Zendo Project:
Beyond the Festival
Psychedelic Perspectives
in Times of Challenge & Change

Single-Session Recordings Available for Purchase Next Week!
Please check back on this page for more details

Psychedelic Decrim

BIPOC Support

Harm Reduction Psychotherapy

Societal Integration
Webinar Sessions

Psychedelic Peer Support:
Compassionate Care
for Difficult Times
Oct 22, 2020
Featuring Zendo Project: Chelsea Rose, M.A., Associate M.F.T., & Ryan Jay Beauregard, moderated by Katrina Michelle, Ph.D.

Psychedelic Decriminalization:
Pathways to Responsible Risk Management
Oct 29, 2020
Featuring Kevin Matthews, Melissa Lavasani, & Benjamin De Leonen, M.A., moderated by Dawn D. Davis

Psychedelic Support for BIPOC Communities:
Uplifting Voices, Transforming Hearts, Shifting Perspectives
Nov 5, 2020
Featuring Yarelix Estrada & Sensei Kevon Simpson, moderated by Kaylie Tejedai, DNAP, CRNA

Harm Reduction Psychotherapy & Psychedelics:
An Integrative Approach to Addiction Treatment
Nov 12, 2020
Featuring Andrew Tatarksy, Ph.D., & Juliana Mulligan, moderated by Sara Gael, M.A.

Psychedelics and Their Integration into Society:
Healing Trauma, Providing Hope
Nov 19, 2020
Featuring Rick Doblin, Ph.D., & Kwasi Adusei, DNP, PMHNP-BC, moderated by Liana Sananda Gillooly

Timely Relevance of these Psychedelic Conversations
At this moment in history, there is more interest than ever before in the potential of psychedelics to be powerful therapeutic tools—but millions of people have used psychedelics outside of these legal contexts, from small parties and large festivals to private living rooms and spiritual ceremonies.
We believe that amidst all the challenges that have unfolded in 2020, there are some beautiful transformations that are still possible within ourselves, our community and for the world at large.
Join the Zendo Project for our webinar series as we provide hope, inspiration and perspective in this otherwise challenging year.
Webinar Details, Dates and Times
In five 90-minute sessions from October 22 through November 19, you’ll learn from community leaders in the fields of harm reduction, therapy, and psychedelics, and discover how to apply their expertise and wisdom to your life. You’ll also get a chance to ask questions and have them answered live!
The online sessions will include 60 minutes of presentations and conversations, followed by 30 minutes of Q&A from the audience. All sessions will be live, and will take place on Thursdays from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM PT (though some sessions may go slightly longer depending on presenter availability and audience engagement).
Recordings, Support, Non-Profit Info
All registration proceeds go to support the Zendo Project. By participating in this webinar series, you’re supporting the Zendo Project in providing peer support services, education, a compassionate alternative to handling difficult psychedelic experiences.
The Zendo Project is a program of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit research and education organization.
Psychedelic Conversations
Psychedelic Decriminalization
Harm Reduction Psychotherapy
Psychedelic Societal Integration
Psychedelic BIPOC Community Support
Psychedelic Community Care
Psychedelic Inspiration for Future
CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE)
Information on Continuing Education Credit
for Health Professionals
CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Resource Center (SCRC) which is co-sponsoring this program.
The Spiritual Competency Resource Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Spiritual Competency Resource Center maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
For questions about receiving your Certificate of Attendance, contact webinars@maps.org For questions about CE, visit www.SpiritualCompetency.com or contact David Lukoff, PhD at CE@spiritualcompetency.com.
Conversation 1: Peer Support
Psychedelic Peer Support:
Co-Creating Communities of Compassionate Care
Featuring Zendo Project: Katrina Michelle, Ph.D., Chelsea Rose, M.A., Associate M.F.T., Ryan Jay Beauregard
October 22, 2020 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Pacific Time
The mission of the Zendo Project is to provide a supportive environment and education to help transform difficult psychedelic and psychological experiences into opportunities for learning and growth. We envision a world where communities are engaged in providing safety and support for people having psychedelic and psychological challenges; where harm reduction principles are used foremost to reduce the risks associated with substance use.

