when healing is not a shortcut:
integrity in psychedelic therapy
integrity in psychedelic therapy
4TH SYMPOSIUM BY PSYCHEDELIC SOCIETY BELGIUM
ABOUT THIS EVENT
DATE
OCTOBER 9-10, 2026
TIME
Fri, Oct 9: 19:00 - 22:00
Sat, Oct 10: 10:00 - 19:00
LOCATION
Maison des Associations Internationales Rue Washington 40, 1050 Ixelles (Brussels)
TICKETS
Wave 2 Tickets are are now live!
Dear all,
We are happy to announce the 4th Symposium by Psychedelic Society Belgium:
When Healing Is Not a Shortcut: Integrity in Psychedelic Therapy
Taking place on October 9–10, 2026 in Brussels, this year’s symposium invites an open and thoughtful exploration of the promises, limitations, responsibilities, and ethical challenges surrounding psychedelics in mental health and society. Across one and a half days of talks, dialogue, and exchange, we will bring together researchers, therapists, clinicians, policymakers, artists, and people with lived experience to engage with one central question:
How do we support a psychedelic field rooted in integrity, humility, responsibility, and care?
As interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies continues to grow internationally, we believe it is essential to create space not only for optimism and innovation, but also for critical reflection, nuance, and harm reduction.
We warmly invite you to explore the program, discover our speakers, and join us for what promises to be a meaningful and timely gathering.
Warmly,
Psychedelic Society Belgium
Psychedelic Society Belgium
QUICK INFO BAR
📅 October 9–10, 2026
📍 Brussels
👥 Approx. 225 seats available
🥗 Lunch included on Saturday
☕ 3 coffee/tea consumptions included
💧 Free water throughout the symposium
👥 Approx. 225 seats available
🥗 Lunch included on Saturday
☕ 3 coffee/tea consumptions included
💧 Free water throughout the symposium
📖 New symposium brochure included in the price
SYMPOSIUM THEME & VISION
This year’s symposium focuses on the light and shadow sides of psychedelics, with particular attention to integrity, responsibility, ethics, and harm reduction. The event seeks to engage critically and constructively with the full complexity of the current psychedelic renaissance. Rather than promoting simplistic narratives, the symposium creates space for nuanced discussion around both therapeutic potential and associated risks.
The program explores questions of integrity and responsibility from multiple perspectives:
- Scientific: rigor, humility, transparency, replication, and the responsible interpretation of findings
- Clinical and therapeutic: training, embodied experience, ethical facilitation, and patient safety
- Client-centered: psychedelics not as panaceas, but as tools requiring preparation, commitment, and integration
- Societal and policy-related: how emerging evidence is — or is not — translated into healthcare, regulation, and public understanding
The symposium responds to the growing gap between public enthusiasm, emerging clinical practice, and the complex realities of responsible implementation. Discussions will examine integrity in therapeutic practice, scientific research, patient engagement, media representation, and policymaking.
By prioritizing evidence-based dialogue over hype or polarization, we aim to contribute to a more mature, ethical, and socially responsible psychedelic mental health ecosystem in Europe.
WHY THIS SYMPOSIUM MATTERS
The significance of this symposium lies in its contribution to a more responsible, evidence-based, and ethically grounded conversation around psychedelic-assisted approaches in mental health. By openly addressing both opportunities and limitations, the symposium aims to counter misinformation, unrealistic expectations, and polarization that can undermine public trust and professional standards.
At a field level, the event strengthens interdisciplinary dialogue between clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and community stakeholders. It also helps surface ethical blind spots and supports more informed and responsible practice.
At a societal level, the symposium seeks to elevate the quality of public conversation around mental health innovation and drug policy by promoting nuance, transparency, and realistic expectations — particularly in a time when mental health systems are under increasing strain.
Our intention is not advocacy in the narrow sense, but thoughtful stewardship of a rapidly evolving field.
SPEAKERS DETAILS
Confirmed Speakers
Speakers and program details will be announced soon.
SPEAKERS SECTION
How do rodents experience psychedelic states? Pushing translational boundaries to study how psychedelics influence emotion and memory in the lab.
