Panel: Psychedelics for Healing & Personal Growth
Emerging and established voices in the psychedelic space come together to discuss the healing potential of entheogens and their transformative applications for trauma, depression, addiction, and end-of-life care, as well as personal enrichment and expansion. With the new psychedelic therapy movement underway, the resurgence of ritual outside of traditional cultures, and a psychedelic “industry” starting to materialize, the many possible roads we can take as a society are explored.
Dr. Beatriz C. Labate
Dr. Beatriz C. Labate is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her main areas of interest are the study of plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is executive director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as public education and culture specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She is also visiting scholar at Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Studies and advisor at the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition. Beatriz is a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil, and editor of its website. She is an author, co-author, and co-editor of twenty-seven books, two special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles.
Jasmine Virdi
Jasmine Virdi is a freelance writer in the psychedelic space. Since 2018, she has been working for the independent publishing company Synergetic Press, where her passions for ecology, ethnobotany, and psychoactive substances converge. Jasmine has written for Psychedelics Today, Chacruna Institute for Plant Medicines, Lucid News, and Cosmic Sister, to name but a few. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Spirituality, Consciousness, and Transpersonal Psychology at the Alef Trust with the future aim of working as a therapeutic practitioner within the psychedelic space.
Additionally, she is a volunteer for Fireside Project’s psychedelic peer support line, aligned with their mission to provide compassionate, accessible, and culturally responsive support to all. Recognised for her work, Jasmine was included in the 40 Under 40 Outstanding BIPOC Leaders in Drug Policy by Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Jasmine’s goal as an advocate for psychedelics and plant medicines is to raise awareness of the socio-historical contexts in which these substances emerged in order to help integrate them into our modern-day lives in an ethically integral, accessible, and meaningful way.
Mareesa Stertz
Mareesa Stertz is a Costa Rica/California based filmmaker and a co-founder and media director at Lucid News. She is also a kundalini yoga teacher, community organizer, and documentarian who’s spent most of her life unraveling the impact of trauma on the human psyche. Her quest has taken her around the world, filming the stories of the shamans in Peru, psychedelic guides in the Netherlands, and holy men in India for her documentary series, The Healing Powers of Psychedelics and Other Mindful Practices, on Gaia TV. Her first feature film, Damanhur: The Documentary has recently been released on Gaia TV.
Mary Sanders
Mary Sanders is a committed licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and social justice advocate. Mary's goal is to explore the depths of transgenerational trauma and peel off the layers of oppression so that we can relate to our true self. Mary's experience is working with Black, Indigenious, and People of Color (BIPOC), 2SLGBTQIA+, veterans, immigrants and refugees from Iraq and Syria, and foster youth. Mary is committed to treating trauma, certified in Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and is a somatic experiencing psychotherapist in-training.
Additionally, Mary is a trained psychedelic-assisted therapist from California Institute of Integral Studies' Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research, MAPS, and Ketamine Training Center. Mary is founding board member of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective and works towards collective healing and justice for Black, Indigenous people, and People of Color within the context of psychedelics. Mary integrates her extensive training and lived experience in her private practice, EMPATH Center and social work role at Veteran Affairs' homeless programs in San Francisco, CA.
Hosted by Kat Conour, LMFT
Kat Conour, LMFT, applies her background in philanthropy, nonprofits, and organizational consulting to serve leaders and organizations in the field of psychedelics. With a keenness for identifying and developing talent, she turns values and vision into action. Through her work as Founder & Principal at Auryn Project, Kat focuses on incubating projects committed to centering equity, integrity, and regenerative approaches in the scaling of delivery systems for psychedelic medicines. In 2019 Kat served as a producer for the timely piece We Will Call It Pala, a dystopian narrative illuminating a future where psychedelics intersect with "business as usual" and which touched the hearts of many.
She also co-founded North Star and assisted in the development of Chacruna's Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative streamlining giving to frontline indigenous groups. Kat is a MAPS' trainee in MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD and ketamine-assisted therapist whose approach is informed by 13+ years working with various traditions in the healing uses of plant medicines. She currently serves as Chair of Sage Institute and on the Advisory Councils of Chacruna and Psychedelic Seminars.