive to find ways of producing art that inspires harmony between the Earth and its shared inhabitants. I feel that our collective need and appreciation for nature unites us all. Each creation reflects an aspect of my life journey; thinning the veil between physical and metaphysical realities.
Webinar Topic: For this season, Simon is going to be joining four other visionary artists (Chris Dyer, Jake Kobrin, Chor Boogie and Amanda Sage) in a Visionary Art panel.
Recent Work:
Metamorphs – Collection
Video Collection – Vimeo
Learn More
Our host for the series:
Shannon Smadella
Rev. Shannon Lynn Smadella has interviewed some of the most prominent leaders, innovators, scientists, doctors and luminaries in the psychedelic space. Host of Seasons 1 & 2 of Examining The Psychedelic Renaissance, Shannon spent time with over forty pioneers in the field to find out their take on the Psychedelic Renaissance. A supporter of MAPS Canada, and volunteer pioneer consultant of their fund-development program, she has donated over 450 hours of her time to MAPS over the past four years, in addition to sponsoring various events and being a donor herself. In her professional life, she is a metaphysician, business executive & consultant of 20 years, podcast host, international speaker, and yogic sciences educator.
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Rev. Shannon Smadella
Spiritual Teacher, Metaphysician, Speaker &
CEO Insight Global
our host for the series
Bio: Rev. Shannon Lynn Smadella has interviewed some of the most prominent leaders, innovators, scientists, doctors and luminaries in the psychedelic space. Host of Seasons 1 & 2 of Examining The Psychedelic Renaissance, Shannon spent time with over forty pioneers in the field to find out their take on the Psychedelic Renaissance. A supporter of MAPS Canada, and volunteer pioneer consultant of their fund-development program, she has donated over 450 hours of her time to MAPS over the past four years, in addition to sponsoring various events and being a donor herself. In her professional life, she is a metaphysician, business executive & consultant of 20 years, podcast host, international speaker, and yogic sciences educator. She has worked with thousands of clients and has touched the lives of many through her courses, workshops, trainings, and motivational keynotes worldwide, raising millions for over 88 non-profits & charities. Personally, she is a mother, trusted friend, philanthropist, mental health advocate, and connector of great people all across the world. Shannon studied Science at the University of Saskatchewan, and has her Masters in Metaphysical Science, and soon to be a long awaited PhD in Philosophy. Shannon is also a former Miss Canada, where she spent the year speaking to Children in Schools about “inner beauty”, before she rode her bicycle across Canada and the US in support of the Canadian and American Red Cross Organizations. Community, collaboration, and connection and part of Shannon’s vision for the world, and thus she truly believes in the healing power of these medicines; hence, her passion and hard work as an advocate in the field of psychedelic research and therapy.
Recent Work:
The Dialed In Podcast – Podcast
Examining the Psychedelic Renaissance: Season 1– MAPS Canada
Online Courses – Insight Foundation Global
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Learn More
Shannon Representing MAPS Canada on Yin Yoga Lifestyle Podcast
Shannon Interviewing CPA Board Member Trevor Millar on Dialed In
Examining The Psychedelic Renaissance: Season One Opener
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