Relaunching MIND Memberships: Reflections and the Path ahead
What truly matters is not the depth of the path ahead but the movement from intention to taking the first step. This idea encapsulates my journey as a founder of the MIND Foundation and reflects the membership and community we strive to build around our vision.
How many of our blog readers know that there is an association dedicated to supporting the public-benefit mission of the MIND Foundation? Perhaps even more surprisingly, this association owns 15% of MIND’s shares. Each member of the MIND Members Association (German: Förderverein MIND Foundation e.V.) has the power to directly influence the direction of the MIND Foundation through participatory structures such as member assemblies and the Members Board. This influence, in turn, extends not only to the MIND Foundation itself but also to the broader field of psychedelic research and therapy.
The mission is as ambitious as it is clear: to bring psychedelic therapy into public health care.
As we reflected on the current state of our membership program, it became evident that this connection wasn’t obvious to everyone. It was time to bridge the gap. That’s why, on December 6th, 2024, we hosted our second MIND Members Convention. Over 60 guests—including current members and individuals interested in joining MIND—gathered to hear the latest updates from the MIND Foundation and to help co-create the future of our membership program. During the event, we unveiled a new concept featuring a range of new opportunities and offers for members.
MIND Members Convention 2024
The Members Convention opened with updates from the MIND Foundation and our clinical partner, OVID. Dr. Fabian Wenner, the current Chair of the MIND Members Association, also shared insights into the association’s origins and mission. Founded in early 2020, the association is legally recognized as charitable under German law, supporting science, education, and public health. These core principles align seamlessly with MIND’s broader goals, ensuring that every member directly contributes to MIND’s work.
But what does that contribution look like?
Clearly, membership fees provide essential funding for MIND’s mission—advancing its dual goals of integrating psychedelic therapy into public health care and fostering an ethical, sustainable culture of consciousness.
But the impact of memberships isn’t merely financial. More importantly, members serve as critical pollinators, helping to educate the public about the risks, potentials, and responsible use of psychedelics in medical and other contexts. With access to MIND’s educational activities and materials, members are uniquely positioned to promote our rational, evidence-based, and responsible approach to psychedelics—fostering informed attitudes around the world.
Continuing the discussion, I presented the upcoming relaunch of our membership program, which emphasizes the impact members have on our mission while introducing several new platforms for networking and knowledge exchange. These platforms include opportunities for peer interaction as well as mentorship. Among the key new initiatives are regular integration coaching sessions, free access to the INSIGHT Forum, "Ask Me Anything" sessions with thought leaders, peer-education formats like “Members Teach,” and more.
However, the core of our revamped membership program isn’t the benefits we offer. Most importantly, we aim to strengthen the already thriving networks within the MIND ecosystem, ensuring that each member finds their place and flourishes in the growth-oriented environments we create.
The Power of Networks and Communities
This idea of pollination extends further: the MIND ecosystem hosts a variety of networks, including the uniMIND academic journal clubs, the Augmented Psychotherapy Training Network, and numerous other groups with varying levels of formality. These range from local interest groups aligned with MIND’s vision and values to professional networks like the Mental Health Section and other Professional Sections. Every member holds the potential to plant the seeds of a glocal community.
My own journey with MIND began in just such a way. In early 2016, I was still a university student writing term papers on psychedelics, bringing with me a lifelong exposure to meditation and interest in consciousness, and a decade of interest in psychedelics. When I finally decided to move from intention to action, I attended a privately organized MAPS fundraising dinner where I met somebody who introduced me to somebody else, and so on. Half a year later, we founded MIND. With the help of many others, we have built an organization that, like today no other, has the chance of introducing classical psychedelics into a legal framework within the timespan of a few years.
What really fascinates me is that this story is by no means singular in the MIND ecosystem, and it illustrates the importance of taking a step. At the Members Convention 2024, we heard similar stories from our networks. These journeys remind us that every connection, every conversation, has the potential to shape the future. And I sincerely mean it: signing up for a membership can be such a first step.
Building the Future Together
As we look ahead, the insights from the Members Convention will guide our next steps. We brought many ideas to the event and expanded on them together with our guests in various discussion formats and rounds.
Some of the key takeaways for the next year – which, thankfully, align perfectly with what was planned already – are that we will develop a more inclusive language to reach more people better, and to create further opportunities for personal exchange both online and offline. A new working group was introduced at the Members Convention, namely the Resonance Section, in which we’ll explore how sociological Resonance Theory can serve as a puzzle piece not only to lead a “good life” [1], but also how it may complement our understanding of a culture of consciousness and its enculturation, and last but not least, how it can support the growth processes of our members and community.
The MIND Members Convention 2024 was inspiring and joyful. It was marked by intelligent contributions from everyone and sprinkled with laughter – the perfect antidote to a somewhat gloomy evening in late fall. And a perfect kick-off for a fantastic new year with great opportunities in the MIND Membership.
Join Us
The Members Convention reminded us of the incredible power of our members to shape the future. If you’ve ever considered becoming a part of this growing community, there’s no better time than now. Together, we can bring psychedelic therapy into public health care.
Learn more about memberships here:
Sources:
1. Rosa, H. (2016). Resonanz: Eine soziologie der weltbeziehung. Suhrkamp verlag.
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