Markets & Industry
Psychedelics Today: improving access to psychedelic therapy training
Psychedelics Today has launched a psychedelics integration therapy training course and a diversity fund to ensure access to this vital education.

Published
9 months agoon

With an increase in psychedelic research and clinical trials, it is becoming increasingly important to train psychedelic therapists. To meet this demand, Psychedelics Today launched its Vital psychedelic therapy training course.
Psychedelics Today launched out of a passion for psychedelic education with a podcast that has to date generated over four million downloads.
In a bid to bring this education to more people, the organisation has launched its 12-month, hybrid ‘Vital’ training course that has been designed for medical professionals, psychotherapists, coaches, nurses and complementary health practitioners.
David Drapkin, Director of Education and Training at Psychedelics Today, explained that in line with its mission to facilitate access to psychedelic education, Psychedelics Today has also launched the Vital Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fund to ensure accessibility to the course.
The fund, which launched in January 2022, received support from the psychedelic community and corporate donors, which resulted in scholarships for 68 students in the first cohort of Psychedelics Today’s training programme. To date, the organisation has awarded $211,000 through the fund.
“This is really important because we are seeing many students that, even though they were qualified and experienced, well-intentioned and ready to take this step, just didn’t have the money for it,” commented Drapkin.
“So, we launched the fund and we’re now accepting donations – which are tax-deductible – from partners that believe in accessibility for training.”
Psychedelics Today Vital course
The Vital course classes are delivered in collaboration with world-leading academic and clinical researchers, therapists and physicians, including, William A. Richards, PH. D. of John Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research and Devon Christie, M.D. at Numinus Wellness.
During each of the modules, there will be a weekly lecture by a guest expert and a weekly study group with facilitators, and student peer groups, along with the opportunity to join a breathwork, cannabis or psilocybin retreat where it is legal to do so.
Students that complete the course will receive a Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Integration.
“The retreats seem to have been one of the most powerful experiences of our students’ lives,” commented Drapkin.
“We’ve always been really passionate about maximising accessibility for psychedelic training education.
“We believe that medically trained, credentialed, licensed professionals should work with psychedelics, and so should receive psychedelic training.
“We also believe that the ecosystem that is evolving right now is already proving that many other practitioners support people that use psychedelics, such as coaches and counsellors, and some people that might be doing integrative or more somatic focussed work, for example.”
The demand for trained psychedelic therapists
In 2022, Canada added psilocybin and MDMA to its Special Access Programme that enables authorised patients to access psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies.
Additionally, in October 2022, Alberta announced it will be introducing quality standards for delivering psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies and in November 2022, Colorado voted to pass the Natural Medicine Health Act which will see the decriminalisation and regulation of the use of psychedelic medicines.
Most significantly, in February this year, Australia announced that it would be rescheduling the same substances to provide psychedelic-assisted therapies to Australian patients.
“We are seeing the whole world going through really challenging times, and the need for better healing right now, more than ever before, and we’re seeing psychedelic clinical trials rapidly moving through FDA processes,” Drapkin commented.
“We also see a lot of state-level decriminalisation combined with regulated frameworks for legal use of psychedelics developing.
“Thousands of people are going to retreat centres every week around the world to use psychedelics in safe and responsible ways, not just for mental health but also for wellness and spiritual exploration.
“We believe that is only going to increase exponentially over the next 10 years so we want to ensure that as many people understand psychedelics in this interdisciplinary, holistic way as possible. Otherwise, the needs of patients and ordinary citizens won’t be addressed through accessibility.”
Since Oregon announced that it would be regulating the delivery of psychedelic therapies, Psychedelics Today has applied to be a licensed training provider.
“There are three requirements in Oregon to become licensed as a facilitator,” said Drapkin. “It isn’t that you need to have a Master’s degree in psychology. It’s that you need to have a GED or high school diploma, and then complete 120 hours of training and 40 hours of in-person practicum.
“So, it is competence focused rather than having gone to university for three years, although those skills are very relevant,” commented Drapkin highlighting the requirement under Australia’s new scheduling that, in order to prescribe, psychiatrists must be trained in psychedelic therapy.
“The need for trained therapists is huge.”
Psychedelics Today is currently recruiting for the Vital course, with early bird applications closing on 3 March 2023, final applications closing on 19 March 2023 and the course starting on April 17.
To find out more about the course here: www.vitalpsychedelictraining.com/
Or find out more about making a donation to the Vital Diversity Fund here: www.holosfound.org/pt-donate
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Markets & Industry
Psychedelic therapy programmes launch to address heartbreak, burnout and more

