Psychedelic-assisted therapy is well on its way to becoming a legitimate industry in Colorado. But for all the regulatory advancements, there are few ways hopeful professionals in the space can get a formal education about psychedelic substances and their use.
Naropa University in Boulder hopes to change that by offering a new minor in psychedelic studies as part of its Bachelor of the Arts degree program. Joe Harrison, executive director of Naropa’s Center for Psychedelic Studies, said the curriculum has yet to be solidified, but proposed classes include an introductory course, decolonial psychology, working with emotions, herbal medicine, religion and psychedelics, exploring psychedelic science, the poetry of psychedelics, transpersonal psychology, and more.
The minor will be open to all undergraduate students. Harrison hopes it will roll out in time for the fall 2024 semester.
The idea for a track dedicated to psychedelics came from both Naropa students and staff, who saw an unmet need for education and training related to the emerging field, Harrison said. The university, founded by Buddist monk Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1974, feels uniquely equipped to fill the gaps due to its model that focuses on contemplative education.
“If you want to be a facilitator, the most thing important you have to have, in my opinion, is the ability to sit and be present. Because a lot of times, you’re not doing all that much,” Harrison said. “That’s really what we teach at Naropa.”
The new minor both offers a starting point for novices and bolsters Naropa’s goal to build a pipeline of psychedelic professionals to meet future demand in the space.
That aspiration is, in part, what led to the opening of the Naropa Center for Psychedelic Studies in 2022. Since then it’s offered a post-graduate, psychedelic-assisted therapies certificate program to train prospective facilitators, who help monitor and support individuals while they’re under the influence. The university is preparing to welcome its third cohort of 130 people through the program, Harrison said.
Once Colorado officials finalize regulations, the university plans to offer an additional training certificate program specifically for psilocybin facilitators. It’s also actively seeking real estate where it can operate a clinic for psychedelic-assisted therapy and “practice what we teach,” Harrison said.
“We really created this pathway for students, for people who want to become psychedelic practitioners to get education, training and real-world experience,” he said.
The clinical aspect is of paramount importance not only for psilocybin-assisted therapy, which is expected to come online in Colorado in 2025, but also for MDMA-assisted therapy, which may also be available to the general public soon.
In December, Lykos Therapeutics submitted a new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration after completing Phase 3 clinical trials using MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The company, formerly known as MAPS Benefit Corporation, expects the agency to weigh in – and possibly approve its use – by August.
“The next big step for our center is getting that clinical space. We have a clinical trial we’re hoping to run out of it,” Harrison said.
This year, Naropa University intends to offer about $200,000 in scholarships to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals interested in Naropa’s training programs, in hopes of “making this landscape as diverse as possible so the therapeutic benefit of these medicines reaches as many people as it can,” Harrison added.
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