Perspectives on Psychedelics: Past, Present, and Future

At the 2024 December Dialogue, 3 experts discussed the wider context around psychedelics including the history of use by Indigenous Peoples, , current work and research, and the legal and policy landscape.

Synopsis

Psychedelics have been in the news a lot in 2024 because of the FDA’s consideration, and subsequent rejection, of MDMA as a therapeutic drug for people with PTSD. For DoSER’s 2024 December Dialogues, three experts discussed the wider context around psychedelics. As part of giving a fuller picture, they discussed: psychedelics’ long history in the use of sacred plants and medicines for Indigenous peoples; the legal and policy landscape for psychedelics; current work and research with psychedelics; and what may happen with FDA approval in the coming years.

Speakers and Moderator

Perspectives on Psychedelics

Ariel Clark, JD (she/they) is an Odawa Anishinaabe attorney working in
collaborative spaces of (re)emergence. She is co-producing a series and related resource library on legal frameworks and ethics through the Psychedelic Bar Association (an organization she co-founded). Ariel advises business organizations, non-profits, government agencies, tribes, practitioners, and providers regarding cannabis and other plant medicines and psychedelics.

Perspectives on Psychedelics 2

Dr. Jamila Hokanson (she/her) is a psychiatrist working with individuals benefiting from a holistic mental health healing approach. She also conducts research in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy and ketamine assisted psychotherapy for OCD, depression, and PTSD. Dr. Hokanson is an Assistant Professor at Yale University Department of Psychiatry where she is the Director of Operations for the Yale Program for Psychedelic Studies and the Yale Enact Research Group.

Perspectives on Psychedelics 1

Moana Meadow, MDiv (she/her) serves as Program Staff Director at the Berkeley Psychedelic Facilitation Certificate Program, where she has overseen curriculum development for the past three years. Meadow is trained as an interfaith chaplain and was ordained in 2010 through the Chaplaincy Institute. She has worked as a hospice chaplain and birth doula, and supported hundreds of individuals and groups through psychedelic experiences.

Headshot of Rachel Kline

Rachel Kline (she/her) is a Senior Program Associate with DoSER. She earned her undergraduate degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT and her Master’s in Pharmacology from Boston University. Drawn by her long-time love of science, Rachel joined AAAS in 2017 as Assistant Editor for the journal Science Robotics. Now with DoSER, Rachel is thrilled to advance science and serve society by building relationships between scientists and faith-based communities.

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