Course Description

There is a growing body of evidence to support the use of psychedelic medications to assist psychotherapy. Clinically, things have moved on significantly since the first wave of psychedelic assisted therapy techniques were developed in the 1950s/1960s. In recent years, the United Kingdom has become a hub of psychedelic research. UK based therapists are using expertise gained from working in clinical research settings to develop novel applications of EMDR therapy and embed these innovative ways of working into their clinical practice. This presentation introduces the emerging potential of EMDR as a psychedelic assisted therapy. It explores the synergistic benefits of combining evidence-based trauma focused toolkits with the healing potential of expanded states. It unpacks the importance of stabilization in paving the way to qualify EMDR as a psychedelic assisted therapy. Vignettes of case material from adverse psychedelic experiences in clinical research settings are used to unpack the developing PsyA-EMDR protocol.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to identify the emerging potential of EMDR as a psychedelic assisted therapy.
2. Participants will be able to describe some of the synergistic benefits of combining evidence-based trauma focused toolkits with the healing potential of expanded states.
3. Participants will be able to identify the importance of stabilization in paving the way to qualify EMDR as a psychedelic assisted therapy.

Presenter(s)

Hannah Raine-Smith, MSc, PG-Dip, BSc, BA, MBACP

Hannah Raine-Smith, MSc, PG-Dip, BSc, BA, MBACP, is a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor working in private practice. She has a special interest in trauma and psychedelics. During her BSc in psychotherapeutic counseling, she began researching the potential use of psychedelics to facilitate the integration of trauma and went on to study postgraduate cognitive neuroscience at the Cardiff University Brain Imaging Centre in Wales. Here, Hannah discovered EMDR, realizing it has many similarities to psychedelics, so she went on to train under Dr. Derek Farrell, MBE, on the EMDR MSc in the U.K. Her extensive training in neuroscience and the AIP model now inform her research into psychedelic-assisted EMDR.

Jocelyn Rose, Accred MBACP

Jocelyn Rose, Accred MBACP, is a psychedelic therapist working on the clinical research trials based in the U.K. She also works in private practice, where she specializes in using EMDR as a psychedelic preparation and integration tool. She is a clinical supervisor, co-facilitates a community psychedelic integration circle and is a space holder at the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy. She is an author and an independent researcher. In collaboration with Hannah Raine-Smith, they explore the unfolding potential of EMDR as a trauma-focused, scalable psychedelic-assisted therapy.