Music for Psychedelic Therapy: A practical 8-week course for building playlists for therapists, guides, and enthusiasts

*This event has passed. Please see here for the 2025 offering of this course."
 
Music and sound play an arguably critical but still poorly understood role in the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Applied almost universally in clinical trials, current legal treatment options, underground work, and in traditional and indigenous ceremonial settings, music may be the most significant and yet variable aspect of the ‘set and setting’ of a psychedelic experience.

Learners will explore the theoretical and scientific dimensions of this rich terrain and acquire practical skills for crafting custom playlists to support psychedelic therapy and journeying. At the end of the course participants will also leave with an exclusive twelve hour playlist created by the group.

Who is it for?

This course is open to anyone with an interest in the application of music to psychedelic experiences. It will be useful for psychedelic therapists and guides who may be responsible for providing music for patients and clients, but those interested in building playlists for their own exploration or among peer groups will also derive benefit.

Is there a specific type of psychedelic experience that this course will focus on?

The course will focus primarily on curating playlists for psychedelic sessions with psilocybin and MDMA, given their prevalence in the field. However there will also be discussion of how principles can be applied to other experiences, including with ketamine, holotropic breathwork, cannabis, LSD, and 5-MeO-DMT.

Is there a focus on a certain type of music?

A wide variety of musical genres and formats will be explored. However the course will intentionally focus on recorded music for the purposes of playlist building. It will not attempt to address the application of live music or sound healing as complements to the psychedelic experience, which could each warrant a course in their own right.

What else will I learn in this course?

Throughout the course participants will be introduced to the current state of research in the field of music and psychedelics, learn how to develop a musical vocabulary and ear for sequencing, come to understand the narrative arc of music, and encounter the very specific experiences related to the alchemy of where psychedelics and music meet.

What will a typical class be like, and what kind of homework can I expect?

The course will take the format of assigned readings (4 in total), live lectures (including from guest experts), breakout groups, and Q&A. As the course progresses you will be provided with assignments related to sourcing music to complement specific segments of a psychedelic journey. By the end of the course you will have constructed your own custom playlist.

Course Outline:

Week 1: Introducing music, non-ordinary states and psychedelic therapy
Week 2: Developing a musical vocabulary
Week 3: The structure of a psilocybin journey and playlist
Week 4: Decomposition and breakthrough
Week 5: Heart-openings and pitfalls
Week 6: The structure of an MDMA journey and playlist
Week 7: Exploring shorter experiences
Week 8: Finale

Will the classes be recorded in case I have to miss one?

Yes, we'll be recording the sessions and making them available as needed if you have to miss a class. 

When is the course happening and what do I need to attend?

The course is offered live on Zoom on Tuesdays from 6:30pm-8:30pm ET, starting October 1st, 2024, and running until November 19th, 2024. You'll need a Zoom account. Ideally you'll also have a good set of headphones or sound system, and a Spotify account (though that's not essential).

What does it cost?

The course costs $685 CAD for the full 8 weeks. An early bird discount down to $600 CAD is available until August 31st.

Have more questions before registering?

Contact us! We're happy to field any other questions you might have.

What people are saying about the course...

"I loved this course. It has forever changed my experience of and with music."- James Fairbanks, M. Ed, M. Sc. R.C.C.

"Thank you for this music course. It was revelatory and it shifted my whole attitude and approach to using music in breathwork."- Sandy Wiggins, Principal, Consilience LLC and Chief Learning Officer, Future Tide Partners

"I want to thank you for sharing your passion for music and creating setlists. I really enjoyed the music course and it made my heart sing to witness your joy in the music we are exploring."- Shannon Webber

	Lead Educator: Alain Menier Alain obtained his certification as a holotropic breathwork facilitator in 2011 and has since organized over 100 group workshops and worked with over a thousand people. He has lectured extensively on the links between perinatality and the psyche, as well as on the work of Stan Grof, and was coordinator in Montreal for various MAPS studies between 2017 and 2022. Since 2021, he has collaborated on Therapsil’s therapist training and acts as a consultant to Numinus. He is passionate about music.
	Assisting Educator: Andrew Rose Andrew is a psychedelic educator, harm reduction and integration coach, certified mindfulness teacher, writer and strategist. He has been working with psychedelics and meditation for over 20 years and has been educating therapists and the general public about psychedelics since 2017 with organizations like Mindspace, Numinus, and Fluence. He also spent a decade as a prominent figure in the music scene in Montreal from 2004-2014, first with the Pop Montreal Festival and later co-founding Secret City Records.
	Hosted by Refuge Psychology. Refuge is a platform providing infrastructure and community for practitioners interested in experiential therapies. We are deeply committed to the cultivation of a safe, local, and relational container for transformative healing.