By In the 19th century, French revolutionaries gathered in salons to discuss politics and philosophy. In 2023, a group of Chicago medical professionals gather at Billy Corgan’s quirky tea salon. Madam Zuzu’s Emporium We talked about psychedelics in Highland Park, Illinois.
Once a month, over exotic teas and plant-based pastries, Madame Zuzu’s chats about ketamine therapy, psilocybin therapy, medications, business travel, the law, and more. The Chicago Med Psychedelics Group (as they call themselves) is a dynamic group of practitioners whose health backgrounds zigzag across mainstream medicine and beyond. His nine core members of this group include a nurse, a psychotherapist, an internist, the university’s medical director, and a cannabis narcologist. member.
Like any great grassroots movement, the Chicago Med Psychedelics Group was founded to make a difference at the local level.
“Psychedelics harbor many potential benefits and pitfalls in taking healing to the next level. But we still have much to learn,” said North Shore University Health System Integration says Leslie Mendoza Temple, M.D., medical director of the medical program and clinical associate professor of family medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker College of Medicine.
“We knew there was a community of early adopters, and in order to promote a rational and balanced way of sharing knowledge about the science and logistics of this large class of materials, we I feel like I should be smarter.”
In the summer of 2022, the Temple of Mendoza will map Visit the website to connect with fellow Chicagoan David Schwartz, a licensed clinical professional counselor and psychedelic integrative psychotherapist. They met, hit it off, and started inviting others.
“We started growing the group because we wanted to know who we were referring to. [with questions about psychedelic medicine or treatments]? ‘ explained Mendoza Temple.
“I would like to know where you are sending your patients. Built from the ground up by a microcosm like
Members are drawn to being part of a close-knit community for a variety of reasons. We all want to connect with other like-minded professionals. Some want to spread awareness of psychedelic medicine, while others want to combine first-hand psychedelic experience with expertise to help patients.
is a home nursing practitioner, modern compassionate care, a life-changing experience with psilocybin embodied her desire to become an advocate for psychedelic treatments. Sullivan was a widow when her husband, a US Marine, was burned to death while serving in Iraq at the age of 30.
“From that experience, I was a young mother of a three-year-old, deeply traumatized and living with a great deal of survivor guilt,” she explains.
Sullivan has tried therapy, support groups, meditation, and EMDR to manage her grief and PTSD. They helped alleviate some of her pain, but a deep grief remained. So she turned to psilocybin.
“I consciously spent time preparing for my solo journey and embarked on an inner journey to deal with the pain that I couldn’t release.”
Sullivan says the psilocybin journey brought catharsis and a new perspective, allowing her to let go of the burden of guilt she was carrying. Six years have passed since her transformational journey. Sullivan says it was one of the most important moments of her life and what inspired her to join the psychedelic advocacy movement. She now offers ketamine therapy treatment in her clinic, so she finds the support she receives from her group at the Chicago Medical Society Psychedelics invaluable.
“I really wanted to be part of a community of go-to healthcare providers and clinicians. This is a new space and I want to be ethical, safe and give people a really good education. I am,” she says.
For David Schwartz, joining the group was another step toward embracing a psychedelic-friendly professional personality.
“I am now open about providing psychedelic therapy preparation and integration in my public roles,” he explains. “That’s one way I decided to get out of the psychedelic closet.”
Schwartz is also happy to tell curious clients about his personal experiences with psychedelics.
“I think normalizing the benefits of these medicines is also an important part of this kind of activism and advocacy,” he said. “Finally, I decided that my psychedelic experience meant that I had a responsibility to be a source and conduit for people who wanted to talk openly with someone.”
When the group visits Madame Zuzu’s house for monthly meetings, the atmosphere is lively with everyone eagerly chatting about new research findings, events, conferences, and personal and professional experiences.
“There’s been a lot of conversation going on, and it’s very exciting,” Schwartz said. “People just want to talk, share, ask questions, connect.”
Special guests join us from time to time to showcase their unique areas of expertise and perspectives. Last month, Billy Corgan emerged from behind the ZuZu tea counter and sat down with a group to discuss whether American society is ready to deal with full psychedelic legalization.
At other meetings Illinois Psychedelic SocietyAnn Berg Hallucinogen Pharmacists AssociationDr. Rachel Norris, owner and operator of a ketamine-focused clinic imagine healthcare in Chicago. Madame ZuZu’s spacious Art Deco department store is the ideal spaceholder for this eclectic, knowledge-hungry crowd looking to meet like-minded people.
But beyond the thrill of connecting and learning, there is also the awareness of contributing to Illinois’ changing legislative environment. In January 2023, Illinois Rep. LaSean Ford said: Compassionate use and research of the Entheogen method, or the “Illinois CURE Act”. If passed, this law would regulate and authorize the offering of psilocybin products in Illinois. At this stage, the bill is still under consideration, but events that promote discussion and education about psychedelics can play a role in promoting awareness.
Some members of the Chicago Medical Psychedelic Group have joined sister groups, such as the Illinois Psychedelic Society, to share educational resources and advance the cause. Leslie Mendoza Temple, Lisa Solomon, and Karolina Mikos, MD will participate and present in a panel discussion. Illinois Cannabis and Psychedelic Symposium in late September. Other group members are also lining up to participate in upcoming discussions. Illinois Psychedelic Society Summer Networking Mixer, welcomes 300 people. The last mixer the group was involved in sold out within 48 hours.
It makes sense to attend such a large-scale event, but at this stage, the general feeling among Chicago Medical School psychedelic groups is that gatherings at Madame Zuzu should be intimate, informal and collaborative. I want to keep things.
“I like to keep it small,” says Mendoza Temple. “I don’t even know if we have a vision or a mission statement. It becomes very formal. Then we start inviting more people and we need an agenda… that kind of thing. Isn’t a big, formal group enough?” Already? “
“Be mindful of the touchable areas of your yard,” Schwartz recalls. “Personally, I’m just excited to be working together as everything evolves with the law and such, but what I’m really interested in is actually changing the culture at its core.”
Photo viewed clockwise from the left edge:
Marerry Lee MD ACEP, Joseph Friedman RPh MBA, David Schwartz LCPC, Anne Berg PharmD (Guest), James T. O’Donnell PharmD MS FCP, David Schwartz LCPC, Leslie Mendoza Temple MD ABOIM, Lisa Solomon, Co-Chairs of the Council for Clinical Education Karolina Mikos, M.D., Illinois Psychedelic Society, Luba Andrés RPh (guest)
Members of the Chicago Med Psychedelics Group were absent: Katie Sullivan, APRN, FNP-C, David Kushner MD DO FASAM FACP, Rebecca Abraham RN BSN.
