Episódios
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In this episode I talk with Marcella OT’Alora and Bruce Poulter, two people who have been instrumental in sharing knowledge of MDMA assisted Psychotherapy with 100’s of trainees all over the globe. They have also supported many participants through the process of MDMA Assisted Therapy as part of their work on trials in the USA and continue to provide supervision and consultation to many people engaged in this work all over the world. In this conversation we cover many topics, including: their respective journey’s into MDMA assisted therapy, what MDMA assisted therapy involves, healing through being witnessed, The importance of pacing and tailoring therapeutic approaches, the FDAs decision and how they feel about it and the importance of doing your own work as a therapist.
Marcella OT’Alora has an MA in Transpersonal Psychology from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and an MFA in Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Marcela is an Installation artist, researcher, teacher, and supervisor. For 25 years she has been in private practice working primarily with trauma and specifically with PTSD. Her interest and focus on trauma led her to understand the healing journey as an intimate re-connection with one’s innate essence through love, integrity, compassion, and honoring of the human spirit. In addition to private practice, she has dedicated her professional life to training and research. Beginning in 1999, she has worked on various studies sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) as a Principal Investigator and investogator using MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD. Additionally, she is a lead educator and supervisor for MAPS’ MDMA-assisted therapy training program.
Bruce Poulter has worked much of his career with people in altered states. He was initiated into health care as an ICU nurse at UC San Francisco Moffitt Hospital when the AIDS pandemic first emerged and began devastating our communities. Later he received a MPH from UC Berkeley in Health Planning and Policy. He went on to develop public health programs including one of the first certified nurse-midwife based perinatal programs serving low income women, and a program that identified and provided care for families at risk for abuse and neglect of their children. He has worked extensively somatically with people in chronic pain and was an intimate observer of the first government approved MDMA for PTSD MAPS study in Madrid, Spain in 1999. He has offered harm reduction services thru Zendo and other organizations, was an investigator in the MAPS Boulder MDMA for PTSD Phase 1, 2 and 3 trials, is currently a Lead Educator and Mentor Supervisor for therapists working on studies for MDMA-Assisted Therapy.
keep in touch with me at Insta: dresmedark
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-esme-dark-627156a0/
website: https://www.esmedarkpsychology.com.au/
Find Monash Clinical Psychedelic Lab at www.monash.edu/psychedelics
Find MAPS at https://maps.org
Power threat meaning framework:- https://www.bps.org.uk/member-networks/division-clinical-psychology/power-threat-meaning-framework
Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for psychedelic- assisted psychotherapy.
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In this episode, I’m going to be speaking with Dr Simon Ruffell. He is a friend and a close collaborator.
I’m working alongside Simon as one of the teachers on the psychedelic mentorship training organised by Onaya Health.
In this conversation, we discuss Simon’s journey into his work researching Ayahuasca, our shared history in refugee mental health, the importance of including indigenous perspectives in research and the challenges of this, integrating indigenous wisdom into clinical practice and our approaches to supporting clients following psychedelic experiences.
Dr Simon Ruffell is a medical doctor, a psychiatrist and research psychologist with a PhD in Ayahuasca and mental health and he’s also a student of Shipibo shamanism, Simon has worked on several major psychedelic trials at leading universities worldwide including as a senior research associate at Kings College London on their trial looking at psilocybin assisted therapy for treatment resistant depression. Since 2016 his work has been primarily been dedicated to exploring the traditional psychedelic brew Ayahuasca. He is the CEO of Onaya Health where I also serve as advisor. He co-founded the not for profit Onaya Science which researches the effect of Ayahuasca in naturalistic Amazonian settings. Simon’s work seeks to understand plants such as Ayahuasca from both indigenous and western viewpoints with a goal of generating a richer understanding of healing modalities involved.
I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.
keep in touch with me at Insta: dresmedark
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-esme-dark-627156a0/
website: https://www.esmedarkpsychology.com.au/
Find Simon at https://www.onaya.io/
https://www.iceers.org/
Find Monash Clinical Psychedelic Lab at www.monash.edu/psychedelics
Disclaimer: This podcast if for general information only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for psychedelic- assisted psychotherapy.
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In this episode, I talk with Dr David Spektor , who worked alongside me as my dyad partner on a two year clinical trial looking at Psilocybin assisted Psychotherapy to treat generalised anxiety disorder.
We discuss the challenges with the medical model of human distress, psychedelic research, the importance of the dyad model in psychedelic assisted therapy, the self experience study we were lucky enough to be a part of and the importance of vulnerability in therapy.
David is a Senior Clinical Psychologist having worked in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. He has 20 years of experience working in mental health as a clinical psychologist and much of that was spent in the public sector working with severe and enduring mental health issues. He currently runs a private practice based in Melbourne(www.psychologycare.com.au). He worked as a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne as a part of the Clinical Psychology Program. He is trained in a type of emotion-focused and psychodynamic psychotherapy known as Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). Nowadays David works in psychedelic psychotherapy research through the Monash University Clinical Psychedelic Research Lab in Melbourne, Australia. He worked as a core therapist on the psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder trial and currently works as a supervisor for the MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD trial.
keep in touch with me at Insta: dresmedark
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-esme-dark-627156a0/
website: https://www.esmedarkpsychology.com.au/
Find David’s practice at: https://psychologycare.com.au/
Find Monash Clinical Psychedelic Lab at www.monash.edu/psychedelics
Disclaimer: This podcast if for general information only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for psychedelic- assisted psychotherapy.
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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.
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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.
