Set the Setting: November 2025

Tragically, yet predictably, my neighbor continued to appeal my building construction permit. In her appeal, she claimed she had “new or different material facts that would have changed the outcome of the original decision.” (Hint: she did not.) Unfortunately she didn’t have any outbursts in court this time, so her performance was rather uninspiring.

The recording isn’t that satisfying but if you love following my drama, here it is! The Board of Appeals ruled unanimously in my favor, again.

Just 12 hours after clinching my courtroom victory, I was on a plane to Valley of the Seven Stars - GRiZ’s comeback music festival! It was the perfect transition to shift my focus from drama to pure joy. Valley of the Seven Stars came at the time that I needed it most.

GRiZ opened his Catching the Golden Hour set with 7 lessons from his mental health hiatus and it was exactly what I needed to hear:

Some of my Seven Stars reflections and affirmations:

1. Through my work at MAPS, I get invited to sold-out music festivals to jam out to my favorite DJs - and get paid to do it. Throughout my life I’ve made some good decisions and bad decisions, but when you put them all together, I still come out on top. This is “Exhibit A” that I am winning at life.

   

2. Delivering psychedelic workshops that empower people to embrace their own psychedelic healing journey is exactly the kind of impact I want to have in the world.

   

3. I am so proud of my colleagues Devon, Rudy, Laura, and Gina (and Jakeee) for choosing this path with me. The amount of love we received at our MAPS’ booth is the inspiration to keep doing the work, even when budgets get tight.

   

4. The type of people that come to these festivals are my community; my chosen family. Throughout the weekend I got to spend time with Ryan, Dallas, Jake, Steffi, Molly, Cami, and Jeremy - all people that I met at EDC. And I made new friends Robert, Tyler and Jess! Getting to dance and laugh with these people is an experience that I get to cherish over and over and over and over and over again.

While working the MAPS booth at the festival, a common conversation we had was a request for resources/support for tripping at home. It certainly makes sense — people want healing psychedelic experiences and until there’s an affordable and accessible option, they’re just going to do it themselves, as best they can. Here are some common resources that every psychedelic user should be aware of to set the setting for a home trip:

Unlimited Sciences Psychedelic Info Line: It’s a 100% free and confidential info line to get answers to your psychedelic questions. Unlimited Sciences offers trained navigators that provide reliable information from an extensive research library of peer-reviewed studies. I wouldn’t advise going into a home-trip feeling scared or anxious; so take the steps to feel confident about what you’re about to experience.

Psychedelic Passage - If you actually want to connect with a psychedelic coach or practitioner, check out Psychedelic Passage. You work together to build a program plan that includes substance choice, dosage, and timeline. Under the guidance of your practitioner, you’ll develop the foundation, skills, and frameworks that take you from psychedelic curious to psychedelic capable.

Fireside Project Hotline - Call or text 623-473-7433, everyday from 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. PT, if you’re in the middle of a psychedelic experience and want to talk to someone. Fireside Project sitters/helpers are here to listen deeply and from the heart during a transformative experience. To hold space. To be your loving rock. To tell you it’s all going to be okay. 100% compassionate and judgment-free. You can also schedule a trip-check where a volunteer will call you at a specific time during a planned home-trip. You don’t have to pick up, but it can be helpful to know that someone is going to check-in on you. You are never alone!

MAPS Integration Workbook - Don’t forget to integrate! Use this workbook to make sense of the insights, emotions, and changes that may arise during a psychedelic journey. Integration is an essential aspect of the psychedelic experience because these substances can bring about intense and often challenging shifts in perspective.

One thing that retail business and non-profits have in common: the importance of Q4. Non-profits get ~30-50% of their annual giving in November to December. Some orgs get 10% of their annual donations in the final 3 days of December! So MAPS’ philanthropy team is doing a big push to make sure our donors understand what they’re contributing to.

Most people know MAPS for our work with MDMA, training MDMA-therapists around the world where trauma is unfolding, and for our cutting edge policy and education work, like building psychedelic response training for First Responders.

So, where does couple therapy fit it? Why are we so focused on couples therapy - isn’t treating PTSD a more “impactful” purpose? It’s a valid question.

The short answer is that we believe MDMA for couples therapy is worth pursuing alongside our humanitarian focus on trauma because it would present the first opportunity for a psychedelic to be prescribed for elective care; that is, for a condition that does not exist in the DSM. The FDA’s division of psychiatry has never approved a drug for a non-DSM condition, however, they explicitly told us there is no reason they cannot do so.

In one couples study, where one partner had PTSD and the other did not, MDMA was introduced as part of cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy (CBCT). This helped the couple separate the PTSD from the relationship. There were significant improvements in clinician-assessed, patient-rated, and partner-rated PTSD symptoms, as well as patient depression, sleep, emotion regulation, and trauma-related beliefs.

That MDMA for CBCT study was certainly not the first couples therapy study, but it was a nice tie-in for treating PTSD in a couples therapy context. MAPS is proud to be sponsoring Dr. Anne Wagner’s current MDMA for Couples Therapy study to deepen out understanding of the pharmacological effects as an adjunct to psychotherapy:

Part of our mission at MAPS is to sponsor cutting edge, precedent-setting research that would not otherwise get funded without for-profit pharmaceutical interest. If you believe in the power of psychedelics to heal our humanity, to create happier, healthier and more resilient communities, please consider a donation to MAPS if you have the financial means to contribute.

You and me both, Jon! I grew up on trance, it will always have a special place in my heart. My taste in EDM tends to match the vibes of my life, so as I’m entering a season of love, I am thrilled to announce I’ll be at Dreamstate! And after that, driving to Sedona to meet up with family for Thanksgiving (and hikes, energy vortexes, and pickleball). Hit me up Dreamstate/Phoenix fam!