Psychedelic science is growing at a rapid pace, and as evidence accumulates, we will most likely see authorizations for the use of substances such as psilocybin and MDMA for treatment-resistant psychiatric diagnoses in the coming years. After the success of psychedelic ISTDP retreats in the Netherlands in 2022 and 2023, we are now offering a continuation. The psychedelic ISTDP immersion retreat in September 2024 offers a unique opportunity to combine psychedelic substances and ISTDP learning.
Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD, MDMA and DMT are likely to play a major role in the treatment of mental conditions in the coming decades. The substances seem to offer a viable path straight into the unconscious, they provide us with a large amount of information about who we are, what we want and why we suffer. A number of studies published over the past ten years report that psychedelic substances offer a new, hopeful avenue for many treatment-resistant conditions. But the substances are not limited to the treatment of mental illness. We believe that in the long run they will play an increasingly important role in training therapists and in familiarizing therapists with unconscious processes. Like other methods of therapist development (such as self-therapy, deliberate practice, meditation, yoga, physical training, supervision and so on), psychedelic substances can help us both on a professional and personal level.
During 2022 and 2023, Nysnö and Malmö Center for ISTDP have arranged several training programs where we combine ISTDP and psilocybin. In this course, ISTDP and psychedelic experiences will be combined for a deep dive into the therapist’s unconscious processes.
Course information
Two physical modules: After preparations for a few weeks on Zoom, we will meet in the Netherlands for a four-day psychedelic retreat (psychedelic module, September 5-8). Roughly ten days later we will meet in Malmö for two days of ISTDP supervision with Thomas Hesslow and Hanna Radomski (ISTDP module, September 20-21).
Overall plan for the entire course
– Screening phase: You will be asked to fill out questionnaires and book a screening appointment with Nysnö’s medical team.
– Preparation phase: In the weeks before the retreat in the Netherlands, we meet as a whole group three times (2-3 hours per meeting) on Zoom for preparation. There will also be individual meetings with the therapists from Nysnö.
– Psychedelic Module: Four days in the Netherlands. Two psilocybin doses.
– Integrationsworkshop: Focusing on integrating the experiences from the Netherlands.
– ISTDP-module: Two days in Malmö. ISTDP supervision.
– Termination: Final meeting on Zoom.
Netherlands – Psychedelic module
Accommodation and food in the Netherlands: The psychedelic retreat will take place in a beautiful meditation center called Erve Veldink. You can find more information on the website of the center: https://erveveldink.nl/en/. The accommodation at Erve Veldink is simple with some shared and some individual beds. For an additional fee, you can rent a private apartment at the retreat center. We have hired a chef who will serve healthy, vegan/vegetarian food adapted to the psychedelic experiences.
Travel to Erve Veldink: The easiest way to get there is to fly to Amsterdam. From the airport you can take the regional train to Ruurlo (2h30min journey). We will arrange for someone to pick you up at the station. You can also rent a car at the airport if you prefer to drive yourself (about a 2 hour journey).
Group: We will have a group of 9-12 ISTDP therapists. Some will have extensive psychedelic experience and some will have none. Some will be seasoned ISTDP therapists and some will have less experience.
Psychedelic Therapists: Nysnö will provide two therapists to host the psychedelic experiences. They are clinical psychologists engaged in psychedelic research in Sweden and abroad. Thomas and Hanna will assist Nysnö’s therapists.
Structure of Psychedelic Experiences: Nysnö’s standard retreat consists of two dosing sessions with psilocybin (a moderate dose, 10-25 mg, and a high dose, 20-50 mg), plenty of time for exchange of experiences in the group and integration. You will also be offered short individual sessions with the therapists to plan and process the experience. All of this is done with the aim of helping you with personal and professional development – this is not a health care intervention.
Retreat schedule:
Day 1. Arrival at noon. Lunch. Preparations. Psychedelic ceremony with a moderate dose in evening.
Day 2. Integration day. Sharing, meditation, yoga, outdoor activity.
Day 3. Preparations. Psychedelic ceremony with a higher dose at noon.
Day 4. Integration Day. Sharing, meditation, yoga, outdoor activity. Departure at 2 pm.
Safety: Nysnö will conduct a medical/psychological screening of all participants prior to the retreat to ensure participant safety.
Research component: All participants will be offered to contribute to research projects run by researchers at Stockholm University. They run both quantitative and qualitative projects to study effects and processes during Nysnö’s retreat. Participation is voluntary.
Malmö – ISTDP module
Location in Malmö: We will meet at Malmö Centrum för ISTDP, Amiralsgatan 20. Coffee is included, but accommodation and food are not included during these two days.
ISTDP module: No psychedelics will be taken during the two days in Malmö. These two days will involve each participant bringing at least one videotaped therapy session with them for supervision. We will use the increases in honesty, openness and awareness after the psychedelic retreat to review ongoing therapy processes. It is our experience that the weeks after a high dose session open a unique window for new learning. During these two days we will aim to make the most of this window. We will lean on the UTA of the group – which is likely to be very strong at this point – to address the individual challenges of the participants. The structure and format of these days will depend on the needs of the group.
ISTDP Teachers: Thomas Hesslow is a clinical psychologist and ISTDP therapist, one of the founders of the Swedish ISTDP Institute and the Malmö Center for ISTDP. He offers ISTDP therapy, supervision and training in Malmö. He teaches at several universities and is editor-in-chief of Journal of Contemporary ISTDP. He has had regular experience with psychedelics over the past seven years.
Hanna Radomski is a psychotherapist and ISTDP therapist. She is currently a student of the Training of trainers with Jon Frederickson. She’s a board member of the Swedish society for ISTDP, and teaches at Lund University. She works with patients both in private practice and in the public healthcare system. Hanna has extensive experience of working in infant and toddler psychiatry with parents with mental illness and attachment difficulties between parents and children.
Practical information and registration
Course dates
| August 19, 4-6 pm CET | Introductory session (Zoom) |
| August 26, 4-6 pm CET | ISTDP workshop (Zoom) |
| September 2, 3-6 pm CET | Preparation workshop (Zoom) |
| September 5-8. | Retreat in the Netherlands. Arrival around 12.00 on the 5th departure around 3pm on the 8th. |
| September 16, 4-6 pm CET | Integration workshop (Zoom) |
| September 20-21, 9am-5pm CET | ISTDP module in Malmö. |
| September 30, 4-6 pm CET | Final meeting (Zoom) |
Cost: The cost is USD $2800 (plus VAT, depending on your country of residence). This includes the entire retreat in the Netherlands, including screening, preparation phase, 4-day retreat, accommodation, food, support, meditation, guidance and post-retreat integration phase. It also includes the two training days in Malmö. Please note that the price does not include travel costs, nor hotel and food in Malmö.
Contact: Thomas Hesslow (thomas.hesslow@gmail.com) is the contact person for the course.
We expect this course to be one of the highlights of the year for all of us involved.
If you are interested in taking part in the course, send an email to Thomas (thomas.hesslow@gmail.com) as soon as possible to confirm your interest.
You can download this information as a PDF here: