Deborah Starr, Ph.D

Trainee Facilitator and Integration Advisor. Deborah first arrived at the Temple in 2019 for the inaugural Healthcare Providers Program with Dr. Gabor Maté. She had already traveled to the Amazon twice to work with plant medicines, and her experience with the Temple team and Shipibo healers proved truly transformative. That encounter inspired her to deepen her commitment to this healing path, both in support of health professionals and within her own therapy practice.

Before ayahuasca entered her life, Deborah had spent more than 30 years exploring psychedelic medicines, including opportunities to learn from early pioneers such as Stan Grof, Ralph Metzner, and Sasha Shulgin. She has also contributed to the work of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies as an educator and research fundraiser, and has completed psychedelic therapist training and integration programs through both MAPS and ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Research, Education, and Service).

Her personal development has continued through surrogate and in-person dietas with Shipibo Rao. Deborah is currently on faculty at Columbia University in New York City, where she works in the Narrative Medicine department with a focus on healthcare delivery and ethnographic research. She is also a licensed therapist in private practice in NYC and holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, an M.S. in Neuroscience, and an M.S. in Narrative Medicine.

Earlier in her career, Deborah taught Transcendental Meditation and has long advocated for yoga as a body-centered therapy in support of psychological work. Her training spans a range of therapeutic models, including Compassionate Inquiry and Internal Family Systems. She also spent 15 years as a litigation consultant across the USA, is a certified court mediator, and works as a restorative justice practitioner for childhood sexual abuse.

Deborah is delighted to be part of the Temple team and remains dedicated to strengthening the integration program while helping bridge Amazonian plant medicine with healthcare systems worldwide.