OPEN Foundation

Advancing psychedelic research and therapies to benefit science, healthcare, and society since 2007.

OPEN Foundation is the organiser of the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research. Founded in 2007, the OPEN Foundation is the leading nonprofit organisation in the Netherlands and Europe dedicated to advancing the knowledge and understanding of psychedelics through research. We aim to optimise the potential of psychedelics in a therapeutic context and to help integrate psychedelics int

o society in a way that’s both sustainable and responsible. We fulfil our mission by bringing together and educating professionals, policymakers, and the public through conferences, trainings, membership programmes, and by facilitating and promoting rigorous, interdisciplinary research.

19/06/2026

As psychedelic therapies move into clinical and commercial contexts, questions of reciprocity and responsibility toward Indigenous communities are becoming impossible to ignore. 🌿⁠
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On Tuesday 30 June at 8PM CEST, OPEN Foundation and PsyPal (Horizon Europe) are hosting a free online talk with Christine Diindiisi McCleave, PhD — citizen of the Turtle Mountain Anishinaabe Nation, Indigenous scholar, and Strategic Relationships Advisor for the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund.⁠
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Drawing on legal, ethical, and relational frameworks, she'll offer a grounded exploration of the Nagoya Protocol, the international framework governing fair and equitable benefit-sharing from biological resources and traditional knowledge, and what genuine reciprocity actually asks of those working in the psychedelic field today.⁠
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Free and open-access. Structured as a talk followed by Q&A moderated by Jasmine Virdi. Designed for clinicians, researchers, and anyone working at the intersection of psychedelic therapy and Indigenous knowledge systems.⁠
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Register here: https://open-foundation.org/events/online/reciprocity-and-the-nagoya-protocol-in-psychedelic-therapy/

12/06/2026

On June 12, 1943, a 22-year-old laboratory assistant named Susi Ramstein became the first woman to take L*D. As part of the early experiments at the Sandoz lab in Basel, she ingested 100 micrograms and rode the tram home. 🚋⁠
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Most people know April 19 as Bicycle Day, celebrating Albert Hofmann's famous ride. Fewer know that it was Susi, his laboratory assistant, who pedalled beside him on that journey, coaching him through his altered perception, summoning the doctor, and staying by his side until his wife arrived. Her insights helped shape early dosage guidance for L*D's medical use, although her name has largely been omitted from psychedelic history. ⁠
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Tram Day, celebrated on June 12, is a psychedelic holiday in her honour and an invitation to recover the forgotten histories of this field, and the women who shaped it. ✨️

27/05/2026

Join us tomorrow at 8 PM CEST for our next Psyche & Praxis Forum on AI, Ethics & Psychedelic Therapy. 🧠⁠
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Psyche & Praxis Forums are intimate space for psychedelic practitioners to come together, think critically, and reflect honestly on one of the most pressing questions in the field.⁠
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Many clients are already turning to chatbots and digital platforms for mental health guidance, substance-use information, and even integration support. What happens when care and meaning-making are mediated by algorithms rather than relationships?⁠
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Drawing on the recent article ChatGPT's Drug Advice Under Scrutiny After Teen's Overdose as a starting point, we'll explore where validation becomes potentially dangerous and what is lost when discernment is removed from care.⁠
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Facilitated by Jasmine Virdi, this session is discussion-based, unrecorded, and held in a spirit of honesty and mutual respect.⁠
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Free for OPEN Pro Members — available via donation for all: https://open-foundation.org/events/online/psyche-praxis-forum-ai-therapy-and-the-future-of-care/

23/05/2026

It is that time of year again and we are gearing up for the 7th edition of Europe's leading psychedelic research conference, Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Psychedelic Research 2026.⁠
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🧠 100+ speakers across research, clinical practice, and policy ⁠
🎟️ 1,500+ attendees from around the world ⁠
📅 3 days with 3 parallel tracks ⁠
🎤 Keynotes, panels, posters, pre-conference workshops, and more⁠
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As the field enters a new era, ICPR 2026 deepens collaboration among scientists, clinicians, and policymakers, offering space to reflect on breakthroughs and envision a responsible future for psychedelics in healthcare, culture, and society.⁠
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Get 15% off of you last minute conference ticket or any pre-ICPR workshops with the code INSTAGRAM.⁠
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📍 Haarlem, The Netherlands⁠
📅 4–6 June, 2026⁠
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Can't wait to see you there! Get your ticket: https://www.icpr-conference.com/

19/05/2026

On the surface, it might look like KAP is all about the substance. But it's actually about knowing how to build capacity as a therapist inside a non-ordinary state, and that takes training.⁠
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This 2-day workshop by OPEN Foundation & Senz covers the full clinical picture: neurobiology, ethics, preparation, dosing, and integration. Through role-play, case reflection, and experiential learning, you'll leave with a coherent framework you can actually bring into practice.⁠
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Open to mental health professionals and researchers with at least 3 years of experience. October 8–9, Doorn, the Netherlands. Early bird €599. 30 places.

