- May 4, 2018
- 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
-
Namaste Hall
California Institute of Integral Studies
1453 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tickets available on Brown Paper Tickets
CIIS Community: $11.34
General Admission: $16.52
Trauma is caused by feeling profoundly unsafe physically, emotionally, or spiritually and is often the root of mental illness. Despite the misperception that PTSD is most commonly caused by a single event, for many people, simply existing in a society that marginalizes their identities is inherently and perpetually traumatic. Oppression, poverty, and discrimination can all contribute to traumatic experience at both individual and collective levels. These ongoing traumatic experiences enhanced and compounded for people who exist at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities are often under-diagnosed and thus under-treated.
There is a vast potential for psychedelics to help heal trauma and move people toward wholeness. But how does that healing potential stand up to systemic oppression?
Dr. Monnica Williams will discuss the traumatizing impact of life in the United States on people of color and the work being done at the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research program UConn site, which is focused on the traumas of people of color. This presentation will explore if and how psychedelics can contribute to the healing trauma that stems from racism and contribute to a more just society.
Presenter Bio
Dr. Monnica Williams is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut in the Department of Psychological Sciences and the Department of Psychiatry. Prior to her move to Connecticut in 2016, she served as the Director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities at the University of Louisville in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. She also worked for four years at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received training from Dr. Enda Foa.
Dr. Williams has published over 100 scientific articles on mental health and culture. Her current work includes unacceptable thoughts in OCD, the impact of OCD on intimate relationships, improving cultural competence in the delivery of mental health care services, assessment of race-based trauma, and interventions to reduce racial bias. She is a principal investigator on Phase 3 multisite trial for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, taking place at the University of Connecticut Health Center. She also gives trainings nationally for clinical psychology programs, scientific conferences, and community organizations.
