You can find the latest information on this special event here.

September 18, 2004. Hotel recommendations from MAPS members familiar with NYC
Both the Madison Hotel and the Murray Hill East Suites are close to the event venue and in a central location convenient for sightseeing. A MAPS member comments that The Murray Hill East Suites is listed as a 2 star hotel but is much better than that. She gets her reservations from Orbitz. Another MAPS member mentioned that good flight and hotel deals were seen recently on Travelocity.

September 2, 2004. MAPS invites you to a very special benefit event on Friday, October 1st, At the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) , 540 W. 27th St., New York, NY 10001 www.cosmnyc.com or www.alexgrey.com .
( additional details can be found below in the August 27, 2004 posting.)

6:30 - Informal dinner

7:30 - Tour of the gallery by Alex Grey

8:30 - Talks by leading psychedelic researchers

Dr. Michael Mithoefer - MDMA/PTSD study
Dr. John Halpern - MDMA/cancer anxiety study at Harvard's McLean Hospital
Dr. Charlie Grob - Psilocybin/cancer anxiety study at Harbor UCLA, a Heffter Research Institute study)
Valerie Mojeiko - Ibogaine outcome study
Brandy Doyle - Rites of Passage project , Psychedelic emergency services at Burning Man
Rick Doblin - MAPS strategic overview

9:45 - Group photo by light painter/photographer Dean Chamberlain. See his photo from MAPS' June 2004 gathering at Laura Huxley's home here.

10:00 - The Body Electric All-night Dance Celebration. Live electronic music, local and visiting DJs, juice bar, free water, bodypainting, bodywork, chill space, interactive art adventures, breakfast and more.

10:15 - Speakers will talk again with question and answer session

7:00 AM Breakfast

Dinner, Talks, and Dance Celebration - $100 per person. MAPS members will receive second dance ticket free.

RSVPs and advance payment are required for the dinner.

Dance only:

Members: $20, low-income/student (limited tickets available) $15.

New Members: $35 Basic [ receive 4 Bulletins] , $50 Basic Plus [plus a MAPS-published book], $100 supporting, $250 patron [plus two MAPS-published books], $20 low-income/student

Capacity limited - advance payment encouraged. For more info contact Valerie on 941 924-6277 or email valerie at valerie@maps.org

August 27, 2004. NYC MAPS Benefit Event Information 

Hello MAPS members and friends,

You are invited to a very special MAPS benefit event in New York City on October 1st at Alex Greys Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) (www.alexgrey.com), which will have just opened to the public on September 22. There will be two parts to the event. First will be an intimate dinner with a series of talks by leading psychedelic researchers, a tour of the gallery by Alex, and a group photo by light painter/photographer Dean Chamberlain (www.deanchamberlain.com) The dinner will be followed by the second part of the event, an all-night themed dance celebration, The Body Electric, named in a tribute to Alexs art and MAPS research agenda. Youre welcome to come to both, or just one.

The dinner event will start at 6:30 PM at CoSM (540 W. 27th St. 4th Fl. NYC, NY 10001). We're asking for a $100 donation per person to MAPS which also includes a ticket to the all-night dance (current MAPS members also get a second free ticket to the all-night dance). This would be an excellent opportunity for MAPS members to invite friends who may be interested in supporting MAPS to come to the dinner and/or dance and learn much more about what we have been accomplishing lately. At 7:30 to 8:30 PM, Alex Grey will give a talk about his art and show people around the Gallery. Then at 8:30 PM, we'll have short talks by Dr. Michael Mithoefer (lead researcher on the MDMA/PTSD study), Dr. John Halpern (lead researcher on the MDMA/cancer anxiety study we are trying to get approved at Harvards McLean Hospital), Dr. Charlie Grob (lead researcher on the psilocybin/cancer anxiety study- this is a Heffter Research Institute study), Valerie Mojeiko (MAPS staffer who is coordinating our ibogaine outcome study), Brandy Doyle (MAPS staffer who is coordinating our Rites of Passage project and psychedelic emergency services project at Burning Man) and Rick Doblin (MAPS strategic overview). About 9:45 PM, photographer Dean Chamberlain will take a group photo. You can view the photo that Dean took at our last MAPS benefit at Laura Huxleys house in LA. This ends the evening event. RSVPs and advance payment are required for the dinner.

At 10PM, doors open for The Body Electric, an all-night dance celebration featuring live electronic music, local and visiting DJs, and a unique opportunity to dance in the presence of the body energies that Alexs work inspires. To attend the dance celebration (without attending the dinner), join MAPS at whatever membership level you choose ($35 basic, $50 basic plus, $100 supporting, $250 patron, or $20 low-income/student). Current MAPS members can come for just $20, with a limited number of $15 tickets available for low-income/student members. In addition to the dance and the usual benefits of a MAPS membership, you are invited to hear most of the speakers listed above talk again at 10:15, and to participate in a question and answer session to learn more about this exciting research! The dance is limited to 250 people and RSVPs and advance payment are strongly encouraged. A juice bar, free water, bodywork, chill space, interactive art adventures, and breakfast will be provided. Wed love you to wear costumes, and bring drums or other fun contributions to the event!

That's the basics! To RSVP online, go to www.maps.org/donate and indicate in the final dialogue box that your donation is for The Body Electric. Alternatively, you can send a check to the address below or paypal orders@maps.org. When you RSVP, please specify which part(s) of the event you plan on attending (dinner/dance, dinner only, or dance only). If you are coming to the dinner, please let us know if you are also planning on using your ticket to the dance and, if you are already a MAPS member, if you would like to use your additional ticket to bring a guest to the dance for free, (please include the name of your guest as well). If you have any additional questions, please contact Valerie at the number listed below or by email (valerie@maps.org). Valeries Note: I will be at Burning Man from August 28-September 7 during which time Falon will be available to respond to questions by phone at the same number.

We hope to see you in NYC!

-Valerie, Rick, and Brandy