Authors

Adam Andros Aronovich is a PhD candidate in Medical Anthropology and Global Health at the Universitat Rovira I Virgili in Catalonia. He is member of the Medical Anthropology Research Center and of Chacruna’s Ayahuasca Community Committee.

Dr. Timothy Brewerton is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, certified in general, child-adolescent, forensic psychiatry and addiction medicine. He is an author on 150+ publications, including two books.

Dr. Clancy Cavnar is a licensed psychologist who works in a private practice in San Francisco. She is Co-Founder and a member of the Board of Directors of the Chacruna Institute. See also: https://www.drclancycavnar.com/

Dawn D. Davis is a mother, a wife to Dr. Cleve Davis, a micro-farmer and a Ph.D student at the University of Idaho. She exercises laughter and practices humor.

Alexander Dawson, Ph.D., teaches history at the University at Albany (SUNY). He is the author of four books and numerous articles. His most recent book,The Peyote Effect: From the Inquisition to the War on Drugs, was published by the University of California Press in 2018.

Ana Gretel Echazú Böschemeier has a doctorate degree in anthropology and a post-doctorate in collective health. She works as an assistant professor at the Federal University from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

Ben Feinberg is a Professor of Anthropology at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. He is the author of “The Devil’s Book of Culture: History, Mushrooms, and Caves in Southern Mexico” (2003).

Amanda Feilding is the Founder and Director of the Beckley Foundation. Through the Scientific Programme, Amanda orchestrates collaborations with leading scientists worldwide, investigating cannabis, psilocybin, LSD, Ayahuasca, DMT and MDMA.

Hayden Griffin is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He has a PhD in criminology from the University of Florida and a JD from the University of Richmond. He has more than 30 publications and is first author (along with Vanessa Woodward and John Sloan) of The Money and Politics of Criminal Justice Policy (Carolina Academic Press, 2016.)

Graham St John, PhD, is Senior Research Fellow, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He is a cultural anthropologist specialising in event-cultures and entheogens. He has authored/edited eight books including "Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT". www.edgecentral.net

Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., is the Alan Watts Professor of Psychology at Saybrook University in Oakland California. His many books include "Personal Mythology and Working with Dreams" and "PTSD Nightmares: 14 Approaches for Psychotherapists and Counselors".

Bia Labate has a PhD in anthropology. She has published 23 books about psychedelic plant medicines, shamanism, religion, ritual, drug policy and social justice. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute.

Armando Loizaga is president of the Nierika Institute in Mexico. His work focuses on advancing multidisciplinary clinical research protocols to evaluate therapeutic potential of psychedelic plants used in ritual contexts, preservation of indigenous psychedelic culture and drug policy reform.

Dr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, author and co-developer of emotion-focused treatment modalities. She conducts research on the therapeutic value of consciousness altering substances, including mechanisms of healing.

Anja Loizaga-Velder, PhD is clinical psychologist who has been investigating the therapeutic potential of the ritual use of psychedelic plants for twenty years. She is Director of Research and Psychotherapy at the Nierika Institute in Mexico.

Larry Norris, MA, PhD Candidate is the co-founder and executive director of ERIE 501(c)(3), a group dedicated to the development of entheogenic education and integration models.

Leopardo Yawa Bane was born in the indigenous land Kaxinawá of Rio Jordão, in the state of the Acre, Brazil. He left the Amazon to better learn how to lead his people through our modern times and has been traveling the world leading healing ceremonies for the last 10 years

Martin Fortier is a doctoral student at Institut Jean Nicod (Paris) and a visiting student researcher at Stanford University. His research investigates the interplay between neurobiological and cultural processes in hallucinogenic experiences.

Miroslav Horák, Ph.D. is research assistant at the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno. He focuses on ethnobotanicals, medical anthropology, and drug addiction treatment.

Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D. is a social psychologist, licensed psychotherapist, and author specializing in psychospiritual development, with particular expertise in psychedelic psychotherapy. He is author of the book Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritua Development.

Dr. Paul Glue is a clinical psychiatrist and psychopharmacology researcher at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Pedro Musalem is a chilean medical doctor and doctor in social anthropology, currently working on the fields of public health and medical psychedelia. He has worked as a researcher in Takiwasi, in 2005, and lived with the Siona people in 2013/2014.

Rachel Harris, PhD is the author of Listening to Ayahuasca: New Hope for Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Anxiety. She was in private psychotherapy practice for thirty-five years. Visit her online at www.ListeningToAyahuasca.com.

Rob Heffernan is an independent researcher and activist who has been involved in the vegetalismo and Santo Daime ayahuasca traditions for 17 years. He was a member and chairman of the Santo Daime US legal committee for a number of years, and he is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants.

Sidarta Ribeiro. Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Brain Institute at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Researches memory, sleep & dreams, neural plasticity, psychedelics, and drug policy. Member of Chacruna's Advisory Board.

Dr. Stacy B. Schaefer is Professor Emerita in the Department of Anthropology, California State University, Chico.  She has researched and published on peyote among the Huichol Indians and the Native American Church for more than three decades. 

is full professor at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and and research director at the D'Or Institute for Research and Education. Professor Rehen is focused on neurological diseases and drug discovery by using induced pluripotent stem cells.

Dr. Tanya Maté is the Integration Director with the Temple of the Way of Light. She works with and oversees a network of integration providers who provide support for people post-ayahuasca experience.

Vanja Dakic finished PhD at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, supervised by Professor Steven Rehen. She investigated biological effects of the psychoactive components of plant tea Ayahuasca using in vitro models of human nervous system.

