Live from SXSW 2024: Canada's Impact on Integrative Medicine and the Psychedelic Movement
Listen to the audio recording from this year’s panel discussion at SXSW :
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2024/events/PP145748
At this year’s SXSW, I was joined by my friends and colleagues, Houman Farzin, Ilan Elbaz, and Evan Lewis to explore Canada’s contribution to the psychedelic movement. We explored our interconnected origin stories, delved into our current projects and provided an overview of the state of psychedelics in Canada, including training protocols and prescription practices, integrating psychedelic medicine into clinical practice, research, into Canada's healthcare system.
A short clip from SXSW 2024: Dr Evan Lewis discusses the future of the field of neurology and its intersection with psychedelic therapy, particularly for brain network disorders aka function neurological disorders.
A Brief Introduction of My Co-panelists
Houman Farzin is a physician in Canada, pioneering how psychedelic assisted therapy (PAT) is being offered to patients. His practice deals with combining emerging treatments and digital health technologies with mindfulness, music, and psychedelic medicine to improve quality of life, promote healing, and alleviate human suffering at all stages of life. He has been supporting individuals in palliative care so they can access psilocybin therapy outside of the clinical trial model, This is made possible by the Special Access Program in Canada, where a patient can appeal to Health Canada with the help of their physician and therapist. His involvement has been invaluable and I believe we all have so much to learn from his experience and insights.
Ilan Elbaz is an executive fundraiser for McGill University in Montreal. His work revolves around obtaining necessary resources and funding for projects that will advance psychedelics as a form of therapy, from an academic, advocacy, and commercial perspective. Ilan also advises the Canadian non-profit, Therapsil, with their fundraising efforts. The initiative is filling big shoes, as the leading voice in education, training, advocacy, and policy in Canada. They are actively in the supreme court fighting for the rights to access psilocybin as a form of therapy and training a multitude of practitioners so that patients can receive the best care possible.
Evan Cole Lewis is also a physician in Canada, specialized in the field of neurology. And I am proud to say that he is also my research partner. His mission is to utilize his expertise in the field of neurology to explore emerging psychedelic therapies and provide evidence-based cannabis treatment for adults and children. Evan is notably pioneering therapies with psychedelic medicine for functional neurologic disorders, is a strong advocate for the use of virtual medicine to reach the underserved areas of Ontario, Canada.
Some highlights from this session
This panel transcends the typical Q&A format with an communal conversation about our contributions to this field, our observations of opportunities and challenges, the Canadian culture which shapes care, medicine, and research, as well as insights on what will lead to success for this field. This includes the power of COMMUNITY, loudly echoed by a member of the audience! In this discussion, we not only engaged each other but offered opportunities for interaction amongst the audience.
Furthermore, I opened up about my experience with Ketamine clinics, and offer advice as to how to craft both a successful and ethical practice. Evan shared about special populations within neurology, how PAT is demonstrating that care must be a tailored approach, and that therapy is non-negotiable! Houman discussed fascinating patient cases that bridge science and spirit, confirming that in this field, one cannot exist without the other, and we must seek to heal the whole person, everytime. Finally, Ilan offers some priceless advice from a business development lens about the strategies both Canadian and American organizations can employ to ensure these therapies are accessible.
On behalf of the whole team, I hope you enjoy the session!
Listen to the audio recording from this year’s panel discussion at SXSW :
