In this conversation, Dennis will reflect on his early fascination with psychoactive plants, his formative explorations with his brother, the psychedelic bard Terence McKenna, and the paths that eventually diverged as Terence became a cultural voice of the psychedelic movement while Dennis pursued a scientific understanding of how these plants work in the body and brain.

Drawing on a lifetime of research, travel, and study with Indigenous knowledge holders, Dennis will also speak to the limitations of a purely reductionist scientific worldview when it comes to understanding plant medicines. From questions of animacy and plants as teachers, to the tension between chemistry and spirit, the conversation will explore what may be lost, and what may yet be recovered, when ancient wisdom intersects with modern medical and scientific frameworks.

This session will take the form of a one-hour facilitated conversation, followed by 30 minutes of audience Q&A.

This event is part of the OPEN Plus Membership.