In an open-mic audience session, attendees talked about how meaningful their own psychedelic experiences had been — helping them deal with intense heartbreak, or better understand a goal in life.
Attendees and speakers said that as interest grows in psychedelic therapies, they’re concerned that further commercial interest in psychedelics will make it difficult for people to access what can already be an expensive form of treatment — especially for people who come from cultures with a history of psychedelic traditions.
“A lot of the ways we practice this work come from Black and Indigenous communities around the world,” said Jess Jones, a licensed clinical social worker who offers ketamine-assisted therapy to patients at her clinic in the Ludlow section of North Philadelphia, just north of Northern Liberties.
Howard, the event’s organizer, said she’s excited to continue hosting discussions about psychedelic therapy. “We’re just catching up,” she said. “Research was banned, for so many years.”