PANDAEMONIA Training in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP): A Psychotraumatology and Secular-Spiritually Informed Approach

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is currently experiencing remarkable development in Switzerland, supported by the Federal Office of Public Health's special authorization program. However, this evolution comes with considerable challenges, as PAP represents a fundamental paradigm shift: instead of focusing exclusively on symptom reduction, it explores and integrates the deeper origins of psychological suffering.

This training proposes an innovative approach that combines the epistemological framework of the "culture of consciousness" developed by neurophilosopher Thomas Metzinger with insights from contemporary psychotraumatology. This synthesis enables a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the consciousness crisis that fuels both individual suffering and the current metacrisis of our societies.

In my long-standing observation, there are two potential pitfalls that can compromise the therapeutic process within PAP: incomplete integration of traumatic emergences leading to a victim identity, and spiritual bypassing or ego overinflation due to the exceptional nature of psychedelic experiences. The training aims precisely to develop the epistemological autonomy of therapists (and consequently of their patients), enabling them to recognize their own truth within the given ecological context, thereby promoting the evolution of the collective in a harmonious way. The emphasis is on phenomenology, the discipline that examines how we construct our understanding of lived phenomena.

The training pathway extends over approximately eight months and includes three central experiential components: one holotropic breathwork session and two therapeutic experiences in altered states of consciousness using ketamine. These experiences are complemented by in-depth theoretical teaching as well as integration and supervision sessions. Ketamine, which can be prescribed by any licensed physician in Switzerland and used in psychiatry as an off-label treatment, offers significant advantages: easy accessibility, moderate cost, rapid efficacy for various psychiatric issues (chronic depression, burnout, post-traumatic stress), and limited duration of potentially difficult psychedelic effects.

This training is exclusively aimed at experienced healthcare professionals (physicians, psychologists, nurses) who can demonstrate long-standing interest in psychotraumatology and/or body-oriented approaches. Participants must have previously completed a recognized certified training (EMDR, IRPT, Internal Family Systems, Schema Therapy, DBT, Somatic Experiencing, Integrative Body Psychotherapy, or Hakomi).

The cost of the training is approximately 4,500 CHF. It will be certified as continuing education, with specific certification sought according to the requirements of the relevant professional organizations (FSP, SGPP, SSMP, FMH), without compromising the conceptual foundations of the program.

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