Martin Terry, DVM, Ph.D., works on plants and their physiological effects on humans. He exhibits an inordinant fondness for tackling multifaceted ethnobotanical, ecological, economic, regulatory and conservation problems involving plants.

Ismail L. Ali, JD, currently works as Policy & Advocacy Counsel for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), presently serves as Chair of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Board of Directors, and is licensed to practice law in the state of California.

Kim P. C. Kuypers, Ph.D., works at Maastricht University where she studies the acute and longer term effects of psychedelics on cognitive processes, empathy, and mood, in a naturalistic and experimental setting.

Philippe Lucas PhD(c) is a Graduate Researcher with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and VP, Patient Research & Access at Tilray, a federally-authorized medical cannabis company located in Nanaimo, BC.

The Union of traditional Yagé Medics of the Colombian Amazon (UMIYAC) is an indigenous organization representing Siona, Cofán, Inga, Kamentsá, and Coreguaje spiritual authorities. www.umiyac.org 

Ernesto Evanjuanoy is a member of the Inga people, a traditial doctor, and president of the UMIYAC since 2016. www.umiyac.org

Riccardo Vitale, Ph.D., anthropologist, ethnographer, and indigenous rights expert. Adviser for the UMIYAC since 2016. 

Nidia Olvera-Hernández is a historian and anthropologist focused on psychoactive substances. She is a Ph.D. student of modern and contemporary history at Mora Institute in México City, where she research about the history on drugs. Nidia is a member of the Drugs, Politics and Culture Collective.

Sharon Rafferty, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and a registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance. She offers both traditional psychotherapy and yoga therapy and is the founder of The Collective, Inc., where she facilitates wellness workshops and mindfulness retreats.

Alli Feduccia, Ph.D. is a Neuropharmacologist working as a Clinical Data Scientist at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation. She is also Co-Founder and Director of Psychedelic Support, an online platform to connect with mental health professionals.

Adam Snider is a PsyD candidate in Los Angeles, CA. He works as a therapist and research associate at La Maida Institute, focusing on mind-body interventions for psychological and gastrointestinal health.

Céu da Santa Maria, or Centro Eclético da Fluente Luz Universal Cristi Céu da Santa Maria, is a Santo Daime Church based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Matt “River” Baldwin, MFT, is a psychotherapist and musician living in San Francisco. He is a graduate of the Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapies and Research Program at CIIS and writes about music for Chacruna.

Lígia Duque Platero has a PhD in Anthropology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro. She researches shamanisms and ayahuasca religions.

Maíra Dias is a Doctoral candidate and Master in Religion Studies at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil. Museologist and pedagogue. Member of the Nucleus of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) and Grupo de Pesquisa RAÌZES (UFPB).

Filipe Silva Ribeiro has a master in anthropology in Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) in Brazil.

Emily Sinclair is an anthropology Ph.D (C) candidate studying ayahuasca shamanism in Loreto, Peru. She is a member of Chacruna’s Ayahuasca Community Committee and led the Sexual Abuse Awareness initiative.

Charles Grob, M.D. is Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine.Over the last thirty years he has conducted approved research with MDMA, psilocybin and ayahuasca.

Paulo C R Barbosa, Ph.D., is Professor the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC). Over the last 20 years he has conducted psychological and neuropsychological assessments of ayahuasca users, and has participated in preclinical studies evaluating the effects of ayahuasca on abuse of drugs.

Andrew Dawson, Ph.D., is Professor of Modern Religion in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University, UK. He obtained his doctorate at Oxford University and has degrees in social science and religious studies.

Marc Blainey’s research and publications bridge psychotherapy and the anthropology of religion amidst regional expertise with cultures of Europe, North America, Amazonia, and Mesoamerica. He holds a Ph.D. from Tulane University (New Orleans, USA).

Michelle Thiessen is a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at The University of British Columbia. She researches the association between cannabis and mental health with a focus on acute pain.

Zach Walsh, Ph.D., leads the Therapeutic Recreational and Problematic Substance Use lab at UBC where he runs several studies of cannabis and mental health, including a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of cannabis for PTSD.

Adam Knowles, PgDip, is a member of Chacruna’s Women, Gender Diversity, and Sexual Minorities Working Group. He is a London-based existential psychotherapist following 20+ years leading technology teams.

Erik Davis is an independent scholar and lecturer. He is the author, most recently, of Nomad Codes: Adventures in Modern Esoterica. He hosts the weekly podcast Expanding Mind, and earned his PhD from Rice University.

Christopher W. Fagg, Ph.D., botanist, worked at Oxford University and is now a professor at Brasília University (UnB) in the postgraduate program in botany. He has experience with taxonomy, forest ecology, and medicinal plants in Africa and South America.

Julia Sonsin Oliveira, forest engineer, has a forest science Ph.D. from UNESP. She is a professor at Brasília University (UnB). Her work focuses on wood identification, ecological and comparative wood anatomy, axial variation, and taxonomy.

Matteo Politi has a Ph.D. in natural product chemistry, with a specialization in naturopathy, and is Director of Research at Takiwasi Center. He has published in various peer-reviewed scientific journals and popular magazines on topics related to phytochemistry, herbal medicine, and holistic therapies.

Daniela Peluso, Ph.D., is a cultural anthropologist and an Honorary Researcher at the University of Kent. She specializes in the anthropology of lowland South America. She is a member of Chacruna's Board.

Erika Dyck, Ph.D. (History), is a Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, and a Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice.Erika is also part of Chacruna’s Board of Directors and hosts the series “Women in the History of Psychedelic Plant Medicines."

