Chacruna’s eight-week course offers a critical foundation in psychedelic research
As clinical research on psychedelics continues around the world, the need grows for informed and aware scientists, therapists, academics, and anyone interested in the scientific basis underpinning these substances’ healing potential. Chacruna’s new course, “The Science of Psychedelic Healing,” begins June 6 and will provide this critical context. Over eight weeks, sessions taught by internationally-recognized faculty will give students a foundation in critical scientific perspectives on psychedelic healing. Sessions will also bridge western medical practice with recreational and Indigenous use. Spots are limited and registration is open now.
The course will focus specifically on psychoactive substances, including 5-MeO-DMT, cannabis, MDMA, ayahuasca, and psilocybin. Using scientific research studies and data, students will discuss and analyze topics including critical periods, acute subjective effects, altered states of consciousness, characteristics of psychedelics, pharmacodynamics, drug-drug interactions, post-treatment integration, and potential therapeutic applications. Students will also be grounded in their historical and cultural usage.
Enrollees can expect cutting-edge information from leaders in the field throughout the course. Dr. Harry McIlroy, a family doctor practicing integrative and functional medicine, will teach a session on the science and clinical efficacy of cannabis within a novel framework that centers on supporting and nourishing the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Students will learn “how small, often sub perceptual, doses of cannabis can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and wellness,” he says, and will leave with the understanding that “cannabis can be used in non psychoactive doses to support resilience on a daily basis.”
“Evidence from psychedelic neuroscience, epidemiology and pharmacology will be presented to help students gain a greater appreciation for how psychedelics may impact health and wellness in clinical care.”
Dr. Kelan Thomas
Dr. Kelan Thomas’s session on psychedelics’ adverse effects and drug-drug interactions will provide critical insight into the potential risks of psychedelic use, providing a background in the psychopharmacology of psychedelics. “Evidence from psychedelic neuroscience, epidemiology and pharmacology will be presented to help students gain a greater appreciation for how psychedelics may impact health and wellness in clinical care,” shares Thomas, an associate professor and psychiatric pharmacist with outpatient behavioral health practice sites in San Francisco and Oakland. Students will also consider potential risks and benefits of micro and macrodosing.
Other sessions will be taught by faculty including psychiatrist, researcher, and educator Dr. Jordan Sloshower; MAPS PBC Associate Medical Director Dr. Sara J. Garcia Velazquez; London-based research consultant Dr. Anna (Anya) Ermakova; Chacruna’s Education Program Associate Dr. Lígia Duque Platero; Dr. Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, a research engineer at the Brain Institute of UFRN; and Chacruna’s Executive Director Dr. Bia Labate.
The course will provide rigorous training in an accessible format. Classes meet weekly on Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. PT / 1-3 p.m. ET, a total of 8 times from June 6-August 1. Check out the full description and register ($450; additional $280 for CE credits) here.
This 12-week course, Ayahuasca Healing, Science and Indigenous Knowledge (May 22nd – August 21st, 2023), will teach students the science of psychedelic healing. Psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials have shown promise for treating a variety of behavioral health indications, and the topics covered in this course will describe some of the potential mechanisms of action for these psychedelic benefits. Faculty will include Dr. Simon Ruffell, Dr. Henrique Antunes, Dr. Adam Aronovich, and more!
This 8-week course, The Science of Psychedelic Healing (June 6th – August 1st, 2023), will teach students the science of psychedelic healing. Psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials have shown promise for treating a variety of behavioral health indications, and the topics covered in this course will describe some of the potential mechanisms of action for these psychedelic benefits. Faculty will include Dr. Jordan Sloshower, Dr. Anna (Anya) Ermakova, Dr. Kelan Thomas, and more!
This 16-week course, Roots of Psychedelic Therapy: Shamanism, Ritual and Traditional Uses of Sacred Plants (August 8th – November 21st, 2023), will be composed of a series of independent lectures taught by the Chacruna Institute’s team and affiliates. It will lay out the foundation of the use of sacred plants through historical, cultural, indigenous, ‘traditional’ and contemporary lenses. Faculty will include Dr. Nidia Olvera, Sean McAllister, J.D., Dr. Kevin Feeney, and more!
Queering Psychedelics: Intersectionality, Healing, Spirituality and Liberation – Live/Online will be a 9-week course held August 28th – November 6th, 2023. Keep an eye out for more details! Faculty will include Dr. Bia Labate, Dr. Alex Belser, Taylor Dahlia Bolinger, LMSW, and more!
About Chacruna Institute
The Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization co-founded by Brazilian anthropologist Dr. Bia Labate and American psychologist Dr. Clancy Cavnar, based in Northern California and with strong ties to Brazil and Mexico. We promote reciprocity in the psychedelic community, and support the protection of sacred plants and cultural traditions. We advance psychedelic justice through curating critical conversations and uplifting the voices of women, queer people, Indigenous peoples, people of color, and the Global South in the field of psychedelic science.
