Continuing Education event speakers to discuss trends and the role of health providers treating with the aid of psychedelics.
The National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) is set to host a two-day virtual conference on psychedelic medicine and clinical interventions beginning this Saturday, July 20.
The Psychedelic Odyssey Conference: Exploring Consciousness with Integrative Medicine will feature speaker discussions led by medical professionals, including clinicians, researchers, and naturopathic doctors. It will dive into the benefits and limitations of work being done within this groundbreaking field to deliver therapeutic treatments to patients with the aid of psychedelics.
The two-day virtual sessions will survey research and application of everything from psilocybin and MDMA, to ketamine and ayahuasca, and their potential as practical tools in treating chronic pain, depression, anxiety, inflammation and more.
Sessions on the first day of the conference will survey insights found through clinical case studies and best practices around efficacy and safety in the administration of psychedelics for patient healing. On Sunday, discussions will examine ethical challenges in psychedelic medicine adoption and considerations providers should have for diverse or specialized patient populations.
Attendees can expect to hear speakers’ thoughts surrounding the historical application of entheogens and plant medicines, evolving trends in society and policy, and the spiritual and scientific connection psychedelics have to whole body health.
NUNM decided to host this first-ever conference on integrative medicine and psychedelic application at the request of its community. Each year, NUNM Continuing Education utilizes an annual alumni and customer interest survey to determine conference topics to run.
This year’s Psychedelic Odyssey Conference arrives at a timely moment in history for attendees, as Oregon voters passed Measure 109 in early 2023 to legalize the regulated therapeutic use of psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms.”
Similarly, NUNM led a Medical Cannabis Conference in 2018 that explored cannabinoid research and therapeutics, shortly after Oregon legalized the use of medical and recreational marijuana in 2015.
Dr. Audra Vaccarella, who leads NUNM continuing education and alumni programming as CME Manager, said the conference is well-suited to those working as naturopathic practitioners and others interested in psychedelic medicine.
“Historically, NDs are more open to alternative therapies, and of course, natural plant-based medicine,” she said.
Dr. Erica Zelfand, a 2012 NUNM alum, shared that sentiment.
As the Executive Director of Right to Heal, a nonprofit organization committed to empowerment, education, and advocacy about mental health and psychedelics, Dr. Zelfand said she sees a seamless connection between her work as a naturopathic doctor and these alternative therapies.
“When used mindfully, psychedelic substances exemplify the very foundations of naturopathic medicine,” she said, “including the principles of treating the whole person, using the healing power of nature, and identifying and treating the root cause of disease.”
Zelfand will present a discussion surrounding the benefits of microdosing and current research into sub-perceptual doses of LSD and psilocybin for patient healing on Sunday.
The two-day virtual conference runs from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. PST on both Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21. The conference is open to the public and all presentations will be recorded and provided to attendees after the live event.
NUNM students may also receive course credit through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, as the university is accredited by the North American Naturopathic Continuing Education Council.
More details on speaker sessions and enrollment costs can be found at the Psychedelic Odyssey Conference: Exploring Consciousness with Integrative Medicine.
by Ashley Villarreal, Marketing Content Specialist