CATALYST Summit: 3 Psychedelic Speakers to Catch This Weekend

The Catalyst Summit on psychedelic medicine returns for its third iteration today, running through Sunday, and it’s all taking place live, in glorious in-person 3D at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.  

But have no fear. If you’re nowhere near Kingston, the event is being live streamed and tickets are still available for that option.

Taking a look at the lineup of attending speakers, one finds myriad domestic and international policymakers, business leaders, academic researchers, scientists, mental health practitioners, and consumers of psychedelic medicine.  

Whether attending in person or partaking of the online remote options, here are three speakers you won’t want to miss.

Paul Stamets

At this point, most everyone with a remote interest in mushrooms has likely heard of this mycologist, but that’s no reason to turn down the chance to hear him speak.

Stamets is the author of seven books, an Invention Ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and was inducted into The Explorer’s Club in 2020. He has received numerous awards, including the National Mycologist Award from the North American Mycological Association, and the Gordon & Tina Wasson Award from the Mycological Society of America. His work has entered the mainstream of popular culture. In the new Star Trek: Discovery series on CBS, the Science Officer is portrayed by an Astromycologist as Lt. Paul Stamets. Paul’s work with mycelium became a central theme of this series.

And don’t forget, the unforgettable documentary Fantastic Fungi, currently streaming on Netflix. 

Dr. Rosalind Watts

As former Clinical Lead of the Psilocybin for Depression trial at Imperial College London, Rosalind Watts, PhD, led a clinical team that facilitated over a hundred psilocybin treatment sessions.

She developed the ACE model (Accept, Connect, Embody) for psychedelic-assisted therapy, which has been used in clinical trials of psilocybin and DMT. Having recognized that safe and effective use of psychedelics requires substantial integration support, Rosalind co-founded the UK’s first psychedelic integration group, and is now launching a global online integration community, “Accept, Connect, Embody, Restore” (ACER) where members will follow a 12-month process together. She has developed a psychometric tool for measuring outcomes of psychedelic therapy (the Watts Connectedness Scale), is clinical track lead on the Synthesis Institute’s Psychedelic Practitioner Training, and sits on the clinical advisory board of the Usona Institute, a not-for-profit psilocybin manufacturer and research organization.

You can find out more about Dr. Watts by visiting her website.

Dr. Erica Dyck

Something a little off the beaten path here, but highlighting how psychedelics can help us view societal actions from a macro view. Dr. Dyck’s chief interests are in the history of psychiatry, mental health, deinstitutionalization and eugenics. She is the author of Psychedelic Psychiatry which examines the history of LSD experimentation and how it fit within broader trends in the changing orientation of psychiatry during the post-World War II period. She is currently working on a CIHR-funded project with Megan Davies (York University) called Open Doors/Closed Ranks. This project relies on an interdisciplinary team of researchers who are comparing processes and experiences related to deinstitutionalization or the closure of long-stay mental hospitals in Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. 

Events like these serve to continue to bring visibility and momentum to the sea change occurring around pubic policy and public perception on psychedelics. As I was reminded recently in a conversation with MindMed CEO Robert Barrow, legislation for drug policy is all about the Congress. And the Congress is made up of impressionable human beings. Data drives decisions, and events like the Catalyst Summit present data by the deluge.

Being based here in the United States, it’s easy to misunderstand just how different the psychedelic landscape is in Canada, our “North Star” example of just some of what may ultimately be possible. The CATALYST Summit serves to showcase Canada’s psychedelic journey into medicine, society, and commerce through keynote presentations, intimate panel discussions, and networking events.

Even if you can’t be there in person, it’s not too late to get a discounted pass to tune in online.