Foundations for Training Psychedelic Therapists

Abstract

This chapter presents an integrative model for training psychedelic therapists. It begins with an overview of the psychedelic healing process - remembering the disconnected parts of ourselves and reestablishing fundamental trust. The authors then walk through six therapist competencies that describe the root principles of practice, breadth of knowledge, transpersonal perspective, and therapeutic stance of a psychedelic practitioner. This model includes 12 curricular areas and didactic methods that support the therapist's process of growth. Finally, the authors link their training philosophy to the current needs of society, offering a vision of how to express psychedelic integration through the honoring of diversity and collaboration.

Keywords: Diversity; Empathetic abiding presence; Ethics; Integrative curriculum; Psychedelic assisted therapy; Therapist competencies; Training program.