Future of Psychedelics, Climate Stabilization, Emerging Therapies & May Events
Dear friends and colleagues,
I'm trying a hybrid newsletter! Psychedelics for Climate Action (PSYCA) emerged from my TBW PR work: strategic communications for emerging therapies since 2021. That work led me to connect the dots, bridging environmentalism and psychedelic healing through medicines that help people reconnect with Earth and remember: we are nature.
Since the federal Executive Order on psychedelic therapy research and access, momentum has accelerated. I'm supporting leaders from across the psychedelic ecosystem—past, present, and future—and you'll see invitations below to explore emerging therapies. Meanwhile, I'll keep sharing events that raise climate consciousness in collaboration with folks on the frontlines.
One of those collaborations: Dear Crisis, led by Benjamin Von Wong and a crew of forward-thinking, socially minded creatives and technologists taking action at Caravan of Dreams' Creationship. I find the work to be an excellent use of existential energy, and we're a community partner for their Community Week event: Is Climate Stabilization Still Possible? (read on).
In this issue: from World Ayahuasca Forum leaders visiting NYC, to ibogaine therapy pioneers convening in the wake of recent policy shifts, to a survey on leadership and psychedelics, to updates from TBW clients and the PSYCA network—read on for what's happening at the intersection of healing and systems change.
NYC: Community Week is Upon Us!
Join a citywide celebration of belonging that spotlights the organizers, spaces, and communities connecting New Yorkers! Learn More.
NYC: A New Time of Alliance - A Fireside on the World Ayahuasca Forum 5/15
On Friday, May 15 (7–9 PM ET) at 222 E 46th St, NYC, The Psychedelic Assembly is hosting a fireside conversation with Benjamin De Loenen (founder, ICEERS) and Claude Guislain (Instituto Nixiwaka) on the World Ayahuasca Forum—a gathering planned for September 9–13 in Girona, Spain, that aims to bring together ancestral knowledge holders from 30 Indigenous nations with leaders from systems change, regeneration, philanthropy, healing, science, policy, and psychedelic medicine. The mandate is clear: build alliances between ancestral and Western knowledge systems in service of collective healing and a regenerative future. As Chief Nixiwaka emphasizes in his invitation, "This is not an event. It is the ground for alliance building, for organizing as a movement" - watch it here.
De Loenen has spent 23 years addressing challenges related to the globalization of traditional Indigenous medicines, founding ICEERS in 2009 and serving as Interim Co-Director of the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund during its formative years. Guislain, a Peruvian anthropologist, has worked alongside Indigenous elders in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru for over 20 years, describing his role as a "Bridgeweaver" creating pathways for deep collaboration across knowledge systems. This fireside opens a window into the living process of the Forum and how we can step into what they're calling a "New Time of Alliance." RSVP
NYC: Is Climate Stabilization still possible? 5/16
What if climate strategy needs a third pillar alongside mitigation and adaptation: climate stabilization — the research, monitoring, and responsible exploration of ways to understand and reduce Earth system destabilization risk?
In this session, we’ll explore a provocative but increasingly urgent question: How do we manage climate risk in a world where cutting emissions, while necessary, may no longer be sufficient on its own to preserve a safe and stable planet?
We’ll be joined by Kelly Erhart, Director at Outlier Projects, a climate philanthropy supporting frontier research to predict and prevent catastrophic Earth-system risks. Kelly works with researchers and field-builders exploring emerging pathways for climate stabilization, from glacier and sea-level risk to superpollutants and sunlight reflection research. RSVP - space is limited.
National: Choose Your Psychedelic Psychotherapist Today & NYC Event 5/20
As federal momentum builds around psychedelic therapy, Journey Clinical just launched the largest public directory of licensed psychedelic therapists in the U.S.—spanning 26 states and ready to deliver ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) today, with infrastructure in place to scale psilocybin therapy the moment FDA approval arrives. The timing is striking: the announcement came alongside the federal Executive Order expanding psychedelic research and access, and as the FDA awarded priority review vouchers to three programs, including COMP360 psilocybin therapy from Compass Pathways, Journey Clinical's research collaborator.
Journey Clinical's network connects people to licensed, trauma-informed providers with medical oversight, insurance pathways, and evidence-based protocols. "Approving a drug is not enough if there aren't enough trained therapists to administer it, medical providers to prescribe and monitor it, platforms to coordinate care at scale, and insurance coverage to make it affordable," said Myriam Barthes, Co-Founder & CEO. "Journey Clinical exists to close all of those gaps—and we already have." Explore the directory at my.journeyclinical.com/directory.
Are you a therapist and want to learn about joining the network? Join their NYC event, The Future of Psychedelics, meet the team, and Myriam, who also believes in the power of nature to heal us all.
Depression Relief in 1 Day? Accelerated TMS at Nushama, Praised by Tim Ferriss
On May 6, Nushama hosted a virtual Q&A introducing its One-Day TMS program for depression—an accelerated approach by Ampa Health that delivers 20 transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) sessions in ~8-10 hours. The webinar featured Dr. Steven Radowitz (Nushama CMO/Co-Founder) and Dr. Jonathan Downar (Ampa Co-Founder; University of Toronto), moderated by Jay Godfrey (Nushama CEO/Co-Founder), who discussed how the accelerated protocol aims to make neurostimulation workable for people who can't commit to the traditional 6-9 week daily TMS schedule.
Listen to the podcast version of the webinar, and know that Nushama's One-Day TMS program launches May 26 in NYC. The program is positioned as part of Nushama's multimodal care model for people seeking treatment alternatives. Dr. Downar also discussed emerging (not-yet-published) research on new brain targets like the precuneus that may offer faster onset and broader transdiagnostic benefits—a signal that the TMS story is still evolving - learn more and hear Tim Ferriss’ story.
