First Annual Gathering of the Pearl
By Emma Castleberry
The Pearl Psychedelic Institute is a nonprofit organization in Waynesville committed to advancing the research, understanding and safe administration of psychedelic substances for therapeutic purposes. They focus primarily on MDMA- and ketamine-assisted therapies. “The Pearl recognizes the extreme need for more effective mental health treatments, and psychedelic-assisted therapy offers an opportunity to rethink the way we address the PTSD, depression and anxiety that has become so prevalent in our culture,” says clinical director Raymond Turpin. “The Pearl is a nonprofit that is at the forefront of this work in the Southeast and our mission is to help shepherd these medicines into acceptance and accessibility.”
The word psychedelics has a lot of baggage and for Turpin, the decision to include that word in the name of the nonprofit was very intentional. “Part of what we’re trying to do is destigmatize,” he says. “Psychedelic means nothing more than mind manifesting. It means that there’s a compound here that will manifest the contents of the mind. And if you’re a psychiatrist or a therapist, I mean, who wouldn’t want a tool that allows the contents of the unconscious to be brought up to be worked with? Psychedelic is not a word to be scared of.”
All of the therapy done at The Pearl is completely legal. The nonprofit recently treated four individuals with treatment-resistant PTSD as part of an FDA Expanded Access Program for MDMA-Assisted Therapy. All four of those individuals no longer qualify for a PTSD diagnosis. “Watching each patient go through their individual healing process was profoundly moving,” says Turpin.
The Pearl also offers ketamine-assisted therapy (KAP) for individuals with severe depression, as well as psychedelic integration services in which they offer guidance and support for individuals looking to better incorporate insights from a past psychedelic experience. Training and education for other mental health professionals is another crucial part of the nonprofit’s services.
On Thursday, September 19, The Pearl is hosting the Third Annual Gathering of the Pearl, its biggest fundraiser of the year. The event begins at 7 p.m. at Highland Brewing Company Event Center and features live music, live painting, a silent auction, food and a cash bar. “The annual Gatherings are crucial to our work at the Pearl in that we are asking supporters to come together and help raise funds to keep the mission going, but more importantly, it pulls together our community in a way that has been really cool to watch grow,” says Turpin. “The folks that come to the Gathering each year are those that get the importance of this work and are willing to show their support for it.”
To learn more or buy tickets to the Gathering, visit PearlPsychedelicInstitute.org.
