SPEAKERS WE’VE HOSTED

Bessel van der Kolk is a Dutch psychiatrist, author, researcher and educator. Since the 1970s his research has been in the area of post-traumatic stress. He is the author of The New York Times best seller, The Body Keeps the Score.

Van der Kolk formerly served as president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and is a former co-director of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. He is a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and president of the Trauma Research Foundation in Brookline, Massachusetts.[1]

Van der Kolk has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles[2] and four books.[3]

In 2016, following a sudden non-dual experience, Jessica Corneille shifted her career from arts and cultural heritage to focus on raising awareness around spiritual awakening and non-dual experiences within psychology. She earned a Master's in Psychology with Distinction from the University of Greenwich, specializing in exceptional human experiences. Now a research psychologist, she focuses on spontaneous spiritual awakenings and non-ordinary states of consciousness. Jessica has presented at academic conferences and works with the Scientific and Medical Network, the Galileo Commission, and the Spiritual Crisis Network, and is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher.

Katherine MacLean, Ph.D. is a research scientist with expertise in studying the effects of mindfulness meditation and psychedelics on cognitive performance, emotional well-being, spirituality and brain function. As a postdoctoral research fellow and faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, she conducted clinical trials of psilocybin, the primary chemical found in “magic mushrooms,”  and other psychedelic compounds. Her groundbreaking research on psilocybin and personality change suggests that psychedelic medicines can enhance openness to new experiences and promote mental health and emotional well-being throughout the lifespan. Dr. MacLean co-founded and directed the first center for psychedelic education and training in New York, was featured in the New Yorker article entitled “The Trip Treatment” by Michael Pollan, and her TED Talk has been viewed nearly fifty thousand times.

Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley is a Neuroscientist researching cannabinoids and psychedelics. Grace completed her Ph.D in Neuroscience at King's College London. She currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at NWPharma Tech and Research Director at Heroic Hearts Project, a charity that supports combat veterans with mental health challenges resulting from trauma. Grace is also the founder of Hystelica, a company advancing and advocating for understanding of safe and effective psychedelic use for women.

Sam is a PhD ecologist and independent researcher. He has varied experience of working within the psychedelic field, including as a past scientific assistant to the director of the Beckley Foundation and as a research assistant with the Synthesis Institute. His work has also involved science communication, including as a senior science writer for Wavepaths, delivering presentations in association with Seed Talks, and delivering fungi cultivation workshops in association with the Psychedelic Society.

A lifelong nature lover, he has a research interest in the capacity of psychedelics to influence human relationships with nature, and is a collaborator with Onaya Science and the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London.

Dr. David Luke is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Greenwich, where he has taught the Psychology of Exceptional Human Experience since 2009. He also leads the Professional Certificate in Psychedelics at the Alef Trust and has served as a lecturer at Imperial College London. His research focuses on transpersonal experiences and altered states of consciousness, especially through psychedelics, with over 100 academic papers and 13 books, including DMT Entity Encounters (2021).

He co-founded Breaking Convention and directs the Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness salon. Dr. Luke has given over 500 talks and explored consciousness practices worldwide.

Tree is a published author, TEDx speaker, and expert in Transpersonal Psychology, specializing in dreams, death, altered states, and psychedelic therapy. A certified Death Doula and Wiccan High Priestess, she teaches at The Magickal Path School and the College of Psychic Studies.

As a Psychedelic Therapist, she guides clients through integration sessions and supports spiritual and emotional transitions as a Death Doula. Tree has authored several books, including DREAMS and A Spell a Day (2023). Her work has been featured in major outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times. She also teaches Tarot and Astrology. goes here

Since 2009, Prof. Nutt has led a brain imaging research team at Imperial College London, focusing on PET imaging. He previously worked at the National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the USA and founded the Psychopharmacology Unit at Bristol University. Currently, he is the Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology and Director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit.

Prof. Nutt has published over 400 research papers and 27 books, and has edited the Journal of Psychopharmacology for over 20 years. He also serves as a psychiatry drugs advisor to the British National Formulary and frequently appears on radio and TV to discuss science.scription goes here

Co-founder of the Trauma Research Foundation.

Licia Sky is a somatic educator, artist, singer-songwriter, and bodyworker who works with traumatized individuals and trains mental health professionals to use mindful meditation in movement, theater exercises, writing, and voice as tools for attunement, healing, and connection. She is a regular instructor in trauma healing workshops at Cape Cod Institute, Kripalu, and Esalen. For the past decade, she has been teaching expanded awareness in workshops to clinicians and laypeople around the world.

www.trauamresearchfoundation.org

Darren Le Baron is a researcher, educator, and mycologist known for his work in ethnomycology, African indigenous wisdom, and the cultural significance of psychedelic plants and fungi. With a focus on the use of mushrooms in traditional African healing practices, Darren has become a respected figure in the global psychedelic community, offering workshops, lectures, and mushroom cultivation courses worldwide.

