Name: Psychedelics and Buddhism
Start: 2025-05-20T01:30:00.000Z
Location: Taborspace

**Attention: The very last Empowering Voices will take place May 18th!**
**Thank you for 5 years of strength, vulnerability, and connection. Beautiful work has been done in this space and Mandi and Jessie could not be prouder of you all. Please take care of yourselves out there, and we look forward to crossing psychedelic paths again!**

Welcome to Empowering Voices (EV)! This is a psychedelic integration & support group for women who experienced sexual assault, domestic violence/abuse, or intimate partner violence. Empowering Voices creates a safe and sacred container to share your story, an important step for many in the healing process, and to embrace women alike who are ready to shed the years of silence, shame, guilt, or fear that are all too often held onto.

Abuse may have been, or may currently be, a part of your life experience - but your strength, power, and resilience can never be taken away. These experiences can often leave a survivor feeling as if they have lost complete power and control of their own life, for a time; losing their sense of self, and their voice. This support circle aims to elevate and empower all women, leveraging strength as a community of survivors who have found the road of healing, recovery, and transformation through the power of entheogenic medicine and holistic integration tools such as meditation, breathwork, journaling, art, and bodywork.

Along with building a narrative of power through sharing your story and rediscovering your voice, we discuss a variety of topics and tools. Some of those include setting boundaries, identifying triggers, healthy coping skills, disrupting unhealthy patterns, and the importance of community.

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**About the Hosts:**

**Mandi Friedlander**
Mandi is the former Secretary for the Portland Psychedelic Society Events Committee, a Plant Medicine & Integration Coach, a practitioner of Reiki and NLP, and a Women's Integration Circle facilitator for Psychedelic Societies on both the East and West Coast. She is also a Mom, a community builder, an advocate, an educator, and a lifelong learner.

Mandi has found deep healing, from complex trauma in early childhood and adulthood, through community and with the support of various 'alternative' healing modalities and medicines. Mandi is passionate about cultivating containers where women can come together to learn, heal, thrive, and create--safe spaces where women support, empower, and uplift one another on their individual healing journeys.

**Jessie Russell**
I know psychedelic medicines to be unrivaled for healing and neuro-habituation change. I've been working in human behavior fields since 2003 and have been fortunate to serve at myriad conferences and special interest groups across the US, teaching everyone from primary teachers to military personnel. I have my own counseling practice, I am a certified crisis advocate, a psychedelics facilitator, a non-denominational ordained minister, certified in multiple coaching modalities, and am a DEI trainer. My own background and professional specializations are in neurodiversity, Trauma, non-nuclear family structures (i.e. ENM, child-free, non-cohabitation), human sexuality (i.e. queer matters, non-monogamy, kink, & libido changes), disability, and class awareness. I am also trained and experienced as a Green Dot Ranger, Zendo support volunteer, and DM.

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Portland Psychedelic Society (PPS) is an all-volunteer run 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donation-based organization.

**[Follow this link](https://linktr.ee/PortlandPsychedelic)** for info about PPS volunteer opportunities, donation information, and merch.

Thanks for your Participation and Support!

Portland Psychedelic Society

Jessie

Mandi

Empowering Voices: Integration for Women Survivors of Sexual/Domestic Violence

Online event

This meeting focuses on topics that are relevant to mental health professionals including therapists, counselors, doctors, naturopaths, and other related disciplines. Its co-hosts are Erin Johnson, M.A., LPF and Joe Eaton.

The group alternates between hosting guest speakers and open discussions. This month we will be having an open discussion, so please feel free to bring any topics, news items, questions, or curiosities to be discussed with the group.

We welcome respectful engagement and discourse, and honor this time and space to be a productive discussion for all.

***

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**About the HOSTS:**

**Erin Johnson, M.A., LPF**
Erin holds a Master’s in Somatic and Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, earned in 2007. In 2012, while serving as an adjunct faculty member at the East-West Psychology program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, he began his private practice. Over the past 12 years, Erin has had the privilege of guiding hundreds of individuals and groups through transformational experiences. He is trained in Relational Somatic Healing, the Tamura Method, and Hakomi, which inform his approach to healing. Erin is deeply committed to integrating mindfulness with psychology and reviving earth-based ceremonial practices, with the aim of fostering self-awareness and self-empowerment. He believes in the inherent wisdom within each person to recognize what is needed for healing.

Erin has also worked with InnerTrek and Synaptic Institute, where he has had the opportunity to contribute to the growth of psilocybin therapy. In his roles as an Educator and Supervisor for the Entheogenic Medicine Training for Psilocybin, and through his work at InnerTrek, he has been fortunate to be part of the ongoing conversation around the integration of psilocybin therapy into mainstream healing practices.

