In this episode of the Psychedelic Medicine Podcast, Kyle Buller and David Drapkin, LCSW of Psychedelics Today join to discuss psychedelic training and education. David is a licensed clinical social worker, the director of education and training at Psychedelics Today, and one of the creators of their 12-month training program, Vital. Kyle is the co-founder of Psychedelics Today and VP of training and education.

In this conversation, Kyle and David share an overview of the current state of psychedelic training programs and education. Kyle shares his own background with psychedelic education, discussing how he got involved in this field and what he's found most beneficial and effective in psychedelic training. Kyle and David also discuss the complexities of weighing different programs, considering medicine-specific versus general programs, programs focused on specific modalities, programs geared towards specific professions, and more. They also discuss the details of how they created Psychedelics Today's training program, Vital. In closing, David reiterates the value of diversity in psychedelic education, both in enriching the learning experience and extending the impact of this education.

In this episode:

The variety of psychedelic education programs
The vision behind the Psychedelics Today Vital course
What to look for in psychedelic education programs
Equity and diversity in training programs
Medicine-specific vs. medicine-general programs
Dealing with the uncertainties around working with psychedelics as legal landscapes develop
Psychedelic training program scholarships

Quotes:

"Something we put a lot of emphasis on with Vital, is that it be experiential and inner-directed—a process of understanding self and coming out of Vital with more refined questions and a clearer sense of where to go next." [8:31]

"If the psychedelic movement is going to continue to grow, we need people to be educated in all realms so that we can help to reduce the stigma." [11:42]

"If you want to start working with these medicines, building those foundational elements is so important. Like learning how to work with your body, learning how to use your breath to navigate experience." [31:12]

Links:

Psychedelics Today website

Psychedelics Today Vital course

Psychedelic Medicine Association

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