The First Global Psychedelic Forum in Czech Republic
Description
The aim of the conference is to provide a platform for sharing knowledge and experience related to psychedelics in a diverse group of people, ranging from traditional experts and scientists to the grassroots. The event will provide an outside-the-box discussion on the approaches to working with psychedelics and on the equivocal position these substances hold in our modern society. Generally, we will be trying to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience, incorporate cross-cultural perspectives, and create new synergies.
Concept
Psychedelics have been used in manifold contexts throughout human history: from ancient traditional ways to modern medical research, to home-grown lay use and parties; from treatment, personal growth, and wellbeing to gnostic and heuristic purposes, and ceremonies serving societal needs or religious and environmental functions. Ever present within the context of the psychedelic experience is how use of these substances also affects society and vice versa, via the societal environment, norms and attitudes, with their strongest expression in legislation.
Rather than looking at psychedelics merely as chemical substances, this conference aims to focus on what is “beyond”. We want to explore the context of psychedelic use and its interaction with the psychedelic experience, and to give voice to knowledge and experience gained within multiple frameworks, as we believe that much can be learnt by sharing different perspectives.
We will be discussing the position of psychedelics within the nature, therapy, culture and society. Besides, considering the fact that the context of the psychedelic experience is influenced by its purpose, we will take a look at various purposes of the psychedelic experience, discussing them from different points of view:
- Medical treatment
- Self-experience for mental health professionals
- Personal growth and wellbeing
- Creativity purposes
- Spirituality and religion
- Community and societal needs
- Ecology
- Study of consciousness
- Recreational use and entertainment
In order to represent as many different perspectives as possible, the list of speakers will include Western scientists, traditional indigenous experts, drug policy analysts, historians and eyewitnesses of the 1960s, people working with psychedelics in their treatment practice, people working in psychedelic harm-reduction services, and, last but not least, also patients treated by psychedelics as well as lay users of psychedelics.
We will meet to share our diverse perspectives, engage in discussion, explore the potential of psychedelics, learn from each other and look for new prospects for the use of psychedelics in the modern society.
Objectives:
- To bring together scientists and traditional practitioners of psychedelic medicine in order to share knowledge and expertise.
- To discuss the potential of psychedelics.
- To create a better policy framework for the use of psychedelics in medicine.
- To discuss possible models of beneficial use of psychedelics in Western societies.
- To enable users of psychedelics to discuss and share their experience, and participate in creating the policy and therapeutic models.
- To promote and support research and funding in this field.
Confirmed speakers:
- Rick Doblin
- Dennis McKenna
- José Carlos Bouso
- Roland Griffiths
- David Luke
- Robin Carhart-Harris
- Ede Frecska
- Michael Winkelman
- Jiří Horáček
- Tomáš Páleníček
- Miroslav Horák
- Ingmar Gorman
- Kenneth Alper
- Dimitri Mugianis
- Jonathan Dickinson
- Bia Labaté
- Brun Gonzáles
- Murtaza Majeed
- Natalia Lyla Ginsberg