Psychedelic Science Conference 2023

Be part of the world Breakthrough by joining the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) during the largest gathering of the psychedelic community in history.

MAPS and the global psychedelic community are bringing the fourth Psychedelic Science conference on June 19-23, 2023, across the seven stages of the Colorado Convention Center. The biggest gathering of the psychedelic community is coming to Denver, Colorado, and no one should be left behind in this revolution in the history of psychedelic science.

Past Psychedelic Science Events

On February 24, 1990, MAPS Founder Rick Doblin, Ph.D., and Alise Agar Wittine, the Coordinator of the Omega Foundation San Francisco organized one of the first psychedelic science conferences. The gathering, titled Regulation or Prohibition: Psychedelics in the 1990s, happened at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California, bringing together speakers including the psychedelic research pioneers Ram Dass, Ralph Metzener, author Timothy Leary, and the President of the Native American Church, Emerson Jackson. 

The next MAPS gathering was held on April 16, 1993, dubbed Psychedelic Summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Albert Hofmann after he discovered LSD and its potential benefits when combined with psychotherapy and meditation or other spiritual practices.

The first official Psychedelic Science conference was hosted by MAPS, titled Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century. It happened at the Holiday Inn Hotel, San Jose, California, on April 15-18, 2010. The conference was attended by 800+ guests from around the world. In this conference, MAPS offered physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education (CE) credits for research in psychedelic science.

The world witnessed the largest psychedelic conference, Psychedelic Science, in April 2017. The conference organized by MAPS and the Beckley Foundation was attended by over 3000 researchers, activists, and enthusiasts from 42 countries. PS2017 was held at the Oakland Marriot City Center for six days. The conference featured 227 presentations, 12 full-day workshops, 15 film screenings, 15 performance acts, 14 community and partner sessions, a psychedelic comedy banquet, a sunset cruise, a Psymposia Stage, a researcher’s seminar, poster sessions, and an open marketplace, free to the public.

During the conference in 2017, the international psychedelic science community joined minds in exploring new research on the benefits and risks of MDMA, Psilocybin, LCD, ayahuasca, ketamine, marijuana, and ibogine. A total of 245 volunteers dedicated 4,000 hours of their time to working and collaborating with MAPS staff to make the gathering a success. The main objective of PS2017 was to highlight the potential of psychedelics to treat and heal several chronic behavioral health problems, as proved by scientific research. MAPS founder Rick Doblin expressed his satisfaction with the success of the conference by saying that the remarkable developments in scientific research in psychedelics and the contributions of the psychedelic community are what made the PS2017 conference a success.

The success of the previous Psychedelic gatherings is the impetus for organizing PS2023. We aim to appreciate the growth and movement in psychedelic medicine for future generations.

The Conference

The Psychedelic Science conference will run for 5 days, and 4 additional days will be dedicated to community interaction. The conference will include talks, valuable workshops, entertaining events, and marketplace opportunities, all meant to highlight to the attendees, the future of psychedelic medicine.

Psychedelic Science 2023 Agenda Breakdown

The Psychedelic Science gathering 2023 schedule spans one week with on-site events across the seven stages at the Colorado Convention Center and throughout Denver, CO beginning June 19- June 23. It is the biggest week of the Psychedelic Rennaissance as our expert organizers call it.

The classes and workshops during the Psychedelic Conference offer our guests an opportunity to dive into the world of psychedelic medicine. These are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, June 19 and 20. Conference Tracks offer a curated guide of sessions focused on 8 exciting categories to immerse psychedelic science enthusiasts.

The Conference Schedule is curated to give our guests the best psychedelic experience. This is what the program looks like:

1. Community Programming: June 17-18
2. Workshops: June 19-20
3. Opening Dinner Honoring Roland R. Griffiths, PhD: June 21
4. Dinner Honoring Veterans and First Responders: June 22
5. Main Conference: June 21 – 23
6. Community Programming: June 24 – 25

Community Programming: June 17-18

Community Partner Programming Days will include a variety of events and activities. We shall update our guests about these activities weeks prior. The events are independently organized by our partner organizations and will take place in several select venues throughout Denver, CO.

Workshops: June 19-20

The Psychedelic Science 2023 conference will include two days of intensive workshops, facilitated by arguably the leading psychedelics experts in the clinical, academic, business, and cultural sectors.

The workshops will be a blend of half–day, full-day, and two-day workshops as well as complimentary briefings. The conference guests and participants will gain accreditation, and educational and community-building opportunities during these workshops.

Opening Dinner Honoring Roland R. Griffiths, PhD: June 21

On the first night of the Psychedelic Conference 2023, we shall honor Roland R. Griffiths, PhD, during the opening dinner. Roland is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the founding Director of the Johns Hopkins Center on Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

The evening will include a three-course meal with speeches from colleagues and allies who have worked with Dr. Griffths throughout his illustrious and illuminating career as a lecturer, professor, and lecturer.

