Psychedelic
Yoga
Research
Collective
Board of Directors
The PYRC is governed by a voting board of directors who bring together clinical expertise, community-building experience, creative practice, and organizational knowledge. Board members volunteer their time and serve without compensation.
Patrick Scott Doerksen — Board Member & Mirror Project Practitioner
Patrick Scott Doerksen is a writer, educator, and community organizer in the psychedelic space. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University and has served as Director of Community at the Brooklyn Psychedelic Society. Patrick has coordinated speakers at Horizons and MAPS' Psychedelic Science 2023 and 2025, and teaches workshops on intentional psychedelic journeying. He writes about psychedelics on his Substack, Re-Enchantment. Patrick serves on the board of the Psychedelic Yoga Research Collective, where he leads the Mirror Project, a community-based research initiative exploring the intersection of mirror-gazing, self-compassion, and contemplative practice.
Henry Kandel — President & Founder
Henry Kandel is an educator, yoga practitioner, and the founder of the Psychedelic Yoga Research Collective. For over three decades, they have explored the intersection of learning, consciousness, and transformation — teaching subjects from physics to improvisational theater while incorporating yogic practices into every learning space. Certified as a yoga teacher and trained across multiple traditions including pranayama, meditation, jnana yoga, and Tibetan Dream Yoga, Henry developed Ketamine-State Yoga after integrating psychedelic therapy with yogic methods dissolved decades of depression and anxiety. They are the author of Yoga of the Ketamine State and lead the Psychedelic Yoga Meetup, a 5,200+ member community. Henry teaches physics and science by day and believes the spirit of fearless inquiry connects all their work.
Katarina Bartel, LCSW — Board Member & Workshop Co-Presenter
Katarina Bartel, LCSW, is a psychotherapist at Golden Psychology in New York with a background in neuroscience. She holds a Master's in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor's in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University. Katarina specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, and is certified in Motivational Interviewing. She brings clinical expertise in psychedelic integration and a commitment to trauma-informed, strengths-based care. Katarina serves on the board of the Psychedelic Yoga Research Collective, where she also co-presents in the Therapist & Healer Workshop Series.
Rob Matthews — Board Member
Rob Matthews (Shivadas) is the founder of Soma Mandala Yoga Studios in the Los Angeles area, dedicated to bringing yoga arts and psychedelic medicine together in the service of wellbeing, consciousness exploration, and transformative growth. In 2021, Rob co-founded Pala Medicine, a ketamine therapy clinic in Pasadena, California, which he operates with his wife, a physician and psychedelic medicine provider. Rob serves as a board member for the Psychedelic Yoga Research Collective.
Rob facilitates somatic and contemplative practices that open access to expanded states of awareness while grounding in nervous system resilience. His approach blends breathwork, chakra-based embodiment, and trauma-informed pacing to help seekers transition from dysregulation to inner coherence. Yoga and psychedelics have both played a major role in Rob's physical and mental health journeys. As a facilitator and yoga teacher, he has worked with hundreds of clients, sitting for more than 1,000 psychedelic journeys.
Jennifer Fistere — Board Member
Jennifer Fistere is a psychedelic preparation and integration coach based in Brooklyn, New York. Her practice, Prepare and Integrate, supports individuals in navigating transformational experiences through preparation, mindful exploration, and integration into daily life. Jennifer has trained with the Embody Lab, Being True to You, and the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and Tam Integration, bringing a somatic, trauma-informed, and heart-centered, experiential approach to her work. She serves on the board of the Psychedelic Yoga Research Collective, contributing her expertise in psychedelic integration and community-centered healing