2025 symposium
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Join Decriminalize Nature NWA for a powerful day of education, dialogue, and connection at the forefront of the psychedelic renaissance in beautiful NW Arkansas. This full-day symposium will bring together experts in law, mental health, research, and public safety to explore the healing potential of entheogenic plants and fungi.
Decriminalizing Consciousness will feature a powerful lineup of nationally recognized voices and local experts and advocates:
Bridging Law Enforcement, Psychedelic Self-Care, and Community
Sarko Gergerian is a pioneering law enforcement professional with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of public safety, mental health advocacy, and psychedelic self-care. As a decorated officer and wellness advocate, he has championed trauma-informed practices in policing and helped ensure first responders have access to mental and emotional support.
Gergerian’s advocacy is grounded in his personal exploration of psychedelic-assisted self-care and its potential to build resilience in high-stress professions. He has promoted open dialogue, harm reduction, and religious freedom through both policy work and public education. Notably, he supported Massachusetts Ballot Question 4 and successfully petitioned his own department for a religious accommodation—setting a national precedent.
His story is featured in How to Change Your Mind (Netflix, Episode 3), and his work has earned recognition at every level for bridging law enforcement, mental health, and cognitive liberty. Through speaking, policy engagement, and outreach, Gergerian is helping to reimagine public safety for the healing era.
Defending the Faith: Psychedelics, Law, and Religious Freedom
Tarin Hale is a seasoned attorney with more than 30 years of legal experience and a deep personal commitment to plant medicine advocacy. His journey from public defense to entheogenic law was shaped by a spiritual and psychological crisis that ultimately led him to sacred plant work—an experience he credits with saving his life. Tarin now bridges his legal expertise with a passion for defending religious and cognitive liberty, advising individuals and groups navigating the legal complexities of entheogenic use.
He gained national attention in 2022 for his pro bono defense of Jessica Fitzmaurice, an Indiana nurse facing decades in prison for growing psilocybin mushrooms to treat her treatment-resistant depression. His coordinated effort with national experts, including Dr. James Fadiman, helped reduce her charges dramatically and sparked a wider conversation about mental health and plant medicine in the legal system. Tarin continues to support individuals facing prosecution, consult on RFRA protections, and speak on the spiritual context of psychedelic healing.
Dr. James Fadiman (appearing virtually)
A Conversation with The Father of Microdosing, Dr. James Fadiman
Known as the “father of microdosing,” Dr. James Fadiman has been a leading voice in psychedelic research for over 50 years. A pioneering psychologist and author of The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide, Fadiman was part of the original wave of scientific research into psychedelics in the 1960s. In recent years, he has spearheaded groundbreaking citizen science studies on microdosing—low, sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics used to enhance mental health, creativity, and productivity—and has compiled that research in his new book, Microdosing for Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance. Dr. Fadiman will join us virtually for an interactive Q&A on the science and promise of microdosing in the age of decriminalization.
Substances of Things Hoped For: Faith, Healing, and Psychedelics
Anne Kiehl Friedman is a writer, Interfaith minister, and entrepreneur whose work bridges spirituality, communication, and the emerging field of psychedelic healing. A passionate advocate for safe, ethical, and transformative use of psychedelics, Anne co-founded the Psychedelic Communications Hub in 2022—an innovative initiative dedicated to educating the public about the therapeutic potential, cultural context, and risks of psychedelic use.
Anne’s career spans multiple sectors, blending academic rigor with deep spiritual inquiry. She graduated with honors from Stanford University, earned her MBA from ESADE University in Spain, and completed seminary training at the Berkeley Chaplaincy Institute, where her studies included the use of sacred plants and psychedelic sacraments in interfaith spiritual care.
Anne’s work centers on promoting holistic well-being, integration support, and responsible storytelling within the psychedelic space. Through writing, teaching, and advocacy, she fosters greater understanding of how these powerful tools can support healing and personal growth.
Her first book, Higher Love, explores these themes with heart and clarity, continuing her mission to bring insight, compassion, and nuance to the conversation around psychedelics.
Beyond the Medical Model: Transpersonal Psychology, Entheogens, and Cognitive Liberty
Angie Leek is a transpersonal psychotherapist, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, and Level 1 IFS therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience. She specializes in spiritually informed, somatic therapy grounded in trauma-informed care and is passionate about sharing her knowledge through teaching and mentorship. In her private practice, Holos Counseling, she focuses on ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, psychedelic integration, and clinical supervision.
As founder and clinical director of the Holos Collective, Angie offers consultation, training, and retreats within a collaborative, community-based model. She also founded the Holos Foundation, a 501©3 nonprofit dedicated to increasing financial access to healing and training pathways for psychedelic medicine in NW Arkansas. She serves as lead therapist and consultant for a psychedelic clinical trial site in Northwest Arkansas and was a core faculty instructor and advisor for Psychedelics Today’s VITAL training program.
A graduate of CIIS, Angie has trained with the MAPS MDMA-assisted psychotherapy program, the Ketamine Training Center, Polaris, and Fluence. She has worked with both 5-MeO-DMT and N, N-DMT in clinical trial settings.
Her passion for this work is rooted in lived experience. A personal psychospiritual crisis and encounters with non-ordinary states of consciousness catalyzed her search for alternative approaches to mental health and ultimately led her to transpersonal psychology. Outside of her clinical work, Angie enjoys inner exploration, gardening, spending time in nature, and with her family.
“Die Before you Die”: Psychedelics, Meaning, and the Mystery of Death
Branda Jean Piersall, RN, has been an RN for 28 years, primarily in hospice and palliative care. She has certifications in holistic health, nutrition, and spiritual philosophy, and is a certified death doula. She recently completed the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies program and is currently pursuing a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology. Branda is passionate about the role Psychedelics, such as Ketamine and Psilocybin, can play in end-of-life care, as well as First Responder and Healthcare Worker Burnout prevention and recovery, as this becomes medically available. Branda is also the co-founder of Ok So Tulsa, a true live storytelling collective.
At the symposium, you will also encounter:
– Cutting-edge research on the public health impact of psychedelic decriminalization
– A Panel Discussion featuring regional leaders from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas who are moving this work forward in the Heartland
– Personal stories of healing, sovereignty, and resilience
Whether you’re a policymaker, practitioner, veteran, spiritual seeker, or concerned citizen, this event offers a rare opportunity to engage with the future of healing and the movement to reclaim cognitive and spiritual liberty.
Reserve your spot now!
Agenda
*Use of the Bentonville Public Library meeting facilities does not constitute an endorsement of the beliefs, viewpoints, policies, or affiliations of the use by the Bentonville Public Library.