**[http://www.spiritualplumbing.com](http://www.spiritualplumbing.com)**

**Joe Eaton**
Joe began his career at the age of 19, in 1966, working as a psychiatric technician at St Vincent's Psychiatric Unit. He received a Master's Degree in Applied Human Development (mainly counseling courses). He worked in Eugene, Oregon for 5 years at Sacred Heart Hospital as a psychiatric professional; 10 years as a case manager at Lane County Mental Health; 17 years as a counselor at Cascadia's Urgent Care Walk-in Clinic; and with Whitebird Clinic's Dead Medicine and mobile crisis team, as a social worker in Sacred Heart's Emergency Department. In Portland, Oregon Joe was a member of Project Respond Mobile Crisis Team.

After retirement, he took workshops and attended various forums to train as a counselor/guide using psychedelic substances (mostly psilocybin mushrooms). He has been a guide for the last 5 years.

**Join the Zoom:**
[https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87600040525](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87600040525)

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Portland Psychedelic Society (PPS) is an all volunteer run 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donation-based organization.

**[Follow this link](https://linktr.ee/PortlandPsychedelic)** for info about PPS volunteer opportunities, donation information, and merch.

Thanks for your participation and support!

Brian Pilecki

Joseph Eaton

Payton Lamb

Tiha S.

Ember

Gina

Erin Johnson

Healthcare Professionals and Psychedelics

**SPECIAL BREATHWORK GATHERING**
Join us for a 10-minute guided breath work session designed to ground the body, still the mind, and open the heart. In this short practice, we’ll explore the breath as both anchor and teacher—drawing from Buddhist principles of mindfulness and presence.

Breathwork has long been used in contemplative traditions as a path to insight and inner peace. This session introduces breath not just as a tool for relaxation, but as a gateway to self-awareness and awakening. Whether you’re new to mindfulness or deepening your practice, this is a chance to reconnect with the simple, profound rhythm of your own breath.
No experience necessary—just a willingness to pause, breathe, and be. Guidance provided by Geoff Falkenberg.

**Our Regular Sessions Include**

* Meditation: We open and close each meeting with a meditation session, creating a mindful atmosphere to engage and reflect.
* Engaging Discussions: Delve into fascinating topics such as the history of psychedelics in Buddhist practices, the concept of ego dissolution, and the parallels between meditative states and psychedelic experiences.
* Deep Dive into the Literature: Explore thought-provoking chapters and imagery from books (like Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics) and scientific research.
* Sutra Exploration: Compare the profound experiences described in ancient sutras, like The Heart Sutra, with those reported in psychedelic journeys.

**Why You Should Join**

Expand Your Understanding: Gain insights that might inform your psychedelic experiences and possibly your Buddhist practices.

Community and Connection: Share experiences and perspectives with diverse individuals who share your interest in these profound subjects.

Mindful Exploration: Approach the topic with a balance of curiosity and respect, grounded in meditation and mindful discussion.

**Everyone Is Welcome!**

Whether you’re a Zen practitioner, follow another Buddhist tradition, or have no religious affiliation but carry a deep interest in these topics, our meetup is a space for respectful exploration and shared learning.

🌌 Embrace the journey of mind-expanding discussions and spiritual growth. We can't wait to explore the synergies of Psychedelics and Buddhism with you! 🌌

RSVP Today and be part of a unique exploration that bridges ancient wisdom and contemporary psychedelic insights. See you there! 🙏🌺🍄

**About the Moderator**

Zack Prager works on building user experiences that make people happier, healthier, and more mindful at [Mindful Labs](https://www.mindfullabs.com/technology). He studied software development at UCLA and Positive Psychology (science of happiness) at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Martin Seligman.

He has a long-standing meditation and yoga practice and writes and produces music for breath work, yoga, and meditation ([Mango Dass](https://mangodass.com/) on Spotify).

His work has been covered by the SF Chronicle, SD Tribune, ABC, CW, NBC, Brit+Co, & more, as well as praised by leading academics.
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Portland Psychedelic Society (PPS) is an all volunteer run 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donation-based organization.

**[Follow this link](https://linktr.ee/PortlandPsychedelic)** for info about PPS volunteer opportunities, donation information, and merch.

Thanks for your Participation and Support!

PPS Events Manager

Zack Prager, MAPP

Roy King

Albee Kara

Matt Atwater

Alex Mukensnable

Ryan Kittleson

Jacob Rohlman

Naomi

Anne Aaronson

Chad Graham

Brittany Lazur

Jon Levine

Aji Z

Eric Saylor

kathi 

Kevin Weller

Geoff Falkenberg

Stein

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