Workshops
June 16-17
Psychedelic Science 2025 starts with two days of workshops, facilitated by leading experts in the fields of science, medicine, policy, healthcare, and culture.
Both half-day and full-day workshops are offered, and some workshops feature CE/CME opportunities.
Workshops are available as an add-on to your conference registration. The most popular workshops fill early, so we recommend booking as soon as possible.
These are just our first few offerings. Watch for more workshop announcements coming soon!
Available Workshops
Psychedelic Chemistry: Foundations for Innovation
Half Day - Tuesday, June 17th
Alex Sherwood, Ph.D.
Chemistry lies at the heart of psychedelics, shaping their synthesis and function while also linking them to the psychedelic experience and its transformative potential. This workshop offers an approachable introduction to core chemical concepts essential for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the field, whether you're advancing research, developing therapies, or simply curious about the science behind these compounds. Through clear explanations and practical examples, we’ll explore how fundamental principles like acid-base chemistry influence the behavior of molecules in the body and their preparation for different uses. Attendees will also gain a foundational understanding of chemical nomenclature to help decode the structural relationships between psychedelic compounds. Moving from fundamentals to applications, the workshop will examine: • The journey from small-scale synthesis to producing clinical-grade materials. • Advances in synthetic methods and other innovative approaches to creating and characterizing psychedelic compounds. • The role of structure-activity relationships in developing new molecules. Rooted in real-world challenges and supported by published examples, this workshop bridges theory and practice. Whether you're a researcher, practitioner, or explorer at the intersection of science and psychedelics, this session offers the tools to engage with the field more confidently and effectively.
Self and Sensory Experience in Psychedelic Therapies Exploring Growth Edges with Expanded Awareness in Psychedelics
Half Day - Tuesday, June 17th
Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. and Licia Sky
Trauma has a dramatic effect of constricting experience of self, and the world around us, as well as diminishing the vitality of physical, and sensory experience. Psychedelic journeys often profoundly mind-expanding, give us new insights into our selves, our emotions revealing not only the parts of ourselves that are already owned and acknowledged, but also parts that are currently hidden and disowned. In the large MAPS-sponsored MDMA for chronic PTSD, study participants experienced a dramatic improvement in self-compassion, alexithymia, and a variety of measures of self-regulation and understanding the minds of others. Maybe the most surprising finding was that even people with life-long histories of abuse and neglect usually had dramatically positive outcomes. There is a tendency to attribute the healing solely to the medicine, but preparation, processing, and integration of these experiences are of vital importance for healing. In this work, the therapist’s role is to support the person's own inner-directed process. Attunement, setting, intention setting, and the integration process create the powerful container that makes deep psychedelic work possible. Awareness of our bodily sensations is an important key to restoring the ability and capacity to be aware in the present moment. It helps to bring awareness to sensations as medicine is taking effet during a psychedelic experience and can enhance trust to move inward. In this workshop, we will review the research and also explore how our senses and orientations inform and determine our capacity to focus and respond effectively to what is inside and around us.
Legal and Ethical Considerations for the Operation of Psychedelic Churches
Half Day - Tuesday, June 17th
Allison Hoots, Esq., Executive Director of SPA and attorney; Beth Topczewski, Director of Operations of SPA; Sean McAllister, Esq., Advisory Board of SPA and attorney.
With significant recent legal developments for religious exercise and an emergence of psychedelic churches in the US, there are complex challenges in creating safe, sincere, and legally protected spiritual communities. This workshop provides an in-depth exploration of best practices for safeguarding psychedelic churches both legally and ethically while upholding their spiritual mission. As a self-regulating association of churches, Sacred Plant Alliance (SPA) has unique insights into the prevailing issues for spiritual communities that connect with divinity through psychedelic rituals. SPA will share educational information on: the current legal landscape and protections available for religious practices involving psychedelics; strategies for documenting sincere spiritual practices and beliefs; tools for establishing clear operational and ethical guidelines, community safety protocols, and accountability measures. Through a blend of presentations and real-world case studies, this workshop will present actionable steps that fortify a psychedelic church’s foundation and legal defensibility. This workshop is designed for leaders, organizers, community members, and legal advisors of emerging psychedelic medicine churches working towards legally sound and spiritually aligned communities.
