Course - Psychedelic Practitioner FundamentalsSection 2 of 10Complete lesson
Jules EvansDr. Robin Carhart-HarrisLESSON 2 OF 10
Section 2, Cognitive Lens
Beyond the Brain – Science and Evidence of Transformative Care
with Jules Evans and Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris
1,200+ participants in this course
Beyond the Brain
5 lessons
Beyond the Brain – Science and Evidence…Lesson
Discussion Questions, Key Takeaways, and Key TermsLesson
Extended Q&A SessionLesson
Additional ResourcesLesson
Test Your KnowledgeQuiz
Lifetime access
watch on any device
Receive Complimentary Access
Access ten recorded conversations that introduce the role of the practitioner and examine what it means to support people safely and ethically through psychedelic experiences.
Your access link will arrive by email within a few minutes.
With Lectures From Leading Experts
Hear from thirteen faculty members, including practitioners, researchers, and ethicists, each introducing a different perspective on psychedelic care, drawing on lived experience, psychological approaches, spiritual and cultural traditions, and embodied practice.
You Want to Understand What Working with Psychedelics Involves
Perhaps a personal experience with psychedelics, or supporting someone through theirs, has led you to consider this field more seriously.
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You are beginning to consider what it might mean to work with psychedelics professionally. Across ten conversations, you can explore the practitioner's role and the responsibilities involved in supporting another person's experience. The conversations introduce perspectives on care, including the importance of the practitioner's own development and preparation. They offer an informed starting point as you consider whether this is a vocational path you want to pursue.
You Want to Broaden Your Perspective and Examine Your Assumptions
You may already support people through psychedelic experiences and may have developed your own approach to this work.
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As you look to strengthen your professional foundations, you want to encounter perspectives that may challenge your assumptions and prompt you to reconsider established ways of working. The conversations address questions of risk mitigation, ethics, consent, and boundaries, offering material to reflect on alongside your existing experience and learning.
You See a Place for Psychedelics in Your Existing Work
You may already have a practice supporting others, and you begin to see a place for psychedelic work within it.
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People you work with may be asking about psychedelics, or you may be considering how this subject relates to your practice. You want to understand what supporting someone through a psychedelic experience involves, where your existing experience may be relevant, and what further education this work may require. Conversations on embodiment and trauma-informed care consider the practitioner's awareness and the support a person may need when trauma is part of their experience. The series offers a starting point for identifying questions to explore before taking this work further.
Wherever your interest in psychedelic care begins, you are welcome here. This on-demand series is open to anyone who seeks to deepen their understanding of this work.
You cannot hold a space for somebody deeper than the level you’ve gone to within yourself.
Shannon Duncan, Session 1, The Heart of Holding Space
A Four-Lens Approach to Psychedelic Care
At Synthesis, we recognize that understanding psychedelics draws on many ways of knowing: what we learn through our relationships with others and the wider world, through history, philosophy and science, through emerging and established wisdom traditions, and through our own embodied experience.
We bring these perspectives together through four lenses: Relational, Cognitive, Sacred, and Embodied Wisdom.
Relational Wisdom
Attunement, safety, and how we relate to others and the wider world.
In this series, you will explore:
How relationships and community shape the work of care
The practitioner’s role within a wider network of care
Trust, self-knowledge and relational presence
Consent, boundaries and awareness of power
Introduced in Session 1
Cognitive Wisdom
What history, philosophy, science and research can show us.
In this series, you will explore:
How research and lived experience inform each other
What current studies can show, and where evidence has limits
Set and setting, risk and harm reduction
Understanding challenging experiences
Introduced in Session 2
Sacred Wisdom
How wisdom traditions across cultures shape our understanding of non-ordinary states.
In this series, you will explore:
Ceremony, ritual and approaches to non-ordinary states
Respect for different worldviews and cultural contexts
Lineage and the question of cultural appropriation
Supporting meaning-making without imposing an interpretation
Introduced in Session 3
Embodied Wisdom
What we come to know through body and our own experience, practice and self-reflection.
In this series, you will explore:
The practitioner’s awareness of their own body and nervous system
Grounding and somatic resources
Personal practice and the relationship between embodiment and wellbeing
The ethical use of touch and consent
Introduced in Session 4
The Psychedelic Practitioner Core Training develops these four lenses across 13 months and 250+ hours of didactic, embodied, and relational learning.
Ten Sessions - Overview
The ten conversations begin with an introduction to the four lenses and move through the practitioner’s role, integration, risk and adverse experiences, ethics and touch, trauma-informed care, and non-directive approaches. Together they offer an entry point into the field of psychedelic care and the foundational questions, guiding principles, and emerging insights that shape this work.
