"Digging Deeper" Community Workshop Series

Join us for a special community workshop series aimed to help us refine our relationships and dig even deeper into our psychedelic practices. As an educational non-profit, The Nowak Society believes in open-source and community-sourced education, meaning that we strive to make knowledge and skill-building accessible to all and held by community. We also strive to serve as good stewards of the plant medicine and psychedelic movements we're responsible to, creating avenues for dialogue, relationship building, and advocacy for communities here in Colorado. In service to this mission, we are honored to welcome a series of expert guests donating their time by offering deeply discounted workshops to the broader community of psychedelic practitioners. Click 'Show More' below to read full details, dates, and ticket information.

You are invited to "pay what you can" to join each workshop. Attend one workshop or join us at all of them! Your generous support is appreciated and all proceeds are shared between The Nowak Society 501c3 and our Indigenous Reciprocity Fund of Colorado. 

Note that some of these workshops are typically offered at $125+ by the professionals leading them. We've set our "pay what you can" tickets to a minimum of $20 in order to make the knowledge and skills being offered accessible to as many people as possible. If you have the financial means available to you, we suggest setting your ticket price to $25-$75 per ticket, with full price up to $125. It's entirely up to you to "pay what you can" and please know that we appreciate your support at whatever level is available to you.

Space for each workshop is limited, so please purchase a ticket in advance. Each workshop is ticketed separately, so you must purchase a ticket for each workshop you want to attend (on this event registration page, click "select a different date" to purchase a ticket for a particular workshop). All workshops take place in person in Boulder, Colorado during the evening (approximately 6:30-9pm) on the date listed.

July 31, 2024

Travis Cox, PhD; Azul DelGrasso, PhDc; Miki Fire, PsyD

Eco/Social Crises and Psychedelics: Can Ecopsychedelics save humanity and help us be saved by the planet?

In the face of our ecological (global climate chaos, sixth mass extinction, etc.) and social crises (global resurgence of fascism, increasing military tensions and new wars, etc.), finding ways to connect with nature, address issues of environmental justice and ecoanxiety/trauma, and foster novel solutions to our problems is more important than ever. Ecopsychedelics offer a unique opportunity to do all three. This talk will explore the intersection of ecopsychology and psychedelics through theory as well as practices that are designed to overcome the disconnections between an individual and their true self, other humans, the more-than-human world, and the ground of Being. By exploring the intersection between ecology, justice, psychology, and psychedelics, humanity may find new ways to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet today. With the psychedelic resurgence underway, the possibility of using these medicines in both clinical and environmental contexts with the intention of deepening individual connection to the planet, and our collective liberation, can help people develop a fuller understanding of the importance of working together to preserve and honor our planet by building just and sustainable societies.

Speaker Bios: Michal (Miki) Fire, Psy.D. Fire received her Doctor of Psychology degree as well as Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and BA from McGill University. She has served as an Associate Professor and Chair of the Transpersonal Wilderness Therapy program at Naropa University, and currently maintains a private practice as a Clinical Psychologist in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Fire brings over 15 years of experience as a professional wilderness guide, instructor for therapeutic wilderness programs, and educator in the Himalayas and United States. She has published and presented on topics including ecopsychology, spiritual emergence/y, the felt experience of nondual consciousness, and the relationship between the natural world and psychedelics. Dr. Fire lives in Boulder, Colorado with her daughter, 2 cats, and the daily enjoyment of her backyard.

Azul DelGrasso, PhD Candidate, Romani and Denver native, has been a leading figure in the STD/HIV sector, with over two decades of national training and technical assistance contributions. His most notable work revolves around psychedelic research, and he is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the California Institute of Integral Studies, focusing on the psychedelic compound 5-MeO-DMT and its implications on consciousness studies. Besides his Ph.D. studies, Azul's academic achievements include Dual Master's Degrees in Latin American Studies and Ecopsychology from California State University and Naropa University respectively. Despite his extensive involvement in public health, he brings an intriguing element to his profile with his research on psychedelic substances, providing a unique blend of social health care and consciousness studies.

Dr. Travis Cox, received his Bachelor’s Degree in philosophy, his Master’s Degree in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness, and his PhD in Sustainable Agriculture where he studied the philosophy of sustainability and used agriculture as a case study.  From there, he taught undergraduate environmental humanities (Environmental Justice, Spirituality and Sustainability, Ecological Philosophy, etc) and researched what he and his colleagues call “deep sustainability.”  It was this research that led him to the field of Ecopsychology and his current job as Associate Professor in the Ecopsychology Master’s Program at Naropa University, where he is also a Naropa faculty board member. Dr. Cox began his academic study of consciousness with his Master’s Degree studies and continued this research throughout his career, recently culminated in his emphasis on the role psychedelics will play in humanity’s transition to a sustainable and regenerative future. He was one of the co-organizers of the “Can Exceptional Experiences Save the World” conference at The Center for Process Studies in 2018, which was primarily about psychedelics and sustainability, and was invited to guide at the “Philosophy of Psychedelics” conference at the University of Exeter in the UK, which was postponed due to COVID-19.

September 4, 2024

Christiane Pelmas

Embodied Ethics in Psychedelic Practice

Ethics are taught to us as a top-down, outside-in sort of affair. A set of rules we are to follow in order to make sure we don’t wander astray and get in trouble with the governing bodies of our various professions. But these are not ‘ethics’…they are rules. And in learning to follow the rules we often atrophy the musculature of true ethical action. Join me for an exploration into the heart of the ecologically-embedded ethical self…the one who tracks the next right thing that is ours to do. This is a critical exploration for anyone in a position of power, including parents, clergy, medical and mental health professionals, and more. You can also learn more about Christiane's work at the Institute for Erotic Intelligence: https://www.instituteforeroticintelligence.com/

October 2, 2024

Aviva Bannerman, LPC and Lyndsey Lyons, LPC

Psychedelics and Relationship: Using Them Together to Expose our Inner Workings

Psychedelics and altered states can show us layers below the surface in our relationships. Utilizing an exploration of transference, the body, and present moment awareness, we will offer possible pathways to release relational wounding and deepen intimacy with yourself and others.

November 6, 2023

TBD Stay Tune!