SPMC 2026
Voices from the Living Bridge
SPMC gathers elders, scientists, therapists, artists, musicians, and community builders into one shared field of inquiry.
Our Featured Contributors
CONTRIBUTOR
Dennis McKenna
is an ethnopharmacologist, researcher, author, and lecturer known for his pioneering work with ayahuasca, psilocybin, and other traditional ethnomedicines. Co‑founder of the Heffter Research Institute and brother of Terence McKenna, he has conducted extensive Amazonian fieldwork and helped organize the landmark 2017 Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs conference, advancing scientific and cross‑cultural understanding of plant medicines and consciousness.
CONTRIBUTOR
Laura Dawn
Laura Dawn mentors entrepreneurs, creatives, and leaders at the intersection of neuroscience and ancient wisdom through mastermind programs and plant medicine retreats. With a Master of Science in Creativity and Change Leadership, she explores how psychedelics enhance creative problem‑solving, emotional resilience, and heart‑centered, purpose‑driven leadership.
CONTRIBUTOR
Rick Doblin Ph.D.
is founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He earned his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School, writing foundational work on regulating medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana. Since founding MAPS in 1986, he has been a central figure in advancing psychedelic research, policy change, and public education, while helping guide their path toward mainstream medical integration.
CONTRIBUTOR
Paul Stamets
is the author of seven books and a globally recognized mycologist. He is an Invention Ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a 2020 inductee of The Explorers Club. His honors include NAMA’s National Mycologist Award, the MSA’s Gordon and Tina Wasson Award, and NextMed’s 2023 “Disruptor” award. He has named four psilocybin mushroom species, and Psilocybe stametsii now bears his name.
CONTRIBUTOR
Susana & Shimshai
guide intimate acoustic medicine music journeys, sharing original and traditional ceremonial songs in Spanish, Indigenous languages, and English. Drawing from decades of ceremony and world travel, they focus on healing lyrics and steward La Ventana, their Mt. Shasta‑area retreat center for ceremonies and teachings.
CONTRIBUTOR
Mao Tatanka
(Mauricio Hernandez)
is a ceremonial leader and founder of the Camino Rojo Foundation in Colombia. For nearly 40 years he has walked with Indigenous elders across the Americas, sharing ancestral wisdom and sacred medicines, and serves as ceremonial leader of the Condor–Eagle Sundance in Colombia, uniting northern and southern traditions.
CONTRIBUTOR
Dr. Pamela Kryskow
is a medical doctor and Medical Lead of the non‑profit Roots to Thrive Psychedelic‑Assisted Therapy Programs, serving people with PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use challenges, and end‑of‑life distress. She is a founding board member of the Psychedelic Association of Canada and Medical Chair of Vancouver Island University’s Post‑Graduate Certificate in Psychedelic‑Assisted Therapy. Her research includes psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, microdosing, and mental wellness in frontline workers and first responders.
CONTRIBUTOR
Tania Fierro
From Olympic sailing to inner inquiry, Tania Fierro is a philosopher, coach, mother, and explorer of consciousness. With a BA and MA in Philosophy and Ethics, she integrates Dzogchen, Mahamudra, Advaita, plant medicine, Internal Family Systems, and Inquiry‑Based Coaching to dissolve limiting beliefs and support embodied freedom.
CONTRIBUTOR
Mark Haden
is a leading voice in psychedelic medicine, Clinical Supervisor for the Psychedelic Treatment Program at Qi Integrated Health, and VP of Business Development at Clearmind. Former Executive Director of MAPS Canada and Adjunct Professor at UBC, he authored Manual for Psychedelic Guides and is widely published on drug policy.
CONTRIBUTOR
Paola Noriega
Of Quechua, Aymara, and Amazonian roots, Paola Noriega is founder of AYNI Collective Healing and an initiated Q’ero practitioner. She bridges ancestral technology and modern science, guiding journeys that weave ceremony, neuroscience, and Earth‑based medicine, while advocating reciprocity and responsible stewardship of Indigenous knowledge and land.
CONTRIBUTOR
Becky Griffin
is a teacher and practitioner of the Shipibo healing tradition and co‑founder of the Caya Shobo healing center in Peru. After leaving a career in international banking in 2008, she has spent 18 years studying with advanced Shipibo shamans and practicing the Master Plant Dieta. Caya Shobo is recognized for its integrity and adherence to ancestral Shipibo healing, supporting deep, long‑term transformation.
ART GALLERY CURATOR
Simon Haiduk
is a polymath artist using visual and sonic media, often combining them into multimedia presentations. With over forty years of creative exploration, his themes typically represent a metaphysical connection to nature and aim to inspire harmony between the Earth and its shared inhabitants.
CONTRIBUTOR
Chief Ira McArthur
leads Pheasant Rump Nakota Nation in Saskatchewan, grounded as a devoted father and grandfather. His leadership formalized Canada’s recognition of the nation’s continuous existence, champions Indigenous veterans, and guided creation of the Traditional Medicinal Plants Act to establish a nation‑run dispensary centered on Elder guidance.
CONTRIBUTOR
Trevor Millar
COO and Co‑Founder of Ambio Life Sciences, Trevor Millar is a social entrepreneur and pioneer in ibogaine advocacy. He has supported addiction recovery and trauma healing for over a decade, co‑founded the Canadian Psychedelic Association, chaired MAPS Canada’s board, and co‑authored research on ibogaine.
