MIND Newsletter 8 April DE | Vier bevorstehende Konferenzen | APT Network Convention Rückblick
Veröffentlichungsdatum
What a week in Berlin's spring light! MIND was a hive of academic, clinical, and self-experiential activity as our most recent Beyond Experience 4-Day Workshop convened 15 participants, 13 of whom were APT students, for an immersive, emotion-focused, and ACT-fueled process of psychological integration—with conceptually sound, experiential learning and 39 CME credits.
These days were followed by the first APT Network Convention. From our growing network of 182 APT Training alumni and students, around 70 gathered for an in-depth exchange on medical psychedelic therapies, patient access, case studies, and hands-on clinical implementation. We were very impressed by the contributions of both our invited speakers and APT practitioners. Dr. Helena Aicher spoke on “Group Therapy,” Dr. Mauro Cavarra on a study targeting “High-Intensity Online Breathwork,” Prof. Dr. med. Gerhard Gründer on “The Pathway to Implementation of Psychedelics in the European Healthcare Systems”, and Dr. sc. hum. Henrik Jungaberle targeted the relationship between Medical Psychedelic Therapies, psychedelic pop culture, and non-clinical applications of these substances. Hot topics are all - thoroughly and controversially discussed by the existing and future psychedelic therapists.
Our conversations on the intersection of medicine and philosophy (“Transduality” by Alexander von Luckner) were also remarkable - reminding some participants of the discourses around physician and philosopher Karl Jaspers in the 1920s and 1930s. Jaspers began to work at the psychiatric hospital of Heidelberg University, habilitated at the philosophical faculty of Heidelberg University, and became a teacher of psychology and later a professor of philosophy at Heidelberg. Psychedelic practices in and outside of medicine incite important ontological and epistemological questions. These were also dealt with in fabulous case studies and methodologies by Eugen Secara, Maja Koutsandréou, and Inna Krylovetska. We should not be unfair, and mention other noteworthy intellectual and relational moments, for example transgender and transsexuality issues, unethical behaviors in historic “psychedelic conversion therapies”, patient and therapist theories on “energy,” and many more topics. So, take a look at the APT Network Convention’s program here.
The APT Network Convention was an example of one defining element of our psychedelic therapist training: on the basis of a clearly defined, evidence-based minimal conceptual platform, it is possible to discuss a multitude of questions, methods, and epistemologies.
Applications for our next international APT course starting this November are open now.
Policy: Reimbursement Pathways for Psychedelic Therapies
If you’re curious about how exactly psychedelic therapies can be implemented into healthcare systems, check out the freshly published Reimbursement Report by Floris Wolswijk and Martin Gisby for inspiration (funded by Norrsken Mind). It’s a no-fuss, practical roadmap for making psychedelic therapy reimbursable in Europe – and definitely worth a read.
Science: How do you teach an AI model to give therapy? [MIT Technology Review]
Can AI give therapy? A new trial shows promise, but only after researchers spent years training “Therabot” on real CBT techniques. Early versions learned bad habits from internet forums. The takeaway? Good AI therapy needs plenty of evidence-based data.
Mental Health: Guideline on clinical investigation of medicinal products in the treatment of depression [EMA]
The European Medical Agency (EMA) has updated its guidance for developing depression treatments, addressing rapid-acting drugs, treatment-resistant cases, and psychedelics. It stresses the need for better efficacy, lasting results, and tailored studies for symptom clusters.
Mental Health: “Taking in the good”: A simple way to offset your brain’s negativity bias [Big Think]
Not sure about you, but our brains are a bit of a drama queen—clinging to the bad stuff. Rick Hanson’s HEAL method draws on neuroscientific research and promotes “flip the script!”: Linger on the good, soak it up, and maybe even rewire your brain. There is some science saying it helps. Happiness is a habit—and your brain is listening.
Philosophy: How the brain creates heaven: The philosophy of psychedelics with Susan Blackmore [Big Think]
Cognitive scientist Susan Blackmore once floated out of her body and decided to spend the rest of her life figuring out why.
From sweat lodges in Mexico to online meditation retreats, Blackmore’s wild ride through psychedelics and other technologies of the self has led her to one simple statement: your brain is a master illusionist. Whether you're deep in a dopamine-fueled Jhana state or in runner’s high, what you experience as “heaven” is actually your brain doing some next-level improvisation.
But here’s the twist: just because it’s all in your head doesn’t mean it’s not real. Blackmore says these moments aren’t mystical nonsense; they’re powerful peeks into how our minds actually work.
Turns out, transcendence might not be a portal to another world… just a really cool feature of this one.
Wishing you a lovely fortnight,
Henrik Jungaberle, Max de Rosnay, Max Wolff, Marvin Däumichen, Marcin Gajewski & Simon Müller for The MIND Team