Presenters included:
Nicholas Cozzi, Ph.D.,
Tom Roberts, Ph.D. and
Bruce Sewick, MA, LCPC, CADC.
Cozzi is the Director of the Laboratory for Neuropharmacology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Cozzi's research involves the design, synthesis and mechanistic studies of compounds with central nervous system activity. Compounds of special interest include those of psychedelic, entactogenic and psychostimulant effects; specifically, how these drugs act in the brain to produce changes in consciousness, including spiritual or mystical experiences and changes in mood and cognitions.
Roberts began teaching the world's first psychedelics course, Foundations of Psychedelic Studies, at Northern Illinois University in 1981. His publications include the 2-volume Psychedelic Medicine, Spiritual Growth with Entheogens, and Psychedelic Horizons. Roberts is currently working on a third book, The Psychedelic Future of the Mind, which is scheduled for January 2013 publication.
Sewick, Clinical Supervisor Crisis/Case Management and Residential Services at Leyden Family Service in Franklin Park, has been an and adjunct faculty member at College of DuPage since 2003. He currently teaches a Human Services electives course, "Psychedelic Mindview," at the College, which explores the role of psychedelic substances throughout history, including recent clinical research for their use as medical therapy and the influence of psychedelics in art, creativity and the political-social context of the 1960s.
According to the American Psychological Association, the study of psychedelic drugs is picking up 40 years after federal laws criminalized the use of such drugs for non-medical purposes. Researchers are finding that the drugs may help improve functioning for patients with cancer and other terminal diseases, help treat drug and alcohol addition, and manage the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
An academic conference, "Psychedemia," recently hosted at the University of Pennsylvania, featured scholars and researchers from across the country discussing recent ideas and discoveries in psychedelic studies. Researchers presented findings in topics ranging from therapeutic use to understanding the human mind and to psychedelics role in facilitating creativity and innovation. The conference aimed to advance the idea that psychedelics could be explored "rationally, responsibly and to the benefit of mankind.
The Nov. 3 program at College of DuPage was free and open to the public. For more information, please contact
Sewick at sewick@cod.edu.
