Module 1

Introduction and Fundamentals

“Sigmund Freud once called dreams ‘the royal road to the unconscious.’ In our days, psychedelic-assisted therapy can play the same role, in a much more powerful way. As I have witnessed many times, and experienced personally, psychedelics can open up vistas to our inner reality that allow people access to both their repressed pain at the source of all mental health conditions, but also their often hidden but ever-present fullness as human beings. The results, I can attest, can be transformative in addictions, depression, anxiety, and multiple other afflictions, and even in physical illnesses thought to be beyond the realm of psychological help. While no panacea, vast international experience now tells us that psychedelic-assisted therapy can offer possibilities that conventional thinking about treating emotional and mental distress cannot even imagine.”

–Gabor Maté (personal communication, 2020)

Module Description

The focus for Module 1 is to provide you with an introduction to the course, as well as some of the foundational principles in providing psychedelic-assisted therapy. You will be guided through the overall course structure, the course schedule, the course learning outcomes, and the assessments required throughout the course. Once you are oriented to the course, you will learn some of the fundamentals of psychedelic-assisted therapy including the Numinus Care Model.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

  1. Describe the seven guiding approaches of psychedelic-assisted which include embodiment, mindfulness, trauma- and violence-informed care, justice, equity, dignity, and inclusion (JEDI), cultural safety and humility, harm reduction, relationship-centered care, and connection for the purposes of applying these to the delivery of care.

  2. 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.

  3. Describe the mission, vision, and values of Numinus.

  4. Differentiate the outcomes of the psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine PAT from a high-level.

  5. Explain the structure of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

  6. Describe key historical research that have contributed to the development of current PAT methods.

  7. 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.

  8. Utilize Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and map this onto the learning that takes place for the client during and following Medicine Sessions and to the therapeutic relationship as a process.