A Colorado school founded on Buddhist principles has obtained a substantial sum to promote studies on another means of enlightenment.
Naropa University revealed on Feb. 25 that it has secured a US$1.5-million-dollar grant for students looking to pursue a psychedelics minor during their Bachelor of Arts degree program. The funding was obtained from Unlikely Collaborators — a philanthropic organization founded by Elizabeth Koch. Her family is one of the wealthiest and most influential in the United States.
“Psychedelics can help reveal where we’ve taken on beliefs that hold us back—causing us to doubt ourselves, act against our own best interests, or feel disconnected from what really matters.” Koch stated in the initial release about the funding. She says this scholarship empowers students to uncover and heal those inner conflicts so they can step into the world as catalysts for meaningful change.
Completion of the minor requires learners to engage with subjects like psychedelic science, therapy and the impact of entheogens on world religions. The Boulder university’s president, Charles G. Lief, says Naropa is committed to producing influential figures to help guide the rapidly evolving field of psychedelics.
“This opportunity helps students explore the therapeutic, cultural, and ecological considerations of psychedelics—paving the way for the future of psychedelic research and healing,” Naropa University said in a social media post.
This isn’t the first psychedelic education initiative the school has undertaken. In 2022, the institution started offering a non-degree certificate in psychedelic-assisted therapy through a collaboration with MAPS.
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Colorado recently decriminalized psychedelic plants
Naropa is ideally situated in one of the most progressive American states when it comes to psychedelic usage and studies. Oregon is another.
On Jan. 1, a bill decriminalizing entheogenic plants came into force in Colorado.
Additionally, Magic mushroom therapy is now permitted in clinical settings for those with a prescription. The state plans to start experimenting with the regulated use of other psychoactive substances like ibogaine, DMT and mescaline next year.
Naropa University is renowned for its pioneering work with psychedelic education and other new-age studies.
It formerly had a Center for Psychedelic Studies on its campus, but recently moved it off and turned it into a separate entity known as the Memoru Center for Visionary Healing Arts due to insurance issues. This was significantly attributable to concerns about the hands-on usage of psilocybin at the complex and its illegality at the federal level.
rowan@mugglehead.com
