Chacruna is happy to announce an opportunity to sit down and converse with two important leaders in the psychedelic movement today. We invite you to meet Dr. Rick Doblin, who is the Founder and President of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and Dr. Bia Labate, who is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, and special guest Behike Kevon Simpson. This hybrid online/in-person event will be a private and candid conversation on cutting edge things currently happening in the psychedelic field. Topics to be discussed include a behind the scenes debrief of PS2023, MAPS’ current challenges to bringing the commercialization of MDMA to the finish line, new psychedelic-assisted therapist trainings around the world, MAPS’ future as it becomes more independent from the PBC, group therapy, harm reduction, and much more. Bia and Rick have a strong friendship which has lasted over the last 16 years. Bia always told Rick that ayahuasca is way cooler then MDMA, and they have engaged in animated discussions around plants with spirits versus chemical molecules, ceremony versus therapy, and other fun dynamics about their common passion for psychedelic research and drug policy. We hope you can join us in this exclusive fundraising event so that we may exchange perspectives and ideas in hopes of expanding the future of psychedelics.

Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate (Bia Labate) is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. 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 Adjunct Faculty at the East-West Psychology Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and Advisor for the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition and the Soltara Healing Center. Dr. Labate is a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and editor of its site. She is author, co-author, and co-editor of twenty-seven books, two special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles (https://bialabate.net).

Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master’s thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife and puppy, with three empty rooms from his children who have all graduated college and begun their life journeys. Learn more about Rick by listening to his Origin Story and watching his TED Talk.

Behike Sensei Kevon Simpson is an ordained Minister, multidisciplinary artist, international Two Spirit Medicine Man, Shotokan Karate black belt, and founder of the New York City Entheogen Integration Circle. He comes from a lineage of Jamaican spiritual healers, and in the spirit of Sankofa he calls upon his Taíno and Akan ancestry often. He is also initiated through ‘dieta’ into the path of curanderismo, the ancient sacred healing plant medicine shamanism of the Amazon Rainforest, and Andes. During his extended stays in Pucallpa, Iquitos, and Chavín de Huantar, Perú, he learned the techniques of guiding ceremonies from fellow indigenous keepers of the Earth, with the intent of bringing the experience back to marginalized communities. He has traveled as far as Taiwan, Jamaica, Canada, and even Japan within his path as a medicine guide and high dose solo sitter. Known as one of the leaders of the underground psychedelic renaissance, clinical psychotherapists often come to him for advice with their clients. He is part of Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines’ Women, Gender Diversity, and Sexual Minorities Working Group and since 2018 has presented in conferences around the country.

Brunch with Bia and Rick - Virtual Fundraising Event