In this episode I will be talking to Sarah Pant,  a fellow psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist.  We discuss - The importance of psychotherapy techniques in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, the sacredness of therapy, how vital human connection is for healing, therapeutic approaches used in preparation, dosing and integration, the wider cultural context of psychedelics and Indigenous practices, longer-term integration groups and the challenges of the dominant medical model of distress. 

Sarah is a Clinical Psychotherapist with nearly 20 years of experience in mental health across Australia and the UK. At Monash University’s Clinical Psychedelic Lab, she was a core therapist and trainer in the world’s first trial looking at Psilocybin assisted psychotherapy for Generalised Anxiety trial and now serves as a clinical supervisor and therapist on the trial exploring MDMA -assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.

Sarah’s therapeutic approach weaves together somatic practices, creative arts, ecopsychotherapy, systems thinking, and process-oriented psychology. Her holistic perspective of health and well-being is deeply rooted in fostering human connection, exploring altered states of consciousness, enhancing our connection with the living world and navigating the unique challenges of our time.

Stay in touch with me at

insta: dresmedark

website: https://www.esmedarkpsychology.com.au/

Fiind Sarah at:- https://beingfound.com.au/psychedelic-integration

find Monash Clinical Psychedelic Lab at - www.monash.edu/psychedelics 

Book recommendations

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53121631-underland

https://www.aamindell.net/books-by-amy-and-arnold

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55384168-no-bad-parts?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=hM0AaWUrgS&rank=1

This podcast is for general information only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Sarah Pant: Psychotherapy approaches in Psychedelic Therapy

Listen to find out more about Beyond the Trip, A Psychedelic Therapy Podcast with Dr Esme Dark

Welcome to Beyond the Trip: A Psychedelic Therapy Podcast with Dr Esme Dark

In this episode I interview Dr Bill Richards, who is a true pioneer in the psychedelic research space and has been involved in this work from the original research that took place in the 60s up until the present day.  He is someone who I deeply respect and whose work has been very influential on me. His combination of rigorous research skills and deep reverence for the sacredness of these medicines is something that I feel is extremely important for this field.

William A. Richards (Bill) is a Senior Advisor at Sunstone Therapies and a psychologist in the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, he has been involved in psychedelic research since 1963. From 1967 to 1977, he implemented projects with LSD, DPT, MDA and psilocybin at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, including protocols designed to investigate the promise of psychedelics in the treatment of alcoholism, depression, narcotic addiction and the psychological distress associated with terminal cancer. He is one of the leaders in the field at training mental health professionals to work in this space. His book, Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, published by Columbia University Press has been translated into multiple languages.

 We discuss the beginnings of his work in psychedelic therapy research, key components of psychedelic therapy, the importance of the therapeutic relationship, the BEING of the therapist, therapeutic intuition, mystical experiences, coming to terms with death and the importance of presence in life.

You can find his book here:- https://www.amazon.com.au/Sacred-Knowledge-Psychedelics-Religious-Experiences/dp/0231174063

Follow this link to listen to the podcast I mentioned with Roland Griffiths https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/641-roland-griffiths-phd-lifes-ultimate-glide-path/id863897795?i=1000589513556

I really hope you enjoy this episode, if you do please subscribe and leave a review to help get this important conversation out to more people.

Find out more about my upcoming offerings by joining my mailing list at https://www.esmedarkpsychology.com.au/and stay in touch on Instagram @dresmedark

find out more about the Clinical Psychedelic Lab at Monash University on the link below

www.monash.edu/medicine/scs/clinical-psychedelic-lab

This podcast is for general information only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Dr Bill Richards:  Psychedelic Therapy and Sacred Knowledge

 Beyond the Trip: A Psychedelic Therapy Podcast will be exploring themes relating to the therapy part of psychedelic- assisted psychotherapy as well as discussing some important ethical, cultural and systemic considerations to hold in mind when working in this space. You can expect wide ranging conversations with thought leaders and other inspiring humans working in this field and beyond.

Your host, Dr Esme Dark is a clinical psychologist, somatic therapist and a psychedelic -assisted psychotherapist with over 15 years of experience working in the mental health space in Australia, UK and Thailand. She hopes to dispel some myths about psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and bring a greater understanding to the community about the process, and the beauty, complexities and challenges that go along with it.

Keep in touch at Insta dresmedark

https://www.esmedarkpsychology.com.au/about

Find out more about the Clinical Psychedelic Lab at Monash University below:-

www.monash.edu/psychedelics

This podcast is for general information only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.