Shifting the Addiction Paradigm:
The psychedelic Renaissance

The Relationship Between Investment Money and Behavioral Health: Psychedelics as Commodified Medicine

Ross Ellenhorn, PhD, LCSW

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There is a psychedelic renaissance underway for sure, a reintroduction and remaking of its use for the larger public. And yet, as practices once conducted underground emerge into the daylight of doctor’s offices and vacation retreats worldwide, this new movement is rapidly becoming pretty un-psychedelic—no longer aimed toward novel experiences and the pursuit of novelty, but toward the uniformity and standardization of getting people back to an elusive place of “normalcy.” 

Psychedelics are being subsumed into the current medical and economic structure, and rapidly molded into another medicine for conformity; less about expansiveness, curiosity and play, and more about fixing your brokenness. That, at least, is the doomsday scenario. There are, however, vital pockets of resistance—places where the spirit of the underground is still alive and thriving more than ever. 

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This talk will describe the results of the decades-long relationship between investment money and behavioral health, how the current introduction of psychedelics as commodified medicine is the obvious result of their entrée into this system, and how to understand the relationship between these compounds and the orientation to “normalization” in both psychedelic research and practices. It will elaborate upon how the missing element in the current predominant narrative about the psychedelic—the modern gift of play, novelty and improvisation—points toward resistance., as well as how these central elements to modern humanity are both suppressed in the current selling of miracle cures.

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Learning Objectives:

Following the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Understand of the history of investment money and the behavioral-health system and how this marriage influences current narratives and the branding of psychedelics.

2. Gain insight into the way in which the branding of psychedelics contributes to the growing tendency to “medicalize” human behavior and results in the “problem saturation” of our everyday lives.

3. Understand how the current psychedelic movement’s most suppressed elements—the playful, novelty-seeking forms that flowed through hippy and rave cultures as well as early psychedelic psychotherapies—are key to a true renaissance.

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Addressing Addictive Patterns with Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Looking Deeper

Eva Altobelli, MD

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Addiction is not the core problem; it is an invitation to look deeper. The abstinence-only model keeps us bound to a model in which relapse and shame become barriers to getting help. Psychedelics, on the other hand, invite a broader scope of contemplation about the driving forces behind our behavior and allow us to see ourselves with a greater sense of compassion and curiosity. Indeed, contemplative use of psychedelics not only allows us to change the way we view addiction and recovery, it helps us come up with language that better suits the process.

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Learning Objectives:

Following the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Identify three experiences that can lead to addictive patterns.

2. Understand the three paradigms of psychedelic therapy.

3. Further their knowledge of three medications used with psychedelic therapy.

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Sober Living 2.0:  The Recovery House in a New Light

Todd Youngs

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The human experience often prefers evolution to revolution. After all, it is in our best interest to build upon the insights of the past rather than discard them. Indeed, there is deep wisdom to be found in the philosophy of traditional 12-step recovery homes and related fellowship that offers a valuable framework as we create new, psychedelically supportive iterations of such environments. We need not reinvent the wheel—but we can enthusiastically improve its ride, efficiency and durability.

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Learning Objectives:

Following the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the philosophy behind 12-step programs.

2. Understand how 12-step recovery homes and related fellowship can offer valuable frameworks for new recovery environments.

3. Gain insight into how psychedelics and recovery can be used in conjunction with one another.

 

Psychedelics and a Capitalist Medical-Care System: How Can This Work?

Yarelix Estrada, MSPH

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We’re living in an ironic time in the United States. Psychedelics are being touted as a tool for treating a variety of mental-health conditions and, in some instances, heralded by advocates as the very medicine that will heal society, yet, at the same time, our nation hit a grim benchmark in the number of deaths due to drug overdose during the 12-month period ending in April 2021—an estimated 100,306! Not to mention the fact that while the majority of people who use drugs do not experience problematic drug use, those who are dependent on drugs often have underlying untreated mental-health conditions and basic un-met needs, including lack of access to food, housing and health-care services. 

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This presentation will use the U.S. drug-treatment system as an example of how a capitalist medical-care system perpetuates harm without addressing the foundational needs of the very communities it is poised to treat–the same medical-care system into which the psychedelic industry is looking to integrate. In the process, we will also question the actual intention of this psychedelic industry and ponder what healing can look like without fundamental human needs being met. 

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Learning Objectives:

Following the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Use the practice of harm reduction as a framework in understanding structural inequities in the United States. 

2. Understand the difficulties faced by people who use drugs and also deal with intersecting oppressive identities such as homelessness, lack of documentation and poverty.

3. Gain insight into how the psychedelic space is integrating into the same inequitable system under capitalism. 

4. Determine potential alternative directions for the psychedelic space.