PsySoc Social: Special Guest from Onaya & Psychedelics Storytelling

This month, we're over-excited to welcome our special guest Max Crosland-Wood from Onaya, a not-for-profit research initiative collaborating with Shipibo healers in the Peruvian Amazon to explore the mental health impacts of traditional ayahuasca ceremonies. 

In a field often shaped by clinical frameworks and reductionist models, their work asks: what if healing doesn’t always fit inside a diagnosis? Since 2016, they've been investigating how these practices rooted in centuries of Indigenous knowledge might support deep, lasting transformation for those carrying trauma. 

They’re currently running one of the largest studies of its kind: by 2027, they aim to publish results from 210 military veterans with PTSD, tracked through a 12-month follow-up after their shipibo-led ayahuasca ceremonies

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Talk followed by Q&A from Max Woody: in this talk, Max will be offering a sneak peek into data from the first 40 veterans, who have already completed the process - including personal stories and 6months results on PTSD, depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and life satisfaction, along with changes in brain activity captured via EEG. The full study also includes saliva-based biomarkers of stress, microbiome analysis, and full-genome epigenetic sequencing — building on our earlier work suggesting that ayahuasca may influence gene expression itself (Forbes article). He looks forward to a dynamic and collaborative discussion with the community.

Psychedelics Storytelling: this is becoming a must for our monthly socials. There will be the opportunity for all of us to share our psychedelic stories - the weird, the tricky and the downright wonderful. This part of the evening will be open-mic style and we will have a sign-up sheet to add your name to the list of storytellers. Your stories should be no more than 5 minutes and there's no need to rehearse what to say or come particularly prepared - often the best stories are told off-the-cuff and from the heart!

A Beautiful Psychedelic Community: Get access to our wonderful community coalescing around all things fungi. Many people at our socials have become life-long friends. Most of our members come alone, this is a safe and welcoming space for everyone, no matter your age, sexuality, background, gender, ethnicity or nationality. Fungi  know no boundaries, which is the ethos we bring to our socials. 

Delicious Food and Drink: Indulge in the mouthwatering plant-based offerings at Love Shack, where creativity extends to the kitchen. Their menu features delicious, sustainably sourced dishes and drinks crafted to nourish the body and delight the senses. It’s the perfect accompaniment to an evening of artistic exploration.

SCHEDULE

• 18:30: Arrive, socialise & grab a  drink
• 19:15: Talk and Q&A with Max Woody
• 20:00:  Dinner & / or grab another drink
• 20:30: Psychedelic Storytelling
• 21.30pm: Ends

VENUE

Join us at 6.30pm on Wednesday 30th July at Love Shack, a vegan restaurant and cocktail bar spread over three beautiful exposed brick arches in the heart of Hackney, East London. 

Flying solo? The majority of people arrive at our Monthly PsySocial events alone! It's a great opportunity to meet other like-minded people and members of our community. 

MAX CROSLAND-WOOD

Max is a psychedelic researcher and therapist-in-training passionate about bridging ancient healing traditions with modern science. He is currently designing a group-based psilocybin PhD project at the University of Exeter, supervised by Dr. Leor Roseman, while working part-time with Onaya Science — a non-profit research team exploring the mental health impacts of ayahuasca within a traditional Shipibo framework. Alongside his research, Max also offers holistic, mind-body treatments through his private practice, integrating cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, therapeutic massage, and principles from Traditional Chinese Medicine. While deeply engaged in research, Max’s heart lies in active healing work. His long-term vision is to co-create a centre that integrates Western science, Indigenous wisdom, and altered states to offer ethical, transformative experiences for personal and collective wellbeing. Through both practice and scholarship, Max hopes to contribute to a cultural shift that supports the safe and meaningful integration of psychedelic-assisted healing.

OUR TEAM

Carlotta Artuso

Carlotta is an Event Coordinator at The Psychedelic Society, with a deep passion for nature, personal and collective growth, mystical experiences and food (Italian roots play a big role here!).

Psychedelics have profoundly transformed her life, opening her mind to new perspectives and deeper self-awareness, allowing her to break free from the 9-5 grind and to launch her own PR and Events company -  Carlotta PR.

She believes in their potential to heal and transform, and she's passionate about advocating for their safe, intentional use to inspire positive change and open new pathways of consciousness. Follow Carlotta on instagram at @carlotta.artuso

Callum Browne

Callum is an event coordinator for The Psychedelic Society and a life-long learner in the exploration of consciousness. He has completed a MSc in Medical Anthropology at University College London where he specialised in research on the phenomenology of consciousness, psychedelics and the therapeutic and healing arts in mystical traditions around the world. 

Callum regularly delivers talks and workshops on mental health, meditation and the breath to companies, groups and festivals across the UK. He is an advocate of transformative and psychedelic experiences that are grounded in transpersonal and somatic philosophy and psychology. These are the experiences that cultivate the experience and wisdom to remember and embody our connection with ourselves, others, nature and the beyond. Follow Callum on Instagram at @calibraid 

Find Your Community with The Psychedelic Society

REFUNDS POLICY: Please note, we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. When possible we encourage reselling on Ticketswap.

ACCESS:  We do our best to include everyone in our events, regardless of health circumstances. If you have access requirements please email the event organiser directly to discuss. Many facilitators are able to offer reduced ticket prices for those truly unable to afford the ticket price. If this applies to you, do please get in touch with the event organiser.

For PSYCHEDELIC KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES please check out the Psychedelic Society website. 

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