Wednesday, March 13th, 2024 from 12:00-1:30pm PST

Join us in exploring the fascinating intersection of sacred ceremonial practices and psychedelic psychotherapy. We’ll delve into the unique contributions these practitioners bring, from their competency in working with spiritual material to their nuanced understanding of power dynamics and non-ordinary states of consciousness. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, they offer a vital counterbalance to biomedical perspectives, enriching psychotherapeutic models with the wisdom of ceremonial practices. Led by experts in the field, including mental health consultant Ian Bodaken, Co-founder of Modern Spirit, Joe Tafur, M.D., and Social Anthropology PhD candidate Emily Sinclair.

Joe Tafur, M.D., is a Colombian-American family physician originally from Phoenix, Arizona. After completing his family medicine training at UCLA, Dr. Tafur spent two years in academic research at the UCSD Department of Psychiatry in a lab focused on mind-body medicine. After his research fellowship, over a period of six years, he lived and worked in the Peruvian Amazon at the traditional healing center Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual. There he worked closely with master Shipibo shaman Ricardo Amaringo and trained in ayahuasca shamanism. In his new book “The Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor’s Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine,” through a series of stories, Dr. Tafur shares his unique experience and integrative medical theories. The book strives to illuminate the intersection between biology, emotion and spirituality. He is Co-founder of Modern Spirit, a nonprofit dedicated to demonstrating the value of spiritual healing in modern healthcare.

Ian Bodaken is a mental health consultant from the San Francisco Bay Area. After a 2+ year apprenticeship with Ricardo Amaringo at Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual (including the traditional one year in isolation) he completed his master’s degree in Somatic Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Alongside his healing practice, he leads trainings for Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapists, contributing to new practitioners’ awareness of psychospiritual nuance in a rapidly growing field

Emily Sinclair is a PhD candidate at Durham University in Social Anthropology, UK. Her research is based in Iquitos and focuses on the globalisation of ayahuasca including the contemporary revival of shamanic practice, gender, witchcraft, and the healing potentials of sacred plants for the body and soul. For over two years, prior to her anthropological studies, Emily lived and worked with a local healer and his family and assisted them in managing their ayahuasca healing center. She has also worked at other centers as a facilitator in the Iquitos region. Emily is a member of Chacruna’s Ayahuasca Community Committee and is involved in Chacruna’s initiative on raising awareness around sexual abuse. Currently she lives in the UK with her daughter Aeva.

How can Sacred Ceremonial Practices and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Inform Each Other?