An unmissable lineup centers diverse perspectives and
experiential offerings.
SAN
FRANCISCO, April 27, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/
-- On April 27 and 28 at
San Francisco's Brava Theatre,
Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines will host its
unmissable spring conference: Psychedelic Culture. This year's
theme is Cultivating Roots for Cultural Change. Registration is
still open for the event, taking place at the historic Brava
Theatre Center (2781 24th St.) in San
Francisco's vibrant Mission District. Register now for your
seat; limited spots remain.
"We cannot reduce the psychedelic
renaissance to psychedelic science. There is also a living
psychedelic culture that needs to be embraced. Psychedelic culture
is not only about consciousness, but also about embodied
experiences and cultivating perception." - Henrique Antunes, Ph.D
With deep ties to many of the psychedelic space's culture
keepers and groundbreaking thinkers, Chacruna has led the way in
centering people and traditions critical to – but often left out of
– conversations about psychedelics. As with all things Chacruna
does, the conference will platform the often marginalized voices in
the psychedelic movement. Conference attendees can expect wisdom
from Indigenous traditions in dialogue with perspectives of
psychedelic scientists and queer and BIPOC scholars, healers, and
creatives. The conference tracks are organized around Chacruna's
main initiatives: Indigenous Reciprocity & Decolonial
Dialogues, Psychedelic Justice, Protection of Sacred Plants &
Cultural Traditions, and voices from the Global South.
For Chacruna co-founder and Executive Director Dr.
Bia Labate, Psychedelic Culture
celebrates the beauty of many traditions. "In these times, when the
psychedelic field advances both in the medical/FDA track, as
capital explodes across the country, and as decriminalization
initiatives and start-ups are popping up everywhere, it is more
important than ever to keep the true spirit of the psychedelic
movement alive, including a respect for the lands and people where
these substances originate, as well as the values of service,
reciprocity, and firsthand experience," says Dr. Labate.
In the lovingly restored 1920s-era Brava Theatre, a space long
stewarded by a women-led co-op, in the beautiful Latin neighborhood
of San Francisco, attendees will
hear from a once-in-a-lifetime lineup, and will have additional
opportunities to participate via the conference's unique
experiential components. Panels will feature visionary speakers and
thinkers on topics critical to the future of psychedelic culture,
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, veterans, and disabled populations
and psychedelics; perspectives from the global South; critical
reflections on psychedelic science; and dialogues between
neuroscience and shamanism.
"I'm most looking forward to connecting with researchers,
practitioners, activists, and enthusiasts from all over the world,
who share a common interest in the protection of plant medicines
and plant medicine traditions," says conference presenter
Jamie Beachy, Ph.D., M.Div.,
Spiritual Care Educator, and Chair of Chacruna's Board of
Directors. "There is truly no better way to build professional
relationships, seed the beginnings of new projects and dive into
meaningful discussions about justice and equity in the psychedelic
field."
A remarkable lineup of 87 speakers includes MAPS founder and
Executive Director Rick Doblin;
Monnica T. Williams, Associate
Professor at the University of Ottawa
in the School of Psychology and Canada Research Chair in Mental
Health Disparities; Mona Polacca, educator/facilitator on
Indigenous water issues and culturally appropriate health
treatments for Native Americans and of Havasupai, Hopi and Tewa
tribal lineage; Alex Horton, Army
SOF combat Veteran, writer, speaker, leadership coach, and
psychedelic integration coach; Indigenous Mazatec historian and
sociologist Dr. Osiris García Cerqueda; Dr. Sidarta Ribeiro,
professor of neuroscience and co-founder of the Brain Institute at
the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; Dr. Joe
Tafur, Colombian-American physician, author of The
Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor's Exploration into
Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine, and co-founder of Modern
Spirit; Kanyon Sayers-Roods, a Costanoan Ohlone-Mutsun and Chumash
artist, poet, author, activist, and teacher; Dr. Adana Omágua
Kambeba, the first Indigenous woman of her people (the Kambeba, or
Omágua) to graduate in medicine in MIna
Gerais, Brazil,
David Bronner, Cosmic Engagement
Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner's and activist; John Walsh, Director for Drug Policy and the
Andes at the Washington Office on Latin
America; Dr. Darron T. Smith,
associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the
University of Washington and
Co-Director at The Center of Novel Therapeutics in Addiction
Psychiatry; comedian and writer Adam
Strauss; Dr. Artionka Capiberibe, an anthropologist working
with Amerindian Peoples in Brazil,
and the author of Baptism of Fire: The Palikur and Christianity
(2007); Victor Cabral, Assistant
Director of Community Care at Naropa
University and one of Students for Sensible Drug Policy's
"40 Under 40 Outstanding BIPOC Leaders in Drug Policy," and
Chacruna co-founders Dr. Bia Labate
and Dr. Clancy Cavnar.
