![abstract galaxy ](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-10/iStock-2218894338.jpg?itok=JO6oJKLY) # Center for the Study of World Religions Releases Report on Psychedelic Facilitation Training New report identifies critical gaps in spiritual care training for psychedelic facilitators July 23, 2025 July 23, 2025 (CAMBRIDGE, MA) – The Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) at Harvard Divinity School has released “Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training in the US: A Landscape Analysis,” an assessment of the current state of psychedelic facilitation training programs across the United States. The report, commissioned by CSWR and conducted by leading experts Roman Palitsky, MDiv, PhD (Emory Spiritual Health, Woodruff Health Sciences Center and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine) and Caroline Peacock, LCSW, DMin (Emory Spiritual Health and Winship Cancer Center Institute), reveals growing strengths as well as significant gaps in spiritual, existential, religious, and theological (SERT) care training within existing programs. The report is part of the Center’s work on psychedelics and spirituality, and reflects its commitment to bringing scholarly rigor to emerging questions at the intersection of consciousness, healing, and spiritual practice. It is based on interviews with representatives from 13 established and emerging psychedelic facilitation training programs, and provides one of the first in-depth analyses of how these programs address spiritual and religious considerations in psychedelic care. The findings directly inform CSWR’s upcoming “Tending the Spiritual in Psychedelic Care” workshops scheduled for September and December 2025. “This project represents a critical step forward in understanding how we can better prepare facilitators to provide comprehensive, spiritually-responsive care,” said Director of the CSWR Professor Charles Stang. “The Center is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap between rigorous academic investigation and practical training applications.” ## Key Findings Reveal Training Gaps The study found that while all interviewed programs acknowledged the importance of spiritual, existential, religious, and theological considerations in psychedelic care, many did not include dedicated content in these areas. Primary barriers included limited time and resources to deliver this training, a need for expertise among instructors, and insufficient clarity on best practices for teaching SERT-responsive care. The project revealed considerable variation in training approaches. State guidelines from Oregon and Colorado have begun to standardize certain aspects of training; however, spiritual care competencies remain largely unaddressed in regulatory frameworks. “Training competent psychedelic facilitators will be absolutely essential to any rollout of psychedelic care in the U.S. Right now, it is an important time for training programs to begin sharing the practices that work well, and to tackle the areas that need more work, to be able to meet the need for skilled facilitators,” said Roman Palitsky, lead author and researcher at Emory’s Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality, highlighting the urgent need for psychedelic care analysis. ## Addressing the Gap Through Evidence-Based Training Drawing on the report’s findings, CSWR will offer [two specialized workshops](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/research-programming/transcendence-transformation/psychedelics-spirituality/tending-spiritual-workshops) this fall: **September 2025:** “Tending the Spiritual in Psychedelic Care: Clinical Settings” is designed for therapists, hospital chaplains, and medical practitioners supporting patients in clinical contexts. **December 2025:** “Tending the Spiritual in Psychedelic Care: Recreational Settings” is focused on spiritual care providers, religious professionals, and therapists working in community-based settings. Caroline Peacock, co-author and researcher specializing in spiritual care in psychedelic-assisted therapy, said, “This training offers practitioners from various fields the chance to focus on important spiritual, existential, religious, and theological issues often found in psychedelic-assisted therapy. We hope it helps practitioners with some knowledge and experience deepen their understanding and approach, ultimately providing more holistic care to those receiving facilitated psychedelic treatment.” ## Collaborative Approach to Field Development The report emphasizes the need for greater collaboration and shared standards within psychedelic facilitation training. CSWR’s approach exemplifies this collaborative spirit, bringing together insights from diverse disciplines to address identified gaps. “A central goal of the psychedelics and spirituality initiative is to convene interdisciplinary scholars and practitioners interested in advancing the field of psychedelic and religious studies,” said Jeffrey Breau, program lead of the Center’s Psychedelics and Spirituality initiative, underscoring the value of the project. “The collaboration with Roman and Caroline has exemplified this goal. I am confident that this white paper and the workshops that it inspired will benefit not only academics in this field but the many individuals providing care for psychedelic users.” The full report is available for download on the [CSWR website](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/psychedelics-spirituality-preprint), as well as [PsyArXiv Preprints](https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/ecybk_v1). **MEDIA CONTACTS:** Deborah Blackwell, 617.495.4495, Tyler Sprouse, ## View the white paper and other related content [ View the white paper arrow\_circle\_right ](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/psychedelics-spirituality-preprint) [ Download the news release arrow\_circle\_right ](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/2025-07/CSWR%20Psychedelic%20Faciliation%20Training%20Report%20News%20Release_0.docx) [ Event video | Psychedelic Facilitation: Taking Stock of an Evolving Landscape arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96DMoxJD9bU) [ Event video | Spiritual Care, Ethics, and the State of Psychedelic Chaplaincy arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZKSOTz_gNY) [ Event video | Bioethics, Legal Ethics, and Ethics of Care arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL0vR-ptVag&list=PLX_9feVneSp1lz3Wlmr0HYXHI_9vF4NBd&index=7) [ Psychedelic Intersections: 2024 Conference Anthology arrow\_circle\_right ](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/publications/psychedelic-intersections) See also:- [ Center for the Study of World Religions ](/media-topic/center-study-world-religions) - [ Medicine ](/topic-tags/medicine) - [ psychedelics ](/topic-tags/psychedelics) - [ Spirituality ](/topic-tags/spirituality) - [ Spirituality and Psychedelics ](/programming-threads/spirituality-and-psychedelics)