Mark and I just got back from the wildest adventure. It’s still hard to believe, but we got the chance to help out at the Psychedelic Science 2023 Conference (PS2023) in Denver, Colorado. To be completely honest, I was perplexed when the world-famous Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) offered me a position as one of the volunteer Team Leads. The imposter syndrome snuck in and I thought: “Me? Seriously?” But I dove headfirst into the role and absolutely adored it! Mark got accepted as one of the volunteers, which made the whole experience that much better.
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“I think going to the grave without having a psychedelic experience is like going to the grave without ever having sex. It means that you never figured out what it is all about. The mystery is in the body, and the way the body works itself into nature.”
– Terence McKenna
This was no ordinary gig. It was a soul-stirring dive into a sea of kindred spirits, off the charts with curiosity and kindness. From the first moment I stepped in, from that first meeting with the fellow Team Leads, Ambassadors, and volunteer coordinators, I knew I was taking part in something extraordinary. As I wandered back to my hotel room, I was giddy with excitement.
The Psychedelic Science 2023 Conference was like a magnet for the leading scientists, medical professionals, investors, researchers, cultural icons, mavericks, writers, thinkers, dreamers, and renegades from every corner of the globe, all coming together under one roof from June 19th to June 23rd. The organizers expected to sell about 8000 tickets but, in the end, over 12,000 attendees descended upon Denver.
The conference was a whirlwind of more than 400 sessions, talks, workshops, and cultural events. It also included a multi-day Holotropic Breathwork workshop overseen by the legend himself, Dr. Stanislav Grof. And guess what? I even got the chance to say “hello” to him in our shared mother tongue!
More than 300 renowned speakers delivered great presentations on the latest research, therapeutic applications, and cultural implications of the use of psychedelics. We found ourselves in a bubble of shared interests, the stars of the psychedelic world shoulder to shoulder with the tribe of fellow seekers, united in our pursuit of a more conscious, compassionate world. There was no small talk here, every conversation reached deeply into your soul.
Some of the topics discussed, in no particular order: Microdosing, PTSD, chronic pain, veterans, TBI, visionary elders, neural plasticity, psychedelic harm reduction, legislation, iboga, psilocybin, LSD, psychedelic therapists, hospice care, dementia and Alzheimer’s, Mazatec ceremonies, MDMA, 5-MeO-DMT, depression, cancer, anorexia, ayahuasca, tryptamines, safety and accountability, The Guild of Guides, religions, inclusion, holotropic breathing, ecology, healing addictions, healthcare innovations… As you can see, this was a very full week.
MAPS on Instagram
The 250 volunteers were the backbone of the event. We guided lost souls through the maze of the conference, assisted with registration, took care of the speakers, assured everyone was safe and sound, captured moments on camera, sold some cool merch and kept those crowds in check. We made sure the attendees felt welcome and cared for, and we ourselves felt loved, appreciated, and supported by MAPS and the community.
A portion of my amazing Badge Check and Speaker Support volunteer team with Erik, my trusty co-lead (in green), and Rudy from MAPS, who brought us all together (in a stylish chapeau)
Roland Griffiths Ph.D. spoke at the dinner held in his honor and also at the huge Bellco theater the next morning. He’s a rockstar of psychedelic research: A psychopharmacologist and a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who helped bring psilocybin back into the spotlight using his special blend of curiosity, scientific rigor, and open-mindedness
In 1999, he convinced Johns Hopkins and government agencies to let him do research focused on psilocybin. In his initial study, participants reported having mind-bending “mystical-type” experiences and, 14 months later, two-thirds of them still claimed it was one of the most meaningful moments of their entire lives, comparable with the birth of their first child.
Since then, countless clinical trials and published papers have proved the therapeutic benefit of psilocybin for treating depression, nicotine addiction, alcohol abuse disorder, PTSD, and even relief from end-of-life anxiety in terminally ill cancer patients. With his typical grace and humility, he told us about his own terminal cancer diagnosis, and how it had unexpectedly opened the door to profound joy in his own life.
Thrilled to see the icons of psychedelic science sharing their stories of the huge impact Roland Griffiths had on their lives. And to top it off, Dr. Griffiths himself delivered a moving speech about the preciousness of life.
