CLA Open Forum - 7 pm (CST) - Psychedelic Research in Colombia (Alejandro Marin)
2023-01-23 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA

Course: Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Production in Psychedelic Science
2023-01-24 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class One – Introduction
Professors: Dr. Bia Labate and Ligia Platero

Community Forum
2023-01-25 12:00 - 13:30, 2023-02-08 12:00 - 13:30, 2023-02-22 10:00 - 13:30, 2023-02-27 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Mexico_City) | CA

Course: Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Production in Psychedelic Science
2023-01-31 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class Two – What good are psychedelic humanities?
Professor: Nick Langliz

Course: Diversity, Culture and Social Justice in Psychedelics – Live/Online
2023-02-06 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class One – Introduction
Professors: Dr. Ligia Platero

Course: Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Production in Psychedelic Science
2023-02-07 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class Three – Challenges in trial design for psychedelic-assisted therapies: reflections from two studies of psilocybin therapy for depression
Professor: Jordan Sloshower

Course: Diversity, Culture and Social Justice in Psychedelics – Live/Online
2023-02-13 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class Two – Decolonizing our approaches: embodying the philosophy and practice of liberation psychology and cultural humility in psychedelic assisted therapy and research
Professor: Dr. Joseph McCowan

Course: Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Production in Psychedelic Science
2023-02-14 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class Four – Critical reflections about clinical research: the role of entouage effect and setting in healing
Professor: Sidarta Ribeiro

Course: Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Production in Psychedelic Science
2023-02-21 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class Five – Placebos, psychedelics, and blinding from a social scientific perspective
Professor: Katie Hendy

Course: Diversity, Culture and Social Justice in Psychedelics – Live/Online
2023-02-27 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class Three – The importance of Cultural Competency and anti-racist education for psychedelic assisted therapy: understanding aversive racism and the power of identity
Professor: Dr. Sonya Faber

Course: Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Production in Psychedelic Science
2023-02-28 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | CA
Class Six – Inside scoop to the lab: selecting variables in psychedelic research and how they become “knowledge”
Professor: Leor Roseman

What do you know about Psychedelics for Addiction and Recovery?
2023-06-14 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual

From Reciprocity to Sovereignty: Sacred Plants Conservation and Community
2024-02-07 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
The Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative (IRI) attempts to address the profound gap between the promises of psychedelics as defined by the mainstream and the needs of Indigenous and local communities. What does “reciprocity” mean in response to the colonial structures of increasingly globalized plant medicine spaces? How can relational ontologies inform a different way of building community autonomy to challenge systems of exploitation and alienation? How do we properly give back, integrate, and act? What are the promises and limitations of “Access and Benefit Sharing”? We hope to explore different strategies for working towards a process of reciprocity in the corporate, non-profit, therapeutic and ceremonial contexts. Join us in this conversation with speakers Dr. Glauber Loures de Assis, who is Associate Director of Chacruna Latinoamérica in Brazil, Joseph Mays, MSc, who is Program Director of Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative (IRI), and Dr. Bia Labate, who is Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute.

Psychedelic Societies as Catalysts for Global Transformation
2024-02-21 12:30 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
As the psychedelic renaissance gains momentum, new vibrant communities are popping up all over the world, playing a pivotal role in fostering individual growth and driving collective professional transformation. This forum will discuss the crucial significance of these communities, spotlighting the instrumental role played by the Global Psychedelic Society in bringing groups together and helping to strengthen local grassroots organizations. We will unravel the multifaceted contributions of psychedelic societies, serving as local hubs that not only facilitate knowledge exchange but also amplify global voices, empower local communities individuals, spread education and shape the trajectory of the movement’s future. Join us for an engaging conversation with experts Mareesa Stertz, Jessica ‘Jaz’ Cadoch, and Matt Gillespie, moderated by Mike Margolies.

