Episode Details

Dr. Sandra Newes (Sandy) is a Licensed Psychologist with over 25 years of clinical experience. She is the Co-founder of the Living Medicine Institute, offering training and resources to therapists and medical professionals. A full-time KAP provider since 2019, she has facilitated more than 600 ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions. Her approach integrates evidence-based psychotherapy with trauma-informed, somatic, and experiential practices, bringing warmth, curiosity, and extensive clinical expertise to her work.

In this episode…

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy requires therapists to do more than guide a medicine session — it demands careful preparation, grounded presence, and an ability to follow what emerges without forcing meaning. So how can therapists support deep psychedelic experiences without steering the process?

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy clinician and trainer Dr. Sandy Newes explains that the process begins with safety, curiosity, and resisting the urge to interpret too quickly. Therapists can prepare clients by building trust, understanding developmental history, and helping them notice sensations and nervous system states before the medicine session begins. Dr. Newes also emphasizes accepting that you don't have all the answers, using body-based prompts to deepen awareness, and helping clients gradually become more comfortable with positive emotional states. These practices create space for insight, self-compassion, and meaningful integration without imposing a predetermined interpretation.

In this episode of Living Medicine, host Chad Franzen of Rise25 talks with Dr. Sandy Newes, Co-founder and Programming Director of Living Medicine Institute, about the therapist's role in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Dr. Newes explains how curiosity, somatic awareness, and preparation support deeper therapeutic work. She also touches on integration, spirituality, and self-compassion.