Science
Pharmacology, screening, drug interactions, microdosing research and the adverse effects every practitioner should recognise.
Stage 1 · Online training
Introduction to Psychedelic‑Assisted Therapy
A 33-module foundation in the safe, therapeutic use of psychedelics. Cutting-edge science and psychotherapy, taught alongside the ancestral wisdom of Ireland, by the team behind eight years of Inwardbound psilocybin retreats.
- Modules
- 33
- Hours of video
- 60+
- Faculty
- 17
- Access
- 2 yrs
- On completion
- Certificate of Attendance
300+ graduates from 20 countries
8 years running psilocybin retreats
1,000+ retreat participants
A closer look
Where the science, the therapy room and the old ways meet
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is moving quickly from the margins into clinics, research trials and retreat centres. Practitioners need more than enthusiasm. They need to understand the pharmacology, the risks, the trauma that surfaces in these states, and the relationship that holds it all.
This course gives you that grounding. You will learn from psychiatrists who have guided Imperial College psilocybin trials, psychotherapists who work at Inwardbound retreats, somatic trauma specialists, researchers working alongside Indigenous communities, and scholars of Ireland's own shamanic past.
Psychotherapy
Somatic, Jungian, transpersonal, ACT and hypnotherapeutic approaches, applied to preparation, the session and integration.
Ancestral wisdom
Sacred medicine, shamanic states, Indigenous cosmovision and the evidence for psilocybin use in early Ireland.
Presented at
- INSIGHT ConferenceMIND Foundation, Berlin
- Breaking ConventionUK
- Psychedelic ConferenceTrinity College Dublin
- EABP CongressEuropean Association for Body Psychotherapy
- IACP ConferenceDublin
- RDS Health SummitDublin
As seen in
- The Currency
- Irish Independent
- The Happy Pear
Outcomes
Step into the space already grounded
Holding space for someone in a psychedelic experience asks a great deal of a practitioner. Stage 1 makes sure the knowledge is already in place before you ever sit with someone in a session.
By the end of the course you will have the full theory and foundation behind the Inwardbound approach: the science, the safety protocols, the therapeutic frameworks and the traditions this work comes from. When you arrive at Stage 2, your attention can go where it belongs, to the person in front of you.
Theory first. Then practice with confidence.
Every Stage 2 trainee completes Stage 1 first, so the whole group arrives with the same shared foundation, ready for immersive skills training: your own psilocybin ceremony, and facilitating one.
By the end of Stage 1, you will be able to:
- Explain how psychedelics work and what the current research shows
- Carry out preliminary screening for contraindications and dangerous drug interactions
- Recognise adverse effects and respond to challenging states and medical emergencies
- Work in a trauma-informed, somatic way with what surfaces in a session
- Help people prepare for a psychedelic experience
- Support people in integrating their psychedelic experiences
- Apply ethical standards, informed consent and a safe therapeutic relationship
- Draw on Jungian, transpersonal, ACT and hypnotherapeutic frameworks
- Understand the Indigenous and Irish ancestral traditions behind this work
Why Inwardbound
Learn from practitioners who do this work
Since 2018, Inwardbound has run over 100 psilocybin retreats. Our team brings the skills, the knowledge and the real-world experience that only comes from holding space for people, again and again, safely.
- 2018
- Running retreats since
- 1,000+
- Retreat participants
- 300+
- Graduates from 20 countries
- 8 yrs
- Of psilocybin retreat experience
Taught by people who hold the space
Our faculty run and support real psilocybin retreats. The protocols you learn are the ones we use with participants, refined over more than 100 retreats.
Safety comes first
Screening, harm reduction, psychopharmacology, adverse effects and medical emergencies each get their own modules, not a footnote.
Trauma-informed throughout
Seven modules on somatic and transgenerational trauma, because what surfaces in a psychedelic session is often older than words.
Rooted in Ireland
Alongside modern research, we explore Imbas Forosnai and the Celtic shamanic tradition, drawing on Ireland's own relationship with these medicines.
An international, multidisciplinary team
Psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, researchers, somatic trauma specialists, pharmacists and experienced facilitators, working across Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK, Europe and beyond. Each brings a different lens, and together they give you a rounded view of the whole field.
We adhere to the highest ethical and clinical standards in everything we teach and practise.
Visit www.inwardbound.nlOur values
- Safety first. Psychedelic work done safely has the potential to change the world for the better.
- Service to others. The core value of healing is always service.
