Psychedelics are making significant progress
on their path to legalization.
Extensive research and professional literature have demonstrated the efficacy of psychedelics in promoting emotional, psychological, and spiritual growth. Groundbreaking milestones achieved through clinical trials conducted by prominent research institutions have validated the therapeutic effectiveness of these compounds, paving the way for a promising future in psychedelics.
In 2018, the U.S. FDA designated psilocybin as a "breakthrough therapy" for severe depression, surpassing existing treatments with substantial improvement.
Oregon took a pioneering step in 2020 by passing the Psilocybin Services Act, allowing the therapeutic administration of psilocybin starting in 2023. Colorado followed suit in 2022, legalizing psilocybin and allowing for the establishment of state-regulated consumption centers. This forward momentum is further evidenced by the growing shift in attitudes across multiple U.S. states, where decriminalization bills are being considered.
The global impact of this momentum is undeniable. Earlier this year, Australia approved the use of psilocybin in treating treatment-resistant depression. In the UK, the Parliament is actively engaged in discussions regarding the medical rescheduling of psilocybin. Simultaneously, the European Parliament has taken proactive measures by establishing the Action Group for Medical Use of Psychedelics, to position the European Union as a frontrunner in psychedelic regulation. These developments underscore the widespread recognition and the global opportunity that lies ahead in the field of psychedelics.
Yet, psychedelics are not a panacea. Alongside increased access, education on the rewards and risks associated with these substances is crucial.
Practicum Enrollment Process
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STEP ONE: PLACEMENT
After enrolling in the Practicum Program, you will be invited to review and select your top choices of a Practicum site to visit for your in-person experience. Browse a variety of sites in the Practicum Marketplace and select the option that interests you based on location, substances offered, lead facilitator, additional costs, calendar time required to complete your hours, and more. This process allows you to choose settings and medicine/substance that best suit your interests and career directions (e.g., clinical sites, research sites, or retreat sites).
You will also be invited to meet with our Practicum Coordinator so that we may better understand your needs for a placement and ensure you find the site you are looking for.
STEP TWO: IN-PERSON EXPERIENCE
After finding a match for a Practicum site, you and the site manager will align on a time for your visit to visit the location. This might be a site located in your home country, or across the world. You will be mentored by someone on site, and find yourself deeply emerged in their practices and ways of knowing.
STEP THREE: PROFESSIONAL CONTINUITY WORKSHOPS
Community is a crucial part of the learning journey for any professional, which is what we will focus on in newly developed Professional Continuity Workshops. These exclusive 90-minute live gatherings are open to those who are in the process fulfilling their Practicum, offering an opportunity to connect with and learn from others in the field.
STEP FOUR: PRACTICUM ASSESSMENT
As a final step in the Practicum experience, students are invited to assess and process their learning in a presentation to fellow Practicum participants. This assessment is designed to allow you to reflect meaningfully on your experiences, showcase professional growth, and demonstrate understanding of best practices in the field.
Explore Some of the Active Practicum Sites
We have a wide ranging array of Practicum Site partners, with more being added on a regular basis. They range in location, active medicine, lineage, and expertise, offering our Practicum participants a varied selection of where they wish to engage with further learning and hands-on training.
Floresta is a retreat site that allows their clients to be immersed in nature, community and held by an expert clinical and integration team to support a sense of nurturing and wellbeing as we explore non-ordinary states of consciousness. They have a variety of practices throughout the weekend that support integration of the ketamine experience to have exceptional outcomes.
Floresta is hiring guides for different retreat locations as we expand so this could also be your next employer!
Location: New York, Florida, Virginia, and Colorado
Medicine: Ketamine, rapèh and Sananga
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Beckley Retreats is an offshoot of the Beckley Foundation, helmed by Amanda Feilding (dubbed by Forbes as the “Queen of the Psychedelic Renaissance”). Beckley Retreats aims to continue Amanda’s legacy in drug reform and psychedelic policy & research by expanding access to safe, legal psychedelic retreats. With a unique 11-week program emphasizing safety and ethics, community-building, skill-building, and holistic wellbeing (body, mind, heart, spirit), Beckley Retreats offers a comprehensive non-medical preparation-immersion-integration experience for participants seeking personal development, spiritual growth, creativity boosts and improved relationships. Our programs serve cohorts of 12-18, and our diverse facilitation teams are skilled in both psychotherapeutic modalities and Indigenous wisdom traditions.
Locations: Jamaica (Good Hope Villas and Prospect Villas) and The Netherlands (Venwoude)
Medicine: Natural Psilocybin Mushrooms (Jamaica) and Truffles (The Netherlands)
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The Paititi Institute for the Preservation of Ecology and Indigenous Culture is a nonprofit organization devoted to the integration of indigenous wisdom into every day life. They serve as an intercultural bridge supporting individuals and communities to live as activated, responsible and joyful human beings in harmony with both inner and outer landscapes.
