The Florida Society of Clinical Hypnosis Workshop

Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and Hypnosis for the Seriously Curious

Where

In Person and Live Streamed via Zoom
Springhill Suites at Millenia, just off I-4 in Orlando, Florida

When

Saturday, 5/2/26 9:00am - 4:00pm EST
Sunday, 5/3/26 9:00am - 4:00pm EST

Presented by

Ciara Christensen, PhD

Ciara Christensen, PhD, earned her doctoral degree from Washington State University in 2012. She is licensed in Idaho, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Washington and has practiced in both hospital-based and private practice settings. Dr. Christensen has held leadership roles in the field of clinical hypnosis, including serving as President of the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH) and she is the current President of the American Psychological Association’s Division 30, Society of Psychological Hypnosis. She is recognized for her contributions to hypnosis research, education, and clinical practice, with publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations and workshops delivered nationally and internationally. Her advanced training includes Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, including the first phase of MAPS MDMA-assisted therapy training, as well as advanced experiential training in the Netherlands with an emphasis on psilocybin and ketamine. Dr. Christensen is also certified in breathwork, informed by approaches similar to Stanislav Grof’s Holotropic Breathwork.

David R Patterson PhD, ABPP

David R Patterson PhD, ABPP, is an emeritus professor of psychology in the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine, Surgery and Psychology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. His current interests are in psychological approaches to reducing and managing pain, particularly through hypnosis, immersive virtual reality, and Eastern concepts such as mindfulness and Zen Buddhism. He is a strong advocate of providing interventions for people in pain, particularly after trauma, and has conducted several studies using pharmacology and psychological alternatives. He has over 200 peer-reviewed publications, chapters, monographs and book chapters on topics such as pain control and adjustment to burn injuries and trauma. He co-directed his hospital’s bioethics committee, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine on bioethics topics.. He was funded from 1989 to 2020 by the National Institutes of Health to conduct randomized controlled trials on treating burn and trauma pain. Dr. Patterson has developed internship and postdoctoral training programs and has mentored hundreds of students. He has given keynote lectures and clinical workshops internationally and was featured on both national and international news outlets on many occasions over the past 30 years. His book with Elena Mendoza entitled Clinical Hypnosis for Pain Control was published in 2024.

Workshop Details

Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and Hypnosis for the Seriously Curious
In-person or via Live Stream
Advanced Workshop
12 Florida CEU’s and credit toward ASCH certification
All ASCH-approved workshops are eligible for APA and CME credits.

This 12-hour workshop is designed for health professionals who want to learn more about psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAP) for their patients and possibly for themselves. This workshop is not intended to train practitioners to use PAP with clients. However, attendees will learn about the basic science of the agents most often used in PAP, indications for various medicines for psychological challenges, the structure of typical sessions, and ethical issues such as legality, availability, and the significant potential for harm with this form of therapy. The workshop will address how psychotherapy approaches, including hypnosis, can facilitate the preparation and integration phases of a PAP experience. We will discuss how this type of facilitation can be done by a therapist who is independent of the actual PAP treatment. We will also provide experiential exercises to 1) create mystical experiences with hypnosis and 2) use the science of the unconscious to create significant emotional and behavioral shifts. The instructors pride themselves on using state-of-the-art research in neurophysiology and outcome research throughout the workshop. This workshop will review the use of hypnotic language in non-hypnotic contexts as applied to psychedelic psychotherapy, thus prior training in hypnosis is not a prerequisite.

The workshop will be held from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm EST on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, with morning and afternoon breaks and a one-hour lunch break. FSCH will provide a buffet luncheon for registrants on Saturday, May 2. The workshop will also be live streamed via Zoom for those who are unable to attend in person.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Describe the empirical evidence for the neurophysiological effects of psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAP) on brain function and psychiatric outcome.
Describe the steps of PAP interventions based on the target issue and the medicine being used.
Articulate how psychotherapy and hypnosis can facilitate the preparatory and integration phases of PAP.
Experience and be able to describe a hypnotically induced mystical experience.
Experience and describe the use of the unconscious to create emotional and behavioral changes through hypnosis

Location

For those unable to attend in person, this workshop will also be live streamed via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent to live stream registrants on the night before the workshop.

The in-person workshop will be held at the Springhill Suites at Millenia, just off I-4 in Orlando, Florida, which is adjacent to Millenia Mall, and features extensive shopping and numerous dining options. The hotel’s discounted group room rate is $159 per night (plus overnight parking fee) and includes a buffet breakfast. Hotel reservations must be made by April 10th to secure the group rate by clicking the button below:

Springhill Suites Reservation

Eligibility

Health professionals holding doctoral degrees in medicine, dentistry, podiatry and psychology, or doctoral or masters degrees in social work, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, or nursing, licensed in the state in which they practice; degree graduates receiving documented clinical supervision toward licensing, and graduate students in eligible disciplines with documentation of their student status from the Chairperson of their graduate program.

Continuing Education Credit

We offer 12 Florida CEU’s for licensed mental health therapists and all our workshops count toward ASCH certification requirements. All ASCH-approved workshops are eligible for APA and CME credits.

Mutter Scholarships

Mutter Scholarships are available to 6 student/intern FSCH Members who will receive a 40% discount off the registration fee. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about availability of scholarships

Registration

Click the orange "REGISTER ONLINE NOW" button on this page.

If you prefer to pay by check, mail your printed registration form with your check before April 15th , payable to FSCH, to 9003 SW 138 ST, APT A, Miami, FL 33176.. Registration is not complete until we have received payment and a completed registration.

Online Registration

Member Type	Price
Members	$425
New Life Members	$212.50
Non-members	$475
Graduate Student Members	$300
Student Non-members	$350