CONTRIBUTOR
Kaveesha Citlalxochitl
is a trauma‑informed Craniosacral Therapist, lodge keeper, and ceremonial leader with 30+ years in embodiment‑based healing. Rooted in women’s studies and Indigenous traditions across the Americas, she stewards the Boreal Moon Dance in Quebec and explores how healing emerges through relationship with body, land, and the sacred.
CONTRIBUTOR
Brian Rush
is a Scientist Emeritus at CAMH and Full Professor at the University of Toronto with over 50 years’ experience in substance use and mental health services research. His work spans population health, planning, and evaluation of treatment systems, including Ayahuasca and entheogen outcome projects with Indigenous communities.
CONTRIBUTOR
Jenelle McArthur
Of Nakoda and Dakota ancestry, Jenelle McArthur is an approved Mental Health Therapist and Sessional Lecturer in the Indigenous Social Work Program at First Nations University. A community‑based researcher using Indigenous methodology, she centers plant medicine healing for trauma and blends North American teachings with South American ancestral medicines.
CONTRIBUTOR
Ati Supino
is a long‑time disciple of Osho, meditator since 1983, and psychotherapist trained at Humaniversity in Holland. He holds a Ph.D. in criminology focused on drug addiction and policy, taught on drug use at the University of Sherbrooke, and directs Céu do Vale da Vida, a Santo Daime church with federal exemption in Canada.
CONTRIBUTOR
Robin Flynn, M.A.
is a plant spirit medicine ceremonialist, visionary artist, and sanctioned teacher of the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition. With her partner Darcy Kopas, she carries the Altar Major lineage, has facilitated over 1,000 ceremonies and 10 Peru pilgrimages, and co‑founded Visionary Hearts and Star River Sanctuary for transformational retreats.
CONTRIBUTOR
Tah Mombo
(Yorick Ossavou Mombo) is a Bwete Dissumba practitioner and spiritual master dedicated to preserving Gabonese ancestral knowledge. Guardian of the Dissumba temple in Bilandzambi and holder of the roles of Povè and Nganga Na Somba, he embodies a living lineage of resilience and is Founder and President of the Ylazo Community.
CONTRIBUTOR
Dr Bayissi Bading-Taika
is a Lecturer in Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Hertfordshire and a researcher at IPHAMETRA, Gabon. Her work focuses on molecular pharmacology and the therapeutic potential of natural resources for type 2 diabetes, with research on medicinal plants including Tabernanthe iboga and Guibourtia tessmannii. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Pharmacy and is dedicated to advancing evidence-based treatments from natural products.
CONTRIBUTOR
Georges Gassitas
is a Gabonese environmental law expert and senior public servant whose work links cultural stewardship, environmental governance, and the global future of iboga and ibogaine research. He serves as an Environment Inspector in Gabon’s Office of the High Commissioner for the Environment and works on access, benefit sharing, traditional knowledge, and preservation of Gabon’s intangible cultural heritage.
CONTRIBUTOR
Angela Skudin
is an entrepreneur, advocate, and speaker whose life was transformed when her husband, FDNY firefighter and ocean lifeguard Casey Skudin, was killed in 2022. She founded The Casey Skudin 343 Fund to help first responders access innovative mental health and healing resources. As Board Chair, she has supported hundreds of first responders and veterans while advocating for evidence‑based, healing‑centered approaches to trauma and post‑traumatic growth.
CONTRIBUTOR
Mike Elliott and Courtney Wren MSW SEP
are a real‑life couple, parents, and partners in love and business with 30+ years of combined experience at the intersection of sacred relationship and plant medicine. Courtney is a Relational Somatic Therapist and mystic, and Mike is a relationship coach and guide. As hosts of The Sacred We podcast, they show how relationship itself becomes the sacred vessel of integration, where individual insight becomes shared wisdom and healing deepens into devotion.
Core Program Themes
Indigenous Wisdom & Lineage
Exploring Indigenous wisdom, land, lineage, and the vital principles of right relationship.
Science & Integration
Advancing plant medicine science, therapeutic modalities, and deep integration practices.
Art & Imagination
Celebrating visionary art, music, and the creative cultural imagination that guides us.
Ethics & Stewardship
Fostering community building, ecological stewardship, and highly ethical practice.
The 2026 Program is Unfolding
We will continue announcing speakers, artists, and community contributors as the container takes shape. Get Involved.
Our Commitment to Discernment
SPMC and Conscious Living Network are not endorsing any specific guest or ideologies through this event. Presenters are independent speakers with reputations and perspectives of their own. SPMC offers a forum to explore ideas and understandings about plant-based intelligence, healing, culture, science, and community. We encourage each participant to remain empowered, discerning, and respectful of the diversity of cultures and perspectives in relationship to the plants and the people who work with them.
Be in the room where these conversations happen.
Join elders, scientists, artists, and community builders in one shared field of inquiry. Your presence and discernment add vital depth to the dialogue.
Spirit Plant Medicine Conference 2026
SPMC 2026 gathers elders, scientists, therapists, artists, and community builders into one shared field of inquiry. A forum for diverse, independent voices.
Contact
[email protected]
Vancouver, BC
Canada
Disclaimer: The Spirit Plant Medicine Conference is an educational forum. We do not promote, facilitate, or condone illegal acts. Our mission is to discuss the historical, cultural, and scientific contexts of these medicines. Please be aware of the legal status of plant medicines in your local jurisdiction.
© 2026 Spirit Plant Medicine. All rights reserved.