Vilmarie Fraguada Narloch, PsyD, is a psychologist and harm reductionist working to end the War on Drugs. She is the drug education manager at SSDP and is currently pursuing a certificate in psychedelic therapies and research from CIIS.

Frederico Policarpo is professor of Anthropology in the undergraduate course of Public Policy and in the Graduate Program in Sociology and Law, at the Federal Fluminense University, and author of “The drug consumption and its controls: a comparative perspective between the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and San Francisco, US” (ed. Consequencia, 2016).

Kufikiri Imara is from Oakland, California. At his core he is a creative and a healer. His personal journey of self-healing leads him to empower others to do the same.

Annie Oak is the founder of the Women's Visionary Congress (WVC) https://www.visionarycongress.org/ and the Full Circle Tea House. She is the co-founder of Take 3 Presents, an event production company.

Mariavittoria Mangini, Ph.D., FNP, has written extensively on the impact of psychedelic experiences in shaping the lives of her contemporaries and worked closely with many of the most distinguished investigators in this field. 

Jodie Evans is co-founder of CODEPINK and founding board member of Drug Policy Alliance. She has a 45-year relationship with psychedelics; they have provided healing and visions towards world peace.

Veronika Gold is a psychedelic activist. She is a co-therapist and sub-investigator in MAPS Clinical Program for MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy and she is a co-fonder and therapist at Polaris Insight Center.

Annette Williams is chair of the Women’s Spirituality program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Research interest has centered on women’s spiritual power and agency within the Yorùbá Ifá tradition.

Sara Reed, MS, MFT, is a Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in New Haven, CT. As a socially-minded therapist, she works to advance health equity and upward social mobility for Black Americans.

Thiago Rodrigues is a Profesor at the Institute for the Strategic Studies (INEST) of the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has published several articles, book chapters and books on drug-trafficking and security focusing on Latin America. He is one of the founders of NEIP.

Ariel Vegosen is an inclusivity and diversity expert, educator, trainer, workshop facilitator, coach, consultant, ritualist, and writer. Ariel is the founder and director of Gender Illumination (www.genderillumination.com) and CEO of Shine (ShineDiversity.com). 

Dee Adams holds a Masters of Science in Public Health. She is an HIV researcher, global difference maker, shamanic advisor, ceremony facilitator, and a transgender woman. She makes her home in the USA and South Africa. www.journeyswithdee.com

Jason Butler, Ph.D., is a core faculty member in the Holistic Counseling Psychology program at John F. Kennedy University and a licensed Psychologist practicing in Oakland. Jason is passionate about providing opportunities for expanding accessibility to holistic healing modalities.

Rebekah is a Psychology and Anthropology major. She is interested in preserving indigenous ceremonial practices, protecting plant medicines and the marriage between psychology and spirituality.

Britta Love is a somatic sex educator, writer and healer currently completing a research-based memoir about healing and awakening through conscious sexual practice and psychedelic ritual. www.BrittaLoved.com 

Lebert Lester III is from Manchester, CT. He has his B.A. in psychology from Morehouse College. He is a research assistant at Uconn’s Culture and Mental Health Disparities Lab.

Kathryn L. Tucker, JD, is Executive Director of the End of Life Liberty Project, an advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the rights of the terminally ill. She teaches law, medicine, and ethics at the end of life at leading law schools.

Shelby Hartman is Editor-in-Chief of DoubleBlind, a newly launched magazine magazine on psychedelics. She has reported on psychedelics and plant medicine for VICE, Rolling Stone, Quartz, and Chacruna, among others.

Kylea Taylor, MS, MFT, writes, teaches, and consults about her unique InnerEthics™ model. She wrote The Ethics of Caring and is a senior trainer for the Grof Transpersonal Training. KyleaTaylor.com.

Gabriel Amezcua is a Mexican anthropologist and conflict mediator specializing in harm reduction, gender studies and psychedelic therapy. He currently resides in Berlin doing research in mental health and masculinities.

Sandra Lucia Goulart has a PhD in social sciences from UNICAMP. She is a professor at the Cásper Líbero College in São Paulo and has published several books and articles about drug use.

Brad Bartlett is an attorney in Denver, Colorado and member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants. For more information on Brad go to: www.bartlettlawpractice.com

Elizabeth Arnold is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Greenwich Village.She holds an Ed.M. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Mike Jay is a historian who has written widely about the history of medicine and drugs. His books include High Society: Mind-altering drugs in history and culture and Mescaline: A global history of the first psychedelic.

Jeanna Eichenbaum is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco, specializing in issues of alternative sexuality and relationship models such as polyamory and BDSM, LGBTQQIA support, relationship work, and trauma and PTSD treatment.

Klarissa Platero has a PhD in Sociology and is a professor at the Department of Public Security at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Rio de Janeiro. She researches violent deaths and cycling safety.

Giorgio Samorini is an Italian ethnobotanist specialized on psychoactive plants and mushrooms. He developed field research among native groups of Africa, Asia and Americas. He authored many scientific papers and books published in different languages.

Anya Ermakova, Ph.D. is a conservation biologist, researching peyote ecology in the USA with Prof. Martin Terry. She is part of Chacruna's Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants.

Luís Fernando Tófoli, M.D., Ph.D., is a psychiatrist and professor of Psychiatry at the University of Campinas, Brazil. He is the head of the Interdisciplinary Cooperation for Ayahuasca Research and Outreach (ICARO) and a member of Chacruna’s Ayahuasca Community Committee.

