Tehseen Noorani is interested in what the future of psychedelic therapy could and should look like. He co-leads the grassroots engagement project in New Zealand, 'Community Strategising about Psychedelic Therapy in Aotearoa'. He is a critical social scientist who has researched psychedelic and other extreme experiences for 20 years. He runs the interdisciplinary Reimagining Psychedelic Trials working group, and is a member of the US-based Board of Psychedelic Medicine and Therapies.

Reflections on Community Strategising about Psychedelic Therapy in Aotearoa

This talk introduces a project underway in Aotearoa New Zealand, which is asking the question,‘What could and should psychedelic therapy in Aotearoa look like?’ In March 2025 the project hosted a first national discussion on psychedelic therapy and related topics: Kaupapa Māori (by Māori for Māori) psychedelic practices, regulatory reform in relation to different models of care, harm reduction initiatives underway and needed, research designs, and discussions on Taonga Pūoro, sound and healing. The talk willreview some of what came up at this national gathering. Finally we will reflect on some of the opportunities and challenges in doing Indigenous-non-Indigenous partnership work in the psychedelic space.