The invitation to write a foreword for this book came at an opportune time in the development of the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy, amid the emergence of the future iteration of mental health services, delivered by the promises of the psychedelic renaissance. Also alive in this context are the substantial individual, social and cultural repercussions of a global pandemic on mental health and human behavior. A growing body of research shows encouraging clinical results in treating trauma, depression, demoralization, end-of-life existential issues, addiction, and eating disorders using MDMA, psilocybin, ketamine, and other psychedelic medications. However, the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy has gained accelerated support from donors, the medical establishment, and corporate investors in recent years. Along with the enthusiasm, recognition, funding, and media coverage directed toward psychedelic-assisted therapy, ethical standards; the lack of adequate training; and issues of accessibility, sustainability, diversity and inclusion are increasingly becoming part of the movement's forefront. These gaps in the emerging field highlight the need for more guidance and structure around ethical, clinical, and social considerations for these innovative treatments. This book can serve as a cornerstone for the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy at this time. This essential contribution offers a depth-oriented, somatic and relational therapeutic approach, emphasizing the imperative of ethical standards, the relevance of the therapeutic use of touch, the significance of the unconscious in the construction of symbolic meaning and intersubjective processes, and the need for trauma -informed approaches while centering liberation psychology and decolonial practices. The topics covered in this book and the themes embraced by the authors are of great relevance and are not yet comprehensively articulated in existing publications on psychedelic-assisted therapy. The diverse authors of this book approach their chapters based on their diverse social and cultural identities, as well as their extensive clinical experience providing psychedelic-assisted therapy in government-approved clinical research, private practice, and nonprofit organization settings. Their contributions aim at a vision of psychedelic-assisted therapy centered on decolonial practices, attuned to the somatic, imaginal, cultural and relational dimensions of being, allowing the emergence of transpersonal processes. Each chapter elaborates practical and theoretical aspects of this treatment modality through a unique theoretical framework, providing inspiration and guidance to readers working in this field as well as those compelled to psychedelic work for personal transformation.

Psychedelics as therapeutic catalysts for emotional and spiritual transformation • Explores the latest medical research on the healing powers of entheogens • Reveals the crucial role of tribal and shamanic wisdom in psychedelic medicine • Provides guidelines for working with psychedelics, including the author’s personal healing and recommendations for creating change on the spiritual and societal levels Banned after promising research in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, the use of psychedelics as therapeutic catalysts is now being rediscovered at prestigious medical schools, such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NYU, and UCLA. Through clinical trials to assess their use, entheogens have been found to ease anxiety in the dying, interrupt the hold of addictive drugs, cure post-traumatic stress disorder, and treat other deep-seated emotional disturbances. To date, results have been positive, and the idea of psychedelics as powerful psychiatric--and spiritual--medicines is now beginning to be accepted by the medical community. Exploring the latest cutting-edge research on psychedelics, along with their use in indigenous cultures throughout history for rites of passage and shamanic rituals, Neal Goldsmith reveals that the curative effect of entheogens comes not from a chemical effect on the body but rather by triggering a peak or spiritual experience. He provides guidelines for working with entheogens, groundbreaking analyses of the concept--and the process--of change in psychotherapy, and, ultimately, his own story of psychedelic healing. Examining the tribal roots of this knowledge, Goldsmith shows that by combining ancient wisdom and modern research, we can unlock the emotional, mental, and spiritual healing powers of these unique and powerful tools, providing an integral medicine for postmodern society.

Integral Psychedelic Therapy is a groundbreaking, evidence-based collection that explores how psychedelic medicine can be incorporated into contemporary psychotherapy. This book builds on current psychedelic research by providing an in-depth articulation of the practice of psychedelic therapy, weaving together a variety of complementary therapeutic frameworks, case examples, and practical guidance for cultivating a highly effective, ethically grounded, integral approach. Chapters by a diverse set of practicing psychotherapists and leading researchers aim to provide practitioners with a method that centers liberation of all dimensions of being through intersectional, client-centered, trauma-informed, and attachment-focused practices, alongside thoughtful attunement to the relational, somatic, imaginal, cultural, and transpersonal dimensions of healing. Integral Psychedelic Therapy will be essential reading for psychotherapists in practice and in training as well as those seeking personal healing and holistic transformation.

This book has been replaced by Internal Family Systems Therapy, Second Edition, ISBN 978-1-4625-4146-1.

Beyond the Narrow Life: A Guide to Psychedelic Integration and Existential Exploration presents a framework for understanding and experiencing psychedelic-assisted therapy including foundational therapeutic approaches, the psychospiritual aspects of the psychedelic journey, and integration of the insights gained.

• Examines the therapeutic potential of expanded states, underground psychedelic psychotherapy, harm reduction, new approaches for healing individual and collective trauma, and training considerations • Addresses challenging psychedelic experiences, spiritual emergencies, and the central importance of the therapeutic relationship • Details the use of cannabis as a psychedelic tool, spiritual exploration with LSD, micro-dosing with Iboga, and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD Exploring the latest developments in the flourishing field of modern psychedelic psycho-therapy, this book shares practical experiences and insights from both elders and newer research voices in the psychedelic research and clinical communities. The contributors examine new findings on safe and skillful work with psychedelic and expanded states for therapeutic, personal, and spiritual growth. They explain the dual process of opening and healing. They explore new approaches for individual inner work as well as for the healing of ancestral and collective trauma. They examine the power of expanded states for reparative attachment work and offer insights on the integration process through the lens of Holotropic Breathwork. The contributors also examine the use of cannabis as a psychedelic tool, spiritual exploration with LSD, microdosing with Iboga, treating depression with psilocybin, and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Revealing diverse ways of working with psychedelics in terms of set, setting, and type of substance, the book concludes with discussions of ethics and professional development for those working in the field as well as explores considerations for training the next generation of psychedelic therapists.

Describes the practical use of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of people who are resistant to normal psychotherapy.