Aspen Psychedelic Symposium 2023

The symposium ended with a keynote address titled "Speculations on the Antiquity of Human Consciousness" by Dennis Mckenna, who has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca.

In the fourth panel of the day, “Where do we go from here?” panelists discussed the many questions around what access might look like in the years ahead, why harm reduction efforts are an important next step, and how the conversation should continue.

In the third panel of the day, “The Neuroscience of Psychedelics,” speakers discussed how researchers have been exploring the neurobiological mechanisms of psychedelic drugs, the resulting changes in brain activity, and what treating chronic pain with psychedelics looks like.

The second panel of the day, “Mental Health Breakthroughs,” was directed at those struggling to heal from depression, anxiety or substance use disorder, where psilocybin –and other psychedelic-assisted therapies– can offer hope.

In this first panel of the day, “What is Healing, What is Ceremony?” panelists explored the history and contemporary practice of healing through plant-based medicines, exploring cultural and ceremonial use, the nature of healing, human experience and transformation with an overview of psychedelics today.