Experiential Learning
In the Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy course, we learned about Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. This learning model can be applied to psychedelic-assisted therapy because clients who undergo psychedelic-assisted therapy are doing so to learn.
Clients are motivated to learn about their body, their mind, their trauma, or their existence (in the case of existential distress).
Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory
In Kolb’s experiential learning theory, learners gain concrete experience and work through phases to integrate that experience into their mind as a new skill or piece of information.
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When you are under the effects of the medicine in your Medicine Session, these first-hand experiences become your concrete experience as mapped onto the experiential learning cycle.
As the effects of the medicine wear off and following the Medicine Session, you may begin to reflect on what you experienced as part of the phase called reflective observation.
Your Integration Session will facilitate abstract conceptualization as you cognitively and emotionally process, embody, and apply to daily life what you learned from your Medicine Session (concrete experience).
Finally, the active experimentation period is part of ongoing integration and beyond. You will continue to actively apply the learnings and insights from the Preparation, Medicine, and Integration Sessions. As a learner in this pathway, you will experience two types of integration: personal and professional. As part of your personal integration, you will take the learnings and insights from the Medicine Session and apply them to your life to facilitate personal healing and growth. As part of your professional integration, you will take the reflections and lessons learned about the application of psychedelic-assisted therapy and apply them to your future work in this field and with clients.
Orientation Towards Phenomenology
One of the guiding characteristics of the therapeutic stance is an orientation towards phenomenology in that health professionals are focused on direct experiencing and inner-directed therapy. It is also equally important for those undergoing psychedelic-assisted therapy to have a similar orientation towards phenomenology.
Participant Tip
How can I ensure that I make the most out of this experiential period?
Although your primary focus in this certification pathway may be to develop your skills as a health professional in this field, the experiential period of this course is a significant opportunity to grow personally as well. It is recommended to participate in the experiential period with the mindset that it may help you begin (or continue) your own healing journey. If you focus on your own healing journey and your own experiences in this experiential period, it will likely prove to be fruitful as a learner seeking to grow as a health professional as well.