Saj Razvi (Psychedelic Somatic Institute): A Somatic Approach to Psychedelic Healing

Today we are joined by Saj Razvi an expert on psychedelics and the somatic approach to healing single-event, complex, and dissociative trauma.

We open with an understanding of how trauma is stored in the body, and why it can be so hard to overcome with traditional therapy. We then discuss the difference between primary and secondary consciousness, and how psychedelics play a role in disrupting the default mode network to heal trauma. Finally, we talk about the Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) model that Saj and his team are successfully utilizing at the Psychedelic Somatic Institute.

Saj Razvi is the Director of Education at the Psychedelic Somatic Institute (PSI). He is a psychotherapist and former clinical researcher in the MAPS Phase 2 trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, and one of the primary developers of the Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) modality which is a conscious oriented psychotherapy. Saj's primary focus is to train clinicians to provide legal, effective psychedelic treatment in their private practice settings utilizing readily accessible medicines such as cannabis and ketamine.

Links

• Saj’s Email
• Psychedelic Somatic Institute
• Training video excerpt

Timestamps:

• :04 - Saj’s involvement in therapy, healing, and mental health in general
• :08 - What is somatic healing?
• :11 - Somatic therapy and trauma
• :19 - Healing trauma using the gazelle/lion analogy - traditional psychotherapy and managing symptoms rather than healing them
• :25 - Why don’t complex childhood traumas resolve themselves?
• :30 - How are psychedelics used to access disassociated trauma?
• :34 - Is trauma stored physically in the nervous system?
• :37 - What is the Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy Model (PSIP)?
• :41 - How do you guide a client in the PSIP model?
• :45 - Is there a risk of re-traumatization with this therapy?
• :51 - How to track a client’s healing? How many psychedelic sessions are necessary to heal a trauma?
• :58 - How are these different psychedelic medicines helpful for PSIP therapy?
• 1:06 - Advice for aspiring therapists