Psychedelic Liberation: Decolonization in Practice
Full Day - Tuesday, June 17th
Charlotte James, Candace Oglesby, Charlotte Duerr, and Courtney Watson
What will it take for the psychedelic community to truly become an intersectional, interconnected movement? It will take individuals committed to becoming sacred activists for our collective liberation. To create an equitable future, we must all be fluent in the language of collective liberation. In this workshop, current and aspiring facilitators will learn how to decolonize themselves and their practice to become stewards of collective liberation. Leaning on ancestral and contemporary teachings, we will guide practitioners through a process of sacred learning centered in embodiment, relationship, and community. This workshop weaves together the following areas of academia and embodied, ancestral practice to deliver curriculum based in evidence and balanced by Spirit: • Transpersonal Psychology • Liberation Psychology • Entheogenic Shamanism • Psychedelic Assisted Therapy • Decolonization and Movement Study We will touch on topics such as: • Understanding the role of colonization in the psychedelic resurgence • The four I’s of oppression• Navigating self and identity in psychedelic sessions • Culturally responsible care in clinical and ceremonial settings • What it means to decolonize yourself + your practice • Challenges and solutions for accessibility • How to resist cultural appropriation and extraction • Embodying the wisdom of psychedelics and Sacred Earth Medicines in your sacred activism This workshop will combine lecture style learning, somatic practices, and community and network building opportunities. We ask that all participants be aligned with our training values: • We know that collective liberation is catalyzed by collective participation • We seek to understand and to be understood • We are open to feelings of discomfort in the learning and liberation process • We value decolonization education as part of psychedelic harm-reduction • We are committed to the personal decolonization process as the first step in collective liberation • We respect the sacredness of all life. This workshop is organized by The Psychedelic Liberation Training, a Black-led psychedelic organization activating stewards of collective liberation with sacred earth medicines and ancestral reconnection. PLT engages at the intersection of healing, expanded consciousness, and social change through training, community circles, and embodied retreats.
MDMA-Assisted Couples Therapy
Half Day - Monday, June 16th
Anne Wagner, Ph.D.
MDMA has been used as a catalyst for relational process since its inception as a therapeutic tool, including for couples therapy. This workshop will provide an introduction to MDMA’s clinical use in couples therapy from two lenses – the first as for a treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and the second in integrative couples therapy, drawing on the experiences from the first trials of Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy + MDMA for PTSD, and the crossover condition of the same trial.
Psilocybin as a Tool in Personal and Spiritual Development
Full Day - Tuesday, June 17th
William A. Richards, Ph.D. and Brian D. Richards, Psy.D.
Psilocybin, the use of which echoes back at least 9000 years, is now re-emerging in Western culture with promise in arenas of medicine, education and religion. In the hope that we have sufficiently evolved to constructively integrate this powerful sacramental substance into society in wise, safe and responsible ways, this workshop focuses on the fundamental knowledge required. Among other topics, it will consider prerequisites for safe use, the potent variables of mental set and physical setting, the vast varieties of inner worlds awaiting exploration and the challenges of integrating new insights and perspectives into everyday living.
Psychedelic Therapy for End-of-Life and Palliative Care
Full Day - Tuesday, June 17th
Anthony P. Bossis, Ph.D., Charles S. Grob, M.D., and more TBD
Building upon pioneering research from over half a century ago exploring the efficacy and safety of psychedelics for treating psycho-spiritual and existential distress in advanced cancer, research is again investigating the therapeutic utility of psychedelics in end-of-life and palliative care. Clinicians and others interested in novel therapies for treating emotional suffering near the end of life and in hospice and palliative care will learn about the history, scientific findings from FDA-approved trials, and implications of the psychedelic treatment model as they consider how psychedelic psychotherapy might serve their patient populations. This presentation will also include discussions on the nature of emotional suffering in advanced illness, the importance of death awareness, and a description of the psychedelic therapeutic model for palliative care.
Plant Medicines, Indigenous Healing Traditions and Right Relationship
Full Day - Tuesday, June 17th
The Indigenous Medicine Conversation Fund with TBA speakers
This workshop is designed to provide people in the psychedelic space to learn about traditional Indigenous medicines such as Ayahuasca, Peyote and Mushrooms within Indigenous Culture and Healing Systems, and gain perspectives on how to engage with Indigenous Peoples and traditions from a place of right relationship. The workshop aims to explore, in an interactive format, the complexities of the Psychedelic Renaissance and Growing interest into Indigenous medicines, and how participants can navigate their engagement with this field. The workshop will be facilitated by experienced Indigenous leaders and activists, and bridgeweavers, who will share their insights and experiences on navigating the issues that come from engaging with Indigenous communities, plant medicines and the psychedelic space. By participating in the workshop, the group will explore their role and participation in this space and how they can meaningfully evolve further towards the right relationship with Indigenous knowledge-holding communities.