Sean Lawlor is a writer and graduate student of Transpersonal Counseling at Naropa University. He currently writes about psychedelics for Chacruna and Psychedelics Today, and he is grateful to be a member of the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI).

Amy Emerson is the executive director and Director of Clinical Research of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation. She has worked in clinical development and research beginning in 1993 and applies her experience to all facets of MAPS drug development programs.

Mellody Hayes, MD is the CEO of Transformational Wellness, a psychedelic medicine clinic in Oakland.She is a graduate of Harvard College and UCSF medical school.She is a physician-writer and resiliency coach who loves dancing.

Kelan Thomas, PharmD, MS, BCPS, BCPP is Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences at Touro University California College of Pharmacy and a psychiatric pharmacist practicing in Oakland and San Francisco. He is curator of Chacruna’s social media “Science Sunday” series.

Leandro Altheman Lopes is a journalist based in Cruzeiro do Sul-Acre, author of the book: Muká: The Root of Dreams. He is a master’s candidate in anthropology.

Steven Benally is an enrolled Dine' from Sweetwater, Navajo Nation. He helps organize the Annual Spiritual Pilgrimage for his Dine people to the native home of their medicine in the desert. He is a founding member of IPCI.

Arlen Lightfoot is President ofthe Native American Church of Oklahoma. He is a United States Navy Veteran. He sits on the Board of the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative and is part of the National Council of Native American Churches.

The National Council consists of legitimate, indigenous member organizations that include the Native American Church of North America, the Azzee’ Bee Nahaga of Dine’ Nation, the Native American Church of the State of Oklahoma, the Native American Church of the State of South Dakota, and invited leaders of the Consejo Regional Wixarika of Mexico.

Bernd Brabec de Mori, Ph.D, is cultural anthropologist and musicologist at the University of Graz. His main research areas are music, health, and wellbeing, music and ritual, as well as Indigenous music, especially in the Amazon lowlands.

Chaikuni is a student of Amazonian Plant Medicine in the Shipibo Tradition. He also leads men’s retreats and coaches high impact individuals. Instagram: chaikuniwitan

Rosalía Acosta López is a psychologist from La Salle University, Puebla, and has been based in Huautla de Jiménez for 20 years. She currently organizes community reading circles for children in Huautla de Jiménez.

Sarai Piña Alcántara graduated with a degree in ethnology from the National Faculty of Anthropology and History. She studies social anthropology at CIESAS-CDMX. She has conduced research in the area for 15 years.

Elizabeth Bast is a Bwiti initiate, iboga provider with the Ibogasoul team, and coach specializing in holistic recovery and sacred medicine integration. She is the author of Heart Medicine: A True Love Story - One Couple's Quest for the Sacred Iboga Medicine & the Cure for Addiction.

Claudia Schwarz-Plaschg is a social scientist studying and intervening in the relationships between science and society. She currently explores medicalization and other models to reintegrate psychedelics into society. Twitter: @ReMedPsy.

Cristiana Vale Pires is graduated in psychology, MSc and PhD in Anthropology. She is a founding-member of Kosmicare Association and a researcher at CEDH – FEP of the Portuguese Catholic University.

Mareesa Stertz is a filmmaker, community organizer, and kundalini yoga teacher.She is the Media Director at Lucid.News, programs events for the Aware Project, and has several documentaries streaming on GaiaTV.

Matthew Baggott, PhD, is a data science leader and neuroscientist who has pioneered research on how psychedelics affect people for over two decades. He was previously a director at Genentech.

Belinda is of Dine’ (Navajo) and A:shiwi (Pueblo of Zuni) descent. She is the founder of Kaalogii, which focuses on cultural and traditional teaching and inner healing.She holds degrees in Health Sciences, Technology, and Occupational and Environmental Health.

Nicolas Langlitz is associate professor of anthropology at The New School in New York. He is the author of Neuropsychedelia: The Revival of Hallucinogen Research since the Decade of the Brain.

Jordana Grader is the co-founder of Healers Resilience Fund. She has been a student of Traditional Amazonian Medicine for over 10 years. She holds a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology from CIIS and is trained in Hakomi Somatic Psychotherapy and the Hendricks Coaching Method.Her primary teacher is Nature.

Ashleigh Murphy-Beiner is a Trainee Clinical Psychologist and member of the Psychedelic Research Group at Imperial College working on the Psilocybin for Depression clinical trial in London.

Henrique Fernandes Antunes have a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of São Paulo. Researcher of the International Postdoctoral Program of the Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP).

Glauber Loures de Assis has a PhD in Sociology. He is currently the president of Céu da Divina Estrela, a brazilian Santo Daime church, and member of Chacruna’s Ayahuasca Community Committee.

Juliana Mulligan has been an active member of the Ibogaine community for eight years and holds a B.A. in Psychology. She runs Inner Vision Ibogaine, supporting people in preparation for, and in integration after, treatment. She is also the Psychedelic Program Coordinator at the Center for Optimal Living.

Yuri Motta is a Doctorate student at the Graduate Program in Sociology and Law at Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil He is also a member of INCT-InEAC (Institute for Comparative Studies in Conflict Management) and PsicoCult (Center for Studies in Psychoactive and Culture).

Jasmine Virdi is a freelance writer and editor. Since 2018, she has worked for the independent publishing company Synergetic Press. She also serves as a writer for Chacruna, Psychedelics Today, and Lucid News.