They offer healing retreats based in Amazonian lineages supported by Buddhist and Jungian psychologies: Huitoto, Ashuar, Yahua tribes, Andean Q'ero Nation, Tibetan Karma Kagyu lineage.
Location: Sacred Valley, Lamay, Peru
Medicine: Ayahuasca, San Pedro
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Intuitive Kasham works with the sacred psychedelic and non-psychedelic medicines in a blend between psychotherapy/life coaching and shamanic practices. They honor many traditions and work from Earth-centered practices, with teachings from Mexico, Peru and Portugal. They primarily work from a luxury villa in the Algarve, Portugal, where world famous beaches are a short drive from the site. The site itself offers an infinity pool and serene views of nature. It's accessible by taxi from Faro Airport.
Location: São Bartolomeu de Messines, Faro, Portugal
Medicine: Psilocybin, marijuana, mapacho, hapé, sananga and other traditional plants and herbs for healing purposes.
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Kiyumi Retreats offers legal, psychedelic-assisted retreats, supported by a comprehensive integration program for a safer and deeper connective experience of non-ordinary states of consciousness. The team consists of multidisciplinary, experienced facilitators from many different backgrounds, all sharing a vision of creating an accessible and inclusive space.
Their retreats offer psilocybin journeys that are infused with somatic and contemplative practices, with an emphasis on authentic expression (artistic or otherwise), as well as connection to nature. The Practicum student will learn how Kiyumi holds space, focusing on safety, inclusivity, and connection. And how above named practices not only compliment psilocybin journeys, but are an essential aspect in self-inquiry and exploration for the individual and within community.
Location: Netherlands
Medicine: Psilocybin
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Ecosystem for Human Development and Consciousness Studies - Protocol Quetzalcoatl is a center to experience peace and harmony with a community of loving and caring people accountable for a collective human development and growth of consciousness.
They practice guided psychotherapy with ancestral medicines and entheogen with research in depression, anxiety, trauma, addictions and spiritual guidance. They work with ancestral medicine women and men from native traditions and guides such as Mazatec, Wirrarika, Nahuatl, Mexicas, Otomies, Seris and many more. All of them mindfully share their traditional medicine through ancestral ceremonies of Teonanacatl (Mushroom), Hikuri (Peyote) , Bufo Albarius, Tepezcohuite, Eboga and others.
As an important complement to integrate the ceremonial experience, they work on producing academic research in several areas with a team of specialists in mental and public health.
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Medicine: Teonanacatl (Mushroom), Hikuri (Peyote) , Bufo Albarius, Tepezcohuite, Eboga, Ayahuasca
CLOSEWhat to Expect On-Site
Our hope is that you will gain insights and learn from other professionals in the field who are working in safe and thoughtful ways. Your site will also cover ethical considerations, including maintaining confidentiality, respecting privacy, adhering to professional codes of conduct, and practicing ethical decision-making.
Depending on the site and circumstances, Practicum hours may include:
- Preparation sessions with clients
- Preparing the space for a session
- Psychedelic sessions
- Retreat team debrief sessions
- Integration sessions
- Site staff meeting time
- Supervisor meeting time, including prior to and/or after the practicum’s official start date
- General operations and programmatic elements, such as: cleaning, clearing, and preparing different rooms and spaces for exercises and sharing circles, setting up the altar, preparing the ceremonial space, etc.
Here Is What Leaders In the Psychedelic Space Say About Synthesis Institute:
Bennet Zelner, Ph.D.
Regenerative Economist
“Psychedelics, when used appropriately, have the potential to revolutionize mental healthcare, and the professional training offered by Synthesis promises to help realize this potential. In contrast to mainstream approaches, Synthesis’ approach recognizes the critical role that connection plays in the production of well-being. The program also includes sessions on novel economic approaches to the delivery of care, which are critical to supporting the novel clinical approaches that Synthesis is helping to pioneer.”
Robin Cahart-Harris, Ph.D.
Founder of the Centre for Psychedelic Research atImperial College London
“Legal, professionally-organized retreats and trainings like (the ones) Synthesis offers can be a safe way for people to experience the transformational potential of psychedelics, and they can also be a great source of data for research centers like our own, helping to further advance the field. I'm excited to continue working alongside Synthesis to provide high-quality services and meaningful scientific research for the psychedelic community.”