A Must See, A Must Read & CTA:
Iboga and Ibogaine - Radical Possibility
Ibogaine has been called the “Mount Everest of psychedelics” — a medicine of extraordinary depth, serious complexity, and profound transformational potential. Used for generations within the Bwiti tradition of Gabon, and now at the forefront of conversations around addiction, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury, ibogaine sits at a rare intersection: ancient sacred wisdom meets urgent modern need.
Watch Tricia Eastman and Dr. Joseph Barsuglia for an open, honest conversation about what it actually takes to work with this medicine responsibly. Together, they bring decades of combined clinical, ceremonial, and research experience — and a shared belief that how we approach ibogaine now will shape the future of sacred medicine for generations to come. Read the Practitioner Statement on the Responsible Development of Ibogaine in the United States, an open letter for the field at large.
And a must-read by David Bronner: On the Importance of Supporting Indigenous-Led Access and Conservation Efforts, and Self-Regulating Community Use, Even as We Celebrate Accelerating Medicalized Access to Psychedelic Therapies via FDA Approval.
If you’d like to support people to access these therapies and support related initiatives, worthy causes include Ancestral Heart, Mission to Live Foundation, and Healing Across Borders, among many others in need.
On the clinical side, gold-standard treatment models are also scaling to meet this moment. I'm grateful to be working with The Mission Within, led by Martín Polanco, MD, North America's leading ibogaine doctor, having served ibogaine for 25 years and currently a go-to source as Americans learn about these therapies. You'll be seeing more of him this year as awareness continues its meteoric rise and people want to understand what responsible, medically supervised ibogaine treatment looks like.
Martín Polanco, MD, at The Mission Within, outside of Tijuana, MX.
Credit: The New York Times.
Brain-body Health: One Living System
If someone you care about has been doing the work—therapy, self-care, deep insight—but still feels stuck, Fountain Health NYC offers a different lens: mental health is brain-body health, and healing requires addressing both. When inflammation, hormones, stress response, or metabolic function are out of balance, even the best psychological work can feel impossible. At PSYCA, we know all of our human and planetary systems are interconnected, and our body is not different.
Fountain Health's integrative model combines psychiatry, therapy, nutrition, hormone optimization, and ketamine-assisted therapy to support the nervous system and biological foundations alongside the inner work. This systems-level approach recognizes what many in our community already know from psychedelic healing and climate action: we are one living system, not separate parts. When care reflects that truth, people often notice therapy lands differently, emotions become easier to regulate, and progress feels steadier. If someone you love has been trying hard but still feels stuck, share this resource: fountainnyc.com.
SURVEY: What Happens When Leaders
Take Psychedelics?
A large-scale survey is mapping psychedelic attitudes, motivations, and outcomes across the full spectrum of leaders—from skeptics to experienced users, across industries and geographies. Clinical research has shown what psychedelics can do in controlled settings, but that's not where most executives encounter them. They arrive at psilocybin retreats in Mexico, ketamine clinics, or ayahuasca ceremonies—carrying the pressures of investors, employees, and markets. The Psychedelics & Leadership Study wants to understand attitudes, motivations for use or non-use, and reported outcomes across a diverse, global sample. PSYCA Board Member Bennet Zelner, PhD (University of Maryland, Regenerative Economics) is a co-investigator alongside Principal Investigator Fayzan Rab, MD (Emory psychiatrist & executive coach) and a team spanning psychiatry, I/O psychology, spiritual health, and regenerative economics.
The study approaches the question as neither advocates nor skeptics—committed to understanding what's actually happening, in all its complexity: the good (expanded perspective, increased empathy) and the complicated (grandiosity masquerading as insight, narrowed judgment wrapped in spiritual language).
The research team is looking for leaders (18+; c-suite, founder, senior manager, or entrepreneur) at every point on the spectrum—experienced users, the curious-but-uncommitted, deliberate non-users, and skeptics. Doubt and critical thinking are features of this study, not bugs. Give 15-20 minutes (anonymous, confidential, optional follow-up interview) to help define the evidence base—not just the stories—shaping this conversation: Take the survey. Know other leaders? Please share. Featured in The New York Times, Fortune, Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, and the MAPS Bulletin (2026, Vol. 36).
Spiral R-Evolution Climate Week SF Wrap: Watch the Talks from Anywhere!
This April, Spiral R-Evolution hosted a series of powerful conversations at SF Climate Week, exploring how we sustain ourselves and shift narratives in the face of climate crisis. Sessions included "Personal Sustainability for Climate Warriors" (with experts from Climate Psychology Alliance NA, Stanford NeuroClimate, and Stanford Psychiatry), "Nature Connection, Climate Action, and Plant Medicines" (featuring clinicians, funders, and facilitators discussing how psychedelic experiences—approached with care and integrity—may deepen ecological awareness and strengthen resilience), and "Creative Climate Communication: Reimagining the Climate Narrative" (with storytellers and psychologists exploring how to inspire possibility and agency instead of overwhelm). Watch the recordings to access tools for nervous system regulation, hear transdisciplinary perspectives on plant medicines and ecological consciousness, and learn new frameworks for telling climate stories that mobilize action. Explore the full series.
As always, thank you for reading and being part of this growing community. If you'd like to support this work, consider becoming a PSYCA member. And feel free to reply with news for consideration as I'm always looking for stories that fit our community.
Gratefully, Marissa
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Marissa Feinberg