I
Part One
The Four Lenses
Session 1, Relational
The Heart of Holding Space: Relational Foundations of Psychedelic Care
Dr. Rosalind Watts and Shannon Duncan
How relationships and community shape the healing process, how practitioners contribute within a wider network of care, and why self-knowledge is the ground of relational presence.
Knowing yourself, as an ongoing practice
Witnessing without needing to fix
Supervision and peer consultation
Session 2, Cognitive
Beyond the Brain: Science and Evidence in Psychedelic Care
Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris and Jules Evans
How research and lived experience inform each other, what studies of challenging experiences can show, and why practitioners track outcomes in their own work.
Humility before what cannot be known
Navigating challenging experiences
Learning from research and its limits
Session 3, Sacred Wisdom
Honoring the Sacred: Meaning-Making in Psychedelic Space
Philip Carr-Gomm and Ayize Jama-Everett
How wisdom traditions, ceremony and ritual have informed approaches to non-ordinary states, and how these influences can be approached with respect for their origins and cultural context.
Respecting every worldview
Honoring lineage, avoiding appropriation
Supporting meaning-making without imposing it
Session 4, Embodied
Embodying the Journey: Somatic Foundations of Psychedelic Care
Charlotte Duerr James and Dr. Devon Christie
How a practitioner’s awareness of their own body relates to presence, safety and ethical discernment, and how culture and identity shape bodily experience.
The body as an instrument of presence
Cultural humility and positionality
Ethical, consent-based touch
II
Part Two
Foundations of Safe Practice
5The Practitioner's Role: A Safe Container Through Many Ways of KnowingChara CaruthersWitnessing without needing to fixDesigning set and settingTrusting the person’s own healing wisdomAbout this sessionHide details
How epistemic humility, attunement and curiosity inform the practitioner’s role, including common obstacles to ethical client relationships.
6Psychedelic Integration: Metabolizing Experience into New Ways of BeingChara CaruthersSupporting integrationCare that continues after the sessionSupporting meaning-making without imposing itAbout this sessionHide details
Integration timelines, the distinction between integration and continuation, ways to recognize spiritual bypassing, and resources for clients and practitioners.
7Risk Mitigation and Adverse ExperiencesCourtney Watson, LMFTNavigating challenging experiencesMonitoring physical and psychological safetyPreparing someone for a sessionAbout this sessionHide details
Safety plans, emergency protocols and ways to respond to adverse experiences, including how the needs of marginalized communities affect safety.
8Ethics and Right Relationship: Boundaries and the Appropriate Use of TouchDr. Sandra DreisbachEthical, consent-based touchConsent as an ongoing conversationClear boundaries and awareness of powerAbout this sessionHide details
Relational boundaries, consent and the ethical use of touch, including the responsibilities involved in these interactions.
9Trauma-Informed Care and SomaticsAtira TanTrusting the person’s own healing wisdomThe body as an instrument of presenceGrounding and somatic resourcesAbout this sessionHide details
How trauma may present during a psychedelic experience, and how somatic awareness can inform a practitioner’s response.
10Honing the Healing Container: IFS and Non-Directive ApproachesHeather SmithKnowing yourself, as an ongoing practiceRecognizing your own parts and projectionsPreparing someone for a sessionAbout this sessionHide details
An introduction to Internal Family Systems, and how a non-directive approach can support a client in making sense of their own experience.
Registration opens a structured course space on the Synthesis learning platform. Each of the ten conversations sits in its own section, accompanied by the same set of materials, and every registrant joins the community space around the course.
10
Recorded conversations with thirteen faculty
The main program: researchers, clinicians, ceremonial practitioners and ethicists on the foundations of safe, ethical psychedelic care, recorded during previous live editions of the series.
Extended faculty Q&A sessions
Ten additional recordings, one for each conversation, in which the faculty respond to questions from the live audience.
Discussion questions, key takeaways and key terms
Supplementary material for every session, for revisiting the conversation and reflecting on it.
Additional resources
Books, articles and online resources selected for each session, available within the course space.
Knowledge checks
A short quiz at the end of every section, to revisit the subjects covered and check your understanding.
1,200+participants in the course
3,250+members in our online community
You Will Not Be Watching Alone
Join more than 1,200 other participants in the course, and over 3,250 members of our online community. Registration includes a place in the Synthesis Circle, where the course and its discussion spaces sit alongside open discussion areas, community events and the people watching the series with you.