Introduction to Psychedelic Therapy for the Treatment of Addiction
Full Day - Tuesday, June 17th
Peter Hendricks, Ph.D. and TBA co-instructors
Substance use disorders have become a public health emergency, with the number of affected adults and teenagers rising significantly over the last decade. Current behavioral and pharmaceutical treatment options do not succeed for many patients. Drawing on a long history of research going back to the 1950s, many recently completed and new studies are investigating psychedelic-assisted therapies for the treatment of addiction to substances such as alcohol, opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine, and nicotine. Join this introductory workshop for clinicians to learn directly from scientists and clinicians working on leading studies investigating the potential for psychedelic therapy to treat addiction.
Introduction to Psychedelic Neuroscience
Full Day - Monday, June 16th
Manesh Girn, Ph.D., Hannes Kettner, Ph.D., Robin Carhart-Harris, Ph.D., and TBD co-instructors
Over the past two decades, cutting-edge neuroscience has transformed our understanding of how psychedelics affect the brain. From in vitro studies, to rodent research, to advanced brain imaging in humans, these insights are key to understanding the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and refining approaches to psychedelic-assisted therapy. Join leading neuroscientists in this full-day introductory workshop as we explore the current state of psychedelic neuroscience. In an accessible format, we’ll break down key concepts, highlight influential discoveries, and discuss the ongoing debates that are shaping the field. This workshop is ideal for practitioners, researchers, and anyone curious about the science of psychedelics.
Guiding Psilocybin Therapy Sessions
Full Day - Monday, June 16th
Mary Cosimano, LMSW
In this workshop, Mary will present on compassion, connection, authenticity, play, and therapeutic competencies. She will cover the primary therapeutic competencies necessary for guiding psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and their importance for guiding psychedelic sessions with emphasis on presence, care, connection, and non-directive support. Also covered will be the importance of establishing a safe set and setting in sessions with a focus on safety issues, intentions, and comfort. There will be discussion on the use of guided imagery in psychedelic-assisted therapy specifying when to use, how to use it, and references to different types of guided imagery as well as a discussion on integration. Experiential learning and practice via guided imageries and break-out groups will be used to incorporate the information and techniques discussed. Question and answer periods will follow each segment.
Grof® Breathwork: The Legacy of Stanislav Grof
3-Day - June 15th, 16th & 17th
Diane Haug, MA, LPCC, Director, Grof Legacy Project, USA
This highly experiential workshop offers an introduction to the theoretical and practical work of Stanislav Grof, whose groundbreaking research into the value of non-ordinary states of consciousness, including psychedelic experiences, remains a bulwark of psychedelics studies. Following the prohibition of using psychedelics in research in the 1970s, Stan and his late wife Christina Grof developed holotropic breathwork as a means of inviting non-ordinary states of consciousness through a combination of deep breathing, evocative music, careful attention to set and setting, and individual “energy release work” where appropriate. Supported by a team of experienced practitioners, this workshop offers both a “breathing” and “sitting” experience of Grof® Breathwork, the form of breathwork now practiced and taught internationally by Stan and his current wife Brigitte Grof under their umbrella organization Grof Legacy Training. Valuable as a training tool for supporting psychedelics experiences, Grof® Breathwork attends to careful preparation for experience; ethical, respectful and safe settings; the naturally therapeutic presence critical for effective sitting or guiding; and skillful guidance in the integrative process that follows deep experience. PLEASE NOTE: Your confirmed registration will be based on the completion of a HIPAA Medical Form and clearance of potential contraindications by Senior Staff prior to participation. Should your participation in the workshop be cancelled due to safety concerns, you will be notified by phone and receive a full refund.
Introduction to Psychedelic Law Practice and Policy for Attorneys
Full Day - Monday, June 16th
The Psychedelic Bar Association
This workshop will provide the fundamentals for attorneys who are seeking to support clients and policy initiatives throughout the psychedelic ecosystem. The workshop will cover a range of timely topics including the primary present and likely federal and state pathways to legal access to psychedelics, including medical, therapeutic, decriminalized, and religious use, the practical challenges of implementing of regulated systems, and the professional ethical implications of these changes across the field. The Psychedelic Bar Association is an association of accomplished attorneys from all practice areas and perspectives dedicated to solving the novel legal and policy issues impacting the emerging psychedelics sector. We envision a world where psychedelic organizations, businesses, healers, and leaders have access to a network of lawyers operating from the highest standards of excellence and ethical considerations. We see the Psychedelic Bar Association contributing to the creation of a world where safe, legal access to psychedelics brings healing, equity and justice for all.
