Biographies of Speakers for the 2008 Women's Visionary Congress
Val Corral
Valerie Leveroni Corral is the director of the
Wo/Men/'s Alliance for
Medical Marijuana (WAMM), a Santa Cruz, California-based patient's
collective. For 14 years, WAMM has served seriously ill members of
their community with medical marijuana at no charge. They are the
only collective of their kind in the U.S. The members of WAMM have
witnessed the death of at least one person in their collective each
month from terminal illness. Some WAMM members are alone and without
resources. In these cases, and whenever asked, other WAMM members
organize into caregiver teams to help their friends greet death with
as comfortable and noble a transition as possible.
Jennifer Dumpert
Jennifer Dumpert is a San Francisco-based writer and avid dreamer.
She leads the monthly phenomenological dream research group The
Oneironauticum and has written and lectured widely about dream
experiences. She is the creator and curator of the
Urban Dreamscape, a psychogeographical dream
cartography. Jennifer is also a board member of the
Erowid non-profit organization.
Carolyn (Mountain Girl) Garcia
Carolyn Garcia first encountered the world of psychedelics while
working in the organic chemistry department at Stanford University.
She later joined a group of psychedelic pioneers called "The Merry
Pranksters," and climbed on the Great Bus "Furthur" where she lived
until 1967. Garcia and her family settled down in San Francisco with
her future husband, Jerry Garcia, of the Grateful Dead. In 1976,
Garcia published her classic book on organic marijuana cultivation,
The Primo Plant, which is still in print. In 1987, she joined the
Rex
Foundation founded by the Grateful Dead. Garcia is also a member of
the
Threshold Foundation and sits on the board of the
Furthur
Foundation.
Debby Goldsberry
Debby Goldsberry became a medical cannabis activist in 1986. In
1989, she helped found the non-profit
Cannabis Action Network (CAN)
and has organized more than 1,500 events for cannabis reform and
education. Together with Steph Sherer and Don Duncan, she co-founded
Americans For Safe Access (ASA) to protect patients and dispensaries
and resist efforts by federal law enforcement to suppress the medical
cannabis movement.
Founder of the
Berkeley Patients Group medical cannabis dispensary,
Goldsberry established statewide best practices for a dispensing
cooperative. Goldsberry firmly believes in the power of hemp to save
the planet. She is currently working on a "know your rights"
campaign, to educate cannabis users about their legal rights and to
stop the ever increasing number of annual cannabis arrests.
Allyson Grey
An accomplished visionary artist, Allyson Grey's paintings invent a
symbol system representing chaos, order and secret writing. Allyson
co-founded the
Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in New York City, is the wife
and partner of internationally renowned artist, Alex Grey, and the
mother of film actress Zena Grey. Born in 1952, Allyson received a
Master of Fine Arts degree from Tufts University in 1976. She has
edited and co-written a dozen books and journals, taught art for
decades, and has exhibited widely, with paintings in public and
private collections throughout the U.S.
Martina Hoffmann
German-born artist
Martina Hoffmann
is a visionary painter and sculptress.
She spent her childhood in Cameroon, West Africa, which had a great
influence on her visual as well as sculptural work.
Her paintings offer the viewer a detailed glimpse into her inner
landscapes - imagery that has been informed by the dream state, meditation and
shamanic
journeys. Much of her art shows a deep connection to the sacred
feminine and
reflects a deep reverence for universal interconnectedness and the
interdependency of all life.
Together with her husband, Fantastic Realist Robert Venosa, Martina
Hoffmann has taught painting workshops at institutes such as Esalen and
Omega, as well as having spoken at conferences worldwide. Her work
has been
exhibited internationally and been published in books such as Inner
Paths to
Outer Space, True Visions, Metamorphosis, Noospheres, Drinking
lightning,
Illuminatus, One Source-Sacred Journeys and The Return Of The Great
Goddess.
Numerous magazines and publications such as Magical Blend, Shaman's
Drum,
MAPS Bulletin, Entheogene Blätter, Wellbeing Magazine, Expose and Nexus have
also
featured her art. The artist lives and works in the US and Spain.
Ilsa Jerome
L. (Ilsa) Jerome PhD earned her doctorate in psychology from the
University of Maryland in social psychology. She is interested in
using methods from behavioral science and neuroscience to learn how
humans feel and think about themselves and each other, and believes
that MDMA research has an important role to play in this project. She
helps the
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and
researchers design studies, gathers information on study drugs (as
MDMA) through keeping abreast of the literature and through
discussion with other researchers. She has written informational
documents on psilocybin, LSD and MDMA and has collaborated with other
researchers on published reports concerning MDMA/ecstasy use and self-
reported experiences with MDMA.
Mariavittoria Mangini
Mariavittoria Mangini PhD has been a family nurse midwife for the
past twenty-five years. She has written extensively on the impact of
psychedelic drug experiences in shaping the lives of her
contemporaries, and has worked closely with many of the most
distinguished investigators in this field. In her clinical practice
with
Frank Lucido MD, she has investigated the standard of care for
medical cannabis patients and worked to increase the acceptance of
cannabis as a legitimate therapy. As part of the home birth movement,
she participated in a revolution in women's health care and in
obstetric care particularly, which reshaped the way that women give
birth to accommodate consumer demands and preferences.
