Paula and I are sad to share the news that our partner and Expanse co-founder, Dr Jeffrey Sawyer, died suddenly last week, exactly 1 week after Expanse opened its doors. The impact of his death will be felt by the community for many years to come. However, it gives new meaning and purpose to the clinic, and we will endeavor to honor Jeff’s legacy here at Expanse.
As a psychiatrist, Dr Sawyer was not afraid to “crawl out onto the skinny branches” and provide cutting edge care for his patients. He dismissed unscientific concepts like “cross-addiction” and lamented how they prevented individuals from receiving life-changing treatment for years until they found him. We are sad knowing that his work to mentor and train a new generation of prescribers and clinicians remains unfinished.
Dr Sawyer is also credited with having introduced a host of therapists and clinicians here in Minnesota to Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP). After traveling to Colorado to engage in his own experiential work, Dr Sawyer came back and organized two separate training cohorts for local clinicians. We now offer this exciting new approach here at Expanse, and have some of the most experienced, seasoned clinicians ready to work with you.
As a friend and colleague, Jeff’s sharp mind and impressive wit will be missed dearly. He was one of the funniest people we know, always ready with a clever retort or a hilarious perspective on a difficult problem. We made an incredible team and it felt like together, we could achieve anything.
We will press on. We are excited about the future and know that he would want us to realize the vision we all had in mind when we started dreaming up Expanse MN. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time and we hope to have some updates on ways that we will honor his legacy and his impact on the community in Minnesota and beyond. In the meantime, we will continue our work changing the behavioral health system and offering transformational healing to all.