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Exploring the Spiritual Side of Psychedelic Healing | July 2025 Newsletter

Exploring the Spiritual Side of Psychedelic Healing | July 2025 Newsletter

Newsletter

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Jul 1, 2025

Jul 1, 2025

This month I’ve been thinking about the connection between psychedelics and spirituality, especially after the recent New Yorker article about the religious professionals study conducted at NYU and Johns Hopkins by Michael Pollen. Read a summary of the Michael Pollen article here. Research on the connection between psychedelics and mystical experiences was one of the earliest and most important areas of inquiry in both the first and second wave of modern clinical research, but lately it doesn’t seem to be getting as much attention. Reading about that study again gave me a flash of inspiration and nostalgia as I was working at NYU on a study of psilocybin for alcohol use problems contemporaneously and the research teams overlapped and shared updates regularly.

What is the connection between psychedelics and spirituality? It’s widely known and appreciated that naturally occurring psychedelics have been used in spiritual practices for thousands of years, indicating a relationship regardless of the specific cultural practice, era, or region. In the simplest terms we can explain that classic psychedelics–especially psilocybin, LSD, and DMT–often engender a subjective experience that shares enough similarities with non-psychedelic-induced mystical experiences that the benefits may be indistinguishable. They’ve been shown to be life-changing, paradigm shifting, and totally transformative. The dimensions and intensity of these experiences have been researched and formally documented using standardized psychological measures since the early 1960’s and are related to (but not necessarily the sole cause of) positive outcomes in clinical research for things like alcohol problems and depression.

This connection raises as many questions as it answers. Are these experiences engendered by psychedelics authentic? Are they adequate on their own or do they require supportive practices to translate them into meaningful change? What type of training should therapists and clinicians have to support patients who have them during treatment? What kind of informed consent is needed for a treatment that can have such a profound global effect? After all, someone signing up for treatment for their alcohol problem may not necessarily be up for reconceptualizing the meaning of life, but that’s par for the course in psychedelic therapy.

I’ve written about this a few times, including in two research papers (research paper 1research paper 2) documenting the real lived experiences of people going through psilocybin treatment for alcohol use problems. Having witnessed a number of such transformative experiences in my work as a psychedelic research therapist I can only emphasize the importance of the therapist’s stable, supportive presence in witnessing these experiences. For me, the most helpful preparation for this role was extensive practice and training in mindfulness-based therapies, including mindfulness meditation teacher training. Drawing a connection between how one approaches and interacts with an individual during a meditation session and during a psilocybin experience was immensely valuable and informed much of that work, as well as the guidance to therapists included in the Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration (PHRI) approach.

Join us later this month for a fascinating webinar exploring the relationship between psychedelics, Buddhism, and the question of self and get ready to deepen your practice with a special live-online course on Buddhism and Psychedelic Therapy this September. Whether you practice with ketamine, psilocybin, or see clients who are exploring psychedelics on their own, we’ve got the resources to help you prepare for the unknown.

 

Thanks,

Elizabeth Nielson, PhD

Fluence Co-Founder

Thinking of starting your training this summer? Don’t wait.

Tuition increases are coming this August, but there’s still time to lock in 2024 rates. By enrolling in your certificate program before the end of July, save up to $500 before the new pricing goes into effect.

Start your journey now and move toward certification in Psilocybin Facilitation, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, or Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration at the current, lower rate.
Enroll now

Sarah Zoghbi is a Licensed Professional Counselor and internationally trained psychotherapist providing relational psychodynamic therapy in private practice at Spyre Center in New Orleans. She works with adult clients to cultivate a significant trusting relationship and safe space to welcome honesty with oneself, illuminate depths of consciousness, and explore new ways of being. Her practice utilizes various non-ordinary states and/or holistic healing modalities including: ketamine assisted psychotherapy, psychedelic integration therapy certified through Fluence, aromatherapy certified, shamanic drum journeys, autogenic hypnosis relaxation training certified, mindfulness, meditation, breath work, and/or expressive arts therapies. Sarah is the co-founder of the Loyola University New Orleans Center for Counseling and Education and active hostess of community holistic wellness activity groups designed from research she published and offered through the Psychedelic Society of New Orleans.

Sarah is also a proud Fluence alum. Her own learning journey through Fluence’s training programs informs her work as a facilitator, and she brings that depth of personal experience to every course she teaches.

Watch her Spotlight video

Join us this month on Riverside, a Zoom alternative for high-quality recording, for a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation at the intersection of Buddhist psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychedelic therapy. Moderated by Dan MacCombie, Fluence’s Director of Product, this live session features Dr. Megan Rundel, a psychoanalyst, Zen teacher, and experienced psychedelic therapist.

Together, they’ll explore how psychedelic experiences can challenge a person’s ordinary sense of identity, and how concepts like ego dissolution and no-self are understood across contemplative and clinical traditions. From patient readiness to spiritual bypassing, integration practices to ethical use of Buddhist frameworks, this conversation will offer nuanced insights for anyone supporting others through transformative states of consciousness.

Whether you’re a clinician, guide, or student of contemplative or psychodynamic approaches, you’ll come away with deeper understanding of:

  • What ego dissolution and non-dual, no-self experiences really mean in the context of psychedelic work

  • How psychological structure, identity, and defense mechanisms inform clinical readiness

  • What integration looks like after a profound no-self experience

  • When no-self concepts serve healing, and when they might hinder it

  • How to responsibly draw from Buddhist psychology in therapeutic settings

The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A.

We will send a recording of the event to everyone who registers. Be sure to sign up even if you cannot attend live.

Register today!

Date: July 22nd, 2025 | Tuesday

Time: 12 PM - 1 PM ET

Hosted by: Dan MacCombie, MA, LPC, Director of Product at Fluence
Special Guest: Dr. Megan Rundel, Ph.D.
Format: Live Webinar via Riverside
CE Credit Available: 1 CE Hour

Curious about training in psychedelic therapy but unsure where to begin?

We’d love to help you gain clarity on how one of our courses fits into your path. Schedule a free 1-on-1 info call with Kabir Cooppan-Boyd, Marketing & Communications Manager at Fluence, dedicated to guiding you on your learning journey.

During your call, Kabir can answer your questions and explain how our courses connect to professional certificates in:

  • Psilocybin Facilitation

  • Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

  • Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration

If you’re a clinician with questions or curiosity about our programs, this personalized conversation is the perfect way to find your best next step.

Schedule your free 1-on-1 call with Kabir

All certificate programs start with our six-week Essentials of Psychedelic Therapy course, with the July cohort taught by Sarah Zoghbi.

Certificate Programs

Psilocybin Facilitation

July 11 - Apr 11, 2026

Learn more

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

July 11 - Dec 16, 2025

Learn more

Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration Therapy

July 11 - Dec 8, 2025

Learn more

Standalone Courses

Psychedelics and Psychoanalysis

Oct 16 - Dec - 11, 2025

Learn more

Expanding the Self: Buddhism and Psychedelic Therapy

Sep 24 - Nov 19, 2025

Learn more

Former Fluence alum and current instructor Kayli Howard was honored at Althea’s Psilocybin Outcomes Awards for her outstanding contributions to psilocybin therapy care provision. 

Read the article →

Compass Pathways announced that their COMP360 psilocybin trial met its primary endpoint in treating treatment-resistant depression (TRD), showing a statistically significant reduction in symptoms at 6 weeks compared to placebo.

Read the article →

Tryptamine Therapeutics, in partnership with Swinburne University, has launched the first-ever clinical trial administering psilocin intravenously for binge-eating disorder.

Read the article →