Her current project is the development of a "death midwifery"
practice providing services to dying patients and their families. As
in the birth attendant model, the death midwife would be the
patient's and the family's trusted and experienced companion through
a transformative process. The death midwife would provide bedside
clinical care including pain and symptom management for the dying
person; perform the last offices; prepare the body for burial,
cremation or viewing; arrange for the care of remains; and assist
families in memorializing their dead.
Annie Mithoefer
Annie Mithoefer is a Registered Nurse who is co-therapist for the
ongoing FDA approved
Phase Two Study of MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy
for PTSD which began in March 2004. She is a Grof certified
Holotropic Breathwork facilitator and has been facilitating
breathwork groups with her husband, Michael, since 1995. They also
work with individuals and groups in their psychiatric practice using
a variety of experiential and mindfulness-based approaches. She is
currently enrolled in Hakomi body-centered training.
Mithoefer will make a presentation entitled, "MDMA Assisted
Psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - An Ongoing Clinical
Trial." She will give a brief overview of the protocol and the
preliminary outcome data, followed by some discussion of the range of
participants' experiences while processing trauma using MDMA.
Mithoefer's talk will emphasize the importance of support and
integration surrounding work with non-ordinary states. She will
conclude with some thoughts about the challenges and lessons this
work has brought.
Cindy Palmer
Cynthia Palmer is a writer and photographer from San Francisco. In
1970 she was part of a small group of neuronauts who founded
The Fitz
Hugh Ludlow Memorial Library in North Beach. Over the next 30 years
the library became the world's largest collection of literature,
research, art and artifacts of drug history. Drug classics were
reprinted from the collection, and with Michael Horowitz, she co-
edited MOKSHA: Writings on Visionary Experience and Psychedelics,
1931-1963 by Aldous Huxley (1977, 2000) and SHAMAN WOMAN, MAINLINE
LADY: Women's Writings on the Drug Experience (1981, 2000--updated
and renamed SISTERS OF THE EXTREME).
Archiving the art and literature of drugs and transformation is
Palmer's dedicated obsession. Her recording of psychedelic history
through video, photos and interviews for 20 years has led to a
documentary of present day shaman women in their multitude of
permutations.
Angel Raich
Angel Raich is a seriously ill 41-year-old mother of two. In 2002,
Raich sought an injunction allowing her to use cannabis to alleviate
intense pain and relief from a life-threatening, wasting syndrome.
She prevailed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. But in 2005, the
Supreme Court, in
Raich v Ashcroft, rejected her argument that the
application of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to the
personal cultivation, possession and use of state-authorized cannabis
for medical purposes was unconstitutional because it exceeded the
power of Congress to regulate commerce among the states. Justices
O'Connor and Thomas, joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist, passionately
dissented.
On remand, Raich argued that a complete ban on the medical use of
cannabis violated her fundamental right to preserve her life, as
protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. In March
2007, the Ninth Circuit rejected this claim but held out some hope
that, if criminally prosecuted, Raich qualified for the defense of
"necessity." According to this doctrine, when a person is forced to
choose between her life and disobeying a criminal law, she may not be
punished for preserving her life.
Raich suffers from an inoperable brain tumor and seizures. Confined
to a wheelchair from January 1996 to August 1999, Angel regained her
mobility with the help of cannabis. Raich is the founder of
Angel
Wings Patient Outreach, a nonprofit organization that fights for the
rights of medical cannabis patients, their caregivers and their
physicians.
Lisa Rein
Lisa Rein is the Digital Librarian for
the Timothy Leary Futique Trust. The Trust is currently in the process
of fulfilling Tim's dream of digitizing his personal archives and making
them searchable and accessible online.
Lisa was the Text and Graphics Editor for one of Tim's last published
works, the graphic novel "Surfing the Conscious Nets." She is a co-founder
of Creative Commons, and was its first CTO. She received her BA
and MA from San Francisco State's Broadcast Communication Electronic Arts
Department, and is a frequent lecturer there on copyright, fair use,
social networking, web media and culture, digital archiving, virtual
worlds and artificial intelligence.
June May Ruse
June May Ruse, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with 24
years of experience assisting individuals, couples, and families with
creating a deeper understanding of self, others, and the world.
Initially working with an indigent alcoholic population in 1982, Dr.
Ruse works with an individual's strength to make significant changes
in life. Dr. Ruse's interest in the psychology of women and trauma
led her to become the Clinical Director of a women's residential
treatment center in Tucson, Arizona. While in Tucson she studied
Native American healing techniques with members of the Pima tribe.
Her appreciation for alternative healing methods was integrated into
her view of her psychological services. Dr. Ruse is currently
studying Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Dr Ruse is lead author for a
treatment manual which outlines MDMA -
Assisted Psychotherapy for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD). She worked closely with Dr. Michael Mithoffer and
Dr. Lisa Jerome to articulate the skills and process for this type of
pyscho-active drug therapy. Additionally, she presented the content
of this manual twice to the Israeli Minister of Health and other
interested parties. This has led to the
Israeli MDMA study of
individuals who have war and terrorism related PTSD.