PSYCHEDELIC PRACTITIONER
CORE TRAINING
Coursework Overview
PREPARING THE SOIL: Welcome and Orientation
We begin our journey together where all transformative journeys start—by orienting ourselves to where we are now and aligning ourselves as a community in the direction we are going. Over the course of two (2) weeks, you will be introduced to the key themes of the training, meet your pod group, review shared agreements, and begin a deep dive into self-exploration that will be a primary focus throughout the training.
MODULE ONE: Meet The Mushroom
In this module, we are introduced to the mushroom and truffles containing psilocybin, which is the foundation of our work at Synthesis. We explore the simplicity of the mushroom’s form and the complexity of its impact. We look at what we know about the mushroom through our four lenses (embodied, cognitive, sacred, and relational wisdom), and we begin to explore how we interact with this dynamic organism and how we understand its role in our personal lives and our professional practice.
MODULE TWO: The Ecology of Ethics and the Role of the Shadow
To do this work with integrity, we must be aware of the ethical questions that we face as individuals and as a larger community. In this module, we explore an ecology of ethics that will support you in addressing different ethical challenges and systemic dynamics that cause harm. We also meet the Shadow and take some time to examine our own internalized biases, as well as how to work with the Shadow when engaging with our clients and with the larger psychedelic community.
MODULE THREE: Many Ways of Knowing
The Synthesis model is built around honoring the many ways of knowing and ethical meaning-making. We recognize that no one perspective sees the whole picture, so we will practice looking at the human experience through many different lenses. In this module, we will pay particular attention to different ways of understanding health and wholeness, the nuances of cultural context, and our ways of relating to ourselves, others, and the more-than-human world.
MODULE FOUR: Healing, Trauma, and the Body
On our journey to wholeness, we are bound to encounter various forms of trauma. Understanding how trauma works and how to create the conditions in which someone can surface, process, and resolve it is critical to psychedelic work, as psychedelics can both help and hinder the healing of trauma. In this module, we explore what it means to be a trauma-informed practitioner, including how to develop the relational, emotional, and somatic skills we need to be able to hold a healing space in ourselves and for others.
MODULE FIVE: Key Elements of Preparation
In this module, we explore various ways of preparing ourselves and our clients for a psychedelic experience, including useful somatic and cognitive practices as well as the importance of intentionality and building the therapeutic alliance.
MODULE SIX: Screening for Readiness and Safety
How we gauge readiness is both an art and a science, involving both intuition and facts. In this module, we will discuss how to screen for your own competence as well as for a client’s readiness and safety. We will also explore various strategies to minimize risk before, during, and after a session or ceremony, in order to maximize our efforts at harm reduction.
MODULE SEVEN: Navigating Uncharted Territory
There are many ways to approach a psychedelic session or ceremony, and in this module we look at various approaches and discuss the importance of working in alignment with your capacity and a client’s needs. We explore the topography of non-ordinary states of consciousness and deepen your work with practices that will help you become a compassionate, safe, abiding presence for those who wish to walk in uncharted territories.
MODULE EIGHT: Key Elements of Integration
Whether a psychedelic experience was delightful or difficult, harnessing insights and working with what emerged during the journey depends on intentional and ongoing integration. In this module, we explore different approaches to working with a variety of experiences and how to utilize an experience for lasting transformation.
MODULE NINE: A Life of Service
In this final module, you will reflect on your journey and synthesize what you have learned. You will also orient yourself to what is next, both as you prepare for your own psychedelic experience with Synthesis and as you think about how you wish to be of service to yourself, your community, the more-than-human world, and the emerging field of psychedelic care.
INTEGRATION: Assessment, Closing, and Completion
After the conclusion of the nine (9) coursework modules, you will participate in an assessment period during which your peers and your learning facilitator will review your portfolio of assignments and supervise a final oral examination. To honor your learning journey, we end with a closing ceremony and final celebration where you will receive your certificate of completion.
One-of-a-Kind, Facilitated, Small Group Study With Weekly Live Sessions
A unique component of the Psychedelic Practitioner Core Training is the small group learning experience. You will move through the program in groups of no larger than 10 participants that we affectionately refer to as pods. Your pod will be guided by one of our experienced learning facilitators who will offer mentorship, leadership, and guidance for your journey. You will be with your pod for the orientation, nine (9) coursework modules, and the integration period.
Current students report this is one of the most meaningful components of the program. Not only do they feel held and supported throughout the education process, but they are creating lasting connections that will continue to support their personal and professional growth beyond the training. The weekly live small group pod session dates and times will be released once the next training cohort start date is determined.
All weekly small group pod sessions are 2.5 hours in length. You will be assigned a small group pod training day/time as part of the onboarding process once you are enrolled in the training.
Note: Seasonal time changes may affect the time by one (1) hour during certain parts of the year. Additional pod times may be made available pending enrollment.
