Byron Bay Screening – The Way of the Psychonaut: Stanislav Grof’s Journey of Consciousness (Incl. Q&A)

Tania de Jong AM is the co-Founder and Executive Director of Mind Medicine Australia. She regularly presents on psychedelic-assisted therapies, mental health and wellbeing at major conferences and events around the world and to Governments, regulators, clinicians, philanthropists and the general public.

Tania is one of Australia’s most successful female entrepreneurs and innovators developing 6 businesses and 4 charities including Creative Universe, Creativity Australia and With One Voice, Umbrella Foundation, Creative Innovation Global, Pot-Pourri and The Song Room.

Tania was named in the 100 Women of Influence, the 100 Australian Most Influential Entrepreneurs and named as one of the 100 most influential people in psychedelics globally in 2021. Tania’s TED Talk has sparked international interest. Tania has garnered an international reputation as a performer, speaker, entrepreneur and a passionate leader for social change. Her mission is to change the world, one voice at a time!

As an investment banker Peter Hunt AM advised local and multi-national companies and governments in Australia for nearly 35 years.  He co-founded one of Australia’s leading investment banking advisory firms, Caliburn Partnership and was Executive Chairman of Greenhill Australia. Peter was a member of the Advisory Panel of ASIC and chaired the Vincent Fairfax Family Office.

Peter is an active philanthropist involved in funding, developing and scaling social sector organisations which seek to create a better and fairer world.  He is Chairman of Mind Medicine Australia which he established with his wife, Tania de Jong, in 2018. He regularly presents to Governments, regulators, clinicians, philanthropists and the general public on psychedelic-assisted therapies and the legal and ethical frameworks needed to ensure these treatments can be made accessible and affordable. He was the lead author of Mind Medicine Australia’s successful rescheduling applications for MDMA and psilocybin, which made Australia the first country in the world to reschedule these medicines.

He founded Women’s Community Shelters in 2011. Peter is a Director of The Umbrella Foundation. Peter also acts as a pro bono adviser to Creativity Australia.  He was formerly Chairman of So They Can, Grameen Australia and Grameen Australia Philippines.

Peter was made a member of the General Division of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2010 for services to the philanthropic sector.

Patrick has been working as a Jungian Psychoanalyst for 25 years doing long-term psychotherapy. He works from his office in Bangalow NSW and also through Zoom. Patrick is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Jungian Analysts (ANZSJA), the International Association of Analytical Psychology (IAAP) and is the secretary of the Australasian Confederation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies (ACPP).

Kerry Soorley is a nurse of 44 years, mother of four and grandmother to nine, specialising in palliative care. She had suffered depression, addictions and suicidal ideation all her life. “Trauma by omission” Gabor Mate calls it. Forced adoption of first child and death of her father during pregnancy at 16 just escalated her mental health issues further including suicide attempt and hospitalisation. Every antidepressant, therapy, book, course and seminar all failed and just left her feeling hopeless and wanting to die even though she was so blessed. At age 58 she had opportunity to try DMT. It reset my brain and gave me, joy, self-love and connection for the first time in my life. It’s not called the God molecule for nothing. She is committed and passionate to helping others get benefits of psychedelic therapy in a safe environment and sees great potential for palliative care as well.

Van is first and foremost a heart-led man who lives through an intention of self-responsibility.

He was gifted the opportunity to live a childhood dream as a professional Rugby Union player in Australia and abroad over 13 years, and as a professional coach over 7 years nationally.
Van worked in a theatre support role for Orthopaedics and devices for three years on retirement and fell passionately into Permaculture organic farming and its synergistic relationship with nature and cycles.

Navigating childhood experience around poverty, scarcity, lack and abuse, and as an adult through physical injuries, the loss of a child, sister and brother, he has felt divinely guided through his polarising experiences towards a place of radical love and acceptance.

Van’s life has been deeply shaped with what was an initial curiosity with health and well-being related to performance that drew him to natural modalities that include breathwork, ayahuasca, psilocybin, CBD, THC and cacao. He credits these treatments with changing the course of his life.

Today, Van is blessed as the custodian of 2 beautiful children and an opportunity to share all these modalities through service in Rugby Union, breathwork facilitation, ceremonial guide, stress and performance mentor and regenerative agriculture farmer.