Psychedelics & the Police: A MAPS Podcast Conversation with Zach Leary & Sarko Gergerian

Think all cops are against drugs? Think again. In this in-person recording of the popular MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) podcast, join host Zach Leary as he interviews Winthrop, Massachusetts police lieutenant Sarko Gergerian. Sarko is a MAPS-trained MDMA-assisted psychotherapist, an outspoken critic of the drug war, an advocate for decriminalization and harm reduction, and a proponent of psychedelics as tools for civilians -- AND police officers -- to heal from trauma, build resilience, and unite to find common ground.  At a time when tensions are flaring between police officers and those they are meant to protect, and considering that PTSD has become an epidemic in the first responder community (more die by suicide than in active duty), Sarko believes drug (and healing) reform is needed and the conversation around drugs and mental health must change. You don't want to miss this educational, thoughtful, and taboo-breaking conversation between Zach and Sarko, and the Q & A you can participate in after the discussion.

THE SPEAKERS:

Sarko Gergerian is a lieutenant and psychotherapist in the Winthrop, Massachusetts Police Department and recently trained to become an MDMA-assisted psychotherapist through the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). As part of this training, he participated in MAPS' Phase II MDMA trials where he experienced MDMA himself. 

He practices psychotherapy with adults at night, and his education, work, and life experiences have shaped the way he practices policing and psychotherapy. He is called to action by his psychospiritual religious convictions. Sarko is also a founding member of the Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery Program (CLEAR) in Winthrop, a speaker with LEAP (Law Enforcement Action Partnership), and he was featured in episode 3 of Netflix's docuseries, "How to Change Your Mind." Sarko received his Bachelor of Science degree in Philosophy & Religion with a minor in Psychology from Northeastern University. He earned his Master of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling and Psychological Services from Salem State University. He is currently enrolled in Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Doctorate in Depth Psychology program.

Zach Leary is a podcaster,  writer, facilitator, cognitive dissident, yogi, psychedelic advocate, and also the son of the famed Timothy Leary. He hosts the “It’s All Happening with Zach Leary” podcast and “The MAPS Podcast.” He works in Austin, Texas as an integration specialist and also serves as a psilocybin facilitator at the Evolution Retreat Center in Negril, Jamaica. His new book, “And Now, The Work Begins – Psychedelics in the 21st Century and How to Use Them," is slated to be released in 2023. Zach is also a practitioner of bhakti yoga as taught through many of the vedantic systems of Northern India. Through the practice of bhakti yoga, he has found keys that unlock doorways that allow the soul to experience it’s true nature of being eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. In addition to bhakti yoga, Zach has been influenced by many different methods and traditions of consciousness exploration ranging from trans-humanism to Buddhism and clinical psychology.

***TICKETS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS ARE FREE.  

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