Winter 2009 Vol. 19, No. 3 – 2009 Annual Report
This coming Spring MAPS will achieve one of our longstanding ambitions by hosting a continuing medical education (CME) conference – “Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century.” This will be the preeminent conference on psychedelic research and psychedelic psychotherapy. As the largest conference dedicated to psychedelic science in the U.S. in 17 years, “Psychedelic Science” welcomes physicians, other medical and therapeutic professionals (psychologists, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, etc.) and anyone with an interest in psychedelics.
“Psychedelic Science” is planned in accordance with our mission to “…educate the public honestly about the risks and benefits of psychedelics…” All participants are welcome to attend the continuing medical education presentations, where physicians and ancillary medical professionals can earn CME/CE credits. There will also be a concurrent nonCME psychotherapy and cultural track with some fantastic presenters, such as Alex and Allyson Grey, Earth and Fire Erowid, Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., and numerous others.
The non-CME track will include panels, roundtables, and poster presentations about a variety of psychedelic related topics, as well as a “rising researcher” panel to showcase the work of newcomers in the field. When this article went to press, our conference committee was reviewing proposal submissions and we plan to announce additional speakers in the psychotherapy and cultural track in late 2009. The conference will bring researchers from across the United States and from England, Canada, Germany, Israel, Jordan, and Switzerland. As far as we are aware, we have a representative from every ongoing project that is legally administering psychedelics to human subjects in clinical research. This effort would not be possible without the collaboration of our sister organizations the Heffter Institute, the Beckley Foundation, and the Council for Spiritual Practices.
Mainstreaming Psychedelic Research and Psychedelic Psychotherapy
Our ability to secure CME accreditation is a testament to how far we have progressed and how culturally significant psychedelic research has become in the past decade. The fact that the American Medical Association will officially recognize the CME credits earned by physicians and ancillary medical professionals through the conference is something that those who have supported psychedelic research can celebrate. This accreditation is only possible because of the ever-expanding body of current scientific literature that has been compiled over the past several years.
“Psychedelic Science” will add new credence to psychedelic research and the untapped healing potential of psychedelic psychotherapy. Potentially hundreds of medical professionals will leave the conference with a better understanding of the value of psychedelic research and the potentials of psychedelic psychotherapy. They will share their newfound knowledge with their colleagues and our goal of “…building a network of clinics where treatments can be provided…” will be an evolutionary leap closer to manifestation.
Opening Doorways to New Research and Greater Funding
An added benefit of “Psychedelic Science” will be to increase the likelihood of receiving major funding for future research. Showcasing the state of the art of psychedelic research will hopefully energize new philanthropists and foundations to support us, our sister organizations and other researchers entering the field. This will be a unique collaborative opportunity for current and future scientists, therapists, and philanthropists. We believe that when we put so many great minds together under one roof, progress is inevitable.
It gives us great pleasure to be able to build a conference that will bring together people from around the world. We purposely chose a conference location that is conducive for attendees to network with one another. We hope to hear stories down the road that at the conference great new research projects were incubated, profound friendships were started, and romances that were sparked blossomed into lifelong partnerships.
Conference Hotel Information
The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn San Jose, at 1740 North First Street, San Jose, California.
You can book rooms at the conference hotel through the MAPS website or you can call the Holiday Inn at 866 241-9878 and book your room by mentioning “MAPS Psychedelic Science.”
The inclusive group rates are $149/night for single occupancy and $199 for double occupancy. These room rates include most meals at the conference. Attendees who pay the group rate at the conference hotel will be included in the conference meal plan.
If you make your hotel reservation through a third party such as Expedia, you will not be eligible for conference meals.
MAPS needs you to make Psychedelic Science a Success!
You can help make Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century a success by helping spread the word of the conference. We are gathering a great base of volunteers that are actively promoting the conference on the Internet and throughout their local communities. We need the help of our members to promote the conference in order to keep the cost of advertising low. Our target demographics are psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, those who work with sufferers of posttraumatic stress disorder or in palliative care, and of course, anyone else who is interested in psychedelics. We’d like you to promote our conference on your social networking sites and mailing lists. We’d like you to place our promotional materials around campuses, in hospitals, at coffee houses, or wherever else you see fit. If you’d like to help us promote Psychedelic Science, please send an email to conference2010@maps.org.
Benefit Dinner Honoring the Shulgins
At Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century there will be a special benefit dinner on the evening of Saturday, April 17 to raise funds for the conference, with guests of honor, psychedelic luminaries Ann and Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin. The Shulgin’s lifetime of achievements will be acknowledged in front of an audience that truly appreciates their contributions to humankind.
The dinner will cost $60 to attend and is not covered by the cost of the hotel room. Tickets may be purchased for the benefit dinner on the MAPS webstore: www.maps.org/store
