Global Psychedelic Summit 2026
by Jess Maude
I was incredibly lucky to have been invited to attend the Global Psychedelic Society Summit in Portugal, which ran from the 23rd to the 27th of September. There I met with other psychedelic society leaders from all around the world, from countries such as Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, South Africa, Brazil and Germany. I had travelled the furthest though!
I arrived in the afternoon in Porto and spent the evening and next morning sight-seeing with a bit of shopping, before meeting with two other attendees, Chad from Orlando, Florida and Aurelija from Serbia. Together we drove to The Garden, an hour north of Porto. When we arrived, it was like a garden of Eden: lush forest surrounding natural streams, a swimming lake, sauna, forest spa, cold plunge spring, a bouldering wall and so much land to explore. I had a bell tent. It was so comfortable and I felt at home. The food was incredible, with fresh vegetarian food made three times a day. There was so much to choose from and every mouthful was divine.
On arrival we were greeted with a small welcome ritual, where we found something that represented our journey and intention while being there. So I chose a leaf that looked like a firework because I wanted to learn, share, make friends and have an explosive experience. I wasn’t wrong.
We had a welcome ceremony the first evening, welcoming everyone and having time to meet each other. The following day we had a full day of collaboration and connection. We heard about the Global Psychedelic Society’s projects and how the program would run for the summit. We came up with three themes that we wanted to explore while we were there and shared them. From those we made up topics for breakout discussions where we could share ideas. Over the two days we covered many topics, such as growing communities, psychedelic guild, bioethics and relationships, integration and transformation, and funding to name a few. That night we had a good old sing along by the fire with kava, which I have never been a fan of.
We had the morning off Friday while other guests who were connected to psychedelic societies but were not in lead roles joined us through to Sunday. After lunch we had a cacao ceremony which was beautifully done and it felt special to witness. We continued to work in groups in the afternoon and after dinner we had a talent night. I was so impressed with the talent in the room, the singing, songwriting, and incredible performances (something I didn’t partake in)
Groups continued Saturday as we spent the day in breakout groups working on topics and decisions from the week. After a beautiful outside dinner, we had the closing ceremony and said our goodbyes, hung our updated intentions up, which we wrote on the first day. That was followed by a party, where we dressed up from the vast costume wardrobe, danced and had a fabulous night. I can say it was one of the best nights I have ever had. There was so much love, respect, and fun; it was a perfect end to an awesome five days. In the morning we headed back to Porto before I left for my gruelling 26-hour flights home. I pretty much slept the whole way until about two hours before I landed, so I am feeling good!
What I found really interesting was finding out how all the different societies run. In some places, they have two different psychedelic societies in the same state that aren’t connected. That really surprised me, but they were all surprised that I oversaw the whole of the Australian Psychedelic Society and how big we are. Some societies were a few months old and others a few years old. Australia, GPS and the UK are among the oldest societies–in our case coming up on our tenth anniversary next year.
I am lucky enough to say that I definitely made some deep connections while I was there, friends that I will be connected with forever and plan to see again. Spending time with people who are as passionate about growing psychedelic communities, harm reduction and education as I am was an honour and an incredible experience. Together, we got to relax, collaborate, share experiences, have loads of fun and explore the beautiful paradise we were staying in.
It was an incredible experience, and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend the GPS summit. I gained valuable insights from the summit, and I'm confident I've learned enough to improve in my role as president. I walked away feeling so much gratitude for everyone involved, especially my committee and the GPS, who all made it happen for me. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience; I learnt so much, developed wonderful relationships, and made incredible memories. For that, I am eternally grateful.
