Psychedelics on the N.Y. Times front page

“Dr. Doblin’s quest to win mainstream acceptance of psychedelics took a significant leap forward on Monday when the journal Nature Medicine published the results of his lab’s study on MDMA, the club drug popularly known as Ecstasy and Molly. The study, the first Phase 3 clinical trial conducted with psychedelic-assisted therapy, found that MDMA paired with counseling brought marked relief to patients with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.”

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Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy available for the first time in Central Europe!

Prague, 11 January 2021

In the recent years, there has been a growing amount of scientific evidence pointing to the remarkable potential of psychedelic substances in the treatment of mental illness. As of December 2020, the Psyon Psychedelic Clinic is the first private healthcare facility in Central Europe to provide ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) to patients with depression.

Ketamine is a medication that is commonly used for general anaesthesia during surgery, particularly in children. As an antidepressant, ketamine is used in much lower doses that do not induce general anaesthesia. It is the only substance with psychedelic properties and robust scientific evidence proving its antidepressant effect that can be legally used in clinical practice. 

Having been investigated as an antidepressant in the USA and EU for about 20 years, its efficacy has been documented in numerous clinical trials. It is considered a rapid-acting antidepressant, which means that its antidepressant effect occurs on the day of administration and lasts for an average of about 5 days. However, Psyon’s approach to ketamine treatment is unique due to its emphasis on psychotherapy, consisting of several preparation and integration sessions (substance-free) and one session with ketamine. The patient is always under the supervision of medical doctors and specially trained therapists. In its complexity, KAP therefore combines the complementary advantages of psychotherapy and the biological antidepressant effect of ketamine – ketamine effectively catalyses psychotherapy, while psychotherapy helps facilitate long-term change, which is something ketamine cannot typically provide on its own due to the limited duration of its primary antidepressant effect.

 “This unique therapy may help the clients gain perspective on their potentially dysfunctional emotional, cognitive and behavioural patterns, of which they are often unaware, and assist them in shaping these patterns towards lasting positive change. Long-term effectiveness is the main advantage of KAP over mere administration of subanaesthetic (low) doses of ketamine, which only results in a temporary antidepressant effect lasting less than a week,” explains professor Jiří Horáček, psychiatrist, researcher, and one of the founders of Psyon.

About Psyon

A psychotherapy-oriented centre that focuses primarily on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling, Psyon was started by a team of leading Czech researchers and practitioners in the field of mental health, including neuroscientists, medical doctors and psychologists. The project has received financial support from the Miton investment group.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is a new approach to the treatment of mental illness. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (with MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for depression) the status of a “breakthrough therapy” in the field of mental health care.

www.psyon.cz

For more information about Psyon’s founders and investment partners, read the clinic’s press release from January 2020.

High-resolution photos are available here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/86tl6nkxz7p8s0h/AABkp1dAoMcGaasL5VApFknla?dl=0 

Media inquiries: 

Eva Césarová, +420 606 958 100, eva.cesarova@gmail.com

Online counselling at Psyon

Like other psychological and psychotherapeutic providers, we offer online counselling at this coronavirus situation. We offer counselling in Czech, English, Spanish and Italian. Do not hesitate to contact us.

We Are Open! The Psyon Psychedelic Clinic Has Opened in Prague – A Project of Leading Researchers and Experienced Therapists.

Prague, 13 January 2020

The Psyon Psychedelic Clinic is a psychotherapy-oriented centre that focuses on psychotherapy and the use of psychedelic substances. Looking forward, Psyon anticipates changes to the current legislation which will newly allow the therapeutic use of psychedelics in mental health care programs. Psyon’s goal is to also function as a healthcare facility offering the so-called psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). It will be doing so in full compliance with the applicable law. The clinic also offers specialized education and training for therapists in this field.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is a new approach to the treatment of mental illness. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted substance-assisted psychotherapy (with MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for depression) the status of a “breakthrough therapy” for assistance with these types of mental health issues.

Currently, Psyon’s clinic at Bílá Hora, Prague provides psychotherapeutic counselling covering a broad spectrum of situations and difficulties that people can encounter in their lives, with a particular focus on the clinical use of psychedelics.

“At this time, this mostly means providing professional assistance to people who might have encountered difficulties due to their previous use of psychedelics. A positive integration of a difficult psychedelic experience into one’s life is an area that standard psychiatric practices often have a difficulty dealing with today due to a lack of appropriate training,” explains Stanislav Milotinský, one of Psyon’s founders.