Laura Pérez Gil is a professor of anthropology and director of the Museum of Archeology and Ethnology at the Federal University of Paraná. She carried out research on social organization and shamanism among the Yaminawa of the Peruvian Amazon.

Alicia Danforth Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher. She is the co-investigator for the first pilot study of MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of social anxiety in autistic adults.

Dr. Gabor Maté, M.D., is a renowned speaker and bestselling author. His work focus on a range of topics including addiction, stress, childhood development, and the psychedelic medicine ayahuasca.

Dr. Claudio Naranjo is a Chilean psychiatrist who was part of the early Esalen Staff, created the International SAT program for personal transformation and has lately been mostly interested in changing Education as a response to the world problematique.

Jeremy Narby has a PhD in anthropology from Stanford University. He has published 3 books about ayahuasca, shamanism and ecological knowledge, including the book "Psychotropic Mind: The World According to Ayahuasca, Iboga, and Shamanism"

Diana Negrín, Ph.D, is a geographer, educator and curator. She currently serves on the board of the Wixárika Research Center and teaches at the University of San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley. She is Associate Director of Chacruna Latinoamérica in Mexico.

Amanda Reiman received her PhD from UC Berkeley and is the Community Manager for Flow Kana and the Secretary of the International Cannabis Farmer’s Association.

Bruno Rasmussen Chaves is a physician who has been researching and working with ibogaine in Brazil for more than 20 years. He is the former director of  the Global Ibogaine Therapists Alliance (GITA). He is also interested in MDMA and other psychedelics.

Isabel Santana de Rose has a Ph.D in anthropology. She is co-author of the book "Ayahuasca Religions: a bibliography & critical essays" (2009), and several research articles. She examines the emergence of contemporary shamanic networks in Brazil, and is a researcher at the Institute Brazil Plural (IBP).

Oscar Calavia-Sáez - born in La Rioja, Spain, 1959, living in Brazil from 1986 on- is a writer and anthropologist specialized in Amazonian indians and religion.

Dr. Scott Shannon, MD, is a leader and pioneer in the field of Integrative Medicine and Integrative Psychiatry. He has authored four books and trains professionals worldwide.

Glenn H. Shepard Jr., Ph.D, is an anthropologist, filmmaker and tenured staff researcher in the Human Sciences Division at the Goeldi Museum in Belém, Brazil. He sits on Chacruna’s Advisory Board.

Dena Sharrock is a PhD candidate in Anthropology from the University of Newcastle, Australia. Her ethnographic research was carried out at the Temple of the Way of Light, Iquitos, Peru.

Jordan Sloshower, MD, MSc, is a resident psychiatrist at Yale University and co-founder of the Yale Psychedelic Science Group. His research focuses on therapeutic applications of psilocybin and ayahuasca.

Dr. Joseph Tafur is a Colombian-American family physician. After post-doctoral research in psychoneuroimmunology, Dr. Tafur trained in ayahuasca shamanism under Shipibo healer Ricardo Amaringo at Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual.

Christopher Timmermann obtained a BSc in Psychology in Santiago, Chile and a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Bologna in Italy. He is currently completing a PhD in Imperial College London, leading a project focusing on the effects of DMT in the brain and human consciousness.

Robin Wright has researched and published widely on indigenous Amazonian shamanism for 30 years. His recent book is entitled "Mysteries of the Jaguar Shamans of the Northwest Amazon". He is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Florida.

Bruno Ramos Gomes, M.A., is a psychologist with a master’s degree in public health from São Paulo University, Brazil. Since 2004, he has been working on reducing drug related harms in Cracolandia, São Paulo; a region with hundreds of crack users. He has been conducting Ibogaine treatment since 2010. He is a collaborator on ICARO-UNICAMP’s ayahuasca research to treat alcohol dependence program.

Camis Benedito is a sociologist. He specialized in Sociology of Religion through a thesis on Gender and Religion within the Brazilian Ayahuasca Religion Santo Daime.

Carlos Suárez Álvarez has a Masters in Amazonian Studies from the Universidad Nacional Colombia and is the author of the multimedia book, Ayahuasca, Iquitos and Monster Vorax. He has lived in an indigenous community in the Colombian Amazon since 2008.

Chris Dodds was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He works as a photojournalist and has traveled multiple times to the Amazon, he has known Yawa Bane for the last 7 years. He currently resides in Los Angeles

Edward MacRae is associate professor of anthropology at the Federal University of Bahia, researcher at CETAD/UFBA and NEIP. He has written extensively on LGBT rights, AIDS, harm reduction and ayahuasca.

Ifetayo Harvey is from Charleston, and has a BA in History and African Studies from Smith College. She is currently working as the Communications Associate at the Drug Policy Alliance. https://if3tay0.wordpress.com

Ignacio Carrera works as an Assistant Professor in the Universidad de la República, Uruguay. His research interest lies in the preparation of novel small molecules for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and the development of biocatalytic methods for organic synthesis. He obtained his PhD in organic chemistry in Universidad de la República and coursed his postdoctoral studies at Columbia University in the city of New York.

Jae Sevelius, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco, and holds a Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Jean-Francois Sobiecki is an ethnobotanist and herbalist healer from South Africa whose passion and work is to teach people how to use medicinal plants for healing and self development. E-mail: [email protected], Practice: www.phytoalchemy.co.za, Research: www.khanyisagarden.co.za.

Rev. Dr. Jessica Rochester is the Madrinha and President of Céu do Montréal, a Santo Daime Church she founded in 1997 in Montréal, Canada. She is an ordained Inter-Faith Minister with a Doctorate in Divinity. A Transpersonal counsellor, she trained in the work of Dr. Roberto Assagioli and trained with Dr. Stanislav Grof. 

