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​Dear Reader,

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What a week in Berlin's spring light! MIND was a hive of academic, clinical, and self-experiential activity as our most recent Beyond Experience 4-Day Workshop convened 15 participants, 13 of whom were APT students, for an immersive, emotion-focused, and ACT-fueled process of psychological integration—with conceptually sound, experiential learning and 39 CME credits.

These days were followed by the first APT Network Convention. From our growing network of 182 APT Training alumni and students, around 70 gathered for an in-depth exchange on medical psychedelic therapies, patient access, case studies, and hands-on clinical implementation. We were very impressed by the contributions of both our invited speakers and APT practitioners. Dr. Helena Aicher spoke on “Group Therapy,” Dr. Mauro Cavarra on a study targeting “High-Intensity Online Breathwork,” Prof. Dr. med. Gerhard Gründer on “The Pathway to Implementation of Psychedelics in the European Healthcare Systems”, and Dr. sc. hum. Henrik Jungaberle targeted the relationship between Medical Psychedelic Therapies, psychedelic pop culture, and non-clinical applications of these substances. Hot topics are all - thoroughly and controversially discussed by the existing and future psychedelic therapists.

Our conversations on the intersection of medicine and philosophy (“Transduality” by Alexander von Luckner) were also remarkable - reminding some participants of the discourses around physician and philosopher Karl Jaspers in the 1920s and 1930s. Jaspers began to work at the psychiatric hospital of Heidelberg University, habilitated at the philosophical faculty of Heidelberg University, and became a teacher of psychology and later a professor of philosophy at Heidelberg. Psychedelic practices in and outside of medicine incite important ontological and epistemological questions. These were also dealt with in fabulous case studies and methodologies by Eugen Secara, Maja Koutsandréou, and Inna Krylovetska. We should not be unfair, and mention other noteworthy intellectual and relational moments, for example transgender and transsexuality issues, unethical behaviors in historic “psychedelic conversion therapies”, patient and therapist theories on “energy,” and many more topics. So, take a look at the APT Network Convention’s program here.

The APT Network Convention was an example of one defining element of our psychedelic therapist training: on the basis of a clearly defined, evidence-based minimal conceptual platform, it is possible to discuss a multitude of questions, methods, and epistemologies.

Applications for our next international APT course starting this November are open now.

​ We’ve also got a new colleague on the team! Say a big hej! to John Jacobsen, our brand-new Head of Fundraising. John is an experienced fundraiser with a track record spanning Aarhus University, ECSG, and even the McDonald Children Foundation. We’re thrilled to have him on board as we continue working to make evidence-based psychedelic therapy part of public healthcare.

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APT Online Talk + Info Event, Thursday 17 April Our Director of Research and Training will give a talk on what competencies psychedelic therapists should have and develop to be able to practice psychedelic therapy in a safe and effective way. Following this, he will also introduce our Augmented Psychotherapy Training. ​Sign up to attend this talk and APT info event here​

MIND Foundation @ Breaking Convention, 17-19 April Meet us in Exeter at Breaking Convention: Felicitas Vallot and Simon Reichersdörfer will be part of our team there – ask them about our leading psychedelic therapist training – and how we integrate our new psilocybin module into the growing clinical curriculum of MIND Foundation. ​Get your tickets for Breaking Convention here​

uniMIND Symposium in Prague, Saturday April 26 Only two more weeks until the uniMIND Symposium 2025: with international experts and emerging voices we'll discuss the future of psychedelics in science, therapy, and society. Far from all, there'll be interactive formats and many chances for networking. ​Program, tickets, and details here​

International Forum on Consciousness, 15 & 16 May Our friends at Usona Institute co-organise the International Forum on Consciousness in Madison, May 15, 2025–May 16, 2025, Wisconsin. This year's motto is: “Bridging Worlds”. We’ll be represented there by Prof. Dr. Med. Gerd Gründer and Dr. Henrik Jungaberle. Join us, if you like! ​Register for the Forum here​

Meditation & Science Congress, 16 & 17 May The interdisciplinary congress Meditation & Science will take place in Berlin in May 2025. By entering the voucher code word MIND when ordering, you will receive a discount of 50 euros. Psychedelic research will be part of the scientific program. ​Get your conference ticket here​

Click here to add the MIND Foundation events calendar to your calendar

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​Policy: Reimbursement Pathways for Psychedelic Therapies
If you’re curious about how exactly psychedelic therapies can be implemented into healthcare systems, check out the freshly published Reimbursement Report by Floris Wolswijk and Martin Gisby for inspiration (funded by Norrsken Mind). It’s a no-fuss, practical roadmap for making psychedelic therapy reimbursable in Europe – and definitely worth a read.

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Science: How do you teach an AI model to give therapy? [MIT Technology Review] ​
​Can AI give therapy? A new trial shows promise, but only after researchers spent years training “Therabot” on real CBT techniques. Early versions learned bad habits from internet forums. The takeaway? Good AI therapy needs plenty of evidence-based data.

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Mental Health: Guideline on clinical investigation of medicinal products in the treatment of depression [EMA]​
​The European Medical Agency (EMA) has updated its guidance for developing depression treatments, addressing rapid-acting drugs, treatment-resistant cases, and psychedelics. It stresses the need for better efficacy, lasting results, and tailored studies for symptom clusters.

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Mental Health: “Taking in the good”: A simple way to offset your brain’s negativity bias [Big Think]
Not sure about you, but our brains are a bit of a drama queen—clinging to the bad stuff. Rick Hanson’s HEAL method draws on neuroscientific research and promotes “flip the script!”: Linger on the good, soak it up, and maybe even rewire your brain. There is some science saying it helps. Happiness is a habit—and your brain is listening.

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Philosophy: How the brain creates heaven: The philosophy of psychedelics with Susan Blackmore [Big Think]

Cognitive scientist Susan Blackmore once floated out of her body and decided to spend the rest of her life figuring out why.

From sweat lodges in Mexico to online meditation retreats, Blackmore’s wild ride through psychedelics and other technologies of the self has led her to one simple statement: your brain is a master illusionist. Whether you're deep in a dopamine-fueled Jhana state or in runner’s high, what you experience as “heaven” is actually your brain doing some next-level improvisation.

But here’s the twist: just because it’s all in your head doesn’t mean it’s not real. Blackmore says these moments aren’t mystical nonsense; they’re powerful peeks into how our minds actually work.

Turns out, transcendence might not be a portal to another world… just a really cool feature of this one.

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"In my work on mental health policy across Europe, I often speak about the huge gaps in care and the limitations of current treatments. But it wasn’t until I read a recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry that I grasped the full scale—and nature—of the problem. The study looked at data from 21 countries over nearly two decades. The headline figure is stark: only 6.9% of people with mental health or substance use disorders receive effective treatment. That’s not because services don’t exist. The biggest drop-off happens long before anyone enters the system—nearly half of those affected don’t even recognise they need help. Among those who do, fewer than a third seek care. And of those, only a fraction go on to receive treatment that’s both adequate and effective. What struck me most is that this isn’t just about access or the number of specialists. It’s about awareness, stigma, and whether people feel their struggles are valid enough to seek help. We need to strengthen the role of general practitioners, improve mental health literacy, and shift how society understands and responds to mental distress - starting with the simple idea that seeking help is not weakness, but wisdom." ​ - Tadeusz Hawrot, Founder & Executive Director, PAREA (Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance)

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Wishing you a lovely fortnight,
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Henrik Jungaberle, Max de Rosnay, Max Wolff, Marvin Däumichen, Marcin Gajewski & Simon Müller for The MIND Team

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