- Respect for sacred medicine. Psychedelics are sacred medicines of the earth and deserve our respect.
- Custodians, not owners. These medicines are the shared birthright of humanity, and we have a duty to teach others to work with them responsibly.
- Accessible to all. Healing should be open to everyone, not only the privileged and wealthy.
Why now
A field that is opening up
Psychedelic therapy is moving from research into regulated practice in more countries every year. Trained, safety-minded practitioners will be needed as access widens.
Netherlands
Psilocybin truffles are legal to sell and use. Inwardbound retreats and Stage 2 training run here.
Australia
Since July 2023, authorised psychiatrists can prescribe psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.
Czech Republic
From January 2026, psilocybin can be prescribed for certain mental health conditions.
United States
Oregon and Colorado run licensed psilocybin services. New Mexico (Medical Psilocybin Act, 2025) and Utah (pilot programme) are setting up their programmes now.
Canada
Access through Health Canada's Special Access Programme, and a regulated medical framework in Alberta.
Germany, Switzerland and Denmark
Case-by-case compassionate or limited medical use.
New Zealand
The first approval for a psychiatrist to prescribe psilocybin was granted in June 2025.
Ireland
Research use only for now. Phase 3 psychedelic trials are recruiting in Dublin and Galway.
Legal status as of September 2026. Laws change quickly, so always check the rules where you live and practise.
Curriculum
33 modules in six strands
Work through the modules in order or follow the strands that matter most to your practice. Every module is recorded and available for two years.
Foundations and maps of consciousness6 modules
What psychedelic states are, how different traditions map them, and what they ask of a therapist.
- 01Introduction to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
- 02Psychological and Metaphysical Maps of ConsciousnessRob Ó Cobhthaigh
- 05Transpersonal Therapy and Holotropic States of ConsciousnessMartin Duffy
- 06Dealing with Psychedelic States of ConsciousnessDeclan Hammond
- 16The Promise and Challenge of Psychedelic Therapy for PsychotherapyRob Ó Cobhthaigh
- 32How Inwardbound Works: Philosophy and Therapeutic Methods
Science, pharmacology and safety6 modules
The evidence base, how the compounds work, and how to screen, reduce harm and respond when things go wrong.
- 03The Science and Healing Power of PsychedelicsDr Darragh Stewart
- 10Psychedelic Harm ReductionDeclan Hammond
- 19Microdosing: Science and ProtocolsDr Darragh Stewart
- 20Medical Interventions in the Retreat Setting
- 27Psychopharmacology and Psychedelic Screening Essentials
- 28Adverse Effects of Psychedelics
Trauma-informed and somatic practice7 modules
Working with the body, preverbal and inherited trauma, and co-regulation inside a session.
- 04Somatic Trauma-Informed Practice 1Atira Tan
- 08Somatic Trauma Therapy 2Atira Tan
- 09Healing Emotional Neglect: Somatic Tools for Co-Regulation and RepairAtira Tan
- 13The Somatic Processing of Preverbal Trauma
- 23Transgenerational Legacies and Trauma in PAT IDr Donca Vianu
- 24Transgenerational Legacies in PAT II
- 25Transgenerational Legacies in PAT III
Therapeutic approaches6 modules
Jungian, ACT, hypnotherapy, ketamine and psychiatric perspectives on psychedelic work.
- 07The Jungian PsycheMartin Duffy
- 11The Challenges from a Psychotherapeutic PerspectiveRob Ó Cobhthaigh
- 12Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for PATHenry Whitfield
- 17Psilocybin and Ketamine-Assisted TherapySophie Adler
- 18Ketamine-Assisted HypnotherapySophie Adler
- 21Psychedelic Therapy from a Psychiatric PerspectiveDr Graham Campbell
Integration, relationship and ethics4 modules
The therapeutic alliance, informed consent, standards of care and the work that follows a session.
- 14The Therapeutic Alliance: Ethics and Challenges of the RelationshipDr Roberta Murphy
- 15The Process of IntegrationMichael Ledden
- 26Ethics, Standards of Care and Informed Consent
- 33Ethics for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Sacred, Indigenous and ancestral wisdom4 modules
Sacred medicine, shamanic states, Indigenous cosmovision and the evidence for psilocybin use in early Ireland.
