Why Religion Matters: The Need for Faith-Specific Psychedelic Ritual

A Conversation with Adriana Kertzer, Brian C. Muraresku and Daan Keiman

Faith+Delics is a community for Jews, Christians and Muslims passionate about the potential role psychedelics can play in their own religions and exploring how psychedelics can benefit these existing religious traditions. Adriana and Brian's mission is to position psychedelic experiences as a valuable addition to religious development and training and to emphasize the importance of faith-specific psychedelic training. Daan's experience as a lead facilitator at Synthesis Retreats has led him to appreciate, through first-hand experiences, how people need different types of language, flight instructions and integration depending on their religious backgrounds. This conversation is an attempt to start addressing the specific needs of a faith-specific psychedelic ecosystem.

- What does the field of psychedelic chaplaincy need to acknowledge in terms of the limitations of interfaith education and settings
- How can we state the "value" of religious tradition and mystical thought 
- What investments in clergy training are needed
- What cross-sector research and knowledge building is necessary
- What strategies are needed to vest awareness in BIPOC communities
- Aside from religious leaders, who are the other stakeholders of psychedelic faith ecosystems
- What kinds of storytelling can help highlight the role faith-specific settings can play in psychedelic therapies/experiences

Adriana Kertzer and Brian C. Muraresku both graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University in 2002 with degrees in Judaic Studies, and Latin, Greek and Sanskrit, respectively. They then attended Georgetown University Law Center, became members of the New York Bar, and joined corporate law firms in New York City. Adriana and Brian reconnected in 2017 while speaking on a panel discussion hosted by Brown University for alumni in the cannabis industry. Then, in 2020, when Brian’s book The Immortality Key was published (exploring the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization) and Adriana launched a psychedelics and cannabis law firm Plant Medicine Group LLC (after deciding not to pursue a PhD about Jews and psychedelics), they realized they were both passionate about the potential role psychedelics could play in their own religions. Adriana launched the working group Faith+Delics with Brian’s support and they have since brought together Jews and Christians exploring how psychedelics can benefit existing religious traditions.

Daan Keiman has a master of arts degree in Spiritual Care, from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He worked in mental health and addiction care and in drug harm reduction before following his passion for psychedelics. He is now the Director of Ethics and Advocacy and one of the Lead Facilitators at the Synthesis Institute, where he guides people through psychedelic experiences with psilocybin-containing truffles. Daan is a co-founder of the Guild of Guides Netherlands, an organization that seeks to professionalize psychedelic sitting services and he has been developing a model for Psychedelic Chaplaincy, that supports clients in understanding and integrating the spiritually relevant material that can emerge during psychedelic experiences."

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

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