News
Takiwasi’s Contributions to the World Ayahuasca Forum 2026
Our research manager, Matteo Politi, together with several collaborating researchers, will participate in the upcoming World Ayahuasca Forum 2026, organized by ICEERS in Girona, Spain, from September 9 to 13.
Several presentations connected to Takiwasi’s therapeutic experience and practices have been accepted into the official program. From different perspectives, these presentations will address the use of Amazonian medicinal plants, vegetalismo, and their integration with contemporary mental health approaches.
In his presentation, Matteo will explore how, within Takiwasi’s research approach, plants are not considered mere objects of study, but active participants in the research process, capable of influencing and guiding both researchers and outcomes, especially through self-experimentation.
Among the researchers collaborating or who have collaborated with Takiwasi, Laura Monteagudo and Nahuel Simonet will also be present, broadening participants’ perspectives toward other master plants and purgative plants beyond ayahuasca; psychotherapist Annalisa Valeri, who will present her doctoral research on the relationship between ayahuasca and psychotic experiences; and Michèle Barocchi, co-founder and director of MAPS Italia, with whom we collaborate on research regarding public policies related to psychedelics, mental health, and healing.
This remarkable participation in a space of international relevance reflects Takiwasi’s commitment to intercultural dialogue and to the generation and dissemination of knowledge and critical thinking regarding the therapeutic use of master plants and the protection of traditional medicinal knowledge.
Schedule of Presentations Related to Takiwasi
- NAHUEL SIMONET
“Buena Purga”: The Role of Purging Plants in the Treatment of Addiction in a Therapeutic Community of the Upper Amazon.
Thematic Session 2: Mental Health and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Hall 3, September 11, 17:00 – 18:45.
- MATTEO POLITI
Beyond Objects: Plant Agency in Research — Insights from Takiwasi
Thematic Session 4: Between Molecules, Plants, Bodies, and Sounds. Hall 3, September 12, 11:00 – 13:00.
- LAURA MONTEAGUDO
Beyond Ayahuasca: Vegetalismo as slow path of healing.
Thematic Session 4: Between Molecules, Plants, Bodies, and Sounds. Hall 3, September 12, 11:00 – 13:00.
- ANNALISA VALERI
Ayahuasca and Psychotic Experiences: Permeable Bodies, Encounters, and Healing Processes.
Thematic Session 5: Clinical Practice, Intercultural Regimes, and Ayahuasca. Hall 3. September 12, 14.45-16.45.
- MICHÈLE BAROCCHI
Ayahuasca and the Politics of Mental Health in Contemporary Europe.
Thematic Session 17: Ethics, Regulation, and Law, Hall 4, September 13, 11:00 – 13:00
The full World Ayahuasca Forum program is online: www.ayahuasca2026.com