Attendees will choose from three simultaneous tracks to support
deep engagement. Panels and talks will be punctuated by
performances and creative expression, including music, dance, and
art circles; rapé (tobacco) ceremonies, and affinity meetup
groups.
Chacruna has long been regarded as a bridge builder between
psychedelic science and the world of plant medicines, fostering
conversation and promoting cultural understanding. As speaker
Glauber Assis, Ph.D, Associate
Director of Chacruna Latinoamérica in Brazil and Research Associate at Brazil's Interdisciplinary Group for
Psychoactive Studies, notes, "PCU is a unique opportunity to remind
us that psychedelics are closely linked to ancestral traditions and
have bravely resisted colonization, religious fundamentalism and
social stigmas for centuries, being a powerful symbol of cultural
and political resistance."
The conference's experiential sessions will support that
reminder, providing authentic moments of connection, celebration,
and reflection. That's key, says Henrique
Antunes, Ph.D, Chacruna's Ayahuasca Community Committee
Coordinator. "We cannot reduce the psychedelic renaissance to
psychedelic science. There is also a living psychedelic culture
that needs to be embraced. Psychedelic culture is not only about
consciousness, but also about embodied experiences and cultivating
perception."
"Centering Queer, BIPOC, and Indigenous perspectives, Chacruna's
Psychedelic Culture breaks through the typical conference
constraints of lectures and presentations and embodies the vision
of a more integrated psychedelic community by uniting diverse
voices on a journey towards our collective wellness and
liberation," says presenter Joseph
McCowan, Chacruna's Board member, Co-therapist and
Supervisor in the MAPS sponsored Phase 3 clinical trials of
MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD. "Join us in forging these
cross-cultural collaborations as we reimagine and shape a more
equitable future where healing with psychedelics and in community
is accessible to everyone, everywhere."
"This conference is a coalescence of the topics that have set
Chacruna apart from other players in the field since its launch,"
says Chacruna Program Coordinator Alejandra
Barajas. "With a focus on psychedelic justice, we are
covering topics that are rarely considered in other conferences and
educational offerings, such as Deaf experience in psychedelics. We
are thrilled to have an entire panel dedicated to this experience
and to continue learning about the ways in which we can make the
field more accessible for all. It's our hope that from now on all
conferences in the field will be aware of the needs of specific
underrepresented populations and work towards inclusion."
The conference will also mark the official book launch of Women
and Psychedelics (Synergetic Press, 2024), Chacruna's fourth book.
This remarkable collection includes short essays that examine the
place of women in the history of psychedelics. Essays range in
formats, from academic and anthropological critiques to intimate
interviews, and explore how women have informed the past, present,
and future of psychedelic culture.
Scholarships are available, in keeping with Chacruna's
commitment to accessibility. If you would like to attend the
conference, but cost presents a barrier, we encourage you to apply
here. Conference-goers can also get a 15% discount at the Phoenix
Hotel, a short driving distance away in the Tenderloin
neighborhood, with code CHACRUNA.
Chacruna would like to thank the sponsors of Psychedelic
Culture. At the Gold level, we celebrate the contributions of Dr.
Bronner's, InnerTrek, and Harmoniously. Silver level sponsors are
Calyx Law, Polaris Insight Center, Auryn Project, Wonderland
Project, McAllister Law Office,
Soltara Healing Center, MAPS Canada, MAPS, and BRĒZ. This event would not
be possible without their generous support.
See the full schedule and register here.
Media Contact
Lorien Chavez, Development and
Operations Officer, 1 937-823-2512, lorien@chacruna.net,
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SOURCE Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines