{"id":10109,"date":"2024-03-28T12:06:29","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T12:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=5992476"},"modified":"2024-03-28T12:06:29","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T12:06:29","slug":"boulder-college-planning-a-psychedelic-studies-undergraduate-minor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/boulder-college-planning-a-psychedelic-studies-undergraduate-minor\/","title":{"rendered":"Boulder college planning a psychedelic studies undergraduate minor"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/boulder-college-planning-a-psychedelic-studies-undergraduate-minor\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2023\/09\/03\/psilocybin-mushroom-psychedelic-therapy-colorado-oregon\/\">Psychedelic-assisted therapy<\/a> is well on its way to becoming a legitimate industry in Colorado. But for all the regulatory advancements, there are few ways hopeful professionals in the space can get a formal education about psychedelic substances and their use.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.naropa.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Naropa University<\/a> in Boulder hopes to change that by offering a new minor in psychedelic studies as part of its Bachelor of the Arts degree program. Joe Harrison, executive director of Naropa\u2019s Center for Psychedelic Studies, said the curriculum has yet to be solidified, but proposed classes include an introductory course, decolonial psychology, working with emotions, herbal medicine, religion and psychedelics, exploring psychedelic science, the poetry of psychedelics, transpersonal psychology, and more.<\/p>\n<p>The minor will be open to all undergraduate students. Harrison hopes it will roll out in time for the fall 2024 semester.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5619094\" class=\"wp-caption alignright size-article_inline_half\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/boulder-college-planning-a-psychedelic-studies-undergraduate-minor.jpg\" alt=\"Psilocybin facilitator students sit with eye masks on while listening to music during an experiential activity at a training session near Damascus, Ore., on Dec. 2, 2022. They are being trained in how to accompany patients tripping on psilocybin as Oregon prepares to become the first state in America to offer controlled use of the psychedelic mushroom to the public. (AP Photo\/Andrew Selsky)\" width=\"4032\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/boulder-college-planning-a-psychedelic-studies-undergraduate-minor.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5619094\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/boulder-college-planning-a-psychedelic-studies-undergraduate-minor.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/TDP-Z-AP22355817412335.jpg?fit=310%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 310w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Psilocybin facilitator students sit with eye masks on while listening to music during an experiential activity at a training session near Damascus, Ore., on Dec. 2, 2022. They are being trained in how to accompany patients tripping on psilocybin. (AP Photo\/Andrew Selsky)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The idea for a track dedicated to psychedelics came from both Naropa students and staff, who saw an unmet need for education and training related to the emerging field, Harrison said. The university, founded by Buddist monk Ch\u00f6gyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1974, feels uniquely equipped to fill the gaps due to its model that focuses on contemplative education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to be a facilitator, the most thing important you have to have, in my opinion, is the ability to sit and be present. Because a lot of times, you\u2019re not doing all that much,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cThat\u2019s really what we teach at Naropa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new minor both offers a starting point for novices and bolsters Naropa\u2019s goal to build a pipeline of psychedelic professionals to meet future demand in the space.<\/p>\n<p>That aspiration is, in part, what led to the opening of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naropa.edu\/academics\/schools-centers\/center-for-psychedelic-studies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Naropa Center for Psychedelic Studies<\/a> in 2022. Since then it\u2019s offered a post-graduate, psychedelic-assisted therapies certificate program to train prospective facilitators, who help monitor and support individuals while they\u2019re under the influence. The university is preparing to welcome its third cohort of 130 people through the program, Harrison said.<\/p>\n<p>Once <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2024\/03\/06\/colorado-draft-rules-psilocybin-therapy-facilitation-dora\/\">Colorado officials finalize regulations<\/a>, the university plans to offer an additional training certificate program specifically for psilocybin facilitators. It\u2019s also actively seeking real estate where it can operate a clinic for psychedelic-assisted therapy and \u201cpractice what we teach,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really created this pathway for students, for people who want to become psychedelic practitioners to get education, training and real-world experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The clinical aspect is of paramount importance not only for psilocybin-assisted therapy, which is expected to come online in Colorado in 2025, but also for MDMA-assisted therapy, which may also be available to the general public soon.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\"> <\/aside>\n<p>In December, <a href=\"https:\/\/lykospbc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lykos Therapeutics<\/a> submitted a new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration after completing Phase 3 clinical trials using MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The company, formerly known as MAPS Benefit Corporation, expects the agency to weigh in \u2013 and possibly approve its use \u2013 by August.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next big step for our center is getting that clinical space. We have a clinical trial we\u2019re hoping to run out of it,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n<p>This year, Naropa University intends to offer about $200,000 in scholarships to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals interested in Naropa\u2019s training programs, in hopes of \u201cmaking this landscape as diverse as possible so the therapeutic benefit of these medicines reaches as many people as it can,\u201d Harrison added.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/newsletter-signup\/roundup\/\">Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>Naropa University\u2019s new psychedelic studies minor aims to prepare students for the emerging industry. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2163,52,6811,7143,2205,10621,7938,4995,77,9,10659,5019,8147,8148,1,3,7072,6923,61,1736],"tags":[4731,2632,6816,7144,4773,10622,7939,4996,2655,10660,5022,8152,8153,7073,6924],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10109"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10109\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}