Prof. dr. Dimitri de Bundel
Experimental neuropharmacology | VUB
Dimitri De Bundel is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of VUB, specializing in experimental neuropharmacology. He obtained his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at VUB and completed postdoctoral training at Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) and Institut Génomique Fonctionnelle (France).
As a member of the Experimental Pharmacology research group, his work focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying mood and memory disorders, using behavioral, neurochemical, and electrophysiological approaches. In recent years, he has explored the pharmacology of psychedelics and their therapeutic potential. His work aspires to translate fundamental neuroscience towards clinical applications.
During the symposium, Prof. De Bundel will offer insights into integrity in experimental pharmacological research, reflecting on the challenges of interpreting laboratory findings responsibly, the importance of scientific replication, and the complexities of translating psychedelic research from animal models to human clinical contexts. Drawing from both his previous work and ongoing research, his lecture will explore how integrity functions within fundamental experimental science, particularly in fields operating at the frontier of emerging psychedelic research.
Who Is Listening? Music, Presence and the Quality of Attention in Psychedelic Sessions
Pierre Tchaikowski
author, PAT facilitator & Trainer
Pierre Tchaikowski is a psychedelic practitioner and accredited hypnotherapist, trained in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. For close to six years, he has been designing and coordinating PAT practitioner training in Switzerland, working at the intersection of facilitation, curriculum design, and the cultivation of the inner qualities that session accompaniment actually requires. He is the author of the 2026 book Accords Parfaits – Musique en thérapie assistée par psychédéliques (Trédaniel), with forthcoming editions in English (Park Street Press) and German (NachtSchatten).
He is a co-founder of Nua Silta, offering legal psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands, and practitioner training in psychedelic session accompaniment focused on the intersection of theoretical grounding and the cultivation of presence.
Earlier in his career, Pierre spent five years with the International Committee of the Red Cross coordinating operations in conflict zones, working directly with detainees and survivors of torture — an experience that shaped, at its core, a discipline of presence under pressure.
His work sits at the intersection of therapeutic practice, facilitation, and inner inquiry — and increasingly at a question he considers both practical and ethical: what quality of attention does this work actually require, and are we honest about how rarely it is fully present?
At the PSBE symposium, Pierre will use music as an entry point into that question. His talk explores how the role of music in psychedelic sessions goes beyond playlist curation. It also points to what he considers an often-overlooked ethical question: how the quality of attention brought by both facilitator and participant can shape what emerges during a session. Drawing on his clinical experience, his training work, and his book, he will reflect on what embodied presence looks like in practice, both for the person holding the space and for the person in it.
From magic to menace and back again; how the media can't keep its cool on psychedelics
Jonas Boel
Journalist & Author
Knack | Verruimde Geesten
Knack | Verruimde Geesten
Jonas Boel is a Belgian journalist and writer who has spent more than two decades working primarily in cultural journalism. Through his own encounters with questions surrounding mental health, he became increasingly interested in the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted therapies. His journalistic exploration of the topic eventually led to the idea for Verruimde Geesten (“Expanded Minds”), a book exploring the experiences of people who have turned to psychedelics in search of healing, meaning, or psychological relief.
Drawing on the network of PSBE and support of the Fonds Pascal Decroos, he recently published Verruimde Geesten (“Expanded Minds”), a book bringing together intimate testimonies of individuals who have turned to psychedelic experiences in search of healing, meaning, or psychological relief. Rather than focusing on sensationalism, the book highlights the lived realities, hopes, and complexities surrounding the contemporary psychedelic renaissance.
During the symposium Jonas will talk about the media’s history and relationship with the topic of psychedelics. How it has been and is portrayed, and how this influences public opinion. Having released a book himself, his talk also reflects on the experience of a journalist now finding himself on the other side – what is (and isn’t) mentioned, and how are things framed?
In Defence of Pragmatism: Expectancy, Narrative, and Integrity in Psychedelic Trials
Dr. Matthew Butler
Psychiatry & psychedelic research | king's college london
Dr. Matt Butler is a psychiatrist and Wellcome Doctoral Clinical Research Fellow at King’s College London, specializing in neuropsychiatry and psychedelic research. His work focuses on the therapeutic potential of psilocybin, particularly in functional neurological disorders, combining neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, and clinical psychiatry.