Published
7 days agoon
1st December 2023By
News Editor
Mindbloom has launched its new Mastermind Series of psychedelic programmes for overcoming heartbreak, burnout and other unique mental health challenges.
Led by and developed with leading experts in the field, each programme combines specialised teachings with ketamine therapy.
All programmes will include six ketamine therapy sessions focusing on a specific mental health issue, expert-led audio, video, and written content for preparation, treatment, and integration, practical tools such as meditation, one-on-one coaching and group integration sessions.
The first programme in the Series is ‘Recovering from Rejection and Failure’, led by Dr Guy Winch who is a leading authority on emotional health, and a best-selling author and TED speaker whose talks have received over 30 million views.
Winch’s programme focuses on healing and preventing emotional injuries that people suffer in their personal, professional and romantic lives.
Mindbloom CEO and Founder Dylan Beynon stated: “More than 100 studies and 20 plus years of clinical use show that ketamine therapy may be the most transformational mental health treatment available today.
“In the face of epidemics of mental illness, addiction, and loneliness, we’re thrilled to offer our clients access to top experts across a range of issues – and to pair their expertise with our best-in-class ketamine therapy honed over hundreds of thousands of treatment sessions.”
“Emotional wounds like rejection and failure can be even more devastating than physical wounds, yet we don’t give them the same time and attention,” added Dr Winch.
“I’m thrilled to combine my techniques for emotional first aid with ketamine therapy, which has been shown to increase neuroplasticity and help build emotional resilience.”
Additional Mastermind
“Americans are struggling with heartbreak, burnout, and other challenges every day, and they’re looking for new tools to address them,” said Mindbloom’s Medical Director Dr Leonardo Vando.
“I’m grateful to these experts for providing Mindbloom’s clients with the unique practices and insights they’ve cultivated during their distinguished careers, to help them overcome the biggest obstacles in their lives.”
Markets & Industry
Mychedelica launches to revolutionise psychedelic medicine

Published
1 week agoon
28th November 2023By
News Editor
A new company specialising in psychedelic medicine – mychedelica – is offering a comprehensive suite of services to support the advancement of this transformative field.
With a team of experienced medical writers and research support specialists, mychedelica is committed to providing the highest quality services to researchers, clinicians, and pharmaceutical companies working in the psychedelic medicine space.
Psychedelic medicine is rapidly gaining recognition for its potential to treat a wide range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the field is still in its early stages of development, and there is a critical need for high-quality medical writing and research support services to facilitate its progress.
CEO of mychedelica, Bilal Bham, commented: “We are thrilled to launch mychedelica and contribute to the advancement of psychedelic medicine.
“Our team of experienced professionals is dedicated to providing the highest quality services to researchers, clinicians, and pharmaceutical companies working in this groundbreaking field.”
mychedelica provides a comprehensive range of services, including:
Medical writing: Experienced medical writers will craft clinical trial protocols, regulatory submissions, and peer-reviewed publications, ensuring that research findings are communicated clearly and effectively.
Funding research support: Experts in grant writing and fundraising strategies will assist researchers in securing funding for their psychedelic medicine studies.
Regulatory consulting: mychedelica’s team of regulatory experts will navigate the complex regulatory landscape surrounding psychedelic medicine, ensuring that clinical trials and products comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
With its commitment to quality and innovation, mychedelica is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of psychedelic medicine. The company’s services will empower researchers to conduct rigorous clinical trials, clinicians to provide effective treatments, and pharmaceutical companies to develop safe and effective psychedelic medicines.
Markets & Industry
Short Wave Pharma: innovating eating disorder care with psychedelics

