Set the Setting: July 2024
Meme Drop, Am I in a "therapy cult"?, Electric Forest Recap, Set the Setting Guest Playlist: BigB's 2Tall for ya, Photo Drop
Meme Drop
I LOVE Costco but I never imagined buying clothes there. I’m a fashionista! But… never-say-never. A few weeks ago I bought this two-pack of linen shorts from Costco (size: youth large, color: pink). They’re soft, snug but not tight, my ideal length (mid-thigh) and they were $3 off!
So, now I am settling into the reality that I identify as someone who buys clothes at Costco. Honestly, I think there’s some truth in the meme: I just don’t care as much about what I wear! I’ve noticed a few other mindset shifts over the past year. For example, the plates, cups and flatware don’t match in the apartment I’m subletting… it bothered me a few months ago and then at some point, I realized it didn’t. And I was laughing at myself for being bothered in the first place!
It feels nice. I’m letting go of my ego a bit and living a lifestyle that is sustainable and authentically joyful; rather then spending energy and money on things that don’t really matter.
Am I in a “therapy cult”?
Last month, the FDA’s Advisory Committee overwhelmingly voted against MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT). There is still a chance the FDA approves MDMA-AT because the FDA doesn’t always follow the independent Advisory Committee. We should find out the final decision by August 11th. That’s our Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date — the deadline that the FDA set to review our New Drug Application (NDA).
Fortunately, MAPS and Lykos Therapeutics (formerly MAPS PBC - our pharma subsidiary that conducted the clinical trials) have been facing these types of headwinds since inception. One of the FDA members was concerned that MDMA-AT might cause people to use cocaine after their treatment. Another person on the committee said she didn’t think MDMA-AT was necessary because “there are already effective treatments for PTSD.”
I have so much to say about that, but I am letting my communications team present a united front against those statements.
But the claim being made against me that I want to address is that I’m in a “therapy cult.” It feels like there’s a concerted effort against MAPS and they’re really throwing the book at us, no matter how absurd. When the New York Times published the “therapy cult” critique, I figured I should give it some serious thought.
“Am I in a therapy cult?”
Some of the people trying to take us down brought up the fact that people in a cult will always deny that they’re in a cult. Sneaky strategy! If I push back on the idea, the more they can say “SEE, HE IS IN A CULT!”
If I was in a cult, I would be the Sheela of my cult. (watch Wild Wild Country on Netflix if you don’t know about the Osho / Rajnesshee Cult). I wouldn’t want to be the leader per se, I would be the shadow-y mastermind behind the scenes.
As the Sheela of MAPS-the-therapy-cult, I would be especially proud of the fact that I duped investors into putting $100m into our cult’s Series A round earlier this year! I would have made fake financial projections that passed through all of their due diligence (lol, right?!).
Another sign of a good cult is that they make you cut ties with your family; they control your entire life and convince you to give them all your money. This is where MAPS would not make for a good cult. We’ve had a good amount of employee attrition lately (employees are free to leave at any time, but please give 2 weeks notice!) and we don’t require you to give us your money, in fact, we pay you. Leadership team salaries are transparent in our federal I-990 filings. My salary is on Page 8.
Another reason I’m likely not in a cult is because cult leaders often physically and sexually abuse their members. Ummm… I work in HR — we try not to do that here.
So anyway, I feel pretty confident that I’m not in a cult. And I wish that we could all have more measured, more focused conversations about MDMA-AT’s actual risks. All of these hyperbolic claims that are being thrown around are a distraction from the science and the conversations that are actually worth having.
I am, however, obsessive and cult-y about making MDMA-AT a legal treatment to treat PTSD — guilty as charged. If the August 11th decision goes in our favor, it means MDMA-AT will be an approved treatment for insurance coverage, medicare, and VA healthcare. It would mean MDMA would be regulated according to its risks. And it would mean people that have been suffering from PTSD could receive a novel treatment that appears to be way more effective than any existing treatment.
You can show your support for MDMA-Assisted Therapy by signing on the letter at www.ApproveMDMATherapy.com
Electric Forest Recap
WOWOWOW my first time at Electric Forest was a blast!! I’ll try to recap it in some pictures and videos, knowing that I won’t be able to do it justice:
Top Left: The moments of rave magic started at the airport! Completely unplanned — Jess and I flew into Chicago wearing the same Buc-ee’s crop top / same outfit!
Top Right: “Show me that dick!” Raving with my boys on Day 1. The Everything Always Set (John Summit B2B Dom Dolla) was incredible! My two favorite tech-house artists crushed it.
Bottom Left: Our outfit theme: inflatables! Everybody at Electric Forest lets their freak flag fly, so the general people watching was definitely a highlight.
Bottom Right: While there was some heavy rain the last 2 days of the festival, we had an incredible Airbnb on Lake Michigan (thank you for coordinating, Ryan!). While we missed out on some music, I was just as happy for some quality time with my squad. We’re all live in different cities (e.g. Dallas, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, LA, Nashville, Savannah, etc) so spending quality time with my chosen family made the weekend extra special.
The group consensus was that the Honeycomb stage was the best. Unlike the main stages, the Honeycomb stage is a 360 stage with the DJ in the middle and various platforms around it. The surround sound, in the woods, made for incredible vibes:
When the sun went down, the forest shines! The Sultan + Shepard B2B Le Youth set was LIT!
Here’s the Track ID. As the memory starts to fade, I still like to close my eyes, imagine that I’m still swaying to the that warm breeze and vibing with in the crowd:
The other set I was looking forward to the most was the Hyperbeam set (Odd Mob B2B OMNOM) which we thoroughly enjoyed in our inflatable outfits!
All in all, my Electric Forest experience was a 10/10 and I can’t wait to go back! Next year, the festival will be at the same time as Psychedelic Science 2025 (damnit!) but do yourself a favor and put both events on your 2025 calendar.
Set the Setting Guest Playlist: BigB’s 2Tall for ya EDM Playlist
I met this guy at EDC last year named Brett. He was introduced to the group by Tawny… so imagine my surprise when he’s the most normcore guy I’ve ever met. (Wikipedia’s definition of Normcore is: a fashion trend characterized by unpretentious, average-looking clothing). In our group of weirdos, his “weird” is that he’s SO NORMAL!
Brett moved to SF a year ago and I have truly enjoyed Brett’s presence and friendship. I love watching him blossom in SF. Compared to his upbringing in Orange County, everything in SF is wild to him and I crack up watching his reaction to whatever weird SF thing I’m up to. He’s like a big, adult baby! Having Brett around is constant entertainment. Drunk women love hitting on him just because he’s 7’2” (or something like that). It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Love ya Brett!
His playlist is a trip down memory lane for all the late-in-life EDM bloomers. Make sure to save it because it’s updated weekly with the latest bops:
Photo Drop
DOUBLE BULLSEYE!