- 22Indigenous Cosmovision and Western Science in Psychedelic ResearchDr Simon Ruffell
- 29The Idea of the Sacred: Sacred Medicine and ConsciousnessDr Robert Krause
- 30Shamanic States of ConsciousnessCristina Kalyani
- 31Imbas Forosnai: Evidence for Ancestral Irish Use of PsilocybinRob Ó Cobhthaigh
Faculty
Learn from 17 psychiatrists, psychotherapists, researchers and practitioners
Select a name to read their background.
RÓ
Accredited psychotherapist (MIACP, MSc, BA Hons) with training in transpersonal therapy. Rob has coordinated educational courses and lectured in higher education up to honours-degree level.
AT
TEDx speaker, bestselling author and facilitator with 15 years in somatic and creative trauma recovery. Former trauma integration specialist at the Temple of the Way of Light, Peru; now Head of Integration at Aya Healing retreats.
DS
Post-doctoral plant geneticist. Darragh teaches the science of psychedelics: the different compounds, their history and their uses.
MD
Trained in transpersonal therapy and Dr Stan Grof's holotropic states. Regarded as a leading expert on Celtic shamanism, Martin spent 30 years in Irish psychiatric services, including pioneering work with Dr Ivor Browne.
DV
Over 40 years of practice across cultures, 30 of them in the Netherlands. Specialises in hypnotherapy for complex PTSD and intergenerational trauma, and is known in the Netherlands and Germany as an integration therapist for psychedelic experiences.
SA
Researcher and author on altered states since 2017. Has supervised ketamine infusions at Instituto Dr. Scheib, Mallorca since 2018, runs a ketamine therapy practice in Berlin and co-developed the Ketamine Hypnosis Package (KHP) method.
DH
Homeopath, shamanic practitioner and co-founder and former director of The Irish School of Homeopathy, drawing on Eastern, Western and traditional shamanic healing practices.
RM
Member of the Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research. Study doctor and guide on the PSILODEP II trial of psilocybin for depression, where she led participant screening; has trained guides for trials internationally.
GC
NHS inpatient consultant psychiatrist and MSc in Neuroscience (King's College London, distinction). Trained with Imperial College London in 2018 as an assistant guide on the psilocybin versus escitalopram depression trial.
RK
Former lecturer at Yale School of Nursing for 20 years. Researches psilocybin for depression and maintains a private psychiatric practice.
CK
25 years in the healing arts and author of Beyond Yoga. Studied with BKS Iyengar, Dolores Cannon and Dr Brian Weiss, and trained in Grof Transpersonal holotropic breathwork.
HW
ACBS peer-reviewed ACT trainer and PhD candidate at Maastricht researching psychedelic-assisted therapy processes. Has trained over 1,500 psychological therapists and published the “Spectrum of Selves” model in Frontiers in Psychiatry.
SR
Since 2015 has worked with Indigenous communities of the Amazon basin, translating ayahuasca knowledge into scientific research with the Shipibo-Konibo people.
LG
Over 20 years in psychology and coaching, author of Coaching in the Grey Space. Facilitates psychedelic-assisted retreats in the Netherlands in partnership with Inwardbound.
BM
Known as the “Spirit Pharmacist”. Specialises in where psychiatric medication meets psychedelic therapy: safety, drug interactions and antidepressant tapering.
ML
IACP, IAHIP and ICP accredited, with an MSc in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy and a long interest in plant medicine, transpersonal psychology and shamanic healing.
RH
Trauma-informed psychedelic practitioner and ceremonial vocalist who has co-facilitated ceremonies across the Netherlands and abroad, drawing on shamanic traditions, ACT and IFS.
Included
Bonus resources
Practical material from our own retreat work, included with every enrolment.
- Inwardbound Facilitation Protocols
- Inwardbound Screening Protocols
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Trauma
- Psychopharmacology and Drug Interactions
- Psilocybin truffles vs. mushrooms: a dosing comparison
- Psychedelic Safety Seminar: Lessons from Adventure Sports
- Psychological and Metaphysical Maps of Consciousness
- The Life and Work of Dr Ivor Browne
- Imbas Forosnai: Evidence for a Shamanic Tradition in Early Ireland
- Extra video material (8+ hours)
Your certificate
How the course is completed
Complete the modules
Watch all 33 modules at your own pace over up to two years.
Integration call
Book a one-hour call with an Inwardbound facilitator to reflect on what you have learned.
Receive your certificate
A Certificate of Attendance from the Inward Bound Institute.
The Inwardbound training pathway
Stage 1 is where the pathway begins
Stage 1 is the required first step before our in-person immersive skills training. Graduates get priority when Stage 2 places open.
