Psychedelic Professionals Meet: DENVER

Psychedelic Professionals Meetup Groups are happening!  Let's keep Colorado on the leading edge of psychedelic medicine work by coming together in community to learn, share, and grow. Each Psychedelic Professionals Meetup Group starts with an informative topic relevant to research, practice, policy, or activism around psychedelic medicines, followed by open discussion and an opportunity to connect with like-minded others. 

For our August meetup, we are excited to welcome Dr. Craig Heacock for a talk on: Psychedelics, Psychosis, and Risk Reduction

Medicalization and/or legalization of psilocybin is likely coming to Colorado soon, with other psychedelics soon to follow. This will foster both a new era of psychiatric treatments and psychospiritual exploration, as well as a significant increase in adverse psychiatric events, including psychotic breaks. This talk will look at various classes of psychedelics (cannabinoids, tryptamines, phenethylamines, ketamine, e.g.) and assess their relative risk of triggering psychosis, how and why polypharmacy (particularly with THC) greatly magnifies risk of developing psychosis, and the complex interplay between genetic vulnerability for psychosis/schizophrenia and the use of various psychoactive drugs.

Dr. Craig Heacock is an adolescent, adult, and addiction psychiatrist in Fort Collins, Colorado and he also hosts and co-produces a psychiatric storytelling podcast called Back from the Abyss. He has a special interest in the use of ketamine and psychedelics to treat mood disorders and PTSD. He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and did his psychiatry training at Brown University.

If you have ideas for topics or presentations for these meetup groups or would like to be more involved, please contact us! Please support the Mercury Cafe by purchasing food or drink during our event.