Julie D. Megler, NP-BC, is a nurse practitioner focusing on integrative mental health and integration of non-ordinary states of consciousness. She is Chair of the board of directors for ERIE and co-founder of Sage Integrative Health.

Kathleen Harrison, M.A., is an ethnobotanist who teaches about plants and fungi, especially ritual and mythical relationships with nature. She co-founded Botanical Dimensions in 1985, with Terence McKenna. www.botanicaldimensions.org

Kerry Moran, M.A., LPC is a depth-oriented psychotherapist and writer working with the integration of ayahuasca. She lives in Pisac, Peru. Her website is www.ayahuascawisdom.com.

Kevin Feeney, Ph.D., JD, is a cultural anthropologist and lawyer who has published several articles examining legal and regulatory issues surrounding the religious and cultural use of psychoactive plants. He is a member of Chacruna's Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants.

Wendy Chapkis, Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern Maine, is co-author of Dying to Get High (New York University Press, 2008) and numerous drug policy reform articles. 

Charlotte Walsh is a legal academic at Leicester Law School. Her writings and talks challenge the drug laws as they pertain to psychedelics from a liberal, human rights-informed perspective.

Keeper Trout is an independent scholar and researcher with an interest in cacti and mind-altering plants. He volunteers for Cactus Conservation Institute (www.cactusconservation.org) and is digitizing
Ann & Sasha Shulgin’s archives (shulginresearch.org).

Marc Aixalà is an engineer, psychologist, psychotherapist and Holotropic Breathwork facilitator. He leads the ICEERS Integration & Support service and has supported hundreds of people who faced challenging experiences with psychedelics.

Noah Potter, J.D., is an attorney in private practice, a former chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Drug and the Law and the author of the Psychedelic Law blog. He is a member of Chacruna's Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants.

Michael James Winkelman, Ph.D. (University of California-Irvine), is a medical anthropologist with an interest in psychedelics, alterations of consciousness and shamanism. He currently lives in the central highlands of Brazil.

Daniel Perkins, Ph.D, works in research and policy relating to psychoactive plants in government and at the University of Melbourne, where he directs the Global Ayahuasca Project, and is a psychotherapist.

Rubiela Mojomboy is a recognized Inga social leader and defender of the rights of indigenous women. 

Miguel Evanjuanoy, human and indigenous rights leader of the Inga people, from Putumayo, Colombia. Environmental engineer and follower of yagé medicine. He is a member of the Union of traditional Yagé Medics of the Colombian Amazon (UMIYAC).

Ingmar Gorman Ph.D, is a clinical psychologist, Director of the Psychedelic Education and Continuing Care Program, an NIH fellow at NYU, and site co-principal investigator studying MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.

Rini Hartman is the founder of Céu da Arte.
www.ceudaarte.org

Alí Cortina is a History major from the Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico. He is currently doing his masters degree in Social Sciences and Humanities with the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa.

Geoff Bathje, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, professor, and activist, with additional training in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research, Sensorimotor Therapy, harm reduction, and community organizing.

Céu dos Ventos, or Centro Eclético da Fluente Luz Universal Francisco Corrente Céu dos Ventos, is a Santo Daime church based in the Hague, The Netherlands.

Sophia Rokhlin MSc. is a nonprofit organizer working in the Peruvian Amazon, co-author of When Plants Dream (Watkins, 2019) and a member of Chacruna's Ayahuasca Community Committee.

Elizabeth M. Nielson, PhD, is a Psychologist at the Psychedelic Education and Continuing Care Program and therapist on clinical trials of Psilocybin and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Edilene Coffaci de Lima, is PhD in Anthropology (University of São Paulo, USP) and is Anthropology Professor at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) in Brazil.

Brian Anderson, MD, MSc, is a psychiatrist and researcher in the department of psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco, where he is a co-investigator on a clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for long-term AIDS survivors.

Kenneth Tupper, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. Other articles of his on entheogens and drug education can be found at: https://www.drkennethtupper.com/publications

Dennis McKenna, Ph.D, has studied the botany, chemistry and pharmacology of ayahuasca since 1981, when he first traveled to Peru as a graduate student at the University of British Columbia.

Matthew Meyer was born in Northern California and grew up in Chico. He was a Rotary exchange student to Brazil after high school, and later did fieldwork in the Brazilian Amazon for his PhD in anthropology (U Virginia 2014).

J. Hamilton Hudson earned his JD with an MS from Tulane University and his BA magna cum laude in anthropology from the University of Colorado.

Shawn Sunil Verma, M.D. is a resident psychiatrist interested in ecopsychology, environmentalism, and novel approaches to imbuing conservation ethic and nature empathy into the greater human psychic connection.

Sarah Daniels is a MA student in Clinical Psychology at The University of British Columbia researching cannabis in the context of mental health.

David Nickles is an underground researcher, moderator for the DMT-Nexus community, and glassblower. He has offered cultural commentary on psychedelics and radical politics and participated in numerous harm reduction efforts.

Alhena Caicedo Fernández has Ph.D. in social anthropology from EHESS, France and is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.

Gregory Wells, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice in San Francisco. He offers ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. He is also co-Principal Investigator and co-therapist in the MAPS-sponsored study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD.

Regina Célia de Oliveira is a biologist with a Ph.D. in botany from UNICAMP and a postdoc at Kew Gardens. She is a professor at Brasília University (UnB), participating in the postgraduate program in botany. The main focus of her work is in taxonomy.

