You can always find a full statewide calendar of events on our website homepage:
And you can stay up to date with all upcoming gatherings, integration circles, and community events by subscribing to our public Google calendar.
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6 – 7:30pm
Holos Psychedelic Integration Group for Women & Femmes
Holos Collective Community Hub - Registration Required
7 – 8:30pm
PSOAR Central Arkansas Ice Cream Social & Storytelling Night!
3101 Dugan St, Little Rock, AR 72206
6 – 7:30pm
Inner Healing Intelligence: How Psychedelics Reveal the Body’s Innate Capacity to Heal
Bentonville Public Library, 405 S Main St, Bentonville, AR 72712
7:30 – 9pm
PSoAR Eureka Springs presents: Ice Cream Social & Movie Night
Harold’s Diner Soda Fountain & Farmacy, 17 White St, Eureka Springs, AR 72632
9am – 5pm
Psychedelic Freedom Conference - Hosted by Psychedelic Society of the Ozarks
University Plaza Convention Center, Springfield Missouri
Dear Community,
Whether we are finding presence in a quiet Ozark forest or following landmark policy debates in the Capitol, the movement toward conscious, informed, and therapeutic access to psychedelics is flowing on all fronts.
In this edition, we take you inside an unforgettable, fully present sound journey in Eureka Springs and highlight groundbreaking LSD research happening right in our backyard in Rogers. Plus, we take a look at the recent federal HHS/VA psychedelic research partnership and break down the 2026 legislative session in Missouri.
Grab a warm cup of tea, dive in, and see how our regional psychedelic movement continues to grow.
There is something inherently sacred about the way sound cuts through the noise of daily life. Across cultures and throughout history, rhythm, vibration, and meditation have served as reliable bridges into non-ordinary states of consciousness—quieting the analytical mind, regulating the nervous system, and opening doors to profound inner insight.
For the Psychedelic Society of Arkansas (PSoAR) – Eureka Springs Chapter, that ancient tradition came alive during an immersive afternoon hosted by facilitators Lisa and Griff Roark.
Set within a secluded, off-grid home, nature itself felt like an active co-facilitator. Inside, the energy was pure community. People rested stacked wall-to-wall—a packed room united by a shared curiosity for consciousness, therapeutic sound, and deep rest.
As the session began, Lisa and Griff created an intuitive, multi-layered soundscape using a diverse array of instruments: an enormous gong, Tibetan and crystal singing bowls, and a crystal pyramid mingled with the soothing notes of the Native American flute.
The sound washed over everyone, inviting participants into deeply meditative, dreamy states of presence without a single substance required.
The Picture We Didn’t Take
If you look through our photo gallery above, you’ll find photos of the warm, sunlit room in Lisa and Griff’s home—but you won’t find a single photo of the sound bath itself.
That wasn’t an oversight; it was the point.
In a world obsessed with capturing moments for screens, the entire room chose complete, undivided presence. Cameras were put away, phones were silenced, and everyone in the room participated fully in the experience.
When the final chime faded and the room slowly drifted back into ordinary awareness, nobody rushed for the exit.
Participants stayed to mingle, share insights, and reflect on their individual journeys. It was a powerful reminder that while the sound bath itself was an internal exploration, the true heart of PSoAR lies in the integration—bringing those insights back out into a supportive, grounded community.
Thank you to Lisa and Griff Roark for opening their home and guiding such an unforgettable journey, and to everyone who showed up to share space and resonance with us!
While national headlines often focus on major research hubs on the coasts, groundbreaking psychedelic science is happening right here in Arkansas—a fact most people in our community don’t realize.
In Rogers, Woodland Research Northwest is actively enrolling participants for a clinical trial exploring the interaction between Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SRIs) and LSD. As psychedelic-assisted therapies move closer to clinical integration, understanding how classic psychedelics interact with commonly prescribed antidepressants is one of the most critical frontiers in modern healthcare.
Researchers are evaluating the pharmacological interaction between SRIs and LSD in healthy adults to help build safer, more effective treatment protocols for the future.
Target Participants: Healthy adult volunteers.
Facility Requirements: Volunteers must be able to stay overnight at the Woodland Research Northwest clinical research facility in Rogers.
Compensation: Participants receive financial compensation for study-related time and travel.
If you are curious about the future of psychedelic medicine and want to contribute directly to advancing local clinical research, check out the study details and screening requirements on the Woodland Research Website.
In a major federal development, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to accelerate clinical trials, scientific data-sharing, and healthcare infrastructure for rapid-acting psychiatric therapies, including psilocybin, MDMA, and ibogaine derivatives.
“America owes every Veteran the best care our nation can provide,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We’re not going to wait while promising treatments sit on the sidelines.”
This multi-year agreement directly operationalizes Executive Order 14401 (Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness). Under the MOU, the HHS and VA will coordinate clinician training, harmonize safety protocols, and establish real-world evidence pipelines so that the VA medical system is fully equipped to deploy novel therapies as they move toward potential FDA approval.
🔗 Read the Official HHS Announcement: HHS & VA Announce Partnership to Advance Rapid-Acting Mental Health Treatments
🔗 Read the VA Press Release: VA and HHS Sign MOU to Improve Cooperation on Psychedelic Drug Trials
In 2026, our neighbors to the north emerged as an unexpected epicenter for state-level psychedelic policy reform in the Heartland. Once considered an improbable topic for the state Capitol, alternative therapies for mental health—specifically psilocybin and ibogaine—moved to the forefront of legislative debate.
Driven by bipartisan coalitions of military veterans, healthcare advocates, and law enforcement groups, Missouri lawmakers introduced a suite of four major legislative proposals: HB 1717, SB 90, HB 2817, and HB 2961.
