An Earthy Climate Week, a Psychedelics-Filled Week Ahead, and Introducing The Gateway
Dear friends and colleagues,
I hope you had a good Climate Week! Mother Earth poured on us, so two events have new dates: the 24 Miles for the Planet walk is now this Saturday, and the Day of Climate Action is now Oct. 28.
Also this weekend: have plans for Indigenous Peoples’ Day? Visit Randall’s Island Oct 11-12 for a free gathering, and join a Water Ceremony to reconnect along the East River on Monday, Oct 12.
My Climate Week began with waiting outside a coveted spot, where several of us struck up conversations in line. “What do you do?” came up, and the first two women said they worked at data centers, and then the third said she worked in plastics. Having attended Climate Week for as long as I can remember, I was confronted with something new. I felt destabilized, searched for words, and blurted, “You’re trying to be better!” “Aren’t we all?” one responded, then turned away, while the other saw a colleague and ran across the street.
I have shared this moment with friends, trying to reconcile my discomfort. I use AI, which makes me complicit, and I also can’t seem to spend a day without touching something wrapped in plastic, and therefore ingesting microplastics. A colleague pointed out that it’s better for these folks to be present and show up than not. After pondering, I agree. And given a do-over, I might respond differently. I believe in building bridges, whether made of robots or other materials.
Speaking of other compounds, many events are happening around the Horizons Perspectives on Psychedelics Conference, Oct 15-17, now in its 19th year. It’s sold out, but you can enjoy the lineup of social and learning gatherings below, open around town until their tickets disappear too!
Read on for invitations and a new initiative I’m proud to be starting with friends, The Gateway, an education and content platform for a new era of psychedelics for mental health.
With potential FDA approvals happening very soon, many of us will approach discomfort or unease as well. Personally, I hold space for all of it, from the loved ones benefiting from treatments like ketamine-assisted therapy for mental health, to those who honor plant and fungi medicines in ceremony and worry about what gets lost as some psychedelics become pharmaceuticals. I want to learn from the many perspectives next week at Horizons, and continue this work year-round in community.
Join UIC for Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Randall’s Island 10/11-12
Seven years after launching in community on Randall’s Island, the Urban Indigenous Collective (UIC) returns this weekend for Indigenous Peoples Day NYC, a free, two-day gathering on Randall’s Island, Oct 11-12, with dance, music, spoken word, guest speakers, and community.
UIC will be tabling both days.
On Monday, Oct 12, following the Sunrise Ceremony, join them along the East River for a Water Ceremony led by UIC Board member and MMIP Task Force Chair Chenae Bullock. All are welcome to attend in a spirit of respect, reflection, and gratitude: arrive quietly, follow the guidance of the ceremony leaders and Elders, and ask before photographing or recording. You can also help keep the gathering accessible by contributing to the GoFundMe, and learn more: https://ipdnyc.squarespace.com/.
From Referral to Recovery: An Inside Look into Psychedelic Therapy 10/14
On the eve of Horizons, join Journey Clinical for a rooftop mixer and panel at their Manhattan headquarters, Wednesday, Oct 14, 6:30pm, at 80 5th Ave.
Healthcare providers and wellness professionals are invited to learn about legal psychedelic care, including ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) and Spravato®, from evaluation through integration. I’m honored to moderate a conversation with Erica Priscilla Sandoval, LCSW, Francesca Aborn, LCSW, Brigitte Gordon, DNP, PMHNP-BC, and Sia Kelly Efthimiu, a KAP recipient sharing her own experience. Space is limited, so RSVP here: https://luma.com/journey-stbc.
The Gateway: Meet the Field of Psychedelic Leaders 10/15
Join The Gateway for a social evening with the people shaping how psychedelics move into mainstream culture, medicine, and policy: researchers, clinicians, founders, funders, and advocates all working toward the same goal. Expect lively conversation and a short program. Come curious, come ready to meet collaborators, and help build the network this field needs as it enters its next chapter.
Presented by Joe Moore (Psychedelics Today, Vital Psychedelic Training), Anne Philippi (The New Health Institute, The New Health Club), and me, and co-hosted by Simeon Schnapper of JLS Fund, Meredith Thomas of Thank You Life, Jack Liang of Moonrise, and The Psychedelic Assembly. Thanks to Curious Elixirs, BREZ, and Sober in Central Park for their support. Space is limited, so please RSVP. Interested in sponsoring? Reply to inquire.
Celebrate Urban Indigenous Collective: Seventh Anniversary, 10/17, 8pm
Join the Urban Indigenous Collective (UIC) for its third annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration and seventh anniversary fundraiser in Brooklyn. Together with Cobblestone Labs Immersive Experiences, UIC will transform a 20,000-square-foot space into an immersive art experience inviting guests to imagine Lenapehoking before colonization, with Indigenous DJs, live music, cultural performances, dancing, and Native and Indigenous artists from across the Americas. RSVP!
Discount Code: PSYCA
ECSTATIC BLOOM: A Psychedelic Soirée & Benefit, 10/17, 9pm
Close out Horizons with an evening of integration through dance, art, and celebration, hosted by the Brooklyn Psychedelic Society and the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Join the unofficial Horizons and Prophet of Ecstasy screening after party with Starfox and the Fleet, Joey Greiner, and more. Get tickets here - 15% off with code “ECSTATIC26”.
Climate Week Integration:
Join 24 The Planet 10/10
Join 24 The Planet this Saturday, Oct. 10 for a 24-mile walk around the entire Manhattan waterfront — Battery Park to the Hudson, under the GW Bridge, back down the East River, with breathwork, meditation, and music stops along the way. No training required, just shoes you've already broken in. Every walker fundraises for Justdiggit, which regreens degraded land in Kenya and Tanzania to help cool the planet - just $12 restores 1,335 square feet. Join us and please support my campaign!
Integrate - NYC Day of Climate Action: PSYCA Discussion of Podcast Model to Bridge Community & Action 10/28
Close out Climate Week at the NYC Climate Day of Action on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 5-8pm, where 9 organizations come together, hosted by NYC2030 and our friends at Good Standing.
I'll facilitate a discussion on a possible podcast model for the PSYCA community, bridging conversation and action: who to bring on as guests at the intersection of psychedelics and climate, and how we might use the Good Standing platform to track the actions their recommendations inspire.
“Integrating Eco-Grief” w/BPS
& Robin Silver 10/25
The climate change we’ve been warned about has fully arrived, and the question now is how we hold it. Join the BPS for a workshop with Robin Silver on Sunday, Oct 25, 3:30 to 6pm, in Brooklyn. Together we’ll explore our relationship to a changing world and how non-ordinary states and experiences can help us integrate the emotional impact, honoring our losses without succumbing to fear. Sign up with code COMMUNITY26 for 20% off.
Psychedelics Design Conference & Awards, 11/6-7
Online this year. I'll be in conversation with Clare Ferrell of Extinction Rebellion, details to follow. Tickets are moving, so grab yours as soon as you can.
Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy & Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training, 12/11-13
Ready to work more skillfully at the intersection of harm reduction and psychedelic-assisted therapy? Led by Andrew Tatarsky, PhD and Casey Paleos, MD, at InnerMost in Gramercy, NYC. Journey Clinical and MAPS join as partners, with Global Psychedelic Society and the Psychedelic Assembly as community partners. Use the code JOURNEY10 for 10% off - learn more & sign up.
