Living Medicine Institute

09/25/2025

New episode of Living Medicine has just released!

Creating a safe space for people processing deep trauma is both an art and a discipline. Therapists working with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy must help clients navigate intense emotions and memories by ensuring they feel secure and supported. What practices can therapists leverage to foster trust and transformation?

Somatic educator and trauma expert Licia Sky emphasizes deep, agenda-free presence. Authentic attunement begins with the client noticing their bodily sensations and slowing the pace of interaction to invite others into awareness. Through slow curiosity, facilitators can encourage clients to stay with physical sensations before forming mental narratives, allowing trauma to surface without overwhelm. Licia also warns against viewing psychedelics as a quick fix and underscores the need for careful preparation and integration to turn profound experiences into lasting growth.

In this episode of Living Medicine, Dr. Sandy Newes sits down with Licia Sky, Co-founder and Global Ambassador of the Trauma Research Foundation, to talk about embodied trauma healing and psychedelic therapy. Licia explores how slowing down and cultivating temporal awareness creates safety, how slow curiosity helps clients process trauma safely, and why integration before and after psychedelic work is critical for meaningful, lasting change.

Click here to watch the full episode:

Licia Sky is the Co-founder and Global Ambassador of the Trauma Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization advancing research, education, and treatment in...

09/22/2025

We’ve just returned from our Introductory KAP Retreat, and it was an incredible, transformative experience for everyone involved! A huge thank you to all the participants, staff team, and to our special guest Dr. Ron Siegel.

The connections, learning, and inspiration continue to energize us as we look ahead to what’s next. Our next retreat will be April 23–26, 2026 in Asheville, NC so stay tuned for more details coming soon.

In the meantime, we’re excited for the upcoming Level One Clinical Intensive this October. There’s still plenty of time to enroll, and we’d love to have you join us for this cohort!

09/18/2025

Hello everyone, I’m excited to let you know that we still have a few spaces left for our Level One Clinical Intensive training starting in just a few short weeks!

Our past participants consistently rate this training 5/5 and describe it as both professionally relevant and personally transformative. If you or anyone you know has been looking for a structured, supportive way to launch into KAP—or to refine your practice with deeper skills, confidence, and new methods—this is a wonderful opportunity.

•Visit www.LivingMedicineInstitute.com for more information or to register now

09/17/2025

How is psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy reshaping mental health care?

In our latest episode of Living Medicine, Dr. Sandy Newes talks with Rutger Engels and Shiva Thorsell, Co-founders of Senz, about building a multidisciplinary clinic that combines evidence-based methods with innovative practices like ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.

Watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/HzxmVhia8jg?si=s8k4OH2V4EB-A7c6

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to the Living Medicine Institute YouTube channel for more expert insights.

Rutger Engels is the Co-founder and Director of Senz, a treatment center for anxiety and depression in the Netherlands. He is also a Professor of Development...

09/12/2025

🔸New Episode🔸
In the evolving field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, new treatments and models of care are challenging traditional approaches to mental health. How can an intensive, multidisciplinary method provide lasting breakthroughs for people struggling with depression, trauma, and anxiety?

Mental health researcher Rutger Engels and clinical psychologist Shiva Thorsell advocate for a combination of evidence-based methods and innovative practices like ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. They maintain that individualized, modular treatment programs allow them to tailor care for each client.

Rutger and Shiva also emphasize intensive approaches, structured group therapy, and lifestyle interventions like running as key tools for deep and lasting change. These research-driven, yet compassionate treatment models can open new pathways to recovery.

In this episode of Living Medicine, Dr. Sandy Newes sits down with Rutger Engels and Shiva Thorsell, Co-founders of Senz, to talk about building a multidisciplinary clinic that integrates psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. They discuss the importance of individualized modular treatments, how intensive programs foster deeper healing, and how to integrate ketamine-assisted psychotherapy responsibly.

You can listen to this episode on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or by visiting:

https://livingmedicineinstitute.com/blog/

09/08/2025

✨Ready to deepen your practice with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?✨

Enrollment is now open for our Level One Clinical Intensive, designed for clinical and medical professionals ready to build confidence, skills, and community in KAP. Training begins October 2025!

Here’s what you can expect:
🔸Small, supportive cohorts with expert mentoring
🔸Biweekly live virtual teaching + core video series
🔸Seven experiential ketamine sessions (all four routes of administration)
🔸An optional in-person retreat in Asheville, NC
🔸Tools, ethics, and skills to confidently launch or deepen your KAP practice

This immersive program is more than training, it’s a professional and personal growth journey. 🌱

Spots are limited. Enroll now at www.livingmedicineinstitute.com

09/04/2025

Curious about Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

In this 16-week intensive, Dr. Newes will weave together the Level One didactic curriculum with multiple experiential ketamine sessions for trainees, perfect for medical and clinical professionals.

Online live teaching sessions led by Dr. Newes will meet biweekly over 16 weeks. These meetings will build on a video series that outlines the core elements and skills of doing KAP.

Ketamine experiences are woven intentionally throughout the training. These further inform the didactic component, while also creating the potential for personal growth. Additionally, a full day, in person retreat will be held mid-way through the course in Asheville, NC.

This training  was developed to meet the needs of clinical professionals wanting to learn concrete skills and further explore the medicine, but who do not yet have an active KAP practice.

Leave a comment, or visit our training page on LivingMedicineInstitute.com for more information!

08/18/2025

In this 16-week intensive, we weave together teaching about the core elements of effective KAP, clinical skills and intervention strategies, and mentoring- along with multiple experiential ketamine sessions for trainees.

Online live teaching sessions will meet biweekly over the 16 weeks. These meetings will build on a video series that outlines the core elements and skills of doing KAP and the emphasis is on clinical applications. Ketamine experiences are woven intentionally throughout the training and you will have the opportunity to personally experience the four main routes of administration.

These sessions further inform the didactic component, while also creating the potential for personal growth. Additionally, a full day in person retreat will be held in November, outside of Asheville, NC.

This training was developed to meet the needs of clinical and medical professionals wanting to learn concrete skills and further explore the medicine. It is appropriate for those looking to launch an active KAP practice or those wanting to deepen their skills. The goal is that upon completion, you will have everything you need to confidently and competently launch into a KAP practice.

Livingmedicineinstitute.com for more information to Join.

08/15/2025

I am delighted to be posting the latest episode of Living Medicine, where I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Ron Siegel. The title is the “The Healing power of Compassion and How to Work With It.’

If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Siegel, he is wise, kind, brilliant and humble- and someone I admire greatly. And, he is also coming to our fall retreat as a Guest Teacher!

I'd love to hear your reactions- please share in the comments!

Link: https://livingmedicineinstitute.com/2025/08/14/the-

08/14/2025

Exciting news!! We are delighted that Dr. Siegel will be joining us- AND- we have one spot remaining! Interested?

08/14/2025

Exciting news!!

08/11/2025

Training That Goes Beyond Sitting

This isn’t passive learning — it’s embodied, applied training.

At the retreat, you will experience the power of the medicine yourself, act as a therapist-sitter, and learn from experienced KAP clinicians.

Experience what it's like to truly hold space — and be held — in a safe container intentionally created for your learning.

📍Asheville, NC | September 11-14th, 2025

More information at livingmedicineinstitute.com