Chelsea Rose Pires, M.A., Associate M.F.T.
Harm Reduction Operations Manager,
MAPS Zendo Project

Chelsea graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles Honors College with a B.A. in Psychology in 2007, and received her master’s degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2012. She has a passion for harm reduction as a therapeutic and practical approach to drug use and abuse prevention. Chelsea also works for DanceSafe, a public health organization, as the manager for the reagent testing kit program. Additionally, she manages the Crisis Response Team in Nevada County, supporting clients who come into the emergency room during a psychiatric crisis. She lives in the Sierra foothills of California with her husband Alexandre, who is also involved in harm reduction work, their three children, and their chickens, fish, and Kisser kitty.
Ryan Jay Beauregard
Harm Reduction Programs Manager,
MAPS Zendo Project

Moderator
Katrina Michelle, Ph.D., LCSW
Harm Reduction Director,
MAPS Zendo Project

Zendo Project Webinar Recording
Conversation 2: Decriminalization
Psychedelic Decriminalization:
Pathways to Responsible Risk Management
Featuring Kevin Matthews, Melissa Lavasani, & Benjamin De Leonen, M.A., moderated by Dawn D. Davis
Oct 29, 2020 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Pacific Time

Melissa Lavasani

After psilocybin and ayahuasca helped her reclaim her life, Melissa was motivated to change laws in the District of Columbia so that other residents would not face the same fear of investigation, arrest or prosecution for using entheogens that she did.
Born to Iranian immigrants in Washington DC, Melissa currently lives in Ward 6 with her husband and two children and is a DC government employee.
Kevin Matthews

Benjamin De Loenen, M.A.
Founder & Executive Director of ICEERS

In 2009, he founded the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service (ICEERS), a charitable non-profit organisation with United Nations consultative status, where he serves as Executive Director. Benjamin is the author of several publications and films, has presented at conferences around the world, and has participated in various leadership roles, including as a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Ibogaine Therapist Alliance (2012 – 2014).
She is a twice awarded National Science Foundation recipient as a fellow under the Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship and as an Indigenous Science Technology Engineering and Math scholar. Dawn has shared her research among Native American, academic, ethnobotanical, and psychedelic audiences nationally and internationally. Dawn is also Co-Editor for the Journal of Native Sciences and a Founding Director with Source Research Foundation.
Moderator
Dawn D. Davis

Conversation 3: BIPOC Communities
Psychedelic Support for BIPOC Communities:
Uplifting Voices, Transforming Hearts, Shifting Perspectives
Featuring Yarelix Estrada and Sensei Kevon Simpson, moderated by Kaylie Tejedai, DNAP, CRNA
Nov 5, 2020 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Pacific Time

Yarelix Estrada

Yarelix currently works as a City Research Scientist with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducting community-based substance use harm reduction outreach and research. Part of those research responsibilities include coalition building amongst city agencies, elected officials, and community members while using research to solve issues related to drug user health and safety. Yarelix is also on the board of SALUD, Supporting and Advancing Latino Unidos at DOHMH, the Latinx Employee Resource Group, where she is working to highlight the needs of Latinx health in New York City, as well as organizing support for Indigenous communities and their health in the city. She is currently also serving as an Engagement Coordinator under her COVID-19 emergency response role where she supports and advocates alongside Indigenous communities across NYC.
Yarelix has worked in other harm reduction spaces such as with the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, DanceSafe, and other nightlife harm reduction projects. She has spoken at events on the topic of overdose prevention, psychedelic community accountability, harm reduction services for the BIPOC community, the intersections of drug and psychedelic policy, and psychedelic decriminalization. The events that she has facilitated are low cost, low barrier events that she has created with and for her community. She received her bachelor’s degree and Master of Science in Public Health in Health Policy at the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, respectively.
He has traveled as far as Taiwan, Jamaica, Canada, and even Japan within his path as a medicine guide and high dose solo sitter. Known as one of the leaders of the underground psychedelic renaissance, clinical psychotherapists often come to him for advice with their clients. In 2019, he opened the world-renowned HORIZONS psychedelic conference as the ritual voice of spirit.
He is a Reiki Master, who also has over 15 years of guiding meditation experience, and often combines the practices of mindfulness with poetry, dance, and sound healing, in order to lift people out of their wounds, and into their divine purpose. Kevon’s whole life changed in 2017 when he became public with his HIV status, and has since been an advocate to help lower the stigma through articles, appearances, and more. In his spare time you can find him practicing medicine songs and icaros, playing his handpan, or doing live feeds of spiritual upliftment under his social media handle Medicine Sensei, or by following the hashtag #planetocatch.
Sensei Kevon Simpson

Moderator
Dr. Kaylie Tejeda, DNAP, CRNA

She identifies as Latinx (Dominican-American) and Queer. Kaylie serves as the moderator of the Psychedelic Social Justice Collective (PSJC) discord server and a member of the Intercollegiate Psychedelic Network’s Social Policy & Impact Spore. Her passions, while diverse, are predominately centered on social justice advocacy, with an emphasis on ethics and equity in the psychedelic field and healthcare at large, rewriting societal narratives, and developing community solutions for marginalized communities that have been plagued by systemic inequities.
Conversation 4: Psychotherapy
Harm Reduction Psychotherapy & Psychedelics:
An Integrative Approach to Addiction Treatment
Featuring Andrew Tatarksy, Ph.D., & Juliana Mulligan, moderated by Sara Gael, M.A.
Nov 12, 2020 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Pacific Time