While all four measures ultimately expired when the General Assembly adjourned in May 2026, their progress has shown a marked shift in attitudes towards psychedelics in the Heartland.
Rather than pursuing broad recreational or commercial markets (like Colorado and Oregon), Missouri’s 2026 reform efforts fell into two distinct, highly medicalized categories: supervised psilocybin access models and state-funded ibogaine clinical research.
Both HB 1717 (sponsored by Rep. Richard West, R) and SB 90 (sponsored by Sen. Stephen Webber, D) were designed to grant military veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors legal access to psilocybin under strict clinical oversight:
Eligible Populations & Conditions: Focused on adults 21 and older suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder, substance use disorders, or end-of-life care needs. SB 90 also explicitly extended protections to survivors of human trafficking.
Clinical Supervision: Required mandatory participation in an approved study, oversight by licensed facilitators, advance notification to the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH), and safety testing by state-licensed laboratories.
Dosing Cap: Capped therapeutic administration at 150 mg of psilocybin analyte (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) per patient over any 12-month period.
Right-To-Try Expansion: Amended state “Right-to-Try” statutes to remove exemptions for Schedule I substances, allowing manufacturers to supply investigational psychedelic compounds to terminally or severely ill patients.
HB 1717 (The Breakthrough Vehicle): HB 1717 became the primary engine of the 2026 session. In February, House committees combined HB 1717 with companion psilocybin and ibogaine measures (forming HCS HBs 1717 & 1643). On April 2, 2026, the bill made state history by passing the full House floor in a landslide 137–11 vote. Moving to the Senate, both the Emerging Issues and Fiscal Oversight committees reported the bill favorably with “Do Pass” recommendations. However, on May 7, 2026, amid end-of-session logjams, the bill was placed on the Senate Informal Calendar and died without a final floor vote.
SB 90 (The Senate Companion): SB 90 successfully navigated the Senate Families, Seniors, and Health Committee, earning a “Do Pass” recommendation. However, as HB 1717 arrived from the House with veto-proof momentum, Senate leadership set SB 90 aside to focus on the House vehicle, leaving SB 90 stalled in committee queue at session end.
While psilocybin bills focused on supervised administration, HB 2817 (sponsored by Rep. Matthew Overcast, R) and HB 2961 (sponsored by Rep. Richard West, R) tackled the synthetic plant alkaloid ibogaine. Jointly titled the Veterans Mental Health Innovation Act, these identical measures focused heavily on severe opioid addiction, co-occurring substance use disorders, and traumatic brain injury (TBI):
FDA-Supervised Research Grants: Directed the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to issue state grants funding FDA-supervised clinical trials evaluating ibogaine.
Dual State Funds:
Ibogaine Study Fund: Received state appropriations and private grants to fund trial operations.
Ibogaine Intellectual Property Fund: Recaptured revenue generated from patent rights and commercial licensing from state-funded trials, redirecting all profits toward long-term veteran assistance programs.
Hospital-Only Protocol: Mandated that if ibogaine ever receives FDA approval, administration must occur strictly within a hospital or licensed medical facility under physician care.
Introduced in early January 2026, both bills were referred to the House Emerging Issues Committee. On February 25, 2026, committee members merged the two proposals into a consolidated substitute (HCS HBs 2817 & 2961) and voted it out 8–1. The bill cleared the House Rules Committee (9–2) on April 1 and reached the House Perfection Calendar.
However, because key funding and study mechanisms from these bills were simultaneously merged into HB 1717, lawmakers focused their floor energy on HB 1717. Consequently, HCS HBs 2817 & 2961 remained on the House calendar and expired at adjournment.
Although none of the four bills reached the Governor’s desk, labeling the 2026 session a failure misses the broader political shift.
Unprecedented Bipartisan Consensus: The overwhelming 137–11 vote on HB 1717 proved that therapeutic psychedelic reform is no longer a partisan sticking point in Missouri.
Standardized Statutory Blueprint: The legislative text crafted across HB 1717, SB 90, and the ibogaine bills—establishing facilitator standards, 150 mg dosing limits, and IP fund structures—now provides a pre-tested template for future sessions.
Paving the Way for 2027: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have already signaled plans to reintroduce unified psilocybin and ibogaine legislation in the next session, leveraging the committee approvals and House victory achieved in 2026.
Growing Together in Community and Insight
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who opens their homes, shares their talents, and supports our mission. If you’d like to keep the momentum going:
🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to catch recorded symposium talks and class footage.
👕 Visit the PSoAR Store to grab gear that sparks meaningful conversations.
🧪 Check out the Rogers Study if you are interested in contributing directly to local scientific research.
Thank you for being an essential part of this journey with us. Until next time, stay grounded, stay curious, and keep connecting.
With gratitude,
The Psychedelic Society of Arkansas (PSoAR) Team
Beth Day, President - beth@psoar.org
James Redmond, Vice President, Media Director - james@psoar.org
Lisa Roark, Secretary, Eureka Springs Chapter Leader - lisa@psoar.org
Kendra Adair, Treasurer, Membership Director - kendra@psoar.org
Kelly Dundon, Education and Development Director - kelly@psoar.org
Joseph Hood, Ethics Director - joseph@psoar.org
Dr. Christopher Knox, Central Arkansas Chapter Leader - drchristopherknox@psoar.org
Gear Up: The Official PSoAR Merch Store is Live
Want to support PSoAR and spark meaningful conversations in your everyday life? Get loud and proud with official PSoAR gear! We are proud to introduce the new PSoAR Store on Printful: psoar.printful.me.
All items are dropshipped directly to your door. Every purchase helps fund our ongoing educational initiatives and community events.
We are happy to officially announce the launch of the PSoAR YouTube Channel! You can now subscribe and watch our content at youtube.com/@PSoARkansas.
Subscribe to the PSoAR YouTube Channel
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