Bett Williams is the author of Girl Walking Backwards. Her new book, The Wild Kindness chronicles cover seven years of psilocybin growing and use, both solitary and in community with queer artists and writers.

Katie Stone is a social change visionary and doctoral student in the Transformative Inquiry Department at CIIS. Her research focuses on the societal and spiritual impacts of progressive drug policy reform.

Casey Alexander Paleos, MD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. He is currently serving as a Co-Principal Investigator for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD Phase 3 clinical trial.

Joseph Rhea is an attorney in Palm Springs, California. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University. He is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants.

Gerard Artesona is an AMFT currently residing in Oakland California. He has worked in depth with plant medicine traditions since 2010 and is interested in their applications in psychology. 

Kevon Adrian Simpson is Founder of Entheogen Integration Circle (NYC). He is a two-spirit medicine man within the plant medicine paths of Peru, a psychedelic world traveler, and a multidisciplinary artist born into a Jamaican lineage of healers.

Dr. Michelle Corbin is a feminist sociologist whose research on psychedelic sciences is grounded in feminist sociology of knowledge and feminist science studies. Dr. Corbin’s research examines the intersecting politics of race, class, gender, and sexuality within psychedelic sciences and communities. 

Valerie Leveroni Corral is the co-founder & Executive Director of WAMM, the longest running medical cannabis collective in the nation, established in 1993. WAMM provides cannabis & other phytotherapies for seriously ill on a donation basis, providing care at all stages, including palliative care.

Sarah Scheld helps people learn to provide MDMA-assisted psychotherapy through MAPS BPC’s MDMA Therapy Training Program. Her organizing, healing, and writing work focus on catalyzing personal healing and social change through trauma resolution and skillful psychedelic use.

Dr. Sienknecht provides Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy at Polaris Insight Center and MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy in the MAPS Study for Treatment of PTSD. His professional interests include consciousness research and interface between music and psychedelics.

Guilherme Meneses is enrolled in the doctorate program in social anthropology at FFLCH-USP. He has a master’s degree in social anthropology (FFLCH-USP), a bachelor’s in social science (FFLCH-USP) and a bachelor’s in business administration (FGV-EAESP).

Monnica T. Williams, Ph.D., ABPP, is a board-certified clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut. She has published over 100 articles on ethnic minority mental health, psychopathology research, and psychedelic therapy. She is part of Chacruna's Racial Equity and Access Committee.

Dee Dee Goldpaugh, LCSW is a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City and Woodstock, NY. Their practice specializes in trauma-informed, queer-affirmative, sex positive psychotherapy and psychedelic integration.

Daiara Tukano is an indigenous activist, visual artist, fomer coordinator at Rádio Yandê, and holds a master's in human rights from the University of Brasília.

Genesee Herzberg, PsyD, is a psychologist in Berkeley, co-founder of Sage Integrative Health, and therapist for the MAPS Phase 3 MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD trials.

Wade Davis is the author of 23 books, including One River, The Wayfinders, Into the Silence and the forthcoming Magdalena. In 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2018 he became an Honorary Citizen of Colombia.

Ben Meeus holds both a master in International and European Law and in Latin American Studies.

Francoise Bourzat is trained in Somatic psychology, has been mentored in the Mexican Mazatec tradition of the sacred mushrooms and has been sharing her approach internationally for 30 years.

Michael Crawford, M.A., is graduate of Haverford College and UConn. He researches the psycho-socio-cultural influences associated with the physical and mental health of underserved populations in the Culture and Mental Health Disparities Lab at UConn.

Jessica Nielson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Health Informatics at the University of Minnesota and founder of the Psychedelic Society of Minneapolis.

Sean McAllister is a drug policy reform lawyer focused on cannabis business law and the use of plant medicines in ceremonial settings. Sean is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants.

Todd Youngs is a recovering addict with 9 years clean.He is a practitioner of the 12 Step model and guides others in their quests for sobriety.
https://www.joyofsoberliving.com

Victoria Wueschner is a 26 year old yoga teacher with a love of entheogens. She started her journey with plant medicines at the age of 19 and is a proponent of their transforming healing properties.

Lynne Nardizzi, MSW is a psychotherapist and writer. Having healed her “incurable” autoimmune disease through shamanic plant medicine work, she works with clients experiencing health problems, spiritual crises and breakthroughs.

Vinícius Dino graduated in Social Sciences at the University of Brasília, and is currently a master’s student in Social Anthropology at the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

Amy Jones, Ed.M, LCSW is a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City and has specialized in working with women, artists, and the LGBTQ community for 15 years. She is Charuna’s Social Events Coordinator.

Bob Otis Stanley, MA Div, is a healthcare informatics researcher, founding Chair of Oakland’s decriminalization initiative and Sacred Garden Community.

NiCole T. Buchanan, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University and the Clinical Director and Founder of Alliance Psychological Associates, PLLC. in East Lansing, MI. She is member of Chacruna’s Board of Directors.

Jeffrey Guss, MD is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and researcher . He was Co-Principal Investigator and Director of Psychedelic Therapy Training for the NYU School of Medicine’s study on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of cancer related existential distress. He maintains a private practice in New York City.

Betty Sanchéz, MA, is a higher education teacher and consultant in territory management and public policies with several international organizations in various Amazon states and in the Colombian Orinoquía.

Amilton Pelegrino de Mattos is professor and researcher at the Indigenous Graduation of UFAC - Floresta. Since 2009, he researches in collaboration with Ibã Huni Kuin and MAHKU.

