ATP AHP Sofia

With Dr. Steven Schmitz and Dr. Pier Luigi Lattuada

Shamans were the first counselors and psychotherapists in their communities. Over the tens of thousands of years that shamanism has been a spiritual practice in various cultures around the world, there were many methodologies developed for various aspects of healing. These time-tested methodologies can be powerful pathways to peace for individuals and communities. They are also still relevant and beneficial in our modern world.

Carl Jung wrote, "The main interest of my work is not with the treatment of neurosis, but rather with the approach to the numinous... the approach to the numinous is the real therapy, and inasmuch as you attain to the numinous experiences you are released from the curse of pathology." Dr. Schmitz and Dr. Lattuada will demonstrate how Shamanism is an effective means for approaching the numinous. They will also discuss how Transpersonal Psychology connects shamanic wisdom and practice into a broad framework through epistemological maps and models, and newly conceived integral methodologies. There will also be an experiential component of shamanic practices.

This workshop will be facilitated by two transpersonal professionals with decades of shamanic and therapeutic practice, as well as experience with blending the ancient wisdom and practices of shamanism with the modern knowledge of counseling and psychotherapy.

After this workshop you will be able to:

• Discuss the use of ancient wisdom, ritual, sacred drumming, shamanic journeying, and sacred movement to supplement the modern integral and transpersonal therapeutic methodologies
• Use transpersonal psychology and shamanic wisdom to enhance your therapeutic practice
• Apply the therapeutic ways of the shamanic process to facilitate a sense of peace and well-being with your clients

Dr. Steven Schmitz holds a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Steven has a private practice in Shamanic Counseling, Transpersonal Counseling, and Spiritual Guidance. Dr. Schmitz is an international teacher, lecturer, and workshop leader on topics of shamanism, transpersonal psychology, rituals, and healing. He is a faculty member at international transpersonal schools – Alef Trust (UK), Integral Transpersonal Institute (Italy), Latvian Transpersonal Educational Institute (Latvia), and Athens Synthesis Center (Athens). He has taught graduate-level courses at California Institute of Integral Studies, the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, and Sofia University (USA). Dr. Schmitz has presented at several international transpersonal conferences. Dr. Schmitz is a former President of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP), a former Board Officer of the European Transpersonal Association (Eurotas), and a Founding Board Member of the International Q’eros Foundation (IQF). He is currently a Board Member and Outreach Committee Chair at ATP. He was initiated into shamanic practice in 1974.

Dr. Pier Luigi Lattuada, M.D., Psy.D., Ph.D., is a medical doctor, psychologist and psychotherapist. Dr. Lattuada is the president of EUROTAS – Global Transpersonal Network and ITI – Integral Transpersonal Institute in Milan. He is the director of the Training School in Transpersonal Psychotherapy recognised by MIUR and of the Advanced Training in Transpersonal Counseling. Dr. Lattuada is a Faculty Member at Meridien University, and director of Integral Transpersonal Psychology Program at Ubiquity University. He is a former Faculty Member at Sofia University. In the 1980s he founded Biotransenergetics, an Integral Transpersonal Psychotherapy we may also define as a poetic act since it teaches creativity in the art of self-giving in the face of psychophysical discomfort, in the direction of Self-realisation. He also directed the Lifegate Holistic Clinic of Milan. He has been composing poetry since the age of 16 and has written and published over 20 books on transpersonal psychotherapy, integral medicine and Biotransenergetics.

With Dr. Katrina Michelle

This workshop will delve into the transformative potential of psychedelic-integration therapy from a transpersonal and humanistic lens. Discussions will include: optimizing client experiences pre, during, and post-journey; understanding psychedelic risks; and navigating challenging experiences. Dr. Michelle will provide a foundational understanding of spiritual emergence and spiritual emergency, and discuss the nuances of navigating client-disclosure and self-disclosure within the unique boundaries of a medicine space.

Participants will gain practical tools to cultivate a safe and ethical psycho-spiritual environment, gain an understanding of how to discern disruptive energies, and facilitate transformative experiences in psychedelic integration therapy. The workshop will offer a dynamic experience for exploring how we define a successful psychedelic renaissance and enact the necessary cultural shifts.

Learning objectives:

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Discuss at least one way to provide legal psychedelic risk-reduction services in a therapeutic setting.
• Name three psychospiritual safety practices and ethical considerations within a psychedelic space.
• Describe spiritual emergence/emergency and discern how to support clients through such transformative processes.

Dr. Katrina Michelle is a holistic psychotherapist who specializes in spiritual emergence and psychedelic integration. She is founder/director of The Curious Spirit, a private psychotherapy and coaching practice, former director of harm reduction at MAPS, and former executive director of The American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences (ACISTE). She has also lectured for the Integrative Psychiatry Institute and New York University, Columbia University School of Social Work, Fordham University School of Social Services, and The Institute for the Development of Human Arts. Katrina is currently involved in conducting research exploring challenging psychedelic experiences with The Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium, and is working on producing a film, When Lightning Strikes, elucidating the phenomenon of spiritual awakening. Katrina offers consulting, supervision, and personally-crafted retreats for those interested in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

With Dr. Maria Cristina de Barros

At this current moment, there is already clear scientific evidence about the importance of the spiritual dimension for individual and collective mental health. However, there is also a need to build new perspectives and models of working with spiritual transformative experiences. They are incredibly prevalent not only within the general Brazilian population, also across all strata of society. This is especially true when working with clients and the issue of dying.

This workshop will consist of both theoretical and experiential components. Dr. de Barros will share her experience with Transpersonal Psycho-Oncology, which is a specialized field within psychology that addresses the emotional and social aspects of cancer. She will demonstrate how to help individuals and their loved ones to deal with the disease and discuss treatment to provide support through the entire journey, from the diagnosis to the end-of-life. Dr. de Barros will discuss the spiritual dimensions of the cancer experience, particularly on the aspects related to the process of dying. Transpersonal psycho-oncology recognizes and encourages the experience of spiritual and anomalous phenomena. In this workshop we will explore these experiences as mystical and transformative encounters which allow patients to find a deeper sense of meaning, connection, acceptance, and love in their transition to death.

Learning objectives:

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the fundamentals of Psycho-Oncology
• Explain the spiritual dimensions connected with the cancer experience
• Prepare their clients for a peaceful process of dying

Dr. Maria Cristina De Barros has a Degree in Psychology at the Institute of Psychology of the University of São Paulo (1989), a Masters degree in Developmental Psychology at the same institution (1999) and a PhD in Sciences of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry of FMUSP (2022). Cristina specialized in Transpersonal Psychology at the Portuguese-Brazilian Transpersonal Association (ALUBRAT) in 2004. As a member of the Brazilian Society of Psycho-Oncology, she was a representative of this association for the South region and professor in the Graduate Program of Distance Learning at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Dr. De Barros is currently ALUBRAT’s vice president and director of the Humana Mundi Clinic, where she facilitates individual psychotherapy sessions, courses and workshops. She is member of the International Commission of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), and a founding member of ATI-Asociación Transpersonal Iberoamericana.