Two years after our first gathering, Touch with Substance returns as a continued exploration of contact, ethics, and transformation in body-based work within expanded states. We invite practitioners, educators, and researchers to share work that engages perspectives on touch and the evolving ethical landscape of relational care.
This symposium centers grounded, consent-based approaches that honor complexity, lived experience, and responsible practice. We welcome proposals for talks, panels, case studies, and other sessions that bring depth, clarity, and skill to this emerging field.
If your work thoughtfully engages touch in expanded or non-ordinary states through clinical, cultural, or embodied lenses, we encourage you to apply and contribute to this growing, collaborative conversation. We especially welcome submissions from practitioners working at the edges who are engaging this work with care, reflection, and accountability.
Sliding Scale, Access, Reciprocity, and Community: We are continuing our commitment to access with sliding scale, closed captions, and translated subtitles in four or more languages. We are very happy to be offering a percentage of ticket sales to benefit The Shulgin Foundation.
NEW! Spacious Format: Rather than a single day event, online sessions will be distributed across the month, allowing attendees to engage with material at a more spacious, integrated pace. Presentations will be scheduled across October (approximately 1–3 sessions per week on evenings and weekends). Final schedules will be coordinated with selected presenters based on availability.
In Person: There may be limited opportunities for hands-on in person sessions as add-ons to the symposium.
Submission Deadline: July 15, 2026
Notifications: August 5, 2026
Schedule Finalized: Mid-August 2026
Click here to review the 2024 Conference