Online foundation
This course. Theory, science, safety and therapeutic approaches.
You are hereImmersive skills training
In-person training in the Netherlands and Costa Rica, including your own personal psilocybin ceremony and facilitating a ceremony. Completing Stage 1 is required, and Stage 1 graduates get priority booking.
Apprenticeship
A two-year apprenticeship with supervision and case studies across three Inwardbound retreats. Places by limited application.
Details of Stages 2 and 3: inwardbound.nl/services/psychedelic-therapy-training
Who it's for
For professionals, and for anyone with an open and curious mind
The course assumes no prior experience with psychedelics. It is built for people who work with others' mental health, and open to anyone who wants to understand this field properly.
Testimonials
What our trainees say
“I've just completed the online training and wanted to say how comprehensive and engaging it's been. Such rich material over the past few months.”
“My experience with Inwardbound and the facilitator training program exceeded expectations on many levels. They handle every detail with great care, safety and integrity. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience on top of that. True pioneers and models of this work. It was a great gift to be part. I left fulfilled and very grateful!”
“I had a very insightful and educational experience with Inwardbound on the Psychedelic Facilitation Education Programme. The group leaders were very attentive and knowledgeable and the group container was a reflection of the high calibre of the people on the course. I would highly recommend this course.”
“This training was so much more than I expected. I learned everything I came here to learn but didn't expect the deep connections that were a wonderful byproduct of the way the team put together the training. I am so very grateful.”
“Wonderful team, idyllic settings, beautifully held ceremonies. So much more than a psilocybin experience. If you're looking to do a retreat or train as a facilitator, I can't recommend Inward Bound enough.”
Read 95 reviews on GoogleRead 108 reviews on Retreat Guru
Group retreats
See what an Inwardbound group retreat is like
A look inside our group psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands and Costa Rica: the setting, the team and the care that goes into every group.
Explore our group retreats
Our mission
We believe psychedelics are the shared birthright of humanity. We are their custodians, not their owners, and we have a duty to teach others to work with them safely, in service of healing that is open to all, not only the privileged and wealthy.
“Western science is approaching a paradigm shift of unprecedented proportions.” Dr Stanislav Grof
Enrol
Stage 1: Introduction to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
€799 in full, or 3 monthly payments of €267
- 33 modules and 60+ hours of video lectures
- 10 bonus resources, including Inwardbound facilitation and screening protocols
- Two years of access
- One-hour integration call with a facilitator
- Certificate of Attendance from the Inward Bound Institute
- Priority booking for Stage 2 immersive skills training (Stage 1 is required to join)
FAQ
Questions, answered
Any other questions? Email admin@inwardbound.nl
Is the course live or self-paced?
Self-paced. You get 60+ hours of recorded video lectures across 33 modules, plus bonus material, and you can work through them in any order and at your own speed.
How long do I have access?
Two years from the date you enrol.
How do I get the certificate?
Complete all modules, then book a one-hour integration call with an Inwardbound facilitator. After the call you receive a Certificate of Attendance from the Inward Bound Institute.
Does this course qualify me to practise psychedelic-assisted therapy?
No. Stage 1 is an introduction to the field and leads to a Certificate of Attendance, not a licence. It is the first step on the Inwardbound training pathway.
Do I need Stage 1 to join Stage 2?
Yes. Completing Stage 1 is required before you can join Stage 2, our in-person immersive skills training in the Netherlands and Costa Rica, which includes your own psilocybin ceremony and facilitating a ceremony. Stage 1 graduates also get priority booking when Stage 2 places open.
Is psychedelic therapy legal?
The online course is educational, so you can take it from anywhere. Our retreats and training in the Netherlands take place where psilocybin truffles are legal. Elsewhere, legal therapeutic use is opening up: see the list in the A field that is opening up section above. Laws change quickly, so always check the rules where you live and practise.
Do I need to be a therapist?
No. The course is designed for mental health professionals, but it is open to anyone with an open and curious mind who wants to understand the scientific, psychotherapeutic and spiritual sides of psychedelic therapy.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes. You can pay in full or choose 3 monthly payments of €267 at checkout.
Are scholarships available?
We offer a limited number of scholarships for people from disadvantaged socioeconomic or ethnic backgrounds. Email scholarship@inwardbound.ie to apply.
Begin with a solid foundation
Learn to work with psychedelics safely and responsibly, from a team that holds retreats more than twice a month, all year round.
Enrol for €799