A Brief History of Psychedelic Psychoanalytic Therapy and an Introduction to Psychedelic Phenomenology presented by Jeffrey Guss, MD
This talk will begin with a brief review of the history of psychedelic psychoanalytic treatment in the United States and Europe. Following this an introduction to psychedelic phenomenology from a psychoanalytic perspective will be offered, focusing on 1) hyper- associative states and 2) drug-induced ego dissolution (DIED). The relevance of these two phenomena for psychotherapy will be explored.

Witnessing: A Psychodynamic Perspective on How Psychedelics Facilitate the Treatment of Trauma presented by Lawrence Fischman, MD

In seeking treatment for trauma, the multiplicity of individual preferences and available treatment modalities enhance the likelihood of fittedness between patient and therapist. While many individuals will benefit from prevalent spiritual and cognitive behavioral models of psychedelic-assisted trauma therapy, some patients and therapists will feel more comfortable with relational models. Here, I offer a psychodynamic model of how psychedelics may influence the process of witnessing, which has been seen as central to the psychoanalytic model of recovery from trauma.