Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: The Psychotherapy Whose Time Has Come

The need for more effective treatments of mental health issues is a nationally recognized challenge in psychiatry and psychology. Research findings strongly support the efficacy of psychedelic medicines for several clinical symptomologies and clinical trials are underway in the US, UK and EU that will likely result in the availability of MDMA and psilocybin for legal use in US medical clinics for PTSD and depression, respectively, within 2 to 4 years. Within the next several years there is a national need to train medical and mental health professionals who wish to be ready to conduct psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

This recording will begin with a review of the clinical research outcomes on psychedelic-assisted therapy for depression, anxiety, PTSD, end-of-life distress, and substance abuse. We will discuss the professional training being done by the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). The recording will offer some of the teachings from the CIIS professional training program, which includes neuropharmacology and research foundations, global transformational traditions, mindfulness practices, therapist competencies, and en vivo instruction. An engaging discussion will follow the presentation on questions about the place for such training for licensed psychotherapists and medical professionals, the future of the research, and where psychedelics fit within the newest innovations in the mental health field.