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Mark A. Bolden is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling at Bowie State University’s CACREP-accredited Mental Health program. He serves as a co-adviser to the African Psychology Student Association and adviser to the Student Circle of the Association of Black Psychologists. He has been an active member of the Association of Black Psychologists since 1998 serving on the national board as Eastern Regional Representative and Washington, D.C. Metro chapter board. Dr. Bolden interned at Progressive Life Center under the supervision of Dr. Carl Hampton in 2001-2002. He holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in African Psychology. He has published in the Journal of Black Psychology and the Journal of Pan African Studies. On-going projects include works on African Liberation Psychology and Ethics, the psychology of African Warriorship, the Boondocks and Black Power, Freeing All Black Political Prisoners, and the use of psychedelics among African peoples among others with colleagues.

Pathways to Healing: NTU™ Psychotherapy and Psychedelics

The presentation will apply an NTU™-based approach to the cosmic and clinical mental health utility of plant medicines in current and historic African societies. Reviews of extant theoretical and empirical research on psychedelics will be provided. Special tribute will be paid to the work of Ahati Kilindi Iyi and the warrior sciences and societies that use entheogens to cultivate and transform the human character. Finally, case studies will be shared on the outcomes of psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration to address trauma.