Sketches from Discovery Sessions 2024 - Day 1

I had the privilege of attending two days of psychedelic celebration, conversation, and collaboration at the Midway in San Francisco last week…directly followed by virtually attending the UK's Breaking Convention day-long event via Zoom link on Saturday.

Normally 3 days of conferencing would leave me depleted; instead, I found myself only a little tired...and mostly inspired.

Here are some sketches and reflections from Day 1 (Thurs 18 April 2024) of the Discovery Sessions conference.

My Intentions

1.        Beginner’s Mind: drop expectations and bias and preconceived notions; allow surprises and synchronicities; leave space to be surprised

2.        Find The Others/Connection: be curious about others and their experiences; have compassion; drop my own egoic behavior and see beyond others’ egoic behavior

Macro Dose

We don’t know much yet about how these compounds/medicines/sacraments/ work on the mind, body, and/or spirit. In most cases, the best we can do is “there is evidence to suggest…” There is much work to be done here. Everyone has a role to play.

Microdoses

• Leonard Pickard: we’re not actually seeking the experience of any particular  “pill”…it’s about the love we already have within us
  

• Adam Strauss: we always have a choice, even when we think we do not (also see Viktor Frankl on this if you’re interested). Life is the decisions we make.
  

• Sandra Dreisbach: consider creating a personal ethics and accountability statement – who can someone call if they see you acting out of alignment?
  

• Tina Trujillo: one of the reasons educational and other initiatives fail is because values are difficult to change; psychedelics offer a rare opportunity for shifts in values
  

• Hamilton Morris and Matthew Baggott: women in science deserve a place on the stage...and they don't always take the spotlight when offered it. Possibly because of potential for negative outcomes? (Maybe they just have work to do and want to get on with it!)

Reflections and Questions

• Appreciation for those in position of privilege or power who act generously to those who are new (e.g. loved seeing how Hamilton Morris took the time to talk to fanboys/girls, pose for selfies, etc.). So many people I talked to offered or agreed to be interviewed for my research or contribute in some way.
  

• If psychedelics offer an opportunity to change values…will this always be for “good”? Who decides what is “good”?
  

Highlights and Memories

• What would my 15-year old self make of being in San Francisco with luminaries of the psychedelic underground, counter-culture, and hippie movement? This was for you, kiddo.
  

• Finally realizing that https://www.danhoffmanglass.com/ wasn’t selling “trinkets". One day I will treat someone I love (maybe myself?) to some of his work.