Thursday, October 20th, 2022 from 12:00-1:30pm PST | 3:00-4:30pm EST

This event is a partnership between the Harvard Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law and the Chacruna Institute.

There have been many supported theories as to whether and how psychedelics and plant medicines can further our perception and understanding of identity. However, we still see systemic issues that disproportionately affect BIPOC folks within the psychedelic community and therapeutic field, which has deep historical roots in the United States. Why are psychedelics viewed in a negative light by black Americans in particular? What needs to be taken into account to ensure that psychedelic initiatives do not perpetuate systemic trauma? What safeguards need to be put in place? What are current barriers or challenges to accessing psychedelic assisted therapy for people of color? What are some ways therapists can develop greater cultural humility and cultural sensitivity in their work with diverse clients and communities? Join speakers Dr. Darron T. Smith, who is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology at the University of Memphis and serves on Chacruna’s Racial Equity and Access Committee, Dr. Joseph McCowan, who is a licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist working as a co-therapist in the MAPS sponsored Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, and Dr. Bia Labate, who is the Executive Director of Chacruna Institute, in this panel to discuss those questions and more.

Joseph McCowan Psy.D, is a licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, working in Los Angeles as a co-therapist in the MAPS sponsored Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. He is an alumni of MAPS’ 2019 MDMA Therapy Training for Communities of Color. Additionally, Joseph works with the California Center for Psychedelic Therapy where he provides Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and Psychedelic Integration Therapy. Joseph is deeply passionate about furthering education and awareness of the healing benefits of psychedelics for communities of color and in working to improve mental health outcomes for historically underserved communities. Joseph received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his doctorate in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Darron T. Smith is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology at the University of Memphis. He is a physician assistant and US army veteran with over twenty years of healthcare-related experience as a PA educator and mental health treatment provider in psychiatry. Dr. Smith has trained with MAPS’ MDMA-assisted therapy. His research and scholarship examine US-based systems of racial oppression and systemic inequality found in all societal domains, including healthcare, the family (transracial adoption), healthcare disparities, religion, sport, culture, and politics. Dr. Smith’s current research and practice intertwine the study of applied neuroscience, race-based trauma, and mental illness by looking at the impact of EEG biofeedback versus MDMA-assisted psychotherapy on brainwave activity in individuals with racial trauma (PTSD) using EEG technology. He is featured in the CBS Sports Documentary, The Black 14: Wyoming Football 1969, and the Loki Mulholland film on transracial adoption, Black, White & Us: Love is Not Enough. He is the author of When Race, Religion & Sports Collide: Black Athletes at BYU and Beyond. Dr. Smith is a board member of the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association. He also serves as a curriculum advisor for the Alma Institute, an Oregon-based Psilocybin training facility. He also serves on Chacruna’s Racial Equity and Access Committee.

Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate (Bia Labate) is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her main areas of interest are the study of plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She is also Visiting Scholar at Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Studies. Additionally, she is Diversity and Inclusion Chair at Veterans of War and and Advisor at the Synthesis Institute. Dr. Labate is a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and editor of its site. She is author, co-author, and co-editor of twenty-five books, two special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles (https://bialabate.net).

This talk will be recorded and immediately available for rewatch for all attendees.

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Race and Psychedelics: How Can We Do Better?