CIIS Public Programs

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Lorena Saavedra Smith: Awakening Your Roots with the Medicine of Nature

June 04, 2026

Many of us feel disconnected from our family stories and traditions, which can create a sense of loss of home and belonging. Pacha philosopher and ecopsychologist Lorena Saavedra Smith believes reconciling with our ancestors’ traditions and weaving ourselves back into our history is a therapeutic endeavor that deserves to be embarked upon with respect and authenticity. * In this episode, Lorena is joined by Susana Bustos, faculty at CIIS’ Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research for a c...

Norma Kawelokū Wong: Who We Are Becoming Matters

May 21, 2026

In her book Who We Are Becoming Matters, Zen teacher and Indigenous Hawaiian leader Norma Kawelokū Wong asks “Who do we need to become to move forward in togetherness and mutual responsibility?” Norma invites us to reckon with 4 essential inner capacities—courage, compassion, aloha, and strategic wisdom. We must cultivate and embody these capacities, not just to survive, but to shepherd ourselves through an age of climate crisis, social fracture, and accelerating collapse. * In this episode,...

Richard Tarnas: On Psychedelic Initiation in Postmodern Culture

May 07, 2026

The 20th century’s discovery of LSD and subsequent use of various psychedelics in both therapeutic practice and popular culture has been a deeply transformational event in modern civilization. It has carried the power of a collective initiatory rite of passage, yet often without an adequately containing ritual structure, indigenous wisdom tradition, or clinical knowledge to mediate that transformation. * In this episode CIIS Professor Emeritus and cultural historian Richard Tarnas examines t...