Psyon was started by a team of leading researchers and practitioners in the field of mental health, including neuroscientists, physicians and psychologists. The Psyon team includes:

  • Prof. MUDr. Jiří Horáček, PhD, FCMA – Director of Science and Research at the Czech National Institute of Mental Health (NÚDZ), physician, researcher, and professor at the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University
  • MUDr. Martin Brunovský, PhD – head of a research programme at NÚDZ, head physician, researcher, and lecturer at the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University
  • MUDr. Filip Tylš, PhD – researcher at NÚDZ, physician, and lecturer at the 3rd Faculty of Medicine
  • MUDr. Tomáš Páleníček, PhD – researcher at NÚDZ, physician, and lecturer at the 3rd Faculty of Medicine
  • Mgr., Mgr. Stanislav Milotinský – psychologist at Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital in Prague
  • Mgr. Jaroslav Farkaš – psychologist
  • The background of the clinic’s founders includes neuroscience research at the Czech National Institute of Mental Health (NÚDZ) (Jiří Horáček, Martin Brunovský, Tomáš Páleníček, Filip Tylš); clinical work with patients (Jiří Horáček, Martin Brunovský, Tomáš Páleníček, Filip Tylš, Stanislav Milotinský); management activities at the Czech Psychedelic Society, a non-profit organization (Filip Tylš, Stanislav Milotinský, Jaroslav Farkaš), and at the Foundation for Psychedelic Science (Tomáš Páleníček, Jiří Horáček, Martin Brunovský); extensive psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling (Filip Tylš, Stanislav Milotinský, Jaroslav Farkaš, Jiří Horáček, Tomáš Páleníček); international training in working with altered states of consciousness (Jiří Horáček); and training in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research (CPTR provided by the CIIS in San Francisco, CA, USA) (Filip Tylš, Stanislav Milotinský).
  • The development of our psychedelic clinic has received financial support from the Miton investment group: “We consider psychedelic research to be extremely important. It can prove to be an exceptionally promising direction in the present state of affairs in which the science behind the treatment of mental health disorders hasn’t seen any substantial progress for decades. We are both supporting Psyon financially and also offering business advice. We consider it more than just an investment with the expectation of a traditional type of financial return. We are providing our support as a contribution to research,” stated Václav Štrupl, a partner at Miton.
  • What are some of the clinical areas in which the potential benefits of the use of psychedelics are being investigated?
  • Psychedelics have shown great promise in the treatment of a number of different types of mental and other illnesses in clinical trials conducted all over the world. Such trials are currently investigating the use of psychedelics in the treatment of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, e.g. for veterans of war and victims of abuse), in palliative care and other areas. Psyon is planning to focus its therapeutic practice on treatments for depression and trauma.
  • Since the research into the use of psychedelics is undergoing an international resurgence, we are seeing and expect to see a continuing high demand for specially trained experts in this field. Courses completed by some of our therapists include the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research (CPTR) at the Centre for Psychedelic Therapies and Research of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), the MDMA Therapy Training Program for PTSD provided by MAPS and the European-based training in psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression by Compass Pathways. Many of our practitioners are also involved in scientific studies and clinical trials of psychedelic substances.

Sublease of Shared Therapy Rooms

We are looking for additional tenants for our shared consulting rooms! We want to welcome into our clinic’s consulting rooms new colleagues who may be involved in psychotherapy, therapeutic bodywork, nutrition and other specializations focused on improving the psychological state of individuals. We are open to all professionals sharing our open-minded approach. 

We have available 3 recently refurbished rooms (about 18 m2 each), one of which has its own en suite restroom facilities, including a bathtub. We are looking to share all three spaces (all three together or each one to a different party), for a minimal lease period of one year. 

The building is located in a tranquil, quiet part of the city at Čistovická 11, Prague 6. In the building the tenant may use the shared kitchenette, sauna with a plunge pool, shower, garden and parking. They may also rent a larger room (45 m2).

You can look forward to being associated with a group of modern professionals who are working together to increase the quality and range of mental health care services being offered in this country. We enjoy meeting as a group, sharing our experiences and working towards our shared goals.

For more information please email us at info@psyon.cz.

Sublease of Shared Therapy Space

We are looking for tenants for a shared psychotherapy room! We will be happy to welcome among us another colleague who shares our open-minded attitude to mental health care. Although Psyon focuses on psychedelic themes, we are currently also accepting others with a different area of specialization.

We are offering a recently refurbished, elegantly equipped and wonderfully quiet therapy room (18 m2) for rent at Čistovická 11, Prague. The minimal lease is 2 hours per week. In the building, the tenant may use the shared kitchenette, sauna with a plunge pool, shower, garden and parking. They may also rent a separate larger room for groups (45 m2).

You can look forward to being associated with a group of modern professionals who are working together to increase the quality and range of mental health care services being offered in this country. We enjoy meeting as a group, sharing our experiences and working together on a common project.

For more information please email us at info@psyon.cz.

Note! The current interior design of these newly refurbished spaces is continuing to be worked on. We welcome all suggestions and contributions to making them even better!