Description
For this project, the doctoral candidate will be involved in a clinical trial investigating the impact of controlled personal experiences with psychedelics in physicians and psychotherapists within a therapist training context. The study examines the subjective risks and benefits of personal psychedelic experiences in this professional population, specifically for the purpose of therapists’ training. By doing so, the project addresses the growing interest in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy by exploring the increasingly discussed question of how therapists’ own experiences with MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD may influence therapeutic attitudes and professional development.
The doctoral candidate will work on an open-label intervention study comprising up to six structured sessions per person, conducted in both group and individual settings with different substances and doses. Two training cohorts of 24 trainees each are included in the study. Using a mixed-methods design, the project integrates qualitative interview analyses with quantitative psychometric measures to assess changes in therapeutic attitude, empathy, mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, and professional self-understanding.
This PhD project contributes to the understanding of the relevance of first-hand psychedelic experience in therapists, and thereby also to the development of evidence-based training models and ethical standards in the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Location
University of Basel (Basel, Switzerland)
Supervisors
PD Dr. med. Felix Müller is a psychiatrist at the University of Basel with research expertise in psychedelic and entactogenic drugs, including psychedelic-assisted therapy. Currently, he heads a research group at the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel and serves as principal investigator of three clinical trials on LSD, MDMA, psilocybin, and DMT.
Dr. Helena Aicher is a psychologist and psychotherapist with research expertise in neuropsychopharmacology and psychedelic-assisted therapy at the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich and the University of Zurich. She is currently involved as a study coordinator and postdoctoral researcher in the therapist training study and works clinically within the Swiss limited medical use framework for psychedelics.
Secondments
Institute: SÄPT Swiss Medical Society for Psychedelic Therapy (Berne, Switzerland)
Supervisors: Helena Aicher, PhD
Purpose: To develop hands-on experience within a professional psychedelic medical society by contributing to training/certification programs, engaging with regulatory authorities, and deepening understanding of psychedelic therapy regulations.
Institute: UCPH (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Supervisors: Ass.Prof. Dea Siggaard Stenbaek
Purpose: To deepen knowledge around set and setting in clinical psychedelic research. To gain translational insights directly applicable to DC projects. To enhance expertise in designing and optimising clinical environments of psychedelic therapy to improve patient care and research outcomes.
Institute: ULEI (Leiden, The Netherlands)
Supervisors: Ass.Prof. Michiel van Elk
Purpose: To explore the role of self-experience in non-regulated use of psychedelics in retreat settings through interviews with experienced session facilitators.
General eligibility criteria
- The position is open to candidates of any nationality (European and non-European) who fulfil the requirements set for the Doctoral Candidates (DCs) funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.
- Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in a relevant academic field, allowing enrolment in a PhD program at the hiring beneficiary.
- Applicants must not previously have been awarded a PhD degree.
- Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country in which the DC project for which they are applying is based for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to recruitment. This excludes short stays such as holidays, compulsory national service or time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention.
- Applicants must be willing to undertake secondments at another institute of the network during the DC project, including at institutes in other countries.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English at a level that is sufficiently high to fully benefit from the network training (C1/C2 level).
- Applicants are expected to be motivated to work in the field of psychedelic therapy.
- Applicants are expected to work independently, well-structured and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary consortium.
Additional eligibility criteria
A Master’s degree in psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, medicine, pharmacology, or a related field.
Motivation to work in interdisciplinary environments.
Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively within an international consortium.
Sufficient German language skills (at least B2 level) to conduct qualitative research with interview data.