He is a passionate advocate for the power of fungi to promote health, consciousness, and environmental sustainability, blending ancestral knowledge with modern science. Darren regularly speaks at conferences and festivals, sharing his insights on psychedelics, permaculture, and holistic wellness.

Dr. Ben Malcolm, also known as "The Spirit Pharmacist," is a pharmacist and expert in psychedelic pharmacology. He provides education, consultation, and guidance on the safe use of psychedelic substances, integrating his knowledge of pharmacology with mental health care. Dr. Malcolm holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and a Master’s in Public Health, specializing in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Through his work, he advocates for the safe, ethical, and informed use of psychedelics in both clinical and personal contexts.

Maria Papaspyrou is a senior accredited psychotherapist, supervisor and systemic facilitator based in Brighton UK (Towards Wholeness). Her clinical practice focuses on psychedelic integration and working as a supervisor for individuals and organisations in this field.

She has co-edited “Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine” with Chiara Baldini and David Luke and “Psychedelics & Psychotherapy: The Healing Potential of Expanded States” with Dr Tim Read. Together with Tim Read they have cofounded and codirect the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy and curated and teach a two-year professional training in psychedelic assisted therapy, based on their model of Depth Relational Process.

Alexander is an author, journalist and facilitator focused on bringing new ways of seeing and being from the margins of culture into the mainstream. He does this through writing, and by creating transformative experiences that invite us to find ways to evolve and thrive in the chaotic times we live in. He is the author of The Bigger Picture: How psychedelics can help us make sense of the world and write a popular Substack, The Bigger Picture.

Alexander is an executive director of Breaking Convention, Europe's longest-running conference on psychedelic medicine and culture. H was also one of the founders of Rebel Wisdom, a popular alternative media platform that ran from 2017-2022 and explored the cutting-edge of systems change and cultural sensemaking.

Chara Caruthers is an experienced facilitator and lifestyle medicine practitioner with decades of experience. Her work blends eastern spiritual traditions, indigenous wisdom, and modern science.

She holds a Master’s in Transpersonal Psychology and certifications in psychedelics, transpersonal coaching, and Holding Space practices. As a certified Yoga Therapist and Ayurvedic practitioner, Chara is dedicated to bridging ancient traditions with modern mental health approaches, focusing on community as a key element of well-being and supporting psychedelic experiences.

Richard Lang is a teacher and facilitator of The Headless Way, a simple yet profound method of self-inquiry developed by Douglas Harding. For over four decades, Richard has shared this practice, which helps people directly experience their true nature, or "headlessness," through workshops, talks, and online resources.

He has dedicated his life to making this approach accessible to people worldwide, offering a clear path to self-awareness, inner peace, and a deeper understanding of consciousness. Richard is also the author of several books on the subject and continues to guide people in exploring this unique approach to self-discovery.

Christopher Timmermann (PhD) obtained a BSc in Psychology in Santiago, Chile and an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Bologna in Italy. He is currently a post-doc at Imperial College London at the Centre for Psychedelic Research, where he leads the DMT Research Group, specialized in the potent psychedelics N,N-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT and their effects in the human brain and consciousness. 

His empirical and theoretical work focuses on the neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, pharmacology, beliefs and ethics of psychedelics, their relationship to consciousness and applications in mental health. His work has been covered in BBC, CBC, Wired, The Times, New Scientist, and is a columnist for Psychology Today. He is also the director for the Foundation for the Study of Human Consciousness (EcoH) in Chile.

Michael Levin, a Distinguished Professor in the Biology department at Tufts (https://drmichaellevin.org/), holds the Vannevar Bush endowed Chair and serves as director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts (https://allencenter.tufts.edu/). He is also an associate member of the Wyss Institute at Harvard (https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/associate-faculty/michael-levin-ph-d/). 

His group works at the intersection of developmental biology, artificial life, bioengineering, synthetic morphology, and cognitive science. Seeking general principles of life-as-it-can-be, they use a wide range of natural animal models and also create novel synthetic and chimeric life forms. 

Their goal is to develop conceptual frameworks and practical tools that help detect, understand, predict, and communicate with truly diverse intelligences, including cells, tissues, organs, synthetic living constructs, robots, and software-based AIs.  His mission is to develop fundamental understanding of how minds of all kinds arise, scale, persist, and change, and to use that knowledge to benefit the embodied experience of sentient beings, through biomedicine and beyond.