Lifetime access on the Synthesis learning platform
All ten sections are available from the moment you register, to watch in any order and at your own pace, and your access does not expire.
Why We Offer This at No Charge
Questions of safety, ethics and practitioner responsibility are central to psychedelic care. We offer this introductory series at no charge so that people considering the field, and those already supporting others, can examine these questions regardless of their financial circumstances.
Researchers, clinicians, ceremonial practitioners, ethicists and authors bring the perspectives of their respective fields to these conversations.
Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris
Neuroscientist; Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor, UCSF
Courtney Watson, LMFT
Founder, Doorway Therapeutic Services
Atira Tan
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and trauma specialist
Ayize Jama-Everett
Theologian, community-based therapist and novelist
Dr. Rosalind Watts
Clinical psychologist; founder, ACER Integration
Jules Evans
Philosopher; author of Breaking Open
Dr. Devon Christie
Physician and researcher in psychedelic-assisted therapy
Philip Carr-Gomm
Teacher and author; former leader, Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids
Charlotte Duerr James
Therapeutic coach; founder, Liberation Training
Shannon Duncan
Author of Coming Full Circle
Chara Caruthers
Program Director, The Synthesis Institute; Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT)
Dr. Sandra Dreisbach
Ethicist specializing in psychedelic ethics
Heather Smith
Certified IFS Therapist; founder, The Moxie School
Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris is a psychedelic neuroscientist, psychopharmacologist, psychologist, and Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor of Neurology & Psychiatry at UCSF. He founded Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research, leading groundbreaking studies on LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA for depression, PTSD, and addiction. His research explores how psychedelics alter brain function by enhancing neuroplasticity and disrupting habitual thought patterns, fostering psychological transformation. Dr. Carhart-Harris’ contributions have earned him recognition from TIME magazine's "100 Next" list and The Times' "Top Medical Scientists." He continues to pioneer research on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, shaping the future of mental health care.
Courtney Watson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist. She owns Doorway Therapeutic Services, a group therapy practice in Oakland, CA, serving the mental health needs of Black, Indigenous & People of Color, Queer folks, Trans, Gender Non-conforming, Non-binary, and Two-Spirit individuals. Guided by her ancestors, Courtney incorporates psychedelic-assisted therapy for those with multiple marginalized identities, emphasizing the need for BIPOC and Queer providers. She has trained at the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research at CIIS, MAPS, and Polaris Insight Center. Courtney is passionate about the impact of psychedelic medicines on marginalized identities and their role in decolonization. She believes the field needs to better address the unique needs of Communities of Color and is dedicated to bridging this gap. Her clinic, predominantly QTBIPOC providers, offers Ketamine Assisted Therapy. She founded Access to Doorways, a non-profit to subsidize ketamine/psychedelic therapy for QTBIPOC clients, and created a directory for Queer and BIPOC clients to connect with psychedelic therapists. Outside of work, she's watching Nickelodeon with her kids, working on her dissertation, or taking a nap!
Atira Tan is a Singapore-born, Melbourne-bred Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) and trauma specialist focused on sexual abuse recovery. As an art therapist and trauma educator, she is dedicated to guiding individuals back to their innate power and wisdom through somatic trauma approaches, embodied education, and spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation. Her methods are infused with deep compassion, self-acceptance, and love. Atira has extensive training in yoga, meditation, and art therapy. She is the founder and CEO of Art to Healing, a charity that supports women and girls in Asia and the Pacific, and leads the global organization Yoga for Freedom.
Ayize Jama-Everett holds three Master’s degrees: Divinity, Psychology, and in Fine Arts, Writing. He blends these degrees in all his work, often identifying as a guerilla theologian, a community-based therapist, and an afro-futurist in the same breath. He’s taught at Starr King School for the Ministry, California College of the Arts, The University of California, Riverside, Western Colorado College, and several private High schools for over twenty years. His expertise includes working with adolescents, the history of substance use in the United States, the history of Sacred Plant medicines in the Maghreb, the religious roots of political violence from Ireland to the Middle East, educational arts pedagogy, and Afrofuturism. He’s published four novels (The Liminal series) and two graphic novels (Box of Bones and The Last Count of Monte Cristo).
Dr. Rosalind Watts is a clinical psychologist, a mother, and a nature lover. She has become a leading voice in psychedelic research through her roles as Clinical Lead for Imperial College London's psilocybin trial and Clinical Director at Synthesis Institute. Noted among the “50 Most Influential People in Psychedelics” as well as one of the top “Top 16 Women Shaping the Future of Psychedelics”, her focus is on integration, harm reduction, and inclusion. She leads ACER Integration, an integration community that aims to provide experiential education around integrating singular experiences into the wider collective and connecting more deeply to the self, others, and nature.
