Joseph Tafur

Drawing from his work in psychedelic-assisted therapy, his apprenticeship in South American curanderismo, and on his most recent book, Medicine Song: Spiritual Healing and the Psychedelic Renaissance, Dr. Tafur will examine the vital role of personal healing in the expansion of consciousness. The growing field of psychedelic medicine has now drawn our attention to the role of the mystical experience in health and wellness, and the further value of advancing our spiritual well-being and connectedness. According to ancestral wisdom, healing could be described as a state of receptivity (...receptivity, that is, to expanded consciousness existing within and beyond the individual). Access to this expanded consciousness is not the result of an altered state, but rather to an altered perception of multidimensional reality. Neural networks, pharmacological targets of a range of psychedelic medicines, likely play a role in this multidimensional perceptual access. Working with the ancestral Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor — the re-harmonizing of science and spirit, mind and heart — as a guiding frame, he will discuss the role of sacred ceremony and spiritual healing in the developing field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Multigenerational culture can teach us a great deal about developing our natural consciousness and, in turn, expanded access to healing. Sacred plants and psychedelic medicines, offered responsibly and respectfully, can in many cases catalyze profound emotional healing through spiritual awakening.

Joe Tafur, M.D., is a Colombian-American integrative family physician. He additionally spent years working and living in the Peruvian Amazon at the traditional healing center Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual, training there as an Ayahuasquero. In his book The Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor's Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine, through a series of stories, Dr. Tafur shares his unique experience and integrative medical theories. With his spiritual community in Phoenix, Dr. Tafur co-founded the Church of the Eagle and the Condor (CEC). Dr. Tafur is also a co-founder of the nonprofit Modern Spirit, among their projects are the Modern Spirit Epigenetics Project, an analysis of the epigenetic impact of MAPS MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, and the educational program for healthcare providers called “Sacred Ceremony and Psychedelic Therapy.” In 2025, Dr. Tafur released his new book Medicine Song: Spiritual Healing and the Psychedelic Renaissance. He is currently helping to launch a new integrative clinic in Phoenix and the developing Psychedelic Research and Education Network at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.