Shining a light on visionary catalysts in the movement for psychedelic health equity: Meet Dr. Larry Leeman, MD, MPH

Dr. Leeman is the research lead for PHEI’s New Mexico pilot. He is a physician, researcher, and therapist with over 25 years of experience in New Mexico, focusing on addiction, trauma, and transformative healing. We dropped in with Larry for his two questions:

Q: How do you see group therapy models transforming access to psychedelic therapies for marginalized communities?

“A: The use of group psychedelic assisted therapy (PAT) can transform access to PAT for marginalized communities. In contrast with the two therapist one participant model common to clinical trials, having participants with shared affinity creates a group social identity which facilitates healing of trauma and improving mental health. The involvement of people with lived experience in the group therapy further mitigates issues of social position and shame which can limit potential participants desire to participate in PAT. The participants can eventually become the people with lived experience in their communities working with other groups. Training facilitators from the community and having a cost-effective group model supports the replication of this model outside of the group clinical trial.”

Q: What’s one transformational moment from your work with psychedelics that has shaped how you approach this field today?

“A: After deciding to become a psychedelic therapist as well as a researcher I took a deep dive into learning techniques that I thought would support preparation and integration for psychedelic sessions.  These ncluded  Holotropic Breathwork and Hakomi Somatic Mindfulness . My transformational moment was appreciating that the breathwork and   somatic awareness of Hakomi were inherently psychedelic unto themselves and that expanded states of consciousness were states that could be entered with or without plants or compounds . And that the group circle itself was the “secret sauce” that allowed people to open their heart and feelings in these transformative spaces.”

More About Dr. Leeman

He is the Director of the UNM Milagro Perinatal Substance Use Program and a board-certified Addiction Medicine specialist. His work integrates deep ecology, public health, and indigenous perspectives, inspired by his early medical training in anthropology and public health at UCSF and his studies of the communal body within Pueblo communities.

Dr. Leeman’s research includes MDMA-assisted therapy for postpartum women with PTSD and opioid use disorder, psilocybin-assisted therapy for postpartum and major depression, and the development of group psychedelic therapy models to improve access and equity. A graduate of the California Institute of Integral Studies’ Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies program, he is also certified in MDMA-assisted therapy through MAPS and trained in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy.

As a therapist, Dr. Leeman combines Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, and Holotropic Breathwork to explore expanded states of consciousness. He has facilitated psilocybin-assisted therapy in Europe and Jamaica and deeply values the transformational power of group ceremony.

Dr. Leeman lives in a solar-powered adobe home in the New Mexico bosque, where he enjoys nature, gardening, and music. He has raised three sons and remains deeply committed to advancing equitable, transformative mental health care.