Psychedelics in Therapy

Dr. Elizabeth Nielson is CEO and co-founder of Fluence. Her focus as a psychologist is on developing psychedelic medicines as empirically supported treatments for PTSD, substance use problems, and mood disorders. Dr. Nielson was a Site Co-Principal Investigator and therapist for an FDA-approved Phase 3 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and has served as a therapist on FDA approved clinical trials of psilocybin-assisted treatment of alcohol use disorder, psilocybin-assisted treatment of treatment resistant depression, and earlier phase 2 and 3 trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Through Fluence, she provides continuing education and training programs for therapists who wish to engage in integration of psychedelic experiences in clinical settings. Her research includes qualitative and mixed-methods projects designed to further understand the phenomenology and mechanisms of change in psychedelic-assisted therapy, including the experiences of trial participants and of the therapists themselves. Having completed an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at NYU, she has published and presented on topics of psychedelic therapist training, therapists’ personal experience with psychedelics, and including psychedelic integration in group and individual psychotherapy.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Elizabeth Nielson is CEO and co-founder of Fluence International, Inc. She holds stock or stock options in AtaiBeckley, Tactogen, and GoodCap. Elizabeth Nielson receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc.

Non-financial: Elizabeth Nielson has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Dr. Ingmar Gorman is a co-founder of Fluence, a psychedelic education company training mental health providers in psychedelic treatments. As a psychologist, he shares his expertise in empirically supported psychedelic treatments with his clients and trainees alike. Dr. Gorman received his clinical training in New York City at the New School for Social Research, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, Columbia University, and Bellevue Hospital. He completed his NIH postdoctoral fellowship at New York University. He simultaneously served as site co-principal investigator on an FDA approved Phase 3 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and is currently a study therapist and supervisor on the same study. He is co-author on a Nature Medicine paper reporting the results of the first Phase 3 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Dr. Gorman has also published on the topics of classic psychedelics, ketamine, and Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration.
 

Seema Desai, MD, is a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist with a clinical interest in the intersection of spirituality and psychiatry. She integrates principles of mindfulness into her work with patients and teaches mindfulness and mental health. She has a been a study therapist in research, examining the effects of psilocybin for the treatment of depressive disorder and existential anxiety related to end-stage cancer diagnosis. She is currently a study therapist in a MAPS trial examining the effects of MDMA for the treatment of PTSD. She offers psychopharmacology treatment and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in her private practice. She is an assistant trainer with Fluence. For 10 years, she has served as assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine and the NYU World Trade Center Health Program treating 9/11 first responders. She co-edited a book published by the American Psychiatric Association titled Becoming Mindful: Integrating Mindfulness into Your Psychiatric Practice.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Seema Desai maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Fluence Psychedelic Education. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Seema Desai has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Jeffrey Guss, MD, is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, researcher and teacher with specializations in psychoanalytic therapy and psychedelic therapy. He is on the faculty of the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Guss was the Co-Principal Investigator and Director of Psychedelic Therapy Training for the NYU study on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of cancer anxiety and is a study therapist with several MAPS studies. He has published on the integration of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with psychedelic assisted therapy for MDD in Journal of Contextual and Behavioral Science and co-authored a paper on the influence of therapists’’ firsthand psychedelic experiences. He maintains a private practice in New York City.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Jeffrey Guss is a lead trainer with Fluence. He has employment relationships with California Institute for Integral Studies, Yale University, and Cybin. Dr. Guss maintains a private practice. He receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc.
Non-financial: Dr. Jeffrey Guss is a study therapist with the New York University Medical Center Research and is a sub-investigator in MAPS.

Gabor Maté, MD (pronounced GAH-bor MAH-tay) is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of five books published in nearly 40 languages, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, Gabor is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. For his groundbreaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver. His most recent book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture is a New York Times and international bestseller.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Gabor Maté receives compensation as a presenter. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Maté receives a speaking honorarium and recording and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Gabor Maté has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Matthew W. Johnson, PhD, is The Susan Hill Ward Endowed Professor of Psychedelics and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins. Working with psychedelics since 2004, he is one of the world’s most widely published experts on psychedelics. He has published research on psychedelics and mystical experience, personality change, tobacco smoking cessation, cancer distress treatment, and depression treatment. In 2021 he received, as principal investigator, the first grant in 50 years from the US government for a treatment study with a classic psychedelic, specifically psilocybin in treatment of tobacco addiction. He is also known for his expertise in behavioral economics, addiction, sexual risk behavior, and research with a wide variety of drug classes. He’s been interviewed by Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, Fox News, Fox Business News, BBC, and was featured in Michael Pollan’s book, How to Change Your Mind.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Matthew Johnson has an employment relationship with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and receives a consulting fee from Field Trip Psychedelics Inc, AJNA Labs LLC, AWAKN Life Sciences Inc, Beckley Psychedelic Ltd, Entheogen Biomedical Corp, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization Inc. He receives grants from NIH/NIDA, Mydecine Innovations Group Inc., Heffter Research Institute, Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation, Tim Ferriss Collaborative, Usona Institute, Realm of Caring Foundation, and Microdoz Therapy, Inc. Dr. Johnson receives a speaking honorarium from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations have been mitigated.