Jules Evans is a philosopher, researcher, and author known for his work on ecstatic experiences and their impact on individuals and society. His books include Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, The Art of Losing Control, and Breaking Open: Finding a Way Through Spiritual Emergency. Jules explores how people seek, interpret, and navigate ecstatic states, advocating for greater “ecstatic literacy” and better frameworks for journeys beyond the self. Over two decades, he has written for The Times, The Economist, The Spectator, BBC, and others. He is the editor of Ecstatic Integration, a sister project to The Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project, which launched in 2022 to advance psychedelic ethics, integration, and harm reduction.
Dr. Devon Christie is a physician, therapist, and researcher specializing in psychedelic-assisted therapy for trauma and chronic pain. She co-authored a landmark study on MDMA-assisted therapy for chronic pain and is currently leading research on psychedelic therapies for conditions like fibromyalgia. Devon integrates mindfulness, Internal Family Systems, and somatic practices into her work, emphasizing holistic, trauma-informed care. She balances her clinical practice with her research, working at the forefront of psychedelic medicine in Canada. Certified in Relational Somatic Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Devon’s approach focuses on empowering individuals to reconnect with their innate healing intelligence.
Philip Carr-Gomm is a teacher, author, and former leader of The Order of Bards Ovates and Druids. With a background in psychology, psychotherapy, and spiritual traditions, Philip integrates Druidry with the Perennial Wisdom Tradition to explore the intersection of spirituality and psychology. He founded The Art of Living Well, an online school offering courses in mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, and personal transformation. Philip has authored several books on spiritual growth and creativity, drawing from decades of experience. Based in Sussex, England, he continues to foster healing and empowerment through meaningful connection and authentic practice.
Charlotte Duerr James is a therapeutic coach, educator, and initiated Medicine Woman with over 15 years of experience working with Sacred Earth Medicines. As the founder of Liberation Training, Charlotte supports individuals and practitioners in decolonizing their personal growth and collective healing approaches. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she has lived throughout South America, studying diverse healing traditions and facilitating hundreds of ceremonies. Her training includes Transpersonal Psychology and Indigenous Wisdom through the Awe Foundation, where she also serves as a mentor. Charlotte’s work bridges traditional wisdom and modern therapeutic practices, fostering empowerment and radical transformation.
Shannon Duncan is an entrepreneur and author of Present Moment Awareness and Coming Full Circle, where he shares his multi-year journey of healing trauma through psychedelics. His work reflects a deep commitment to supporting trauma survivors, offering practical insights into the transformative potential of psychedelic-assisted healing. Shannon’s advocacy stems from his belief in authentic living, which he describes as the most rewarding aspect of his personal growth. Based in California, Shannon enjoys creative pursuits like music and cooking and spending time with his family, friends, and dogs. He continues to inspire others with his experiences and passion for healing.
Chara Caruthers is a skilled facilitator with decades of personal and professional practice as an educator, therapist and lifestyle medicine practitioner working with groups and individuals. Her life and work is grounded in eastern spiritual traditions, ancient and indigenous wisdom and modern science and philosophy. She holds a professional certification in psychedelics, entheogens and transpersonal psychology, is a graduate of the Center for Holding Space Foundations program at the Leadership level, and is currently completing a master of science in transpersonal psychology. As a Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), certified Ayurvedic practitioner and psychedelic researcher, she is passionately dedicated to building bridges between ancient lifestyle traditions and modern western medical approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Chara believes that a loving and supportive community is the vital and often missing piece of the picture of wellbeing for so many. She recognizes that her work in the psychedelic space is that of building and empowering community as a container for embodying our wholeness.
Sandra Dreisbach is an Ethicist and Psychedelic Ethics specialist with a MA, Phd in Philosophy. She is an Ethics Advisor active in Psychedelic Integration, Education and Advocacy. Sandra is the community leader of EPIC (Ethical Psychedelic International Community), Director of Ethics for Nectara, a psychedelic support ecosystem, Ethics Director for World Psychedelics Day 6/20, and former leader of the Santa Cruz Psychedelic Society. Sandra taught Bioethics at University of California, Santa Cruz, for ten years; worked for many years in the tech industry primarily at Apple; and is a Reiki Master.