Register here: https://open-foundation.org/events/kap-workshop/

18/05/2026

What does it mean for the sacred to become a wellness commodity? For the animate to be reduced to the molecular? For plants rooted in specific territories and living traditions to rise to popularity on a global scale? 🌿⁠
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As psychoactive plants move beyond their cultural contexts and gain traction in the Global North, questions of commodification, cultural appropriation, environmental sustainability, and biopiracy are rising to the surface.⁠
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In many Western contexts, these plants are framed as wellness products or mental health treatments, rather than as sacred medicines, relatives, and living beings embedded within ecological and ceremonial worlds.⁠
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This pre-ICPR symposium, developed in collaboration with researchers from Radboud University, brings together Indigenous experts and leaders working with pe**te, ayahuasca, and coca, alongside researchers, facilitators, and entrepreneurs from the Dutch psychedelic landscape.⁠
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🗓 Wednesday, 3 June 2026⁠
⏰ 1:00 – 5:00 PM⁠
📍 Haarlem, The Netherlands⁠
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Learn more and register: https://www.icpr-conference.com/pre-conference-events/psychoactive-plants-globalised-world

17/05/2026

Creating a sense of safety in liminal, emergent containers is probably one of the hardest aspects of psychedelic-assisted care. From remaining a regulated presence in oneself to providing culturally attuned support, safety is a skill. 👥⁠
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On May 19th, ADEPT faculty member Bill Brennan, PhD, researcher at Cybin, and ADEPT Educational Lead Daan Keiman, MA, will explore the practical and relational foundations of supporting people through psychedelic-assisted therapy. From creating ethical, trust-filled containers, to navigating intense or challenging session dynamics, to helping participants integrate what arose long after the session ends.⁠
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🗓️Tuesday, 19 May | 7:30 PM CEST (5:30 PM GMT | 1:30 PM ET | 10:30 AM PT) 💻️ Free, online via Zoom⁠
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This event is part of ADEPT, OPEN’s two-year Advanced Education in Psychedelic Therapy for licensed mental health professionals. Participants will receive an ADEPT application fee waiver.⁠
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Register here: https://open-foundation.org/events/online/safety-skill-training-psychedelic-therapy/

15/05/2026

Foundations scholarship applications are now open! 📚️⁠
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A limited number of scholarship positions are now available for the second cohort of Foundations of Psychedelic Therapy, starting November 2026.⁠
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These scholarships are part of our ongoing commitment to increasing accessibility, equity, and diversity within psychedelic education and the future of ethical psychedelic-assisted therapy. We especially encourage applications from individuals whose backgrounds, lived experiences, or circumstances have historically limited access to professional psychedelic training opportunities.⁠
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Foundations of Psychedelic Therapy is a fully online, 13-month programme equipping mental health professionals with the essential knowledge, ethics, and clinical frameworks needed to understand and practice psychedelic-assisted therapy.⁠
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Applications are open until 20 May 2026.⁠
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Apply here: https://6lfqflux7au.typeform.com/to/IxBT0Adq

13/05/2026

🔥 Fireside Chat with Dennis McKenna | Wed May 20th, 8:00–9:30 PM

Join us next week for an intimate evening with ethnopharmacologist and psychedelic elder Dennis McKenna — reflecting on his life's work, his journey alongside brother Terence McKenna, and what ancient plant wisdom can teach us that modern science alone cannot.

1 hour facilitated conversation + 30 min Q&A with the audience. 💬

This is an OPEN Plus event — become a monthly or yearly member, or join with a one-time donation.

Register here: https://open-foundation.org/events/online/a-fireside-chat-with-dennis-mckenna/

05/05/2026

Good training starts with the right teachers.⁠
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Meet the faculty behind our 2-day KAP training, taking place October 8–9 in Doorn, the Netherlands. Four clinicians from three countries, each bringing a distinct perspective to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy: the neuroscience, the clinical practice, the ethics, and the lived expertise of working with clients in non-ordinary states.⁠
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Register here: https://open-foundation.org/events/kap-workshop/

Adres

Amsterdam Centrum

Website

http://www.open-foundation.org/, http://icpr-conference.com/

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