Decriminalize Nature Oakland is an educational campaign to inform Oakland residents about the value of entheogenic plants and fungi. DNO has passed a resolution in June 2019 in Oakland decriminalizing entheogenic plants. www.decriminalizenature.org

Alexander Belser, PhD is a licensed psychologist and psychedelic researcher at Yale University. He co-founded the NYU Psychedelic Research Group in 2006 and serves a MAPS study therapist. He is a member Chacruna’s Women, Gender Diversity, and Sexual Minorities Working Group.

Jerry B. Brown, Ph.D., is an anthropologist, activist and coauthor of The Psychedelic Gospels, 2016, and of “Entheogens in Christian Art,” Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 2019.

Kat Conour, LMFT, is a psychotherapist being trained in MDMA for PTSD through MAPS and Ketamine Assisted Therapy at Sage Integrative. She serves as Director of Auryn Project and on the Advisory Board of Chacruna.

Liana Sananda Gillooly is Development Officer at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She is an advocate and activist for drug policy reform.

Lia Mix, MS, MFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and chair of the CIIS CPTR Alumni Association. She is the founder and CEO of Enthea Health, an insurance company dedicated to consciousness-focused healthcare.

Nicholas Powers is a poet, journalist and professor. His book "The Ground Below Zero: 9/11 to Burning Man, New Orleans to Darfur, Haiti to Occupy Wall Street".

Harvey Schwartz, PhD, is Co-founder and Psychologist at Polaris Insight Center. He is passionate about training the next generation of clinicians in the fields of trauma, dissociative disorders, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Sandor Iron Rope, an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Oyate from Pine Ridge South Dakota. He serves as President of the Native American Church of South Dakota and former chair of Native American church of North America. He a member of the Board of Directors of the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative.

Andrew Tso has worked for decades to support the Native American Church legally and spiritually. He has also worked to protect native land and water from oil company activities in the Aneth area.

The IPCI conservation effort exists to sustain the spiritual practices of Indigenous Peoples for generations to come; promoting health, well-being, and native cultural revitalization through sovereignty and sustainability of the Sacred Peyote plant and the lands on which it grows.

Luis Miguel Modino is a diocese priest from Madrid, Spain who has served as a Fidei Donum missionary in Brazil since 2006. He belongs to the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesiastical Communication Network (REPAM), is a correspondent on Digital Religion in Brazil and collaborator in Instituto Humanitas-Unisinos.

Nicolle Greenheart is a Practice Facilitator for Sacred Garden Community. She is a co-founder and former Board Member of Decriminalize Nature, the organization that spearheaded the passing of the decriminalization Resolution in Oakland.

Inti García Flores is a Mazatec historian from La Salle University, Puebla, and a secondary school teacher in San Mateo Yoloxochitlan. He is also Director of the “Renato García Dorantes” Mazatec Historical Archive.

Chor Boogie aka Gyangou Kombe Manzambe is an internationally acclaimed artist, Bwiti initiate, and iboga provider with the Ibogasoul team.

The Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants advocates for the legality of sacred plant medicines, encourages legal harm reduction, educate about conservation of plant species, document relevant legal issues, and consult on legal cases.

Celina De Leon is the director of Circle of Sacred Nature 501(c)3 church, a PhD candidate at the GTU, and on the Board of Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines.

Inês Macedo is a psychiatrist. She is a founding member of Kosmicare Association and she is a member of the Portuguese Society for Existential Psychoterapy.

Rebecca Kronman, LCSW, is a licensed therapist specializing in psychedelic preparation and integration, a mother of two and founder of Plant Parenthood, a digital and in person community of parents who use psychedelics.

Zach Topley worked as the Outreach Director for Decriminalize California, a statewide drug policy reform campaign. He holds a BA in Political Science from UCLA, and writes on food and drug regulatory issues.

Bill Brennan, PhD (cand.) is a doctoral student in counseling psychology at Fordham University.His dissertation research is on ethical relationship and boundary-setting in psychedelic psychotherapy.

Allan Steiner is a Drug Policy reform advocate living in Oakland California. Allan worked as a cannabis consultant from 2016-2019 and was an early supporter of the Decriminalize Nature Oakland resolution.

Leonardo Rodríguez has a Ph.D. in international studies. He works as a civil society representative at the United Nations. He is the lead for the non-profit Maloca Internationale.

Dana Kittrelle is the co-founder of Healers Resilience Fund. With a degree in Ecological Economics from Pomona College and a certificate in Ecopsychology Counseling from the Holos Institute, she has been studying Traditional Amazonian Medicine for the past several years. A lifelong surfer, you’ll find her listening to the waves.

Ido Hartogoshn, Ph.D, is an assistant professor at the Graduate Program in Science, Technology and Society at Bar Ilan University. His book American Trip: Set, Setting and the Psychedelic Experience (2020) was published with MIT Press.

Maria Mocerino is a creative writer and interviewer that covers psychedelics. Currently, she is working on an interview series with Chacruna that highlights the work of people of color in the psychedelic field.

Osiris García Cerqueda is Mazatec from Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca. He is a historian and PhD candidate in sociology. His studies focus on the history of the Oaxacan Mazatec, indigenous people, and countercultural movements.

Luan Gomes dos Santos is an assistant professor at the Federal University of Campina Grande - UFCG., with a doctorate in education and a master’s in development and environment. He is an anthropologist, sociologist & social worker.

Kristina Hunter is a healing guide and writer based in California. Her work explores the intersection of expanded states of consciousness, psychology, and Buddhist meditation.