He is also recognized for his research on expectancy and placebo effects in psychedelic clinical trials, contributing to critical discussions on study design, ethics, and the responsible development of psychedelic therapies.
In addition to his research activities, Dr. Butler is part of the Psychoactive Trials Group at King’s College London, one of the leading centres for psychedelic clinical research in Europe.
During the symposium, Dr. Butler will speak about some of the complexities of psychedelic research, centring on the important factors beyond pharmacology. A person’s response to psychedelics is likely to involve a multifactorial web of processes – some of which overlap with placebo mechanisms – making the topic very interesting, but clean interpretations of trial data tricky. He will advocate for a ‘middle way’ between hype and deprecation.
Stand in the Circle
Dr. Rosalind Watts
Clinical Pshychologist | Founder, ACER Integration
Dr. Rosalind Watts is a clinical psychologist and founder of ACER Integration, a global community supporting greater connectedness in a fragmented world.
She was the former Clinical Lead of Imperial College London’s landmark psilocybin trial for depression and has contributed significantly to the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Her work includes the development of the ACE model (Accept, Connect, Embody), which has been applied in clinical research on psilocybin and DMT, as well as the Watts Connectedness Scale, a psychometric tool for measuring therapeutic outcomes in psychedelic contexts.
Her current work focuses on connectedness, integration, and the long-term psychological impact of psychedelic experiences. Through ACER Integration, she advocates for ethical, community-oriented approaches to care that emphasize relationship, meaning-making, and integration beyond the clinical setting.
At the symposium, Dr. Watts will explore how psychedelic care can evolve beyond individualistic and overly medicalised frameworks toward approaches grounded in community, reciprocity, and ecological awareness. Drawing on her keynote “Stand in the Circle”, she will reflect on cultural and systemic shifts needed to restore balance and integrity in the field.
She will also share insights from her transition out of corporate academia and into building ACER Integration communities, discussing both the healing potential of collective integration practices and the challenges of group dynamics, including power, responsibility, and relational integrity.
Finally, she will highlight how integration communities are emerging internationally in locally adapted forms while remaining connected through shared principles of care, co-learning, and presence.
The Norwegian Empathogen-Assisted Therapist Development and Well Being Project: Pioneering a New Frontier in Therapist Personal-Professional Development.
Ivar Goksøyr
Clinical Pshychologist & Researcher | Psykologvirke
Ivar Goksøyr is a clinical psychologist, researcher, and co-founder of Psykologvirke, one of Norway’s largest mental health clinics. For nearly a decade, he has been a leading advocate for psychedelic science in the Nordic region, combining clinical practice, research, and professional education with a particular focus on MDMA-assisted therapy, relational trauma, and therapist development.
He helped establish the first clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for depression at Østfold Hospital, where he served as lead therapist. Certified by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), he has also worked as a therapist in a clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD and contributed as a training assistant in MAPS clinical trainings. Today, he leads the implementation of ketamine-assisted therapy at Psykologvirke.
Across his work, Goksøyr emphasizes the importance of rigorous psychotherapeutic training and therapists’ own inner development. His educational work includes training on MDMA-assisted therapy and the concept of the “wounded healer”, using selected excerpts from his own therapeutic process to explore how personal healing can strengthen professional functioning, clinical presence, and therapeutic capacity.
During the symposium, he will present the Norwegian Empathogen-Assisted Therapist Development Project (NEAT-DP), an innovative research initiative exploring whether therapists’ own healing and psychological integration can enhance ethical practice, reduce unconscious reactivity, and strengthen therapeutic relationships. Grounded in psychotherapy research on therapist effects, countertransference, and personal practice, his lecture asks a central question for the field: does integrity in psychedelic-assisted therapy depend not only on protocols and technical competence, but also on the personal maturity and self-awareness of the therapist?
