Entries by amy.w.hope@gmail.com

Fall 2023 Psychedelic Studies Course Offering

You can now register for my upcoming class (which is Sept 30-Oct 1 over zoom) at Southwestern College New Earth Institute: https://newearth.regfox.com/nei-registration-form THE PSYCHEDELIC MOVEMENT: PIONEERS IN THE HISTORY, RESEARCH, AND CURRENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT ($375.00) [18 remaining] Presented by: Amy Wong Hope, MA, LCSW Dates/Times: Saturday & Sunday, 9/30 & 10/1, 2023, 9am–6:30pm MST, over Zoom DESCRIPTION: This course explores the complex history of psychedelics, past and current legal status, policy development, and potential uses. A combination of lectures, discussions, readings, and experiential exercises will support students as they explore the various ways in which psychedelic compounds have been used throughout history from ancient Indigenous practices up to current controversies surrounding their therapeutic benefits. Topics covered in this course will include an overview of modern psychedelic research and how it has been influenced by Indigenous usage, the political and cultural opinions about psychedelics in the 1970s, the current legal status of psychedelic compounds across the globe, and legalization/decriminalization. The various potential uses of these substances in therapy for mental health issues and for creativity and personal growth will be discussed. Students will be invited to contribute to current debates as well as discern relevant evidence-based resources in psychedelic studies. 16 contact hours toward the Psychedelic Studies Certificate.LOCATION: Zoom Synchronous16 CECs Presenter Bio: Amy Wong Hope, LCSW, is the Certificate Program Director of the Psychedelic Studies Certificate. Amy is trained as an MDMA-assisted therapist through the (MAPS) Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and co-author of Small Doses of Awareness: A Microdosing Companion (due to be published spring 2024). Amy maintains a private practice with a focus on trauma-informed modalities and shame-resilience approaches that support clients in restoring emotional, somatic, and relational resiliency.

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Summer 2023 in Psychedelic Studies

I wanted to let you know that the registration link for my summer course is posted now on the Southwestern College website:  Emerging Trends in Psychopharmacology: Ethical use of Psychedelics and Other Substances used to treat addiction (AAR 5800-2) July 22-23, 2023, 9-6:30, Zoom online, 16 Continuing Education Credits (counts for Ethics CE requirements) https://www.swc.edu/applying-to-certificate-specialty-programs/upcoming-cec-classes This […]

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Interoceptive Awareness – Getting past the story

I am currently in the process of taking an mPEAK meditation course (meditation for peak performance) with Kate Reynolds in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and one resource she shared with our class was on interoceptive awareness. “Interoceptive awareness is the awareness of inner body sensations, involving the sensory process of receiving, accessing, and appraising internal […]

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Why to replace negativity & self-punishing statements with self-compassion if you want to change

I was recently listening to Dr. Kelly McGonigal, psychologist-neuroscience-researcher, talk about how the brain changes in her audio-course: “The Neuroscience of Change: A Compassion-Based Program for Personal Transformation.” A few things struck me as I listened to Dr. McGonigal: Our brains can support or inhibit us to change our thoughts and behaviors. We can learn different […]

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How I work

When people ask  how I work with trauma, I go back to my roots and framework learning about the neurobiology of trauma that I learned from beloved mentors (Candace Saunders, Lyn Sanford) at Simmons College. It was their exposure to the idea that the brain’s neurobiology changes based on these intense, overwhelming, and traumatic experiences […]