Autism and Psychedelics: A Conversation with Alicia Danforth and Nick Walker

Alicia Danforth, PhD (Clinical Psychologist & Researcher)
Nick Walker, PhD (Professor of Psychology at CIIS)
moderated by Daan Keiman (Psychedelic chaplain & ADEPT Educational Lead)

Monday 19 May, 2025 8PM CEST (6PM GMT, 2PM ET, 11AM PT)

Online via Zoom

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Psychedelics can interact uniquely with autistic individuals, offering both potential benefits and challenges. As interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy grows, so too does the need to understand how these substances affect those whose cognitive and sensory experiences fall outside neurotypical norms. One example is Alicia Danforth and Nick Walker’s research on MDMA-assisted therapy, which has shown promise in reducing social anxiety among autistic adults, suggesting that psychedelics may offer meaningful support for certain mental health challenges experienced by parts of the neurodivergent population.

In order to explore the therapeutic applications of psychedelics more broadly, research must be approached with a nuanced understanding of neurodiversity in general and autism in specific. Designing neuro-inclusive psychedelic therapy treatment protocols requires collaboration with neurodivergent individuals to ensure treatment models are accessible, empowering, and attuned to a wide range of needs and preferences. It also asks that we look beyond individual treatment and explore how psychedelic therapies might support collective healing by addressing the systems and structures that cause or exacerbate distress in neurodivergent and neurotypical lives.

Join an open conversation with Dr. Alicia Danforth, a clinical psychologist and researcher specializing in psychedelic-assisted therapy for autistic adults, and Dr. Nick Walker, professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies–– a primary architect of the new CIIS undergraduate Psychedelic Studies major––and one of the leading voices in the neurodiversity paradigm, known for his groundbreaking work Neuroqueer Heresies. The discussion will be moderated by Daan Keiman, psychedelic chaplain and educational lead at the OPEN Foundation.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERs

Alicia Danforth, PhD, maintains a dual career as a clinical psychologist and a clinical trial researcher. Her private practice is tailored to the needs and preferences of autistic clients, and she was an investigator for the first study of MDMA-assisted therapy for social anxiety in autistic adults. She is currently on the leadership team of a multi-site pragmatic trial of psiloycybin therapy in palliative care.

Dr. Nick Walker is a Professor of Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies, and a principal architect and founding faculty member of the school’s new undergraduate Psychedelic Studies program. Author of the influential essay collection Neuroqueer Heresies, Dr. Walker has been a leading thinker on neurodiversity for more than two decades and has played a major role in establishing the foundations of the emerging neurodiversity paradigm.