How can we integrate Indigenous people into academic research on psychedelics?
2024-02-28 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Join us for this Community Forum where we will delve into the intricacies of interethnic research, the convergence and divergence of Indigenous worldviews and Western science, and the challenges and opportunities of integrating Indigenous voices into academic research teams. We will discuss the co-creation of research teams that value Indigenous wisdom as legitimate knowledge systems and shift the mindset of western researchers to enable deeper collaboration with Indigenous approaches, the limitations of western research methodologies and different ways in which Indigenous research be valued, as well as the consequences of excluding Indigenous peoples from research with plant medicines. Our speakers will be Simon Ruffell, Ph.D, a psychiatrist, ayahuasca researcher, and student of curanderismo, who has extensive experience working with Indigenous communities in the Amazon basin, Jem Stone, who is a We Al-li Facilitator, Wayapa Wuurrk practitioner, trainer and cultural consultant in psychedelic assisted therapies in Australia, in this forum moderated by Glauber Assis, Ph.D, who is Associate Director of Chacruna Latinoamérica in Brazil.

Workshop: Decolonization, Indigenous Allyship & Protecting Sacred Plants
2024-03-05 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
This workshop will challenge participants to take Indigenous claims on plant medicines seriously, to learn about traditional cultures and practices, and to engage in collaborative, horizontal and non-transactional relationships. With a combined 35 years of experience drinking and studying ayahuasca and other plant medicines, and 20 years of fieldwork in Mexico and South America, workshop facilitators will address the inherent inequities and power imbalances in the so-called “psychedelic renaissance”. A grounded analysis of Indigenous peoples and plants’ status in the psychedelic ecosystem will provide a framework for reconciling the increased demand for sacred plants and ceremony with the romanticization and fetishization of the cultures who have been using these plants since time immemorial. We will discuss the exploitative dynamics of partnerships between the Global North and the Global South, with the goal of outlining a more meaningful and impactful approach to respectfully engaging with plant medicines and working towards a process of reciprocity. Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas (IRI) will serve as a reflection of all these considerations; our contribution to trying to support Indigenous-led movements for self-determination and sovereignty that demonstrates a grassroots, ground-up approach. Attendees will engage in a modest and mindful, co-creative exercise to re-think and explore the true possibilities of decolonization and cultural exchange in the psychedelic space, integrating the political concerns emphasized by Indigenous activists and honoring their struggles for territorial and cultural autonomy.

How can Sacred Ceremonial Practices and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Inform Each Other?
2024-03-13 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Join us in exploring the fascinating intersection of sacred ceremonial practices and psychedelic psychotherapy. We’ll delve into the unique contributions these practitioners bring, from their competency in working with spiritual material to their nuanced understanding of power dynamics and non-ordinary states of consciousness. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, they offer a vital counterbalance to biomedical perspectives, enriching psychotherapeutic models with the wisdom of ceremonial practices. Led by experts in the field, including mental health consultant Ian Bodaken, Co-founder of Modern Spirit, Joe Tafur, M.D., and Social Anthropology PhD candidate Emily Sinclair.

Traditions in Dialogue: Indigenous Wisdom and Psychedelic Research
2024-03-20 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Join us for an engaging community forum where we explore the intercultural dialogues, co-creations and dissonances between Indigenous wisdom and cutting-edge psychedelic research. Together, we will delve into the complexities of dialoguing traditional knowledge with modern scientific inquiry, navigating challenges while fostering meaningful collaboration. Join our vision of a future where Indigenous voices play a central role in the psychedelic renaissance, offering diverse insights for holistic healing and cultural renewal. Led by esteemed speakers Jimena Chalchi, a Global Leadership researcher specializing in intercultural collaboration for mental, spiritual, and planetary health, and Alejandra Barajas, project coordinator and member of the Chacruna’s Women, Gender Diversity, and Sexual Minorities Working Group.

Towards an ethical consensus for the field of psychedelics: The HOPE Consensus Statement
2024-03-27 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Join us as we discuss the HOPE Consensus Statement. This pioneering document aims to help steer the future of psychedelics with a strong ethical compass, highlighting psychedelic experiences beyond their medical use, advocating for essential aftercare in clinical trials, and exploring the innovative use in couples therapy. It’s a call to action for everyone interested in the ethical advancement of the psychedelic field. Join our speakers Brian D. Earp, philosopher and neuroethicist based at Oxford, and Eddie Jacobs, Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities for this compelling Community Forum.

