Nikki Wyrd - A Tribute
Dear Breakero,
It is with great sadness that we have to inform you all of the passing of one of our Directors and Trustees, Nikki Wyrd.
Nikki was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and, despite undergoing various treatments, she passed peacefully on the morning of Saturday 1st August, under the care of her two wonderful daughters, Rose and Ari.
Nikki’s journey at Breaking Convention began as an attendee at our first conference, in 2011 at the University of Kent. When the conference then moved to the University of Greenwich, in 2013, Nikki noticed that the organisation could do with some help. To quote one of our Founders, David Luke:
“Nikki could see I was juggling far too many balls, and badly, and jumped in, like a loon, and helped to keep so many in the air, and was very much a vital force for making all the madness manageable in her delectable way. She was always suitably supportive and un-phased by anything…”
Nikki’s background as an academic, writer, book editor and occultist lent perfectly to her joining the Breaking Convention team, and so she was invited to officially join the committee and became a Director. She has been an indispensable member of the team and has played a vital part in the evolution of Breaking Convention and the wider psychedelic scene as a whole, with her involvement in other organisations like Psychedelic Press.
Nikki was fortunately able to present at our most recent one-day event in Woolwich in May 2026. Her talk was titled “Approaching Death.” She spoke not only about the parallels between the end-of-life experience and the psychedelic experience, but also about how she had been dealing with her own cancer diagnosis and how useful the transformative power of psychedelics had proved in helping her deal with the life/death transition. She presented so beautifully, and despite experiencing some physical difficulties and discomfort that weekend, she seemed very strong still. Little did we know that mere months later she would make this transition.
Breaking Convention started as a group of friends coming together with a shared vision of creating a gathering for academics, shamanic practitioners, clinicians, writers, therapists, and psychonauts to share knowledge and connect. Because of this, the connections made at Breaking Convention have developed into deep friendships, especially amongst our own committee members. Nikki leaves a big hole behind, but a great legacy that we are extremely grateful for.
Here’s to our Dear Nikki
Open Pathways
Head to our YouTube channel to watch Nikki’s talks from our previous events:
Approaching Death, in conversation with Tree Carr - May 2026 at Woolwich Works, London.
Worlds Collide: Alternative Futures (Nikki chaired this session) - July 2022 at Genesis Cinema, London.
Do Psychedelic Substances Help Us Scry for a Better Tomorrow? - Aug 2017 at the University of Greenwich, London.
Psychedelics as a Tool for Directing Cognition to Enhance Embodied Awareness of the Kin - Aug 2013 at the University of Greenwich, London.
