What Makes the PSI Apprentice Training Different?
The PSI Apprentice Training is unlike many psychedelic therapy trainings available today. The focus is first and foremost on the psychotherapeutic interventions that will support healing in the psychedelic session: the focus is on the therapeutic container, the autonomic nervous system processing pathway, the therapeutic relationship between client and practitioner, and relational transference.
While psychedelic medicine is an important factor in the process, PSI does not treat the medicine as the primary mechanism of healing. In the Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) model, medicine is understood to be a catalyzer of organic, psychobiological, and relational healing processes that are an inherent part of our nature. The training focuses on the self-corrective healing mechanisms that become far more active and far more accessible in psychedelic state.
A Non-Medicine-Specific Training
The PSIP modality works well with other medicines including MDMA and lower dose psilocybin. The idea is that regardless of which medicine is being used to take clients to the altered state, it is a good idea to have as much of a client’s being online for the process to move through.
The PSI Apprentice Training is not a training in one specific medicine. Even though cannabis and ketamine are used in all of our experiential courses, this is not a training specifically in either of those medicines. The PSIP model is designed to support therapeutic work across a range of medicine-assisted and non-ordinary states.
Regardless of which medicine is involved, the clinical focus remains the same: helping more of the client’s being come online for the psychedelic to move through which includes a person’s biology (autonomic nervous system), their non-declarative memory systems, and their emotional and relational life.
Relational, Human Realm… Not Transpersonal, Not a Sitter Model
The PSI Apprentice Training is not a sitter school relying on transpersonal experience held in a non-directive, non-relational space. As useful as the sitter approach has been, bringing relationship to the psychedelic session unlocks a great deal of relational wounding and therapeutic opportunity. The PSIP practitioner is not simply an observer of the client’s inner journey, but an active participant in the client’s psychedelic consciousness. This keeps the session human, relational, and capable of evoking important relational wounds through transference.
Learning from the Inside Out, Not Lecture-Only
The PSI Apprentice Training is not a psychedelic pharmacology course or an introductory lecture course on psychedelics. It is highly personalized and highly experiential.
Students learn in small training containers, ranging from three students in the Small Group In-Person Intensive to one student in the Individual In-Person or Individual Remote Intensives. This matters because the PSIP model cannot be fully learned through lecture alone. The combination of the unique therapeutic container created in the modality, plus the autonomic nervous system pathway along with the medicine creates a unique experience that has to be felt from the inside-out to be understood.
Session Focused, Not Integration-only
Finally, the PSI Apprentice Training is not a psychedelic integration program where the therapeutic benefits are derived after the client has experienced their own psychedelic journey (often in an underground context or alone). While these containers may lead to beautiful transpersonal experiences, they often lack the holding or relational attunement necessary to process trauma. Also, the primary benefits in PSIP do not take place in the post-session integration phase. Transformation in PSIP comes from the bottom-up shifts and processing accomplished by the autonomic nervous system in the actual psychedelic session. The integration that takes place afterwards is important and useful for stabilization, but the benefits are secondary in nature compared to what can be accomplished in the actual psychedelic session.
The Three Required Components of the PSI Apprentice Training
Experiential Training Component
This component helps students understand the model from the inside out through direct, embodied experience. The combination of the unique pressurization container we generate in PSIP, plus the autonomic nervous system’s visceral processing pathway along with psychedelic medicine creates a unique experience that cannot be conveyed through lecture or written material. It would be impossible for students to learn this modality without experiencing it directly themselves.
We have 3 ways to complete the Experiential Training Component:
Not sure which Experiential Training option is the right fit for you?
Compare the three approved formats in more detail including which type of student each option may be best suited for.
Theory Learning Component
This component brings in the theory, maps, models, clinical principles, therapeutic frame, and video-recorded case studies to provide a practice oriented cognitive understanding of what is taking place in the psychedelic session. Classes are live, interactive, and remote—not recorded. Theory Learning meets for 8 weeks for 2.5 hours per week.
