Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)

Dancing, psychedelics, community, and transformative experiences often go hand-in-hand. In this week’s Bulletin article, Ana Flecha, Ph.D., explores how dance and psychedelics work together as powerful tools for transformation, healing and collective connection. Drawing from her research on the Santo Daime bailado–a ritual dance performed while drinking daime (ayahuasca) at intervals–she describes ways people stabilize their visions, support one another, and build a shared world through dance and song performed in the força (for or energy) of the daime sacrament. https://lnkd.in/gazZ9ERN

Zendo Project invites you to enroll in their upcoming SIT course, where you'll master the fundamentals of psychedelic harm reduction, gain tools for handling challenging experiences, and learn best practices for integration. This expert-led training, designed by leaders in psychedelic care, blends evidence-based methods with compassionate, trauma-informed approaches. Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/gBx2EH9b

The global mental health and neuroscience communities are mourning the loss of Nolan Williams, M.D., who recently passed away. To those who knew him best, he was far more than a pioneer — he was a devoted husband, an adoring father, and a man who approached life with curiosity, courage, and love. Learn more about Nolan: https://lnkd.in/gvU5bKZk

For Hispanic Heritage Month, we asked our Co-Executive Director, Ismail L. Ali, if he had a psychedelic experience that made him feel more connected with his heritage and identity. His response highlights how psychedelic experiences can open the door for making meaning of interwoven cultural histories, ancestral lineages, and cosmological differences. Have you had similar experiences? Share your story in the comments below 🙂 Learn more about Izzy: https://lnkd.in/gK66smhs

In June 2025, Indigenous delegates from six biocultures attended the MAPS Psychedelic Science conference. Among them, they had members of the Tetonwan Lakota, Shipibo-Konibo, Dine, Quechua, Mpongwe, Bwiti Nganga, Tukano, Mazateco, Inga, Ayuuk-Binizá, Noke Koi, Asheninka, Anishinaabe, Embera, and Yawanawa Peoples, as well as non-Indigenous allies. "This is our second declaration, and we continue to be very concerned about the rapidly evolving psychedelic field, the ‘de-sacred-izing’ of the sacred, the repeated patterns of seeking fast routes to healing, and the transactional and profit-driven nature which is resulting in direct and unintended negative consequences for our communities, biocultures, and medicines." Read the full declaration: https://lnkd.in/eDKfCMh5

Today is Indigenous Peoples Day, a day to honor and commemorate Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ histories, cultures, and resilience on Turtle Island, also known as the United States, and abroad. Due to the hard work of Indigenous educators, activists, and allies, it’s common for speakers, writers, and teachers to acknowledge the Indigenous roots of sacred plant medicines in the psychedelic ecosystem.    At Psychedelic Science 2025, the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund (IMC Fund) and its delegates led and created educational programs that centered multiple Indigenous groups’ perspectives on healing, conservation, reciprocity, science, policy, and more. Tanya Kammonen of the IMC Fund wrote our next Bulletin article, The Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund at PS2025, where she shares some of the projects and outputs from the conference, including the reading of the Second Declaration by the IMC Fund Delegation to the Psychedelic Field. Read the full Bulletin: https://lnkd.in/gJ95dgFe

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re celebrating the voices within our own MAPS community. We asked Rudy Maldonado, our Community and Volunteer Officer, if he’s ever had a psychedelic experience that deepened his connection to his Hispanic heritage. We’re honored to work alongside Rudy, whose presence reminds us that the work of healing is also the work of honoring those who came before us. Learn more about Rudy: https://lnkd.in/gCgV7e6X

MAPS is partnering with the HoloMind Institute to deliver its International Psychedelic Therapy Training Program (ITE) in Poland. The program will provide training in foundational skills for psychedelic-assisted therapy, including preparation, medication, and integration sessions; strengthening the therapeutic alliance; and working skillfully with trauma dynamics. Instruction will be led by experienced faculty from MAPS’ global training program, alongside local teaching assistants. Visit the link below to learn more about this historic moment! https://lnkd.in/gqCra82H

Ismail “Izzy” Ali stumbled into psychedelic policy work the way most people find their calling — through a mix of teenage rebellion and haphazard web surfing. Now, as Co-Executive Director of MAPS, he’s helping steer the organization through one of its biggest transitions in 40 years. In this new Tricycle Day interview, Ismail Lourido Ali reflects on how his Islamic faith shaped his philosophy on psychedelics, where he sees the bleeding edge of policy reform, and why MAPS is narrowing its strategic focus for the chapter ahead. Read the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/gv9MW9ZT

Some of the most frequently asked questions MAPS receives are, “If approved, how much will psychedelic-assisted therapies cost? What will insurance coverage look like? Who is going to be able to access these treatments?” In this week’s Bulletin article, Elliot Marseille, the Director of the Collaborative for the Economics of Psychedelics at UC Berkeley, explains the research and analyses behind the cost, coverage, and accessibility of psychedelic medicines. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g8kibsqe