Menu
Menu
For the first time in over four decades, researchers are returning to examining the therapeutic benefits of mind-altering substances, including MDMA (ecstasy), psilocybin (mushrooms), marijuana and LSD. In the 1970s the study of all psychedelics was criminalized in the US, despite emerging evidence of their medical value. Over the past decade, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Research (MAPS) has helped to revive psychedelic research, sponsoring studies across the United States and around the world, including MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, and end-of-life anxiety. The results have been very positive, lasting over 72 months of follow-up, with few adverse effects. Psychedelics may promote a deepening and acceleration of the psychotherapeutic process. During therapy, people often are able to access and find peace with disavowed, “exiled” parts of themselves. In this workshop, the principal investigator of the Phase I and II level trials will discuss outcomes and processes. Two of the most prominent neurobiologists of psychedelics, Robin Carhart Harris and Sue Carter will present their findings about fundamental mechanisms, and the Boston MDMA study team will discuss clinical experiences and applications. In appropriate therapeutic contexts, psychedelics may prove to be more effective than most conventional treatments, as well as safer and more cost-effective.
| File type | File name | Number of pages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handout - The Use of Mind-Altering Substances (2.5 MB) | 22 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Text Document | Transcript (29.8 KB) | 14 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Handout - The Use of Mind-Altering Substances - French (2.5 MB) | 22 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Text Document | Transcript - French (29.8 KB) | 14 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Handout - The Use of Mind-Altering Substances - Italian (2.5 MB) | 22 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Text Document | Transcript - Italian (29.8 KB) | 14 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Michael Mithoefer, MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina. In 2009, he completed & published the first FDA approved clinical trial of MDMA assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant PTSD, followed by completion of a Phase II trial. He is overseeing a multisite Phase III study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in 13 sites around the US (including the Trauma Research Foundation), and another MDMA-assisted psychotherapy multisite study in Europe and Israel.
Speaker Disclosures:
Rick Doblin, PhD, is the founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife and dog.
Speaker Disclosures:
Phil Wolfson, MD, is president and CEO of the non-profit Ketamine Research Foundation and directs the training of KAP practitioners through The Ketamine Training Center. Phil’s book, The Ketamine Papers, is the seminal work in the burgeoning ketamine arena. His is principal investigator for the MAPS sponsored Phase 2, the FDA-approved 18-person study of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for individuals with significant anxiety due to life threatening illnesses. His clinical practice with ketamine has informed his leadership role in the development of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Philip Wolfson is the founder and CEO of The Ketamine Research Foundation. He has an ownership interest in Progressive Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Wolfson will address off-label uses. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Philip Wolfson has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.
Sue Carter, PhD, is currently a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and a Distinguished Research Scientist and Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology at Indiana University. She has held Professorships at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Maryland, College Park (where she was a Distinguished University Professor), and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Between 2014 and 2019 she was the executive director of the Kinsey Institute.
Dr. Carter’s research was integral to discovering the relationship between social behavior and oxytocin. Her current work in humans and other mammals examines the developmental and epigenetic consequences of oxytocin and the role of oxytocin pathways in selective sociality and the management of social isolation, stress and trauma. She was the first person to detect and define the endocrinology of social bonds through her research on the socially monogamous, prairie vole. These findings helped lay the foundation for ongoing studies of behavioral and developmental effects of oxytocin and vasopressin and a deeper appreciation for the biological importance of relationships and sociostasis in human health and wellbeing.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: C. Sue Carter is the Distinguished University Research Scientist and Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology at Indiana University. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: C. Sue Carter has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.
Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD, is a psychologist and neuroscientist and Head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. He coordinated the first clinical study of psilocybin in the UK and the first clinical study of a classic psychedelic drug in the UK for over 40 years.
After being awarded an MA in Psychoanalysis at Brunel University, London, Carhart-Harris completed his PhD in psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol. In 2009, under the mentorship of Professor David Nutt, he relocated to Imperial College, London to continue his fMRI research with the classic psychedelic psilocybin. In conjunction with David Nutt, he built up a program of psychedelic research that includes fMR and MEG imaging with psilocybin, fMR imaging with MDMA, and plans for an MRC-sponsored clinical trial to assess the efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for major depression.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Robin Carhart-Harris is the Head of Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London.
Non-financial: Robin Carhart-Harris is a member of the Association for Psychological Services; Neuropsychoanalysis Association; International Society for Research on Psychedelics; and the British Association for Psychopharmacology. He is an advisory council member for the Massachusetts General Hospital, Psychedelic Research Centre.
Andrew Penn RN, MS, NP, CNS, APRN-BC, UC San Francisco trained psychiatric nurse practitioner. Associate clinical professor in the UCSF School of Nursing, practicing at the San Francisco VA. He has worked as study therapist on a MDMA-assisted therapy protocol for PTSD.
Speaker Disclosures:
Richard Schwartz, PhD began his career as a family therapist and an academic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There he discovered that family therapy alone did not achieve full symptom relief, and in asking patients why, he learned that they were plagued by what they called "parts." These patients became his teachers as they described how their parts formed networks of inner relationship that resembled the families he had been working with. He also found that as they focused on and, thereby, separated from their parts, they would shift into a state characterized by qualities like curiosity, calm, confidence and compassion. He called that inner essence the Self and was amazed to find it even in severely diagnosed and traumatized patients. From these explorations, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was born in the early 1980s.
