Welcome to the podcast of ALPS, the conference that wants to make us aware of psychedelic science and its effects on the psyche. A whole program with many speakers from Switzerland, Europe and all over the world.
In this episode, @syde & @WarcoBrienza welcome Peter Oehen, MD, Psychiatrist at University of Basel, SÄPT member, Head researcher for the Swiss MAPS program.
After 2014 it became possible to treat patients in Switzerland in an out-patient setting with case-by-case licenses for MDMA, LSD and psilocybin. These licenses are issued by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health based on the Swiss Narcotics Act which allows for a restricted medical use of scheduled psychotropic drugs.
After initially using these substances in a one-to-one setting, a group model was developed which includes up to 12 patients and 3 therapists within a 3-day format. His presentation at the ALPS conference 2021 described this substance-assisted group psychotherapy model, the requirements for therapists and patients, methodological and therapeutic challenges, patient characteristics, outcomes and observations made from 2014 – 2020.
Questions asked to Peter:
- You are a pioneer in MDMA assisted therapy – I saw some videos already from 2010. When did it all start for you and why ?
- Switzerland is known for its use of psychotropic drugs for medical purposes. Could you put this use in a historical context ?
- Why is it easier to begin with MDMA assisted therapy before moving on to other therapeutic processes like LSD ?
- What makes a good therapist ?
- What are your hopes for the next five years ?
Photo by Fiona Art
