Who We Are
Our Mission
Advancing transparency, accountability, and psychological well-being in the face of humanity's most consequential disclosures.
PATH is a professional organization devoted to psychological preparedness, ethical planning, and evidence-informed discussion regarding the potential societal impact of paradigm-changing discoveries. It does not advocate any predetermined conclusion.
Preparation is one of the most effective forms of prevention. PATH welcomes professionals, including psychologists, mental health professionals, educators, scientists, researchers, students, and thoughtful citizens of all theoretical orientations and scientific perspectives to process the unfolding information.
We do not wait for hurricanes before training disaster response teams. We do not wait for pandemics before developing public health strategies. We do not wait for acts of terrorism, school violence, or community tragedies before preparing clinicians to respond. Rather, we recognize that thoughtful preparation reduces suffering, promotes resilience, and allows communities to respond with wisdom rather than fear.
PATH seeks to:
- 01Advance scholarly dialogue regarding the potential psychological implications of official disclosure.
- 02Foster collaboration among psychologists and professionals from related disciplines.
- 03Develop evidence-informed educational resources that promote resilience, emotional regulation, and critical thinking.
- 04Offer professional presentations and discussion forums.
- 05Encourage ethical public communication grounded in compassion rather than sensationalism.
- 06Support research into the psychological dimensions of worldview-changing events.
- 07Assist institutions, communities, educators, healthcare systems, governments, and families in preparing thoughtfully for disclosure and uncertainty should the need ever arise.
Our Commitment
PATH neither advocates for nor opposes assertions concerning non-human intelligence. Questions regarding evidence are the responsibility of scientists, investigators, policymakers, governments, and other relevant experts. Our responsibility is to consider the human response should such a paradigm-changing event ever occur. History demonstrates that humanity occasionally encounters events that fundamentally alter how people understand themselves and their place in the world. Our work draws upon well-established principles of disaster mental health, crisis intervention, resilience research, trauma psychology, developmental psychology, ethics, and compassionate public communication — so that, whatever the future brings, we are prepared to serve humanity with wisdom, scientific integrity, and compassion.
Ready to go deeper?
Explore Our Founding Principles