Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Topics

• Introduction to the course 
• Overview of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
• Brief history of psychedelic medicines 
• Introduction to the Numinus care model

Learning Outcomes

• Justify the prioritization of integrative and transformative mental wellness within the context of psychedelic-assisted therapy by contrasting it with conventional mental health treatment approaches.
• Describe the seven guiding principles of psychedelic-assisted therapy which include embodiment, mindfulness, trauma- and violence-informed care, justice, equity, dignity, and inclusion (JEDI), Indigenous cultural safety and humility, harm reduction, and connection for the purposes of applying these to the delivery of care.
• Describe the mission, vision, and values of Numinus.
• Describe ethical considerations for psychedelic-assisted therapy that create unique vulnerabilities for persons seeking care.
• Differentiate the outcomes of the psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine PAT from a high-level.
• Briefly explain the structure of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• Explain the impact that The Controlled Drug and Substances Act (Canada) and The Controlled Substances Act (United States) had and continue to have on psychedelic research and drug policy.

Topics

• The Therapeutic Stance 
• Co-therapy dyads
• Attachment theory
• Relationship-centered care

Learning Outcomes

• Display and embody a common understanding and language around the Numinus therapeutic stance when conducting psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• Apply Kolb’s experiential learning cycle to the client’s learning experience during and following Medicine Sessions and to the process of building a therapeutic relationship.
• Explain the role therapists play in the dynamic of creating a safe and supportive space during psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• Define and list challenges and strategies for working safely within the enhanced intimacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy and upholding appropriate boundaries.
• Identify a client’s attachment style in order to best strengthen the therapeutic relationship.
• Demonstrate how to attend to a client’s non-verbal cues.
• Compare the sensations experienced during down-regulating and up-regulating exercises in order to determine the best exercise to apply to a client’s specific need.

Topics

• Interoceptive awareness
• Embodied communication and inquiry
• Somatic resourcing
• Therapeutic supportive touch
• ACT, ACE, and psychological flexibility models
• Internal family systems
• Enhancing trust

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the role that psychedelic-assisted therapy plays as a brief intervention within the broader healing journey.
• Describe the ARC of psychedelic-assisted therapy and its components (including therapeutic concepts).
• Develop trust in inner healing intelligence.
• Use language and inquiry that support deepening a patient’s inner experience and innate healing capacity at an introductory level.
• Apply psychological flexibility to acceptance and commitment therapy, ACE model, and internal family systems.
• Embody mindfulness and psychological flexibility using the method of embodied inquiry.
• Discuss the value of practitioners to have spiritual intelligence, trust, and experience with altered states of consciousness.

Topics

• Trauma and trauma psychobiology
• Polyvagal theory
• Self regulation
• Motivational enhancement

Learning Outcomes

• Incorporate an understanding of the autonomic nervous system as it applies to trauma case conceptualization and the delivery of care.
• Differentiate between PTSD and other types of trauma.
• Describe and apply trauma-specific skills.
• Identify the framework and spectrum of structural dissociation from primary to tertiary.
• Identify protector parts and lead inquiry into a protector’s core fears.
• Safely and optimally support healing of trauma and avoid retraumatization of clients during and post-psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• Explain polyvagal theory and self-regulation as they relate to trauma.
• Differentiate between trauma therapy and other types of therapy.

Topics

• Context: set and setting
• The healing environment
• Intention setting
• Dose ranges
• Support persons
• The therapeutic ritual
• Anticipated challenges during Medicine Sessions

Learning Outcomes

• Apply the essentials of psychedelic-assisted therapy Preparation Sessions including intention setting and optimizing set and setting.
• Demonstrate how to assist a client to set therapeutic goals and clear intentions.
• Describe the therapeutic ritual (including intention and goal setting) and why it is supportive in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• Design 1-2 therapeutic rituals to incorporate in Preparation and subsequent psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions.
• Delineate the difference between psycholytic and psychedelic dose effects.
• Apply appropriate interventions across the spectrum of effects as a result of the ranges between psycholytic and psychedelic doses.
• Demonstrate proficiency in setting appropriate boundaries.
• Describe the considerations needed to conduct preparation and integration sessions via video.
• Discuss the important role that music plays during Medicine Sessions.

Topics

• Talking during the period of peak effect
• Utilizing music during Medicine Sessions
• Responding to challenging therapist-client interactions

Learning Outcomes

• Apply team-based care including how to work with a co-therapist and allied health professionals.
• Employ appropriate responses to specific clients’ behaviours and circumstances, such as psychological distress, avoidance, physical reactions.
• Manage the arc of the Medicine Session including logistics prior to ingestion, reviewing appropriate boundaries, the ritual or administering the medicine, what to expect during the session, closing the session, and following up.
• Describe how to work skillfully with music during the Medicine Session.

Topics

• Regulation
• Normalizing
• Metabolizing
• Meaning-making
• Keeping it alive
• Connection to others
• Committed actions
• Spiritual needs

Learning Outcomes

• Apply the integration framework to Integration Sessions in order to help clients integrate their psychedelic experiences into their life in the hopes of creating long-term change.
• Assist clients to use trauma-specific and regulation skills when required (outside Window of Tolerance).

Topics

• Burnout and vicarious trauma
• Therapist self-care
• Prolonged session duration
• Increased intimacy

Learning Outcomes

• Practice self-care techniques in order to avoid psychedelic-assisted therapy burnout, trauma, or fatigue.
• Identify opportunities for personal development.
• Respond to countertransference with appropriate strategies to avoid harming the patient-therapist relationship while prioritizing the patient care and self-care.

This course has several assessments to evaluate your knowledge of what you’ve learned and to provide an opportunity to evaluate your new skills. As part of the course, you will need to complete the following assessments:

• 8 x Knowledge Checks
• 1 x Mission and intention setting assignment
• 2 x Reflection
• 1 x Practice group log

For the practice group log, you will write brief notes from your group practice activities. Each week, you will meet with your group for 45 minutes at a time convenient for you to practice skills learned in class.