Heather’s passion lies at the intersection of IFS (Internal Family Systems) and Expanded States of Consciousness, particularly in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. From 2015 to 2023, Heather operated Insight Counseling of Alexandria, LLC, specializing in parts work and supporting clients' integration of therapeutic medicine experiences. She has advanced through IFS levels 1-3 and served as a Program Assistant for various IFS trainings.
In 2019, Heather initiated a MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) sponsored Expanded Access site in Rockville, MD, for studying MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD, receiving her MAPS Therapist training. She has also trained with Compass Pathways, Fluence, and attended psychedelic conferences like MAPS 2023, Horizons, and SOAP.
In January 2022, Heather founded The Moxie School®, offering courses, workshops, and consultations for therapists, coaches, and guides in IFS Informed Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. She also organizes IFS Informed Retreats, providing transformative experiences within a supportive community.
The Synthesis Institute in Numbers
For readers meeting Synthesis for the first time: the organization behind this series has offered legal psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands since 2018 and training for psychedelic practitioners since 2021.
Since 2018
Legal, professionally guided psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands; practitioner training since 2021
1,100+
Participants supported on our retreats
550+
Practitioners trained in our programs
Colorado-approved
Practitioner training program approved by the State of Colorado under its Natural Medicine Health Act
Where This Series Can Lead
The series introduces the field and the questions that inform care within it. For readers who want to continue, two further steps are available. Neither follows automatically from registration.
Step 1
Watch the Series
Watch the ten sessions and note the questions that matter to you, and where this subject may relate to your work, practice or community.
Step 2
Attend an Open House
Learn what it means to train with Synthesis and how our approach to practitioner training works in practice, with time for your own questions. Next Open House: November 17, 2026.
The Psychedelic Practitioner Core Training is a 13-month certificate program for ethical and trauma-sensitive psychedelic care, integrating many ways of knowing, with more than 250 hours of study, practice and mentorship. The next cohort begins January 18, 2027.
This series is an introduction. It is not formal training and does not qualify anyone to practice psychedelic care. Psilocybin remains illegal in most jurisdictions.
Questions Before You Begin
Is there a cost?
All ten sessions are complimentary. We ask for your name and email address to send your access link.
Do I need a clinical or therapeutic background?
No. People come to the series from different personal and professional starting points: those considering a move into psychedelic care, those who already support others, and those approaching the field through research or an existing practice. The conversations assume an interest in the subject, and nothing more.
What is included beyond the ten recordings?
Each of the ten sections contains the main conversation, an extended Q&A session recorded with the live audience, a set of discussion questions, key takeaways and key terms, additional resources, and a short knowledge check. Registration also includes a place in the Synthesis Circle community.
What does the series cover?
The first four conversations introduce the relational, cognitive, sacred wisdom and embodied perspectives that organize the Synthesis approach. The six that follow consider the practitioner’s role, integration, risk and adverse experiences, ethics and touch, trauma-informed care, and Internal Family Systems as a non-directive approach.
Does the series qualify me to practice?
No. The series is an introduction and does not constitute formal training. Practicing psychedelic care requires substantial training, supervised practice and attention to the laws where you live.
How much time will it take?
Each conversation runs between 30 and 60 minutes, and each is accompanied by an extended Q&A recording and supplementary material. All ten sections are available from the moment you register, and you can return to any session at any time.
How long will I have access?
Your access does not expire. Every section remains available on the Synthesis learning platform for as long as you wish to return to it.
I am a licensed clinician. Is the series relevant to my work?
The conversations address questions of ethics, safety, trauma-informed care and the limits of current evidence that arise in clinical settings as much as elsewhere. The series does not provide continuing education credit, and completing it has no bearing on professional licensure. The faculty section lists each contributor’s background so that you can judge the relevance of individual sessions.
How does this relate to the Core Training?
The series introduces subjects that the Psychedelic Practitioner Core Training develops over 13 months and more than 250 hours. Screening, pharmacology and facilitating with a team are touched on only briefly in the series; the Core Training covers them in full. You can use the series to understand the subject matter and decide whether you want to learn more.
Begin Your Exploration Here
Receive Complimentary Access
Access ten recorded conversations that introduce the role of the practitioner and examine what it means to support people safely and ethically through psychedelic experiences.
Your access link will arrive by email within a few minutes.
About The Synthesis Institute
The Synthesis Institute is a global leader in the modern psychedelic movement, offering legal retreat programs in the Netherlands and trauma-sensitive psychedelic practitioner training rooted in safety, ethics, and a multidimensional approach to care.
