Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, Spiritual Emergence, and Altered States with Katrina Michelle
People have been experiencing altered states of consciousness since the dawn of humanity, whether it's through plant medicine, meditation, spiritual practices, or spontaneously (in experiences that often get labelled as "psychosis"). We are now starting to understand that altered states of consciousness, no matter the origin, have the capacity to be deeply healing. In this episode, with my good friend and colleague, Katrina Michelle, a psychotherapist specializing in spiritual integration, we discuss different kinds of spiritual experiences, why psychedelic therapies often are faster and more effective than talk therapy, and how people can heal from trauma through altered states.
“Sometimes the adversity is the very thing that can help people in their growth and development. Sometimes people get stuck, and sometimes people need help, but trauma can really be a catalyst. It can be something that serves in recognizing not only our resilience, but also what we’re going to do from that point on. ”
What you’ll learn about in this episode - Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, Spiritual Emergence, and Altered States with Katrina Michelle:
types of spiritual awakenings and mystical experiences
psychiatrization of mystical/spiritual states
psychedelic-assisted therapy, MDMA therapy, and how and why it works
harm reduction with psychedelics
“When it comes to interpreting mystical experiences, altered states of consciousness, or strange/unusual experiences, we have this dichotomy set up in our culture. (...) We pathologize, medicate, and invalidate these experiences, often retraumatizing people in the process. (...) What I’ve learned as a crisis counsellor working specifically with people labelled with “psychosis” is that altered states that occur naturally or spontaneously can be generative when cared for in the right supportive context.”
About Katrina Michelle:
Katrina Michelle, PhD, LCSW earned her PhD in Psychology from The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology at Sofia University and her Master’s in Social Work from Stony Brook University. For her doctoral research, she conducted a heuristic study on Exploring Resistance to Spiritual Emergence. Her Master’s research focussed on spiritual development within higher education.
Katrina worked as the director of harm reduction for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) at the Zendo Project and served for three years as the executive director of The American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences (ACISTE). Katrina has served as graduate faculty at New York University’s Department of Applied Psychology, Columbia University’s School of Social Work, Fordham University’s School of Social Services, and The Institute for the Development of Human Arts.
Katrina is a member of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (EPRC) and currently working with an international team on research to elucidate adverse psychedelic experiences in order to contribute to evidence-based and trauma-informed integration practices. She is also a founding member of the advisory board for The Fireside Project, a psychedelic peer-support line.
Katrina is the founder and director of The Curious Spirit, a New York-based psychotherapy and coaching practice. She is also creator and producer of When Lightning Strikes, a documentary in progress intended to demystify the awakening process and help create a cultural context for understanding mystical phenomena while normalizing the often challenging elements of this natural human experience.
DEPTH Work - A Holistic Mental Health Podcast
This is a space for those who love to dive into the underbelly, to revel in the mystery, question assumptions about what is normal, play in both/and, and honour the wide range of human emotions.
As a complex trauma survivor, holistic counsellor and co-founder of a mental health institute, I learned that there is immense wisdom in our pain and what we call crazy is just what we are yet not willing to understand and explore. Let’s dive in!
