Expanded ACT (with Spectrum of Selves) for Psychedelic-assisted Therapy: Integrating trauma-focused ‘parts’ work with systemic behaviour change
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Expanded ACT (with Spectrum of Selves) for Psychedelic-assisted Therapy: Integrating trauma-focused ‘parts’ work with systemic behaviour change
A two + five day training experience to learn a new integral model of psychedelic-assisted therapy on the Catalonian coast
2024 Dates:
- Online: 12-13th Sept
- In person: 22-27th Sept at a retreat centre with sea, near Barcelona, Spain
Places remaining: 8 of 16
Early bird discount extended to 15th July for this listserve only.
(-£200 = £1600 – all meals and accommodation included)
Facilitators:
- Henry Whitfield
- Dr. Robert Krause
- Dr. Larry Leeman
This training offers an integrated approach of ACT processes, ‘parts work’ (IFS), shame work (FAP) and a titrated exposure for trauma (Traumatic Incident Reduction-TIR). The processes behind two or more of these approaches can often be integrated into a very simple single instruction for the participant at any stage of psychedelic-assisted therapy. These interventions are tailored to a wide range of psychedelic therapy challenges to enable a trauma-focussed ACT-consistent approach to systemic change, as described in the recent Spectrum of Selves paper (see https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.727572/full ). This new integrated approach is informed with high-density data collected from over 50 participants for a study designed to reduce relapse and deepen gains in psychedelic-assisted therapy (publications forthcoming). This training highlights what we know has been helpful in producing stable psychedelic therapy gains (post 6-12 months). It integrates ‘parts’ work from three approaches that use ‘parts’: IFS, ACT and Traumatic Incident Reduction) using Contextual Behavioural Science as a core theoretical modal. This enables a versatile, multi-modal framework, including a broad pallet of six degrees of directive/non-directiveness. Using such a pallet context-sensitively enables a solution to the directive/non-directive debate in psychedelic therapy and beyond.
TIR offers a precise imaginal exposure methodology with supporting repetitive focusing protocols that can be adapted and enhanced to amplify all ACT processes such as: awareness of the cues and motivations for any behaviour, values in context, directing presence/undivided awareness to any inner experience, intensifying client-led willingness to face challenging feelings, defusion/disentangling from any unhelpful habitual thinking, awareness of the function of any self-story or role.
ACT brings the overarching framework of evolutionary and behavioural science principles, as well as a shortcut to accessing hidden fears. Within this framework, TIR and IFS offer additional ‘vehicles’ for implementing Contextual Behavioural Science principles thoroughly and compassionately.
You will learn multiple interventions that align precisely with the Spectrum of Selves as described in Henry’s recent publication in Frontiers in Psychiatry, adapted throughout the three phases of Psychedelic-assisted therapy. This methods are also helpful in non-psychedelic contexts.
Schedule:
Days 1-2 (online Sept 12-13th, 1 pm – 8:30 pm BST):Engineering a new psychedelic therapy of the future. TIR for re-accessing and processing psychedelic experiences and related traumatic memories.
Invitation to exchange sessions with peers before arriving in Spain.
In Catalonia, Spain (22-27th Sept) Arrive 6 pm for dinner on 22nd, leave by 6pm on 27th. All meals and accommodation included.
Days 3-4: ACT and the Spectrum of Selves – from shame to the ‘reverse compass’ for accessing our deeper fears, exploring the voices and behaviours of our different parts. Understanding the ACT core processes from a ‘parts’ point of view. For a taster of this see this invited speaker conference presentation: https://youtu.be/7PjiTJhTJjc
Day 5: Inner work aligned with outer systemic behaviour change. Getting ready to bring the barriers into the work.
Days 6-7: Practicum of ACT expanded with trauma and parts work through the three phases of psychedelic therapy. Your chance to practice with feedback the protocols and principles that you personally need the most feedback on.
Monthly supervision included for 3months.
Internship programme and mentoring also available.
The curriculum includes:
- A 150 page bound manual to support you during and after the training.
- A checklist for tailoring your personal training needs.
- A process-focussed view of treatment planning, aimed at addressing key nodes in a person’s network of interacting symptoms. How might centrality and -accessibility of a network symptom offer a way forward?
- ‘Multiple-function’ interventions that apply multiple models in a single action.
- Two thirds of a certificated training in TIR, a structured approach to Trauma/PTSD comparable to EMDR in its thoroughness, yet more precise and consistent with mindfulness and ACT. If you wish to become qualified with the full certificate in TIR, this can be done with one additional day training (available online on request).
- ACT-informed Parts work to address inner conflict between your different selves.
- A protocol for differentiating between healthy and unhealthy self-story/narcissism.