Nicki Scully
Nicki Scully
is an author, spiritual teacher, and healer with roots
in the psychedelic experiences that have inspired and guided her life
since 1964. During her first visit to Egypt with the Grateful Dead in
1978, Nicki experienced an epiphany that transformed her life. She
deepened her focus on healing and began delving into the hidden
shamanic arts of Egypt. She is now a lineage holder in the Hermetic
tradition of Thoth, her teacher and mentor. With Thoth she developed
Alchemical Healing, a comprehensive healing form that is practiced by
thousands of practitioners internationally. In the late '80s, Nicki
founded her travel company, Shamanic Journeys, Ltd., and continues to
guide inner journeys and spiritual pilgrimages to Egypt, Peru, Greece
and other sacred sites.
Nicki is the author of Alchemical Healing, A Guide to Spiritual,
Physical, and Transformational Medicine; and Power Animal
Meditations, Shamanic Journeys with Your Spirit Allies. Her most
recent books are Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt, Awakening the Healing
Power of the Heart (2007); and The Anubis Oracle, A Journey into the
Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt (book and card deck, September 2008).
Both are co-authored with Linda Star Wolf and illustrated by Kris Waldherr.
In her presentation Nicki will share some of her most recent
discoveries in Alchemical Healing, including the spiritual use of
plant medicines and the power of communal medicine making. She will
also discuss her use of entheogens in the process of creating the
tools, rituals, and initiations she shares with her students and in
her books and CDs. Nicki is well known for her guided shamanic
journeys, and will be leading us in a journey/ritual/healing
empowerment.
Ann Shulgin
Ann Shulgin is a researcher and writer who, for three years, worked
with psychedelics such as MDMA and 2C-B as a lay-therapist while they
were still legal. She has unique and valuable insights into the
beneficial effects that psychedelics can have in therapeutic contexts
and has made herself a spokesperson for those therapists continuing
with such work.
With her husband Sasha, she has co-authored the books
PiHKAL and
TiHKAL, and they are currently working on Book Three in that series.
Ann continues to speak at conferences,
particularly about the therapeutic and healing potential of MDMA and
psychedelics, and is a respected elder in the psychedelic community.
Sasha Shulgin
Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin, Ph.D., is a pharmacologist and chemist
known for his creation of new psychoactive chemicals. After serving
in the Navy, he earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from U.C. Berkeley
in 1954. In the late 50s and early 60s he did post-doctorate work in
psychiatry and pharmacology at U.C. San Francisco and worked briefly
as research director at BioRad Laboratories before becoming a senior
research chemist at Dow Chemical Co.
In 1960, Sasha tried mescaline for the first time. He then
experimented with synthesizing chemicals with structures similar to
mescaline such as DOM. After leaving Dow in 1965 to become an
independent consultant, Sasha taught public health at Berkeley and
San Francisco General Hospital. In 1967, he was introduced to the
possibilities of MDMA by an undergrad at San Francisco State
University at a time when very few people had tried MDMA. Though
Shulgin didn't invent the chemical, he did create a new synthesis
process in 1976 and introduced the material to Leo Zeff, an Oakland
psychologist who worked with psychedelics in his therapy practice.
Zeff introduced hundreds of therapists to MDMA and word quickly
spread outside the therapist community. Sasha's partner Ann Shulgin
also conducted psychedelic therapy sessions with MDMA before it was
scheduled in 1985.
Since that time, Shulgin has synthesized and bioassayed (self-tested)
hundreds of psychoactive chemicals, recording his work in four books
and more than two hundred papers. He is a fixure in the psychedelic
community, speaking at conferences, granting frequent interviews, and
instilling a sense of rational scientific thought into the world of
self-experimentation and psychoactive ingestion.
Jane Straight
In the 1980s I was blessed with adventurous travels throughout
Central and South America with the purpose of collecting rare
medicinal plants. Upon returning to California, I co-created a major
network for dispersing these sacred botanicals in the U.S. Also at
this time, my children were in middle school and I was quite alarmed
by the Just Say No approach to drug education that was emerging.
Fortunately my vigorous mission to infiltrate local schools with more
honest information was well received, and I began teaching. I
currently provide student assistance at the high school level for
seriously disenfranchised youth, offering a safe place to discuss
critical life issues. I am a beloved Mother, Grandmother, Daughter,
Sister, Lover and Friend.
My presentation will focus on Cross Cultural Perspectives And Honest
Drug Education. This is an opportunity to explore a unique approach
to drug education that greatly empowers youth by offering them a
voice. We utilize scientific research, ethnobotany, cultural
diversity, and student feedback. I will gladly share some of my
experiences facilitating extremely high risk students at Oakland High
School. Our series of drug awareness classroom workshops honors
student knowledge, and disseminates honest information with respect
to users and non users alike. Along with this information will be an
ethnobotanical show and tell, with a number of psychoactive plants.