Dr. Ruben Laukkonen is a Senior Lecturer (US: Associate Professor) in cognitive science and computational neuroscience. His research is theoretically driven and traverses many levels, from neurons to psychology. Key topics include meditation, insight, consciousness, and artificial minds. He serves as a chief investigator on Australia's largest psychedelic clinical trial, supported by approximately $4M from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and the Peregrine Foundation. His work has been featured in The New York Times, TIME, TEDx, Vice, ABC, Aeon, VOX, New Scientist, and in the Nature collection.

Dr Tara Swart is a neuroscientist, medical doctor, executive advisor, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan, and author of best-seller ‘The Source’ which has translations in 38 global territories. In her book The Source, Dr. Swart combines neuroscience with concepts like the law of attraction and intuition, aiming to bridge scientific understanding with spiritual practices.

Tara is passionate about disseminating simple, pragmatic neuroscience-based messages that change the way people live and work. She personally advises a small number of executives via personal recommendation only, and speaks at major conferences globally.

Tara was the Chief Science Officer at Heights, Neuroscience and Psychological Advisor at To Be Magnetic and Chief Neuroscience Officer at Arowana International (Private Equity).

Dr. Rayyan Zafar studied a MSc in Clinical Neuropsychiatry from Kings College London, IOPPN (Distinction) and a Ph.D. in Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College after being awarded the Medical Research Council Doctoral Training 4 year fellowship (MRC DTP) from 2019-2023 supervised by Prof David Nutt, Dr David Erritzoe and Dr Matt Wall. As a member of the Centre for Psychedelic Research and Neuropsychopharmacology group, his work focuses on multimodal neuroimaging investigations to investigate reward system dysfunction and develop novel therapeutics in substance use and behavioral addictions.

Dr Shamil Chandaria is a senior research fellow at the centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford. He is also a research fellow at the Institute of Philosophy, London University, where he focuses on philosophical issues in neuroscience and well-being; a research fellow at Imperial College in the neuroscience of psychedelics; and a bye-fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University.

He has multi-disciplinary research interests spanning computational neuroscience, machine learning & artificial intelligence, and the philosophy and science of human well-being. He is currently working on computational theories of consciousness and meditation. Shamil has been a meditator for 38 years and has contemplative training in early Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shivaism.

James Cooke trained as a neuroscientist after a profound awakening as a teenager that showed him the reality of spiritual states of consciousness. He has three degrees in experimental psychology and neuroscience from Oxford University, including a PhD in neuroscience. He has conducted research into the brain basis of consciousness at such institutions as Oxford University; the University of California, Berkeley; University College London; Trinity College Dublin; and Riken Brain Sciences Institute in Tokyo. At the University of London, he achieved the theoretical breakthrough that forms the basis of his new book, The Dawn of Mind, first publishing his findings in the prestigious Journal of Consciousness Studies and later in Entropy. Outside of academia, he directs the Inner Space Institute, a platform for promoting understanding around science and spirituality.

Veda Austin is a New Zealand-based water researcher, author, artist, and mother of three, with Māori heritage from the Tainui tribe. Her father, Bill Hohepa, is a renowned Māori fisherman known for his television shows and publications, reflecting a deep family connection to water.

Over the past decade, Veda has focused on photographing water during its transition from liquid to solid—a phase she calls the ‘state of creation.’ Her technique, Collective Molecular Photography (CMP), captures how water appears to respond to thoughts, words, and environmental influences, inviting a re-examination of our relationship with this vital element.

She views water as a source rather than a resource, and considers all bodies of water sacred.

Douglas Rushkoff is a renowned media theorist, author, and professor exploring the relationship between technology, media, and society. A pioneer of cyberculture, he coined influential terms like “viral media” and “digital native.” He’s written ten books and produced award-winning documentaries on digital culture and human autonomy. Rushkoff is a professor at CUNY and founder of the Narrative Lab at NYU. In 2012, MIT named him one of the world’s most influential intellectuals.

Ari Kuschnir is the founder and managing partner of m ss ng p eces, a production and entertainment company known for pushing the boundaries of storytelling with technology.

Since 2005, Ari has built a reputation for creating immersive content—videos, interactive experiences, AI experiments—that provoke wonder and explore deeper cultural themes.

Ari has spoken globally at creative summits, sits on several advisory boards (like the Future of Storytelling and AICP Digital), and has been featured in lists like Creativity 50.

His work is animated by curiosity, empathy, and a belief that media can help imagine—and build—better futures.