Non-financial: Dr. Matthew Johnson is a member of the Society for Quantitative Analysis of Behavior, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Behavior Analysis International, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, the International Study Group Investigating Drugs as Reinforcers, and the International Society for Research on Psychedelics.

Victor Cabral, MSW, LSW, CCTP-I, (He/Him/His) is a collaborative and strategic leader who is making an impact on historical inequalities in his community and across the United States. Victor is the Founder of Dreamers of the Day, LLC, and serves as the Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs for Fluence International Inc., a company that provides evidence-based training in psychedelic therapy and integration services to clinicians across the globe. Before joining Fluence, Victor served as Deputy Director for the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Advocacy and Reform where he co-led the implementation of the Trauma-Informed PA Plan, helped establish the first Racial Day of Healing in Pennsylvania history, and developed free trauma trainings for Pennsylvanians in collaboration with BIPOC mental health and trauma, and psychedelic medicine. He is a Licensed Social Worker and practicing psychotherapist in Pennsylvania with training in Internal Family Systems, Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Psychedelic Integration.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Victor Cabral is the Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Fluence. He receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Victor Cabral is the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Co-Chair for the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association.

Phil Wolfson, MD, is the creator of a new psychotherapy modality based on use of the medicine ketamine – Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Phil is the CEO of the non-profit Ketamine Research Foundation and directs the training of KAP practitioners through The Ketamine Training Center - now numbering over 1000 practitioners across the US and internationally. KRF’s Ketamine Psychotherapy Associates membership organization promotes the development of KAP practices and KAP wisdom on an ongoing basis. He is the author of The Ketamine Papers and Noe – A Father/Son Song of Love, Life, Illness and Death. He has been the principal investigator of the MAPS.org Phase 2 study of MDMA treatment for individuals with life-threatening illnesses. Dr. Wolfson’s work is the result of an intense, now many decades long clinical psychiatry/psychotherapy practice. He is a founder of Progressive Therapeutics Inc, an exciting new commercial psychedelic and psychoactive drug development corporation that is allied with his non-profit. The second volume of The Ketamine Papers is being prepared for publication in 2025.

He was featured in lead articles in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Oprah Magazine. KRF’s research, education and training are leading in the field.

Phil Wolfson is a sixties activist, psychiatrist/psychotherapist, writer, practicing Buddhist and psychonaut who has lived in the Bay Area for 46 years. In the 1980s, he participated in clinical research with MDMA (Ecstasy). He has created 9 patents for unique herbal medicines and ketamine. Phil was a founding member of the Heffter Research Institute. He is a journalist and author of numerous articles on politics, transformation, psychedelics, consciousness and spirit.

He is a graduate of Brandeis University and NYU School of Medicine.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Philip Wolfson is the founder and CEO of The Ketamine Research Foundation. He has an ownership interest in Progressive Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Wolfson will address off-label uses. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Philip Wolfson has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.

Dr. Monnica T. Williams is a board-certified licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. She is also the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Connecticut, where she provides supervision and training to clinicians for empirically supported treatments. Prior to her move to Canada, Dr. Williams was on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School (2007-2011), the University of Louisville in Psychological and Brain Sciences (2011-2016), where she served as the Director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities, and the University of Connecticut (2016-2019) where she had appointments in both Psychological Science and Psychiatry. Dr. Williams’ research focuses on BIPOC mental health, culture, and psychopathology, and she has published over 150 scientific articles on these topics. Current projects include the assessment of race-based trauma, barriers to treatment in OCD, improving cultural competence in the delivery of mental health care services, and interventions to reduce racism. This includes her work as a PI in a multisite study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD for people of color. She also gives diversity trainings nationally for clinical psychology programs, scientific conferences, and community organizations. She has served as the African American SIG leader for Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), and currently is Chair of their Academic Training Education Standards (ATES). She serves as an Associate Editor of Behavior Therapy. She also serves on the editorial board of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Canadian Psychology, International Journal of Mental Health, Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders and the Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation and co-founded their Diversity Council. Her work has been featured in several major media outlets, including NPR, CBS, Huffington Post and the New York Times.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Monnica Williams has employment relationships with Behavioral Wellness Clinic, Behavioral Wellness Clinic & New England OCD Institute, LLC, and the University of Ottawa. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Williams receives grant funding from Source Research Foundation. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Monnica Williams is a member of the Canadian Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Therapies, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. She serves on the board of directors of Psychedelic Medicines and Therapies and the Source Research Foundation. Dr. Williams serves on the editorial board of several academic journals, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc.

Richard Schwartz began his career as a family therapist and an academic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There he discovered that family therapy alone did not achieve full symptom relief, and in asking patients why, he learned that they were plagued by what they called "parts." These patients became his teachers as they described how their parts formed networks of inner relationship that resembled the families he had been working with. He also found that as they focused on and, thereby, separated from their parts, they would shift into a state characterized by qualities like curiosity, calm, confidence and compassion. He called that inner essence the Self and was amazed to find it even in severely diagnosed and traumatized patients. From these explorations, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was born in the early 1980s.

IFS is now evidence-based and has become a widely-used form of psychotherapy, particularly with trauma. It provides a non-pathologizing, optimistic, and empowering perspective and a practical and effective set of techniques for working with individuals, couples, families, and more recently, corporations and classrooms.

In 2013, Schwartz left the Chicago area and now lives in Brookline, MA where he is on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.