Psychedelics, Nagoya Protocol & Indigenous and Local Communities Rights: A Brazilian Perspective
2024-04-03 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Mexico_City) | Virtual
In this forum we will explore the geopolitics behind access and benefit sharing within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol. Discover the crucial role of Indigenous peoples and local communities, their rights enshrined in Brazilian legislation, and the challenges they face in protecting genetic resources for psychedelic use. We will delve into this complex terrain navigating the intersection of policy, Indigenous knowledge, and the psychedelic renaissance. Join us in this conversation with speakers Maira Smith, who is a biologist and General Coordinator for Access and Traceability at the Brazilian Department of Genetic Heritage of the Ministry of the Environment, Ana Luiza Arraes de Alencar Assis, who is biologist and has a master’s at Plant Genetic Resources from Santa Catarina´s Federal University, and Chris Byrnes, who is a registered patent attorney at Calyx Law.

Psychedelic Culture 2024 in Preview: Cultivating Change through Decolonial Dialogues
2024-04-17 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
As we approach The Bay Area’s Annual Spring Conference on Plant Medicines & Psychedelic Science, Psychedelic Culture 2024, we would like to offer space for some of the speakers, Chacruna staff, conference attendees and the general public to come together and explore some of the important conversations that will be held. Psychedelic Culture 2024 will platform Chacruna’s main initiatives: Indigenous Reciprocity & Decolonial Dialogues, Psychedelic Justice, Protection of Sacred Plants & Cultural Traditions, and voices from the Global South. Our main motto for this conference is Cultivating Roots for Cultural Change. This community forum in particular will be joined with Christine Diindiisi McCleave, who is an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe Nation and will be speaking on a panel at the conference titled Who benefits from the Psychedelic ‘Renaissance’? Indigenous Reciprocity, Decolonization, and Plant Medicine Conservation, Dr. Stephanie Michael Stewart, who is a member of Chacruna’s Racial Equity and Access Committee and will be speaking on a panel at the conference titled Shaping our Future: Ensuring equity and access in the psychedelic renaissance, Joseph Mays, who is Program Director of Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative (IRI) and will be moderating the panel featuring Christine at the conference, Allison Hoots, who is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants and will be speaking on a panel at the conference titled Sacred Plant Alliance (SPA): Religious Freedom and Legal Protections in the Plant Medicine Space, and moderator Alejandra Barajas, who is the Program Coordinator for Chacruna Institute and who has been working hard in the trenches on the creation of the conference program to make it happen. This event will be free and give space for speakers to share their perspectives and stress the importance of the dialogues they will be participating in. We will also leave space for attendees to ask any questions regarding the conference.

Psychedelic Culture
2024-04-27 - 2024-04-28 | Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th St., San Francisco, CA, United States
Chacruna started producing large-scale conferences in Mexico in 2015, and then yearly spring conferences in the West Coast since 2018. Psychedelic Culture 2024 will continue our tradition of exploring cutting-edge themes that are largely absent from the mainstream psychedelic conversation, related to our main initiatives: Indigenous Reciprocity & Decolonial Dialogues, Psychedelic Justice, Protection of Sacred Plants & Cultural Traditions, and voices from the Global South. At this two day in-person conference, with 3 simultaneous tracks, Chacruna will convene comprehensive panels and experiential opportunities that will foster conversations around topics including: Indigenous voices, Indigenous reciprocity, biocultural conservation, religion and psychedelics, holding mindful ceremony, legislation reform, law and policy, racial equity and access, queering psychedelics, women in psychedelics, veteran leaders in psychedelics, disabled populations and psychedelics, perspectives from the Global South, critical reflections on psychedelic science, including psychedelic assisted therapy, sexual abuse, touch and ethics, and dialogues between neuroscience and shamanism. We will also offer a space for participation in music and meditation circles and rapé (tobacco) ceremonies. Chacruna’s interdisciplinary conferences are well known for bringing diverse voices together, combining intellectual vision and rigor, community, activism, heart and soul. In the midst of the so called psychedelic renaissance, it is more important than ever to promote dialogues between scientists and communities who have been truly involved with these medicines, to have knowledge about the proper ways to use and steward them. Come join us in the beautiful Brava Theater, a co-op led by women in the traditional Latin neighborhood of San Francisco, for another memorable experience!

