Psychedelic
Yoga
Research
Collective
Advisors
PYRC's advisors are a community of researchers, clinicians, public health and nonprofit leaders, legal counsel, and longtime friends of the work. Their guidance informs everything from the design of our research protocols to the ethics of our offerings.
Josh Barocas is an early literacy leader and member of the PYRC’s advisory board. He began his career performing as a bass player in clubs across New York City and beyond before transitioning into laboratory work and, ultimately, education. Josh spent seven years as a classroom teacher (grades 1–3) and reading specialist, developing deep expertise in early literacy development and the broad range of psychological and linguistic research that powers great teaching of young readers.
In his current role as Senior Director of Early Literacy at LINC, he focuses on innovating new approaches to early literacy with a special emphasis on strengthening family–school relationships and strengthening NYC’s literacy ecosystem. Josh is a husband, a father of two and a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, NY.
Josh Lipson, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and psychedelic researcher based at the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality. He earned his doctorate at Columbia University, with a dissertation called "Modeling the diverse trajectories of psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences", advised by Dr. Lisa Miller and in collaboration with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris. He currently runs a project studying the factors that predict psychedelic-related difficulties, as well as effective remedies and integration approaches. He also writes on a wide range of topics at Whitmanic, and moonlights as a poet and historical geneticist.
Robert Rush is an attorney and policy advocate whose work bridges law, science, and individual liberty in the evolving landscape of psychedelic and drug policy reform. He
operates an independent practice, representing scientists, facilitators, healing centers, entheogenic churches, advocacy organizations, non-profits, and emerging businesses.
Rush is also the founder of the Rights and Reason Project, a public-interest initiative dedicated to advancing cognitive liberty, evidence-based drug policy, and constitutional
accountability within administrative and criminal law. His work emphasizes the intersection of civil rights, cognitive liberty, and individual and scientific freedom, challenging administrative overreach and seeking to ensure that public policy reflects
reason rather than fear.
In 2024, Rush co-led the groundbreaking challenge against the DEA’s proposed scheduling of DOI and DOC - one of the most consequential administrative hearings in modern drug policy. His broader practice includes advising on business development, risk management, cannabis and hemp law, and the development of equitable frameworks for emerging natural medicines. Rush regularly speaks on law, policy, and science at the forefront of reform, working to create a rational and humane legal system that honors both empirical evidence and individual rights.
The advisor circle continues to grow; more introductions to come.