The cost of medicalising psychedelics: from magic bullets to integral care
Dr. Joost Breeksema
Postdoctoral Researcher, UMCG | Executive Director, OPEN Foundation
Dr. Joost Breeksema is an interdisciplinary researcher and philosopher whose work bridges psychiatry, psychology, philosophy, and public health. As a postdoctoral researcher at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), he uses qualitative research methods to investigate subjective experiences and the non-pharmacological factors that shape psychedelic therapy outcomes.
Alongside his academic work, he coordinates INTEGRATE, a European Union-funded doctoral network bringing together researchers across disciplines including neuroscience, psychiatry, anthropology, law, pharmacology, regulatory science, and ethics. He also serves as Executive Director of the OPEN Foundation, where he promotes responsible psychedelic research, professional therapist training, and evidence-informed policy through initiatives that connect researchers, clinicians, patients, and policymakers.
Will psychedelic therapy trials deliver on their promise, and live up to the hype? Drawing on the history of psychiatry, current clinical trial data, and his own research into patient experiences, Joost Breeksema argues that a reductionistic approach to psychedelic therapy represents a failure of the imagination – one that does not do justice to the depth of human beings nor the multifaceted nature of mental health. He makes the case for care that takes this complexity seriously.
From conception to birth: Why is it so hard to set up a psychedelic study?
Dr. Felix Hever
Clinical Psychiatry Researcher | Université libre de Bruxelles & CHU Brugmann
Dr. Felix Hever is a researcher in clinical psychiatry based in Brussels, affiliated with the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and CHU Brugmann. His work focuses on addiction and the development of innovative treatment approaches within psychiatric care.
He is involved in one of Belgium’s first clinical trials investigating psilocybin-assisted therapy for severe alcohol use disorder and is currently developing a clinical trial exploring psilocybin-assisted therapy for cocaine use disorder, contributing to the advancement of new treatment options for patients who do not respond to conventional therapies.
During the symposium, Dr. Hever will offer an honest account of what it takes to establish psychedelic clinical research with human patients in Belgium, drawing on his direct experience as a researcher.
His talk will explore the scientific, structural, regulatory, financial, and administrative challenges researchers encounter when attempting to develop and implement psychedelic-assisted treatments within existing healthcare and research systems. He will also reflect on how these barriers shape research timelines, influence scientific progress, affect future clinical implementation, and ultimately impact patient access in Belgium and across Europe.
In line with the symposium’s broader focus on integrity and responsibility, Dr. Hever will additionally address topics that are often underrepresented in public discussions around psychedelics, including difficult therapeutic experiences and the importance of approaching vulnerable patient populations with appropriate care, humility, and clinical caution.
Rather than presenting an idealized view of psychedelic research, his lecture aims to contribute to a more realistic, evidence-based, and ethically grounded understanding of both the possibilities and the limitations of psychedelic-assisted therapy, and of what responsible innovation in mental healthcare truly requires.
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Bio
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RISK REDUCTION
Psychedelic substances are already being used, regardless of their legal status, and PSBE believes that people are better protected by access to clear, reliable information than by silence. The Risk Reduction section of the website provides resources to help individuals, supporters, and health professionals reduce risks, make informed decisions, and better understand psychedelic experiences.
Wave 2 tickets are officially live!
PSBE member discount codes remain valid throughout all stages of ticket sales. These codes are shared exclusively through our monthly Holding Space newsletter for paying members. If you are not receiving the newsletter, your membership is most likely no longer active.
The discount code is included in the newsletter every month, so there is still time to become a member and benefit from reduced ticket pricing. However, seats are limited and we encourage people not to wait until the last minute.
⚠️ Our previous symposium sold out completely and operated with a waiting list.
Your symposium ticket includes:
- Free water throughout the symposium
- Free lunch on Saturday
- 3 coffee/tea consumptions on Saturday
PARTNERS
We are proud to host this symposium alongside a group of partner organisations working to advance research, training and education in the psychedelic field. Their presence reflects the collaborative spirit at the heart of this event.
Join Us
Join us for two days of thoughtful dialogue exploring ethics, responsibility, science, harm reduction, and the future of psychedelic-assisted mental health approaches.
We look forward to welcoming you in Brussels.
Psychedelic Society Belgium