Dinner Honoring Veterans and First Responders: June 22

On Thursday, June 22, we shall wind up the second day of the conference by honoring the Veterans, first responders, and their families who support psychedelic medicine. Join us at the dinner table to show our love for these veterans and first responders.

These communities suffer from poor mental health, with aggravated cases of PTSD, depression, and addiction. We believe in providing mental healthcare to those who suffer as an urgent moral obligation, however, existing tools and resources are currently too expensive and inadequate to cater to those who are in need. 

Main Conference: June 21 – June 23

Join over 10,000 attendees for hundreds of hours of educational sessions and community-building activities. The conference features 300+ experienced speakers, 7+ tracks, and several breakout sessions and small working groups. The Psychedelic Science Conference 2023 provides necessary content for the practitioners, enthusiasts, and corporations in attendance, to enable them to continue steering the future of psychedelics.

In the evenings, we have scheduled several entertainment items, social activities and community-engagement events for all our attendees to have opportunities to reconnect with their friends and forge new relationships. The evening activities will be hosted by artists, musicians, entertainers, and other select experts.

Closing party:

Will be held on Friday, June 23.

Community Programming: June 24-25

Our partner organizations will run a variety of events and activities for community engagement. These activities will be announced months ahead of the conference. These independently organized events presided over by our partners will take place in several venues throughout Denver, CO.

Guest Speakers

The Psychedelic Conference 2023 will feature 300+ speakers who are experts in their fields around the world. The speakers will engage conference attendees across all seven stages at the Colorado Convention Center.

The wealth list of speakers includes Brigitte Grof, MA, Ph. D.D.(h.c.), Paul Summergrad, M.D., FRCPsych(Hon), Lieutenant Diane M. Goldstein(Ret.), Kwasi Adusei, DNP, PMHNP-BC, Ismail L. Ali, J.D. MAPS, Angela E. Albee, EMPA, Heidi L. Allen, MSW, Ph.D., Michael Alpert, M.D., MAPS, Hadas Alterman, J.D., Brian Anderson, M.D., M.Sc., Draulio Araujio, Jonathan Lubecky, Samy Awad, Mathew Baggott, Ph.D., Frederick Barret, Ph.D., Jamie Beachy, Ph.D., M.Div., Alex Belser, Ph.D., Raquel Bennet, Psy.D., Anthony P.Bossis, Ph.D., Jose Carlos Bouso, Ph.D., Graham Boyd, Carla Burns, M.Div., Chris Brynes, J.D, M.T.S, Victor Cabra, MSW, LSW, CCTP-I, Amber Capone, Marcus Capone, Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., Deepak Chopra, among others. You can view the full list of conference speakers here (https://psychedelicscience.org/speakers).

Psychedelic Conference 2023 Community

The Psychedelic Conference 2023 will feature a thriving community of passionate researchers, practitioners, artists, veterans, and volunteers. The attendees will get a chance to learn more about the newest research and exciting opportunities in psychedelic science.

PS2023 Scholarships

The organizing team for PS2023 strives to make the event all-inclusive and accessible. Therefore, we offered a good number of scholarship opportunities, both full and partial, to help cover the conference and classes for attendees.

The scholarship applications closed on March 20, 2023.

Funders cover travel costs, conference registration, and associated attendance costs. For more inquiries, reach us at scholarships@psychedelicscience.org

PS2023 Conference Registration

All the guests planning to attend the Psychedelic Conference 2023 should register through the Psychedelics Science gathering website.

Community Partners:

All groups and organizations interested in partnering with MAPS in organizing PS2023 are welcome to submit their interests by visiting our website under the partners section.

The application deadline is April 7, 2023.

PS2023 Volunteer Opportunities

We value volunteers, and encourage you to connect with the largest Psychedelic Conference 2023 and the entire psychedelic medicine community through volunteering.

As a volunteer, you will be helping us make PS2023 a success.

Art & Creative Contributions

We believe in the power of the arts and creativity to communicate and connect with humanity. Contribute your art, music, performance, design, and all other forms of creative activation during PS2023.

Sponsors and Exhibitors

PS2023 welcomes sponsors and exhibitors interested in becoming part of our breakthrough event.

For more inquiries, visit the sponsors’ page at https://psychedelicscience.org/sponsors/

General updates

Stay up close with PS2023 to get important updates about the conference details, community engagement activities, speakers, entertainment, and other important announcements by subscribing to the newsletter. Head over to https://psychedelicscience.org/participate/ and scroll down to the last page, then leave your email address and you will get added to the community. You can also follow on social media, via Facebook(@psychedelicsscinece), Instagram(@psychedelicsscience), and Twitter(@psychedleicssci)

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