How can we regulate non-medical uses of psychedelics?
2024-05-08 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Join this community forum for an engaging discussion on the timely and pertinent topic of legal regulation of psychedelics for non-medical use. We’ll delve into why this focus is crucial at this juncture, considering factors such as risk and usage behaviors that inform policy decisions. We’ll address concerns surrounding corporate capture and strategize ways to mitigate these risks. Our conversation will also explore the development of a market that prioritizes social equity, including the role of religious and Indigenous use within this framework and alignment with international drug control laws. We’ll examine various regulatory models proposed to address these complex issues with Ester Kincová, Public Affairs and Policy Manager, and Steve Rolles, Senior Policy Analyst, both representing the UK-based independent charity Transform Drug Policy Foundation.

Psychedelic Networking Summit with the Chacruna Institute
2024-05-09 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | 222 E 46th St, 222 E 46th St, New York, NY, 10017, United States
Join us for an unprecedented gathering at a Psychedelic Networking Summit, presented in collaboration with the esteemed Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. This landmark event is designed to unite enthusiasts, professionals, academics, and curious minds in the expansive field of psychedelic science and traditional plant medicine practices.
Founded by the visionary Brazilian anthropologist Dr. Bia Labate and the American psychologist Dr. Clancy Cavnar, the Chacruna Institute is at the forefront of producing pivotal research on psychedelic plant medicines. Their mission extends beyond the academic realm, aiming to demystify and destigmatize these substances by making scholarly knowledge accessible to the public, thereby fostering a deeper cultural understanding and legitimacy.

Workshop: Ecology, Spirituality and Psychedelics
2024-05-14 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Professional spiritual health practitioners hold expertise in psychology, spirituality, religion, metaphysics, theology, existential care, and meaning-making. They represent diverse religious, spiritual and humanist traditions. Ecologically-based spiritual care affirms a view of spirituality that includes reciprocity, planetary healing, adaptation to climate change, indigenous reciprocity, and ecological grief.
An ecologically-integrated approach to psychedelic therapies includes:

Support for climate anxiety and grief.
Earth-based rituals and ceremonies for life transitions.
Nature-based psychedelic care for PTSD, end-of-life anxiety, and other mental health challenges.
Crisis care for climate change disasters and support for eco-justice initiatives and indigenous communities.
Exploration of ecological identity as a core psychological factor in well-being.
Spiritual support that emphasizes nature connection.
Stewarding and caring for plants, animals, land, and every aspect of the eco-system as a network of relations rather than resources to be exploited.

This workshop is for professional spiritual health practitioners, eco-chaplains, psychedelic therapists, scholars and anyone interested in the intersection of spirituality, ecological consciousness, and psychedelic care

Workshop: How Can You Protect Your Psychedelic Plant Medicine Church, Community and Clients?
2024-05-15 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Mexico_City) | Virtual
Are you involved with a Church that uses psychedelic sacrament? Do you want to learn how to protect your sacrament? Or are you just generally curious about the laws surrounding the religious use of psychedelic plant medicines? Come join us, get informed, and put to rest some of the myths that circulate around the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)–and learn the realities of this law–that affect plant medicine communities in the US. This workshop will be presented through the lens of Chacruna’s Guide to RFRA and Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches, which teaches churches using psychedelic plant medicines as sacrament how to understand protections offered under the RFRA. The Guide includes an overview of current RFRA case law, definition of “sincerely religious beliefs”, benefits of single/multiple sacraments, as well as practical considerations such as the value of incorporating as church and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, insurance, liability waivers, sacrament record keeping, storage, and importation issues. This workshop will also go through the history of RFRA claims filed for exemptions from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), including the cases of the Santo Daime and UDV churches, which have been granted exemptions. Attendees will gain clarity and guidance on how psychedelic churches may navigate the risks of and right to religious exercise with psychedelic sacrament, as well as explore implementing best practices in response to shifts in the psychedelic landscape and applicable law, and how such shifts may impact the legal analysis of the right to the religious use of sacrament(s).

Creating relations with plant medicines beyond psychedelics
2024-05-29 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explore the importance of cultivating deeper connections with plant medicines beyond psychedelics. Explore the significance of traditional protocols, the importance of building relationships with all plants, and the integral role of local ecosystems. Discover how embracing various plant relationships, from culinary herbs to gardening, enhances and complements psychedelic experiences. Examine the significance of language and culture in plant medicine practices. Our guest speakers are Angela Angel, a multifaceted healing practitioner, gardener, artist, medium/channeler, and ceremonialist, and Atava Garcia Swiecicki, MA, RH (AHG), a renowned herbalist, author, and educator.
