Women and Psychedelics: Uncovering Invisible Voices

Erika Dyck is a Professor and a Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the author or co-author of several books, including: Psychedelic Psychiatry (2008); A Culture’s Catalyst: Historical Encounters with Peyote and the Native American Church in Canada (2016); Psychedelic Prophets: The Letters of Aldous Huxley and Humphry Osmond (2018); Mujeres y Psicodélicos (2022) and co-author of The Acid Room: the psychedelic trials and tribulations of Hollywood Hospital (2022). She sits on the Board of Directors of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and is Associate Director of Chacruna in Canada.

Patrick Farrell is part of the Chacruna Chronicles editorial team, where he supports the series on the history of women in psychedelics. He graduated from the University of Alberta (Canada) with an MA in the History & Philosophy of Science. Currently, Patrick works as an editor based in Toronto. With fellow Chacruna member Erika Dyck, he helped co-edit Psychedelic Prophets: The Letters of Aldous Huxley and Humphry Osmond (2018). He has also contributed to several other publishing projects, including The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity (Viking Press, 2015), A Culture’s Catalyst: Historical Encounters with Peyote (University of Manitoba Press, 2016), and Yiddish in Israel: A History (Indiana University Press, 2020). In addition to his editing work, Patrick teaches courses in the history of philosophy at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. He is a proud volunteer at Toronto’s acclaimed Hospital for Sick Children.

Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her research focuses on the study of plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is the Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Additionally, she serves as the Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and Adjunct Faculty at the East-West Psychology Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She is author, co-author, and co-editor of 25 books including Psychedelic Justice: Toward a Diverse and Equitable Psychedelic Culture (Synergetic Press, 2021), two special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles.

Clancy Cavnar is a clinical psychologist, artist, and researcher based in San Francisco. She has a doctorate in clinical psychology from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA and is Co-Founder and a member of the Board of Directors of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Additionally, she is a research associate of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP). She has a master of fine arts in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, a master’s in counseling from San Francisco State University, and a certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She is author and co-author of articles in several peer-reviewed journals and co-editor, with Beatriz C. Labate, of 11 books, including Psychedelic Justice: Toward a Diverse and Equitable Psychedelic Culture (Synergetic Press, 2021).

Ibrahim Gabriell is a communicologist and multidisciplinary researcher of the phenomenon of expanded states of consciousness. As a professor in the state of Chiapas (Mexico), he has taught both Communication studies at the Universidad de los Altos de Chiapas and Transpersonal Psychology at the Universidad Jose Vasconcelos. He is Communications Associate of Chacruna Latinoamérica in Mexico. He is also co-founder of Vía Synapsis, an academic society that organizes the National Congress on Psychoactive Substances at the National University of Mexico. He also served as an assistant editor for the publishing house Lunaria. Ibrahim is co-host of Mindsurf’s podcasts: MindSurf – Transformations of Consciousness and Psyche & Cosmos.

Dr. Glauber Loures de Assis is Associate Director of Chacruna Latinoamérica in Brazil. He has a Ph.D in sociology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and is Research Associate at the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil. His main interests include the ayahuasca religions, new religious movements, the internationalization of the Brazilian religions, and drug use in contemporary society. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, and the co-editor of the book Mujeres y Psicodélicos (Women and Psychedelics, Chacruna Institute/Lunaria, 2022). Glauber is also an ayahuasca practitioner with 15 years of experience. He has built this practice in dialogue with his local Brazilian ayahuasca community and with the blessings of Indigenous elders and activists in Brazil. He is father to 3 children and is passionate about psychedelic parenthood. In Chacruna, Glauber leads the weekly Kuara Circle: Music, Mindfulness and Gratitude, a collective journey that promotes a connection with our ancestral roots and the energy of the sun. Currently he is developing, with Dr. Bia Labate, the Jornadas de Kura, an intentional plant medicine center in Minas Gerais, Brazil, that promotes a bridge between the ceremonial use of sacred plants, spirituality and psychedelic science.