Roland Griffiths stressed the crucial importance of coming together as a community, the preciousness of life, and the power of psychedelics to bring about a shift in how people perceive the world and think of consciousness.
The icons of science and culture (Michael Pollan, Rick Doblin, Alex Grey, Mary Cosimano, to name just a few) shared their stories of the huge impact that Roland Griffiths had on their lives.
Griffiths’ work has been a game-changer. The world of psychedelic research is evolving, challenging old beliefs, and opening doors to new possibilities, thanks to trailblazers like him.
The Psychedelic Science Conference was dotted with remarkable moments. Blake Mycoskie, the founder of Toms Shoes, took the stage and pledged a whopping $100 million commitment to psychedelic research, and the NFL legend Aaron Rodgers waltzed onto the scene and openly shared how psychedelics had elevated his performance and expanded his consciousness.
Dr. Andrew Weil had the crowd erupting in laughter as he told us about his copious experiments with mind-altering substances over the years, including petting a bumblebee on MDMA (he was on MDMA, the bumblebee was in its normal state of mind, whatever that might be), the artist Alex Grey unveiled his new artwork honoring Roland Griffiths, Dr. Andrew Huberman opened up about taking psychedelics, exploring profound loneliness, deep acceptance, and his personal decisions to stop experimenting on animals, inspired by a psychedelic trip.
The moment when Alex Grey revealed his new portrait of Roland Griffiths
Richard Schwartz talked about the promising results of combining Internal Family Systems and Psychedelic therapy, and Bessel van der Kolk said that MDMA, together with therapy, helped people to heal from life-long trauma. Paul Stamets pointed out the absurdity of any fungi or plants being illegal and discussed the “Stamets Stack” – taking psilocybin, lion’s mane, and niacin together for improved cognitive function.
Tim Ferriss gave a video address and was sorely missed in the flesh, especially by the volunteers, who played a Secret Forage game with “Find Tim Ferriss and ask him to lay down on the floor with you” as one of the challenges 🙂
“We are not an army, so our strategy must be stealth. The house of constipated reason must be infiltrated by art, by dreamers, by vision. There are massive technologies available to us, not available in the 60s. They were not designed for us. They were not intended for us. It was never ever thought that such power should flow into the hands of freaks such as ourselves. No gay kid in Montana, no Chinese scholar in Botswana, no person anywhere with a specialized interest or predilection now need to feel alone. There is no aloneness. One of the things Tim Leary said in the 60s that was a great rallying cry, was this: Find the others. Find the others and then you will know what to do.”
– Terence McKenna
Rick Doblin, the visionary founder of MAPS, invited all the staff and volunteers to join him on the grand stage during the closing ceremony at the 5000-seat Bellco Theater. To our collective surprise, the stage quickly filled with a sea of faces, a testament to the dedication and hard work that made this event possible. It was a very touching moment to stand there with this diverse community of individuals that came together to support such a transformative experience.
Also during the closing ceremony, I was blown away by the incredible artist Snowraven who held the entire audience in awe. I can’t even describe it, you have to check her out for yourself. Ever since she was a little child in Arctic Siberia, she paid attention to the language of animals and tried to imitate them. She filled the space with shamanic traditions, animal sounds, songs, and musical instruments and created a spell-bounding performance.
Psychedelic Science 2023 was quite the trip. It has left us with seeds of inspiration to fuel our own personal revolutions, renewed our passion for psychedelic research and advocacy, and reminded us of the importance of community. Saying goodbye to everyone at the end was bittersweet but I feel like the connections we made will last well beyond the confines of the conference hall.
Brace yourself for cosmic ripples, this event will influence every life it touched.
So, my friends, there you have it. It’s your turn now. Go out there, find the others, and dive headfirst into whatever makes you feel alive.
Curious to see where else our volunteering escapades have taken us? Have a look at these two tales: One transports you to Laos, where we taught English to water buffalo farmers, and one is about the time we spent caring for adorable doggies in America’s largest animal sanctuary.
2 thoughts on “Volunteering at the Psychedelic Science 2023 Conference”
Thank you, Mags, for a wonderful insight into the conference.
And Snowraven’s performance brought me to tears!
I’m happy you enjoyed my recap, Tim!
Yes, Snowraven’s performance was incredibly moving! Her ability to channel nature in such a unique way left us all in awe as well. Moments like that made the conference even more special.