Rael Cahn

This session explores the relationship between psychedelics, meditation, consciousness, and psychological healing. Drawing on neuroscience, psychedelic-assisted therapy, contemplative practices, and traditional healing approaches, the discussion will examine how altered states of consciousness influence perception, the sense of self, and emotional well-being. Particular attention will be given to first-person experiences, mystical states, and their potential therapeutic significance. The speakers will discuss emerging research on psilocybin and MDMA, including neural and psychological correlates of therapeutic outcomes, alongside perspectives from ancestral healing traditions. The session will explore how scientific and experiential approaches can complement one another in understanding consciousness and its role in psychological transformation.

Rael Cahn, MD, PhD, is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California and Director of the USC Center for Mindfulness Science. A psychiatrist and neuroscientist, he investigates meditation and psychedelics using EEG, neuroimaging, and psychological assessments. His research spans the effects of psilocybin on conscious experience, the neural correlates of meditation, and epigenetic changes associated with therapy involving MDMA for PTSD. He also jointly leads a USC clinical trial investigating whether mindfulness training enhances the effects of psilocybin.