In a unique fusion of education and festival vibe, Charlotte’s Visual and Performing Arts Center recently played host to Cohobafest, a groundbreaking event focused on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. The festival, orchestrated by local artist Sweat Transfer, opened with a captivating dance performance, setting the stage for discussions on the integration of psychedelics into mainstream medicine.
Cohoba, a Charlotte-based nonprofit, is at the forefront of this movement and will soon offer ketamine-assisted therapy. Co-founder Laura Camilo Apgar expressed curiosity about the community’s response to a public event centered on psychedelics, stating, “The thought was, ‘Let’s just see who’s out there, who’s supportive, or what kind of pushback we get if we try to have a more public-facing psychedelic event.’”
The festival brought together a diverse group of attendees, including social workers, artists, policy experts, and veterans, to explore the medical applications of psychedelics. “It’s not underground, right? Like it’s not at a rave, it’s not at a festival. It’s a county building,” Apgar noted, emphasizing the event’s legitimacy and purpose.
Changing Perceptions
Gina Giorgio, the driving force behind Carolinas for Care, is advocating for increased accessibility to psychedelic treatments across North Carolina. She describes psychedelic-assisted therapy as “the practice of using a psychedelic medicine like psilocybin, MDMA, or Ibogaine in a controlled setting along with a licensed facilitator or therapist.”
The political landscape is shifting as well, with former President Trump having issued an executive order aimed at speeding up research and approvals for psychedelic drugs. While ketamine is currently approved, MDMA and psilocybin remain classified alongside substances like heroin. Trump remarked that these drugs could, quote, “save lives and reverse the crisis of serious mental illness in America.”
Giorgio collaborated with North Carolina legislators to introduce the HEAL Act, which proposed creating a task force and funding research into psychedelics. Although the bill stalled, institutions such as the Pearl Institute in Waynesville are pushing forward with their research efforts.
Transformative Therapies
Raymond Turpin, clinical director at the Pearl Institute, shared insights from a 2023 FDA-approved study that treated four patients with severe PTSD using MDMA and therapy sessions. “In 2023 and 2024, we were given permission by the FDA to treat four patients who had severe treatment-resistant PTSD,” Turpin explained.
One veteran, haunted by a recurring nightmare stemming from a traumatic event, experienced a breakthrough after just one MDMA session. Turpin recounted, “After his first MDMA session, the dream never happened again. The nightmare went away, and he hasn’t had it to this day.”
Buoyed by these results, the Pearl Institute aims to expand its research to include first responders affected by Hurricane Helene, though the cost is estimated at $25,000 per participant.
Outside the realm of official approval, individuals continue to use psychedelics, sometimes unsafely. Cohoba’s Daniel De La Cruz advocates for responsible use, highlighting the dangers of unsupervised consumption. “I 100% would prefer that people access these medicines with a licensed therapist through a psychiatrist in the absolute safest manner possible,” De La Cruz said.
At Cohobafest, he demonstrated how to use a Fentanyl test kit, a measure aimed at harm reduction. De La Cruz remains committed to pushing for psychedelic approval by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, emphasizing, “People are self-medicating, and we just want to promote harm reduction, promote education, and let people know there is a psychedelic community here in Charlotte.”