Topics and themes you'll explore:
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The PSIP treatment protocol
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Safety and contraindications
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Resourcing
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Memory systems involved in trauma storage, activation, and processing
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Entropic brain model and modes of cognition (primary and secondary consciousness)
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Autonomic nervous system processing, threat response symptoms and dynamics
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Solution and other necessary conditions for the processing of trauma
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Autonomic re-enactment and other incomplete autonomic responses
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Regression
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Traumatic transference
Class format:
8 meetings total
Meets weekly for 2.5 hours
Live and interactive, not recorded
Cohorts are capped at approximately 12–15 students
Supervised Practice Component
In this component, students integrate their experiential training and theoretical learning through providing live, faculty-supported practice sessions to volunteers or other cohort members. Students give and receive PSIP sessions both during class and outside of class to build skill, confidence, and capacity.
What to expect:
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Cohort size: 10 students
- 13 weeks total
- Weekly format:
- 10 supervised practice meetings
- 3 dedicated Q&A meetings
- Live and remote (not recorded)
Practice formats:
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Live medicine PSIP session over Zoom
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Live non-medicine PSIP session over Zoom
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Recorded case study presentation
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Students also complete practice trades outside of class, giving six sessions to and receiving six sessions from classmates
Two Ways to Begin Now
If you qualify and want to begin your training at PSI, there are only two decisions you need to make:
Which component would you like to take first: Experiential Training or Theory Learning?
Which component you choose first often depends on your learning style. Some students prefer to begin with the theory, maps, and clinical framework so they have a clearer orientation before entering experiential training. Others prefer to begin directly with embodied experience and integrate the theory afterward. Whichever component you choose first, you will complete the other component next.
Decide which Experiential Training option you prefer.
You can chose between the Small Group In-Person Intensive, Individual In-person Intensive, or the Individual Remote Intensive. Each option has distinct benefits and may appeal to different types of students. Before applying, you can compare the options in more detail by clicking here.
Who This Training Is For
The PSI Apprentice Training is intended for qualified mental health professionals and healing arts practitioners who already have the training background and experience to hold a therapeutic or mental health container for their clients. This is an advanced training that assumes the student already has foundational skills.
The typical PSI student has a traditional training background in psychology, social work, or related mental health or medical fields (psychiatry, nursing), or they may have trained in the healing arts at independent organizations such as Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Gestalt, Hakomi, psychodynamic therapies, or other mental health-focused modalities.
Our typical students include:
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Psychotherapists & Counselors
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Psychologists, Psychiatrists & Mental Health Physicians
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Social Workers, MFTs & Clinical Trainees
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Somatic, Integration & Qualified Healing Arts Professionals
FAQ Preview
Can I start with Theory Learning first? Yes. Accepted students may now begin the PSI Apprentice Training with the Theory Learning Component before completing the Experiential Training Component.
Do I still need Experiential Training if I start with Theory Learning first? Yes. Both the Theory Learning Component and the Experiential Training Component are required before students move into Supervised Practice.
What Experiential Training options are available? Students may currently complete the Experiential Training Component through the Small Group In-Person Intensive. Individual In-Person and Individual Remote Intensive options are coming soon.
Is medicine a requirement for the training? No. The use of medicine is not required to participate in the PSI Apprentice Training. While medicine-assisted work can be a valuable part of the experiential learning process for most students, participation does not require it. This is a personal decision that remains the responsibility of the student. PSI does not provide, prescribe, source, administer, or direct the use of medicine.
How much does each training component cost? The PSI Apprentice Training includes three required components. Current tuition is as follows: Experiential Training Component (Students select one of the following training options): Small Group In-Person Intensive: $3,899 USD* Individual In-Person Intensive $2,400 USD Individual Remote Intensive: $2,400 USD Theory Learning Component $1,949.50 USD Supervised Practice Component: $2,400 USD *Self-organized / non-local Small Group In-Person Intensives may incur additional fees.
PSI Training Testimonials
Want to know more about the PSI model
and if it's right for you?
View this hour-long training excerpt from one of our courses.
Read Saj Razvi's article published in the MAPS quarterly journal on how the PSI model can work with MDMA