Jayne Gumpel, LCSW, is the Founder and Lead Facilitator of Relationship Resources, which offers psychedelic-assisted retreats. As a psychotherapist, trainer, and teacher, she has over 30 years of experience working with couples, individuals, and groups in private practice. Jayne is a certified trainer in Psychedelic Integration Psychotherapy, a member of the Woodstock Therapy Center’s Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) team, and has completed MDMA-assisted psychotherapy training through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).

Couples may encounter challenges when trying to resolve persistent issues around communication, trust, or emotional pain. Traditional talk therapy sometimes falls short when couples try to break through entrenched narratives and create meaningful change. How can therapists help partners reach deeper understanding and healing in a safe, transformative way?

According to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist and couples retreat facilitator Jayne Gumpel, ketamine can act as a portal to emotional clarity and reconnection. Having facilitated both individual and group ketamine sessions, Jayne emphasizes the importance of preparation, intention setting, and integration. This medicine quiets the brain’s default mode of thinking, helping clients detach from rigid meaning-making and approach difficult emotions with compassion. Jayne also integrates poetry into her clinical practice to help clients reframe their stories and deepen relational insight.

In this week’s episode of Living Medicine, Dr. Sandy Newes sits down with Jayne Gumpel, LCSW, Founder and Lead Facilitator of Relationship Resources, to discuss psychedelic-assisted couples therapy. Jayne shares her philosophy for cultivating joy, her innovative retreat approaches, and her perspective on consciousness.

Jim Hopper, PhD, is a Teaching Associate in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, where he co-directs a conference on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. With over 25 years of experience as a clinical psychologist, therapist, and independent forensic consultant for MAPS, he focuses on the psychological and neurobiological effects of trauma, including sexual assault and child abuse. Jim has provided training and consultation to therapists, law enforcement, military personnel, and higher education administrators and has served as an expert witness in legal cases.

Many clinicians entering the field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy assume that the medicine alone drives healing, overlooking the critical role of the therapeutic relationship. Without a strong relational foundation, clients can experience retraumatization, disempowerment, or even harm during these vulnerable states. How can practitioners create safe, empowering, and effective therapeutic environments during psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy?

As a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, Jim Hopper advises clinicians to combine empowerment, connection, and attunement during psychedelic therapy sessions. He advocates for trauma-informed care that supports client autonomy and competence while maintaining a genuine relational connection. Preparation, integration, and an awareness of relational dynamics like transference and countertransference are essential components of the psychedelic therapy process. By maintaining faith in the client’s inner healing wisdom, therapists can help clients feel safe, empowered, and supported throughout their healing journeys.

In this week’s episode of Living Medicine, Dr. Sandy Newes interviews Jim Hopper, PhD, Teaching Associate at Harvard Medical School, about creating safe and relational psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy sessions. Jim talks about balancing autonomy and competence, avoiding therapist overreach, and the risks of replicating trauma dynamics in therapy.

Rick Doblin, PhD, is the Founder and President of MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), a nonprofit organization advancing research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. He studied under Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. Rick aims to develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana.

The path to healing trauma and advancing mental health care through psychedelic therapies is often blocked by regulatory barriers, cultural stigma, and skepticism. While MDMA-assisted psychotherapy shows immense promise, therapists wonder how these treatments can be made widely accessible and trusted, especially across different cultures, age groups, and medical systems. What does it take to shift public perception and institutional acceptance?

Psychedelic researcher and therapy pioneer Rick Doblin combines rigorous clinical research, international therapist training, and grassroots cultural change to reduce the stigma surrounding psychedelic therapies. He has initiated humanitarian projects in high-trauma, low-resource regions like Ukraine and Rwanda and facilitated the FDA approval process through pilot studies and collaborative research. Rick emphasizes the importance of therapist training — including firsthand MDMA experience — and encourages public storytelling to destigmatize psychedelics and build broader support.

In today’s episode of Living Medicine, Dr. Sandy Newes welcomes Rick Doblin, PhD, Founder and President of MAPS, to discuss his pioneering research into MDMA and other psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies. Rick talks about group and family psychedelic therapy models, the relationship between mysticism and therapeutic outcomes during psychedelic sessions, and how to support natural emotions during vulnerable states.