IFS is now evidence-based and has become a widely-used form of psychotherapy, particularly with trauma. It provides a non-pathologizing, optimistic, and empowering perspective and a practical and effective set of techniques for working with individuals, couples, families, and more recently, corporations and classrooms.
In 2013, Schwartz left the Chicago area and now lives in Brookline, MA where he is on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Richard Schwartz is the Founder and President of the IFS Institute. He maintains a private practice and has a employment relationship with Harvard Medical School. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Schwartz receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Richard Schwartz is a fellow of Meadows Behavioral Healthcare and is a member of the American Family Therapy Academy and the American Association for Marital and Family Therapy. He is a contributing editor for Family Therapy Networker. Dr. Schwartz serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, the Contemporary Family Therapy, the Journal of Family Psychotherapy, and the Family Therapy Collections.
Anne Wagner, PhD, CPsych, Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology & Associate Member, Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Ryerson University, Toronto. Trainer in CBCT and CPT. Team member, MDMA trial for Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD. Founder of Remedy (www.remedycentre.ca), a centre for mental health innovation.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Anne Wagner is the founder of Remedy and Remedy Institute. She has employment relationships with Toronto Metropolitan University, Maya Atlas, and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Public Benefit Corporation. She receives compensation as a trainer, collaborator, and consultant. She receives grants from Philanthropic Donors and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Innovative. Anne Wagner is a consultant with Lykos Therapeutics. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations have been mitigated.
Non-financial: Anne Wagner is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association, the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, and Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. She is an Ad hoc reviewer and editor for several peer review journals, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc.
James W. Hopper, PhD, Independent consultant and Instructor in Psychology, Cambridge Health Alliance & Harvard Medical School. Co-editor, Mindfulness-Oriented Interventions for Trauma: Integrating Contemplative Practices. The MDMA Team, Trauma Research Foundation.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: James Hopper maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with Harvard University and Cambridge Health Alliance. He receives royalties as a published author. James Hopper receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: James Hopper serves on the advisory board for Callisto. He is a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the APA Division 56. James Hopper is an Ad hoc reviewer for several peer review journals, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc.
Elizabeth Call, PsyD, offers psychotherapy services to those dealing with life transitions, loss, anxiety, dysthymia, and post-traumatic stress. A psychologist for over 20 years, she utilizes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, in her practice as well as Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Throughout her extensive career, Elizabeth Call, PsyD, has served in multiple capacities in mental health facilities in Massachusetts and Arizona. She is also a former instructor in Harvard Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Elizabeth Call maintains a private practice, is the co-founder of Burma Border Projects, and has employment relationships with EMDR International Association and EMDR Institute. She is a sub-investigator for FDA phase III trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy sponsored by MAPS/MPBC and The Trauma Research Foundation. Dr. Call receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Elizabeth Call is a member of the EMDR International Association and the Massachusetts Psychological Association.
Susan Walker, MD, Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Cambridge health Alliance. MDMA Therapy Team Member, the Trauma Research Foundation. Co-principal Investigator, Boston Site of MAPS sponsored MDMA for PTSD study.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Susan Walker is a clinical sub-investigator and therapist with MAPS/MPBC and The Trauma Research Foundation. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Susan Walker is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and American Psychiatric Association.
Francis Guerriero, MA, LICSW, Private practice, Cambridge, MA; MDMA Therapy team member, The Trauma Research Foundation.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Francis Guerriero maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with the Trauma Research Foundation. He receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Francis Guerriero has a professional relationship as a therapist and sub-investigator under Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).
Michael D. Alpert, MD, Staff Psychiatrist, BayCove Mental Health Center, Boston Harvard Medical School; MDMA Therapy team member, the Trauma Research Foundation.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Michael Alpert maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with Quincy Asian Resources Initiative, Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, and Cambridge Health Alliance. He receives a consulting fee from Lykos Therapeutics and Odyssey PBC. Dr. Alpert receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations have been mitigated.
Non-financial: Dr. Michael Alpert is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society.
Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, is a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of post-traumatic stress. His work integrates developmental, neurobiological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment.
Dr. van der Kolk and his various collaborators have published extensively on the impact of trauma on development, such as dissociative problems, borderline personality and self-mutilation, cognitive development, memory, and the psychobiology of trauma. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles on such diverse topics as neuroimaging, self-injury, memory, neurofeedback, Developmental Trauma, yoga, theater, and EMDR.
He is founder of the Trauma Center in Brookline, Massachusetts and President of the Trauma Research Foundation, which promotes clinical, scientific, and educational projects.
His 2014 #1 New York Times best seller, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma, transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring – specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, somatically based therapies, EMDR, psychodrama, play, yoga, and other therapies.
Dr. van der Kolk is the past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and professor of psychiatry at Boston University Medical School. He regularly teaches at conferences, universities, and hospitals around the world.
Speaker Disclosures:
Please wait ...