Published
2 weeks agoon
24th November 2023
Psychedelic Health speaks to Short Wave Pharma CEO Rivki Stern about the company’s plans to innovate eating disorder care through psychedelics and its recent acquisition by Psych Capital.
Short Wave Pharma was recently acquired by global investment firm Psych Capital. The companies are on a mission to transform mental health care, focusing on innovative approaches and treatments, including psychedelics, which are increasingly gaining acceptability as clinical research results accumulate.
Short Wave Pharma’s clinical programmes are particularly focused on Anorexia nervosa – a complex mental health condition with one of the highest fatality rates. Despite the condition being associated with high rates of suicide, it is a hugely underserved area of mental health, with no FDA-approved pharmacological drug, and a high rate of chronicity.
The company has developed a novel delivery method and drug combination specifically designed to address the requirements of this vulnerable population. Short Wave focuses on methods of delivery that will be effective for Anorexia, which is a metabolic disease as well as a mental health condition. Its unique buccal film delivery method is intended to affect the brain while bypassing the liver and gut degradation through mucoadhesive absorption.
“Our goal is to alleviate, solve, and treat mental health conditions. It’s a dire need in our global society, and it’s constantly on the rise,” commented Stern. “Eating disorders are a very good example of that and we have seen a very alarming growth since COVID.
“What drew our attention to psychedelics is that they have the potential to address very complex mental health diseases and have been designated by FDA as breakthrough medicine for life-threatening conditions.
“Because there are no current solutions, we must harness very innovative approaches and potential solutions. That’s why we started working with psychedelics which may be difficult because they are not regulated, but we don’t shy away from challenges.”
The company’s drug is based on psilocybin and another API which together utilise an expanded mechanism of action and a therapeutic effect superior to psilocybin alone, impacting more than one group of receptors in the brain.
The delivery method is sensitive to the patients’ needs – who may not want to swallow or be injected – and is known for its high bioavailability.
“By mucosal absorption, we are speeding the onset of the medicine and amplifying the impact which will help tackle the patients’ metabolic challenges and improve acceptance,” says Stern.
The drug product and delivery method are currently in preparation for Phase 1 clinical studies, and in its current preclinical studies, the company is validating its delivery and expanded mechanisms of action. So far, initial safety results are positive, with a further, more in-depth toxicity study taking place.
Psych Capital – which is a public investment and awareness platform for mental health, and has a portfolio of innovative companies – has supported Short Wave Pharma’s IP-driven approach to eating disorder care through its recent acquisition of the company.
Short Wave and Psych Capital say they are aligned in their missions to innovate mental healthcare and deliver transformative care in areas of high unmet need.
Stern commented: “We all share a passion for innovation and together have decades of experience in evaluating investments as well as scaling up R&D projects and start-ups in life sciences.
“We have a shared commitment to alleviate the suffering from mental health. Every one of us has experienced the frustration and challenges of dealing with mental health issues.
“Together, we’re going to put this commitment into action, by bringing forth innovative solutions and developments and getting them through the first stages of development, from discovery through to early phases of clinical study.
“With psychedelics components, this is extra challenging because of their status as scheduled drugs within a still evolving regulatory framework, which adds uncertainty to the drug development process.
“Short Wave Pharma has operational expertise in early-stage drug development which will bring extra value to the group’s projects as they develop through our funnel and grow into promising candidates for mental healthcare.
“We want to identify the gems, guide them through clinical development, and create the right network to attract the right partners for further development and commercialisation.”
Short Wave Pharma is planning to enter its treatment into clinical studies in 2024.
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