Spirituality in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Compilation of Insights

Dr. Sandra (Sandy) Newes, PhD, is a licensed psychiatrist and the Co-founder and Programming Director of Living Medicine Institute, which offers psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy training programs. With over 25 years of clinical experience as a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist, she specializes in anxiety, chronic stress, trauma, and recovery. Dr. Newes is also an educator and speaker offering workshops, events, and education on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and the intersection of nature connection, trauma, and mental health.

In this episode… Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy can open the door to experiences that feel deeply spiritual, relational, and transformative — but those experiences can also unsettle a person's worldview and challenge clinicians to be supportive without imposing their own beliefs. How can spirituality be approached in a way that deepens healing while keeping the work grounded, ethical, and connected to everyday life?

Five psychedelic therapy and spirituality experts offer practical ways to bring spiritual awareness into psychedelic work. Roman Palitsky, PhD, encourages clinicians to recognize that profound spiritual experiences may arise unexpectedly and to create space for patients to process them responsibly. Matt Zemon suggests treating integration as an ongoing practice by bringing psychedelic insights into daily life, relationships, and the supportive community. Keith Heinzerling, MD, recommends approaching consciousness and spirituality with humility rather than positioning oneself as an authority on another person's experience. Rohini Kanniganti, MD, emphasizes slowing down, resting the nervous system, and returning attention to the body to ground spiritual awareness in lived experience. Will Van Derveer, MD, encourages practitioners to acknowledge the possibility of a deeper, collective wisdom that may emerge through psychedelic work. These approaches can help spiritual insights become meaningful, integrated parts of a person's life.

In this episode of Living Medicine, Dr. Sandy Newes looks back on her most insightful episodes. Roman Palitsky, PhD, Matt Zemon, Keith Heinzerling, MD, Will Van Derveer, MD, and Rohini Kanniganti, MD, discuss the spiritual dimensions of psychedelic experiences, the importance of integration and community, and the role of humility and embodiment in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.