Juliana Mulligan

Her work centers around guiding individuals to their own inner power and supporting them in re-framing their life experiences into sources of knowledge and inspiration. She has developed a guide for finding safe Ibogaine treatment and is also currently working to create new systems of accountability and responsibility among Ibogaine practitioners and in the greater psychedelic therapy community. Juliana hopes to orient her work to focus on the social-cultural intersections of harm reduction and psychedelics. She has been featured in Double Blind magazine, Woman’s Day magazine, and Psymposia.
He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the City University of New York and is a graduate of New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. He is Founder and Director of the Center for Optimal Living in NYC, a treatment and training center; founding member and Past-President, Division on Addiction of New York State Psychological Association, and Member of the Medical and Clinical Advisory Boards of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Dr. Tatarsky trains nationally and internationally.
Andrew Tatarksy, Ph.D.

Moderator
Sara Gael, M.A.
Harm Reduction Officer, MAPS Zendo Project

She has presented at conferences, universities, and events around the world. She serves on the board of directors at DanceSafe and as the harm reduction advocate on the city of Denver psilocybin policy review panel. Sara believes that developing a comprehensive understanding of psychedelic medicines through research and education is essential for the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and the planet.
Conversation 5: Societal Integration
Psychedelics and Their Integration into Society:
Healing Trauma, Providing Hope for Better Mental Health
Featuring Rick Doblin, Ph.D., & Kwasi Adusei, DNP, PMHNP-BC, moderated by Liana Sananda Gillooly
Nov 19, 2020 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Pacific Time

Rick Doblin, Ph.D.
Founder & Executive Director,
MAPS

He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife, dog, and empty rooms from three children, one of whom is in college and two have graduated.
Kwasi Adusei, DNP, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Psychedelic Harm Reduction Specialist

Moderator
Liana Gillooly
Development Officer, MAPS

She has worked in event, festival, and film production, as well as artist representation, art curation, and art creation. She owned a visionary art gallery in Venice Beach, California, called Sananda Gallery. She has produced fundraisers, parties, and art happenings for special events and festivals, including High Times Cannabis Cups, MAPS conferences, Envision Festival, Serenity Festival, and Fractal Planet at Burning Man. She has been a featured speaker at numerous events, lobbied Congress, lectured MBA students, and given a TedX talk. She is an experienced meditator and trained death midwife.
Community Supporters
Webinar Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I register?
We are offering the first webinar session, Psychedelic Peer Support: Co-Creating Communities of Compassionate Care, free of cost to everyone who wants to join! While it is not required to register in advance, we encourage doing so and setting up a (free) Zoom account in advance.
The rest of the series can be purchased and attendees will need to be registered for in advance online. A registration confirmation will be emailed to the email that was used for registration.
Please check your email spam/junk folder if you don’t see the confirmation email in your primary inbox.
After you complete your registration, you will be automatically directed to the Zoom event page. We highly recommend that you fill out this short form so you receive the reminder emails about each session, and so you don’t have to do this later. You will need to use the same name and email address you used to register.
How do I attend the webinars?
Once you have a Zoom account, you may download the desktop app directly from their site if you’d like, however this is not required to attend.
When are the webinars?
What is the format?
How much do webinars cost?
Anyone can also further support the Zendo Project this year by contributing as a Community Supporter! With any donation of $420 or more, Community Supporters will receive two (2) full webinar series registrations as well as a mention of appreciation during the webinars. Please contact webinars@maps.org to get details.
Are any discounts available?
Scholarships are also available!
After a short application, full scholarships will be awarded and applicants will be notified by email. You can apply for a scholarship here. Please remember that the first webinar session is free and registration for this free session is separate from the rest of the series to which a scholarship will be applied.
When does registration close?
I purchased a webinar ticket. How do I join?
How do I ask a question during the webinar?
Can I cancel my webinar registration?
Can I transfer my registration to a friend?
What if I missed a webinar? Will the webinars be recorded?
Are Continuing Education (CE) credits available for this webinar series?
Yes! Registration for continuing education credits is $60, which applies to all four (4) sessions of the paid portion of the webinar series, each session is 1.5 hours for a total of six (6) hours of CE.
This cost is in addition to registration for this part of the series. Registration is now closed for the live session series; they are not available for post-webinar recordings.
To receive the CE credits – made possible through the Spiritual Competency Resource Center, attendance of each applicable session will be verified by our staff and there will be additional paperwork for CE registrants to complete. We will follow up with people who register to provide the next steps.