Episode 62
Access to Psychedelic Care in Indigenous Communities w/ Dr. Leah Mayo
September 26th, 2026
1 hr 7 mins 18 secs
Your Host
About this Episode
How can we better support Indigenous access to psychedelic-assisted healing, develop community-led models of care, and shape the future of psychedelic research in Canada?
In this episode, host and MAPS Canada Executive Director Dr. Rielle Capler speaks with Dr. Leah Mayo, Parker Research Chair in Psychedelics and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Mayo discusses the development of LIVE-PATH (Lifting Indigenous Voices and Experiences in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and Healing), a Canada-based, Indigenous-led network bringing together communities, knowledge holders, clinicians, and researchers to explore psychedelic healing and related knowledge. She describes how the network provides information and resources while supporting communities in determining how psychedelic-assisted care could fit within their own contexts.
The conversation also touches on Leah Mayo's ongoing research at the University of Calgary, including clinical trials involving psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder and persistent symptoms following concussion, as well as research exploring the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychedelic experiences.
Dr. Mayo and Dr. Capler also reflect on lessons from cannabis legalization and research, the challenges of keeping pace with a rapidly evolving psychedelic field, the role of research in informing future regulation, and the importance of ensuring that healthcare providers have the education and evidence they need to support informed decision-making.
To learn more about Leah Mayo’s research, visit pactlab.ca
To learn more about LIVE-PATH, visit livepath.ca
For more information about psychedelic research happening in Canada, visit www.mapscanada.org/research/research-in-canada/
Working with partners in government, business, and the community, MAPS Canada is committed to advancing psychedelic medicine by supporting scientific, multidisciplinary research; advocating for drug policy reform; offering public education; and supporting equitable access to legal and regulated psychedelic medicine in Canada.
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) was formed in the US in 1986, in response to the US Drug Enforcement Agency’s classification of MDMA as Schedule 1 substance, and has been developing medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics since then.
MAPS Canada was founded as a sister organization to MAPS in 2011, and is a registered Canadian non-profit organization. Based in Vancouver and with hundreds of volunteers from across Canada, MAPS Canada is moving forward to become the leading Canadian source of information, resources and advocacy regarding psychedelic medicine and related clinical research, education, and public policy.
Learn More at https://mapscanada.org/about/
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