Australia’s first ever Psychedelic Medicine Symposium to be held in Byron Bay this weekend aims to open up minds
“People living with mental health issues are not getting better at the moment, so it’s important that we have a range of different treatments available for people.”
Byron Shire
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Australia’s first ever Psychedelic Medicine Symposium will be held in Byron Bay this weekend, organised by Mind Medicine Australia (MMA).
The event will be held at the Byron Theatre on Sunday June 27 and Monday June 28.
Mind Medicine Australia’s first Psychedelic Medicine Symposium will feature talks and panel discussions with industry experts, entertainment, healing sound baths, film screenings and more.
Mind Medicine Australia is a not-for-profit organisation working towards the use of medicinal psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapies to treat a range of mental illnesses.
Mind Medicine Australia executive director Tania de Jong AM said people attending the event will find a vast arrange of scientific information regarding the topic.
“They are going to be learning about psychedelic assisted therapies, and the latest data and science about the topic, the legal position in Australia, how to access the medicine legally,” she said.
“People living with mental health issues are not getting better at the moment, so it’s important that we have a range of different treatments available for people.
Mrs De Jong said anyone can attend, and medical training was not required to be part of the symposium.
“It’s not just for therapists, it’s for everyone interested on getting themselves or people in their families well, philanthropists who wants to support that has the potential to save and improve the lives of millions, and people interested investing in this field, politicians and business leaders,” she said.
“We will have psychiatrists, psychologists, lawmakers and other experts speaking at the event, plus people from MMA.”
Retired Magistrate David Heilpern is also part of the event’s line-up.
On Sunday evening, the evening will feature the screening of Trip of Compassion, a documentary on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Trip of Compassion follows several patients participating in clinical trials in Israel and is the first feature documentary to show footage from within psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions.
The symposium will close on Monday with the screening of Fantastic Fungi, a documentary by director Louie Schwartzberg on the work being done at Johns Hopkins, UCLA, New York University and other places into the potential mushrooms offer.
The film covers topics including innovation, health, wellness and medicine, the environment and biodiversity, foraging, food and cooking, consciousness and spirituality, culture, history and the arts.
Following both of the film screenings there will be a Q & A panel discussion.
The MMA is also organising their first International Summit on Psychedelic Therapies for Mental Illness, to be held in Melbourne in November 2021.
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