- A protocol for processing intense psychedelic experiences and re-accessing perspectives and insights from the trip.
- Expanding and reinforcing new behavioural repertoires that flow from newly gained perspectives – seamlessly interconnecting the three phases of psychedelic therapy.
- Overcoming complex/long-term trauma (often more accessible post psychedelic).
- Working Somato-cognitively – reawakening feeling in the body
- Mapping and reinforcing systemic change.
- Predictors of long-lasting benefits in psychedelic therapy and how to implement them.
- ‘Inner healing intelligence’ versus varying degrees of person-centredness/ active-directiveness (and when to do which).
- Parts work for malevolent and benevolent parts/entities
- A defusion protocol for when the mind gets in the way during a dosing session.
- Shame work as a shortcut to our deeper self-concept issues (informed with Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP)).
- Perspective switching exercise for transcending the polarities of the mind.
- Behaviour change coaching for increasing alignment in a person’s life.
About the Facilitators
Henry Whitfield is an Association of Contextual Behavioural Science (ACBS) Peer-reviewed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy trainer, an Accredited Advanced TIR (PTSD therapy) Trainer and Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist (MSc–CBT) and Visiting Research Fellow at Regent’s University – School of Psychotherapy and Psychology. For over seven years Henry ran and supervised brief therapy for PTSD projects for Victim Support and Mind in London gun crime hot spots, using CBT and TIR.
Henry has also trained over 1500 psychological therapists since 2003, supervising mental health professionals the NHS for ACT and Trauma work. He is also a passionate integral thinker, publishing journal articles and book chapters on the integration of therapeutic models including, REBT-mindfulness, ACT-TIR-CBT, Person-centred-TIR. His psychedelic plant medicine path has changed how he does psychotherapy especially with self-concept issues. He has written, co-written and edited training manuals for ACT, TIR (PTSD) and FAP (relational psychodynamic issues). Now he focuses his research on the development of ACT-consistent models for psychedelic preparation and integration, with psychedelic process research for his PhD. He is also author of a new model of psychological flexibility A Spectrum of Selves, tailored to a psychedelic therapy context published 2021 in Frontiers in Psychiatry: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.727572/full .
Robert Krause, DNP APRN-BC is a doctor of nursing practice and is a clinical specialist in psychiatric and mental health nursing. He was co-therapist and co-facilitator during the development of this approach, gave input on peak states to the Spectrum of Selves paper and will share his perspectives and as well as his professional and research experience with psychedelics. He is currently Visiting Faculty at The Graduate Institute where he is teaching a course in Mind-Body Medicine. For twenty years Robert was a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Yale University in the schools of Nursing and Medicine.
He has lectured in philosophy at Quinnipiac University and at Western Connecticut State University. Robert has certifications in Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery from Harvard University, in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and in Sex therapy also from the CIIS. He was a faculty advisor to the Yale Psychedelic Research Group and is currently the lead therapist and co-author of the treatment manual for the Psilocybin – Induced Neuroplasticity in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder at the Yale School of Medicine. He is also a co-author of ‘Psilocybin-assisted therapy of major depressive disorder using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a therapeutic frame’ Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 15 (2020): 12-19. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212144719301218
Robert’s daily practices include yoga, meditation and tantra. He completed yoga instructor training with Aum Pradesh Guar in Goa, India and was certified in tantra instruction through the Urban Tantra Professional Training Program. He has been practicing zazen meditation for 30 years.
Currently Robert maintains a private integrative psychotherapy practice in New Haven, Connecticut.
Larry Leeman MD MPH is a Professor in Family and Community Medicine; Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and board certified in Addiction Medicine. Larry gave input on archetypes to the Spectrum of Selves paper and will continue to share his perspectives including from Hakomi and MAPS training points of view. He graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies Program in Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Research in 2021, has been certified in MDMA Assisted Therapy by MAPS and has trained in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with PRATI and Polaris.
During a research sabbatical at the University of Wisconsin he participated in research with MDMA and Psilocybin. His current research focus in psychedelic assisted therapies at the University of New Mexico focuses on trauma and addiction, group psychedelic assisted therapy, and the use of MDMA for postpartum women with PTSD and opioid use disorder. He is currently completing his second year of training in Hakomi, a form of mindfulness certified Somatic psychotherapy and is in the Grof Holotropic Breathwork practitioner training program.
Event Detail
Event Start Date
February 13, 2025
Event End Date
March 6, 2025
Time
6:00 pm
Price Range
1600-1800
Location
Address
Catalonia Spain
Contact Detail
Contact Email
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4:30 pm
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June 4, 2025
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June 8, 2025
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2100-2300
