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San Francisco, CA — [June 23, 2025] —The Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, a global leader in ethical psychedelic education, is thrilled to offer a new session of its highly demanded course: Roots of Psychedelic Therapy: Shamanism, Ritual and Traditional Uses of Sacred Plants. This 16-week live, online course runs from July 8 to October 21, 2025, and offers 28 CE credits for eligible professionals.
This rigorous, justice-centered exploration of sacred plant use will offer students critical historical, Indigenous, and anthropological perspectives. As with all of Charcuna’s courses, it will shine light on the foundations and the future of psychedelic culture through a unique lens that brings together renowned teachers for an experience available nowhere else. Ideal for therapists, facilitators, researchers, community leaders, and anyone looking for deeper wisdom, it will ground students’ knowledge and work in cultural humility, historical context, and ethical awareness.
Course Overview
Dates: July 8–October 21, 2025
Format: Live Online, Tuesdays 10:30am–12pm PDT / 1:30pm–3pm EST
CE Credits: 28 available
Faculty: Taught by internationally renowned scholars, anthropologists, Indigenous leaders, public health experts, and legal professionals.
Key Learning Topics:
- Indigenous and traditional uses of peyote, ayahuasca, psilocybin, iboga, and more
- Shamanism and ceremony across global traditions
- Ethics, globalization, commodification, and cultural appropriation
- Reciprocity, conservation, and the future of plant medicine
- Bridging ceremony and clinical psychedelic therapy
“This course is a rare opportunity to go beyond surface-level narratives and dive deeply into the traditions that have shaped psychedelic use for millennia,” said Dr. Bia Labate, Chacruna’s Executive Director. “We aim to equip participants with the cultural fluency and ethical grounding they need to practice responsibly.”
A Dynamic Faculty
Students will learn from a diverse team of experts, including:
- Dr. Glenn H. Shepard Jr., ethnobotanist and Amazonian researcher
- Dr. Nidia Olvera Hernández, Mexican historian of psychoactive substances
- Dr. Anya Ermakova, conservation scientist and psychedelic researcher
- Dr. Osiris Sinuhé González Romero, Nahua philosopher and decolonial scholar
- And many others from Chacruna’s global network of teachers and thought leaders.
A Transformational Student Experience
“The wisdom and insight I gained from my past Chacruna course were priceless. It profoundly shaped my relationship with sacred medicines and transformed my pharmacy practice.”
Mike Bonertz, pharmacist and Chacruna course alum
Students will gain both theoretical depth and real-world tools for respectful integration of plant medicine knowledge into their work, whether in clinical, spiritual, or academic settings. Join today to incorporate this knowledge into your professional career, therapeutic practice, scientific research, or ceremonial practice. This is your invitation to bridge the worlds of psychedelic therapies, science, and ceremony.
Why This Course Stands Out
- Justice-Informed Pedagogy: Rooted in equity, Indigenous autonomy, and decolonial frameworks
- Global and Interdisciplinary: Integrates anthropology, law, history, medicine, and spiritual traditions
- Reciprocity-Centered: Aligns with Chacruna’s mission to honor and protect the cultural origins of psychedelic practice
Enrollment Information
- Now Accepting Registrations
Tuition: $1,100 (Scholarships available)
Registration Deadline: July 7th, 2025
About Chacruna Institute
The Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing psychedelic justice through education, advocacy, and research. We promote reciprocity, cultural preservation, and ethics by bridging traditional Indigenous knowledge and modern psychedelic science.
Media Contact
Lorien Chavez
Chacruna Institute
[email protected]
415-390-6157
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