Ep. 83 | EMBARK: A Groundbreaking Framework for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy with Dr. Bill Brennan
Join Michaela Carlin and Dr. Bill Brennan on the Psychedelic Mom podcast for a deep dive into the complexities, uncertainties and profound transformations being revealed at the frontier of psychedelic therapy. Dr. Brennan, who has extensive experience in psychedelic clinical trials, has co-developed their EMBARK model with Dr. Alexander Belser. Brennan discusses the various domains of this ‘whole person’ therapeutic approach, unpacking the EMBARK acronym: existential-spiritual, mindfulness, body awareness, affective-cognitive, relational and keeping momentum. The conversation also explores ethical and practical considerations for psychedelic facilitation, the importance of culturally competent and trauma-informed care, the significance of robust preparation and integration support surrounding the psychedelic journey, and the potential collective impact of psychedelics on the mental health care system. Brennan also shares insights from his own extensive psychedelic experience and the potential future directions of the swiftly evolving fields of psychedelic research and therapy. Bill Brennan, PhD, is clinical psychologist, psychedelic researcher, educator, and author in New York City with over two decades of interest and involvement in psychedelic therapy. He has played a variety of roles across several psychedelic clinical trials, including lead trainer, core faculty, curriculum developer, clinical supervisor, and lead author on 8+ treatment manuals. He currently serves as a consultant to Cybin and Gilgamesh, two prominent psychedelic research companies, where he is involved in the development and delivery of their psychedelic treatment approaches. Bill developed the EMBARK model of psychedelic therapy with Dr. Alex Belser, which has been used on four clinical trials to date. He and Dr. Belser authored a comprehensive guide to psychedelic treatment in this approach entitled ‘EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy for Depression: A New Approach for the Whole Person’, published by Oxford University Press. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more episodes like this! 📲👍 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 00:00 Welcome 00:18 Exploring the role of a psychedelic therapist 03:21 The EMBARK model of psychedelic therapy 03:44 The new book EMBARK as a comprehensive guide to psychedelic therapy 04:18 Bill Brennan's personal and professional journey into psychedelic therapy 07:51 Insights from Bill’s psychedelic experiences 13:59 Understanding the domains within the EMBARK model 28:52 Ethical and trauma-informed care in psychedelic therapy 33:49 The role of music in psychedelic sessions 36:09 Screening and assessment for psychedelic therapy 38:12 Exciting developments in psychedelic research 41:21 Should underground knowledge help inform the design of psychedelic clinical trials? 44:38 Challenges and future directions in psychedelic therapy 54:05 Integration and personal growth post-psychedelic experience 𝗗𝗿. 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗻 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/BillBrennanPhD 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 Book: EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy for Depression: A New Approach for the Whole Person by Bill Brennan and Alex Belser - https://tinyurl.com/488pj4js Book: Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic Underground by Rachel Harris - https://tinyurl.com/26s7tzka Article: ‘Psychedelic Therapy as Form of Life’ by Nicolas Langlitz & Alex K. Gearin - https://tinyurl.com/25583ewc Joe Welker’s Essays: https://www.psychedeliccandor.org/arc... Clinical Trial: ‘A Phase 2b Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Multi-center study of the Effects of Psilocybin-assisted Psychotherapy on Psychiatric and Existential Distress in Advanced Cancer’ - https://tinyurl.com/546x229a Clinical Trial: ‘Leveraging Biomarkers for Personalized Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder Comorbid With PTSD’ - https://tinyurl.com/5h7nhrtt * * * * The Psychedelic Mom Podcast is for anyone who wants to go on a mind bending, heart opening journey to find out the truth about love, life and this reality. It is for those with an insatiable curiosity and a deep desire to heal, wake up, and live a wildly authentic life. Through intimate conversation with leading experts, scientists, psychologists, visionaries, artists, entrepreneurs, parents, psychonauts and newbies ... your host, Michaela Carlin, dives into myriad topics including consciousness, spirituality, cosmology, transformation, human optimization, biohacking, parenting, relationships, ancient wisdom, modern science, purpose, and the path to freedom, wholeness and joy. Michaela is a mother of four, an entrepreneur and visionary exploring the fertile edge of consciousness. She is a facilitator of transformational journeys globally and a certified spiritual director and psychedelic integration coach. #psychedelic #psychedelicmom #psychedelicparenting #psychedelictherapy #podcast #mentalhealth #spiritualhealing #mindfulness #psychedelicresearch #clinicaltrials
