Louis Belleau, M.A.
Why do molecules produced by living organisms reliably occasion experiences of mystical insight and connection — the kinds of experiences that have anchored humanity's religious, ethical, and contemplative traditions across cultures and millennia? This is the question that has guided my work for over a decade.My research examines how psychedelic-producing organisms participate in human cognition within broader ecological systems. Drawing on systems theory, enactive cognition, and biosemiotics, I am developing the concepts of ecological cognition and cognitive symbiosis — recognizing "the mind" not as an exclusively human or brain-produced phenomenon but as a relational process emerging from interaction between organisms and their environments. From this perspective, psychedelics are biosignals: biologically evolved molecules that reliably modulate cognition in ways that can help us better understand ourselves and the nature of our relationship with mind, planet, and beyond.I completed a triple major in Psychology, Philosophy, and Religious Studies at McGill University, followed by an MA in Psychedelics and Consciousness Studies at the University of Ottawa, where I developed the Psygaia Framework. I intend to continue this research at the doctoral level. I am the founding researcher and executive director of Psygaia, a nonprofit advancing ecological and systems-based approaches to psychedelics through research, education, and a growing community of practice — moving beyond narrowly biomedical or individualistic models of mental health toward greater ethical and ecological coherence.I am a teacher of yoga — understood as a complete path. My training and path spans Zazen, Vipassana, Dzogchen, extended silent retreat, Ashtanga yoga teacher training, Breathwave training, learning from Indigenous elders, and over a decade of humble listening and learning from plant and mushroom intelligences in various contexts (from solo exploration to psychedelic-assisted therapy and traditional plant medicine ceremony). Today, I teach in private practice and rehabilitation settings, and lead retreats focused on contemplative inquiry, psychedelic experience and integration, and relational healing.My work is an ongoing inquiry pursued through research, practice, and the careful integration of multiple ways of knowing.Thank you for being here and your interest in this work.All my relations 🌎