Joshua Michael Schrei is a podcaster, mythteller, teacher, and a lifelong student of the cosmologies and mythologies of the world — in particular the Indian subcontinent. Throughout a lifetime of teaching, study, meditation and yogic practice, wilderness immersion, art, music, and public speaking, Josh has sought to navigate the living, animate space of the imagination and advocate for a world that prioritizes imaginative vision. Josh has taught intensive courses in mythology and somatic disciplines for over 20 years. He is the founder of The Emerald Podcast, which combines evocative narrative, soul-stirring music, and interviews with award-winning authors and luminaries to explore the human experience through a vibrant lens of myth, story, and imagination.

Less a traditional podcast and more a multi-layered sonic journey, The Emerald aims to reawaken the lost promise of oral storytelling tradition — the transmission of the direct felt experience of wonder and awe, and the rekindling of our relationship with spirit.

Bruce Parry is a filmmaker, explorer, and activist best known for his BBC documentary series Tribe, Amazon, and Arctic, where he lived alongside indigenous communities to learn from their ways of life. A former Royal Marines officer turned advocate for social and ecological renewal, Bruce’s work explores what modern society can learn from more egalitarian and nature-connected cultures.

His feature film Tawai: A Voice from the Forest delves into the wisdom of hunter-gatherer societies and humanity’s deep relationship with the natural world. Through his storytelling, Bruce invites reflection on belonging, interconnection, and the possibility of more harmonious ways of living together on Earth.

Nzambe Divanga is a Nganga Missoko, Franco-Gabonese hypnotherapist and musician, and a former member of the international traditional Gabonese dance troupe : Mbeng Ntam. Initiated 25 years ago in Gabon, his journey was staggered, from its beginning, between Africa and the West.

In 2004, he moved in France and led Iboga personal development seminars as the right arm of His spiritual father. He received in 2015, permission from his peers to give the sacred plant and than trained in hypnotherapy and the patient/therapist relationship.

Today, on thé strength of his experiences, Nzambe guides its own Iboga retreats in a framework that respects tradition with a therapeutic approach. He has extensively worked with both Africans and Europeans in workshops, seminaries and most importantly, the ceremonial space and is deeply experienced in the theory, practice and science of African initiation culture.

Dr. Pascal Michael is a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich, specializing in psychedelics, psychical research, neuroscience, and clinical psychology. He holds a BSc in Neuroscience from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences from UCL, focusing on DMT. His PhD research explored mystical experiences, particularly comparing DMT with near-death experiences.

Pascal has presented at major conferences, published in Frontiers in Psychology, and co-leads the ALEF Trust’s Psychedelics certificate program. He also received the Parapsychology Association’s Schmeidler Outstanding Student Award in 2020. Outside academia, he enjoys writing, acting, and drumming.

Sandra is an Ethicist and Psychedelic Ethics specialist with a MA, Phd in Philosophy exploring Ethical Decision Making and Moral Psychology.  She is an Ethics Advisor active in Psychedelic Integration, Therapy, Education and Advocacy as well as a Psychedelic facilitator, Co-founder of EPIC (Ethical Psychedelic International Community) and DecrimFirst collaborative communities as well as leader of the Santa Cruz Psychedelic Society.   Sandra has been teaching Bioethics at University of California, Santa Cruz for the Biomolecular Engineering and Philosophy Departments for past ten years, worked for many years in the tech industry primarily at Apple, and is a Reiki Master in multiple lineages.  Sandra focuses on listening and uplifting the voices and values of the Psychedelic Community especially the disenfranchised with the heart space intention of compassion and love.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Purdue University College of Pharmacy and was the Robert C. and Charlotte P. Anderson Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology, where he taught and did research for 38 years. He is also a co-founder and Head of Chemistry at 2A Biosciences (https://www.2abiosci.com/).  In 2004 he was named the Irvine H. Page Lecturer by the International Society for Serotonin Research, received the first Purdue Provost’s Outstanding Graduate Mentor award in 2006 and was named a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2012. He began studying psychedelics as a graduate student in 1969.  

His lab synthesised DMT for Dr. Rick Strassman, the MDMA for MAPS Phase I and II clinical trials, and the psilocybin used for human clinical studies conducted at Johns Hopkins University. In 1993 he founded the Heffter Research Institute (HRI), which funded the first groundbreaking Phase I and II studies of psilocybin for the treatment of depression, and pilot studies for treating alcohol use disorder, and tobacco addiction.

The Seed Sistas, Kaz and Fiona, are herbalists, eco-activists, published authors and have a down-to-earth attitude towards plant magic.  After completing BScs in Medical Herbalism and Health Sciences, they developed Sensory Herbalism which is an emergent tradition rooted in chaos, both ancient and evolving.  They cultivate change through their work with social enterprise Sensory Solutions Herbal Evolution, giving talks, writing and developing community medicine gardens.  They explore the cross over of magic and medicine, and the reintroduction of magical practices into clinical herbalism.