Psychedelic Psychotherapy Forum is the longest running psychedelic conference of its kind in Canada, and is unique today in that it is crafted for and co-created with practitioners, supporting, working, and training, in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. 

The Forum / Conference is an opportunity for everyone interested in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy — including health providers, advocates, researchers, students, bodyworkers, traditional and/or holistic therapists — to come together to network, and to dialogue about learnings, opportunities, issues and challenges, models of healthcare, and standards of practice.

Our intention for the PPF2022 was to co-create spaces for deep listening, dialogue, learning, relationship building and visioning. Themed “Shake the Tree: Seeds to Action,” PPF2022 intends to visibly “shake the tree”  — to open up possibilities for transforming health (especially mental health) and related professions. Through developing active, inclusive and cohesive communities with shared vision and practices, we can take steps towards positive change and solutions, and commit to investments in people, teams, and new infrastructures

Vancouver Island Conference Centre has large and small meeting rooms and a bigger space, providing us with the flexibility of holding all our events including workshops under one roof. PPF2020 was also hosted at this location. 

Nanaimo is located in central Vancouver Island, and is convenient — approximately 1.5 hours commute — for registrants who are travelling to the forum from Vancouver as well as from Victoria. It is linked to Vancouver via the Horseshoe Bay BC Ferries terminal in West Vancouver and the Duke Point terminal to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Tsawwassen. Seaplanes from downtown Vancouver (20 minutes) and Vancouver International Airport (20 minutes) also fly directly to Nanaimo Harbour.

Since 2015, Pauline Goh, founding member of the forum, has been PPF’s conference manager. As of May 2022, PPF is now housed under the umbrella of Wisdom Circle Events, Inc., a BC benefit company committed to promoting public benefits including healthcare education and training. PPF2022’s organizing committee includes Pauline Goh, clinical counsellor; Nick McInnis, information technology network specialist; Nora Donahue, holistic health practitioner; and Jorge Carrillo, hospitality and event coordinator. 

PPF2022 was the sixth evolution of the event, with past events held in 2014 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020. During the bridge years, respectively, in 2017, the Forum sponsored a Holotropic Breathwork (TM) Weekend grand event —  the largest gathering in Western Canada of Grof Transpersonal Training (GTT) certified facilitators; and in 2019, the Forum hosted a series of small workshops and professional training retreats.

Read more about the history of the forum 

PPF’s organizing committee members humbly recognize the sacred, Indigenous lands that we live and work on. Collectively, we are on Turtle Island, aka Canada, with each of us living as guests on the unceded, ancestral lands of the  xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Snuneymuxw Nations; Vancouver, Squamish, and Nanaimo.

In 2020, we changed the  forum venue to the Vancouver Island Conference Centre on unceded, ancestral Snuneymuxw territories, in Nanaimo, British Columbia. We also hosted the forum virtually, via livestream.

We put out a call for volunteers about a few months prior to our biennial conference. 

Yes! At PPF2020, we offered general and BIPOC scholarships, through the support of our sponsors. For PPF2022, all 25 applicants were offered full/partial scholarships to attend the event of their choice. The PPF scholarship committee reviews all applications and makes final decisions. We thank our scholarship supporters and full paying registrants who make it possible for PPF to provide these scholarships and subsidies.

No, you cannot attain CEs by watching the video recording. To attain CEs you have to attend in person for the entire segment of one event, or to watch the livestream during the actual day/times. PPF2022 is aiming to apply for CEs for in-person events only. The CE auditing process requires the monitoring of conference/class participation via signing in at the start of the conference/class and signing out at the end.

In 2022, our Practitioner Forum (Days 1 – 2) was attended by about 115 people, and our Public Forum (Day 3), 150 people. Our three workshops (Day 3) had an additional attendance of approximately 80 all together, which each workshop offering training to 20 – 40 people respectively.

In 2020, we had 50 in-person attendees (per COVID restricted numbers for a gathering), as well as 400+ virtual attendees. In 2016 and 2018, about 200 – 300 people attended in-person at each respective forum. This is smaller than most conference events, allowing us to maintain an intimate atmosphere and cultivate relationships and learning for folks in attendance. 

Note that for PPF2022, we have crafted different events to appeal to (1) seasoned practitioners and practitioners-in-training; (2) the general public.

In particular, there are folks in certain professions and life paths that may find special interest in what we have to offer >>>

• Counsellors, therapists
• Psychologists
• Social workers
• Nurses
• Psychiatrists
• Physicians
• Researchers
• Body workers
• Holistic/integrated practitioners
• Traditional healers
• Advocates
• Policy analysts
• Community leaders
• Change agents
• Students
• Note: Our Public Forum Day is for anyone curious and/or interested in psychedelic psychotherapy for personal and collective healing, and transformation.

• Be in the forefront of rapid developments in the field of psychedelic psychotherapy and transpersonal psychology
• Find out about the latest research, opportunities, and challenges in psychedelic medicines and psychedelic-assisted therapies
• Build bridges and different ways of knowing, i.e. indigenous and western approaches, clinical and ceremonial, science and spirituality
• Develop community and connect with peers, advocates, community leaders, and change agents
• Discuss legal and ethical concerns/challenges as well as cultural and spiritual aspects of this field

• Attain continuing education credits

Adjacent to our PPF2022 venue, the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in downtown Nanaimo, is the Coast Bastion Hotel and Best Western Dorchester Hotel. Quality Inn is also close by. Folks can also opt to room share to save on costs, or book lodging via accommodation rental sites such as airbnb or VRBO 

Yes! Meals offered include vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options. If you have a particular allergy and/or restriction that requires unique attention, please inform our registrar.

The Vancouver Island Conference Centre notes on their website: “We want all delegates and visitors, regardless of ability or age, to feel welcome – and we built our convention space with that in mind. We have wheelchair services, as well as accessible doorways, walkways, elevators, washrooms, and parking. Our facility complies with all federal, provincial and local accessibility regulations and laws, and it upholds the rights of people with disabilities.”