The Role of Music in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

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The Role of Music in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Mendel Kaelen, PhD (Founder & CEO of Wavepaths)
Catharina Messell, MA (Music Therapist)
Fredrick Streeter Barrett, PhD (Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research)
moderated by Jasmine Virdi (Program Coordinator, Professional Events)

Thursday 27 February, 2025 8PM CET (7PM GMT, 2PM EST, 11AM PST)

Online via Zoom

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Music has long been an integral part of psychedelic therapy, guiding and shaping acute experiences during non-ordinary states of consciousness. Recent research underscores its significant impact on clinical outcomes by influencing meaning-making and emotional processing. But how exactly does music interact with psychedelics to support the therapeutic process?

Join us for an in-depth panel discussion with leading experts in the field: Dr. Frederick Barrett (Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research), Catharina Messell (University of Copenhagen Clinic for Psychedelic Research), and Dr. Mendel Kaelen (Researcher and Founder of Wavepaths), as we explore the role of music in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Throughout the discussion, the panelists will offer a comprehensive view of music’s role in psychedelic-assisted therapy, blending neuroscience, clinical practice, and innovative visions for music design:

Neuroscientific Insights: Dr. Barrett will discuss how music and psychedelics interact in the brain, supporting meaning-making, emotionality, and mental imagery, ultimately shaping clinical outcomes.
Clinical Applications: Catharina Messell will share how structured, intentional music curation, drawing from music therapy concepts like Guided Imagery and Music (GIM), supports the therapeutic process.
Music Design: Dr. Mendel Kaelen will explore how personalized, adaptive soundscapes can be used in psychedelic therapy to enhance emotional depth and safety, drawing from his research and work at Wavepaths.

Whether you’re a clinician, researcher, or curious explorer, this session will offer valuable perspectives on how music can be harnessed as a transformative therapeutic tool in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERs

Mendel Kaelen is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur and creative working at the crossroads of music, consciousness and psychotherapy. His research focuses on the use of music in psychedelic therapies, and his company Wavepaths has developed a music technology that enables real-time music adaptation. Mendel currently lives and works on Planet Earth.

Catharina Messell is a music therapist (MA) and trained in the method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM). Since 2015 she has been involved in research on the role of GIM as a non-pharmacological intervention in reduction of pain, nausea and anxiety in patients suffering from cancer and chronic pain, and as trauma-treatment for refugees suffering from PTSD. Lately she has developed an app with music -based tools for Family Outpatient Clinics to support woman with mental health challenges through pregnancy, childbirth and Maternity. Catharina currently works as lead therapist and research assistant at Copenhagen University Clinic for Psychedelic Research (NOESIS), Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen. Catharina’s professional field of interest is the role of music in therapeutic methods evoking altered states of consciousness. She has published on the role of music in Psychedelic therapy and on GIM with PTSD-patients.

Frederick Streeter Barrett, Ph.D. is the Oliver Lee McCabe III, Ph.D. Professor in the Neuropsychopharmacology of Consciousness and the Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. Dr. Barrett has been conducting psychedelic research at Johns Hopkins University since 2013. His research in heathy participants and in patients with mood and substance use disorders focuses on the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying the acute subjective and enduring therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs. Dr. Barrett has published first-in-human studies of the acute and enduring effects of classic psychedelics and atypical hallucinogens on emotion, decision making, and brain function, and he has developed scientific instruments and published foundational papers on the psychometric evaluation of both mystical and challenging experiences evoked by psychedelic drugs. Dr. Barrett has also served as a member of the Institutional Review Boards of the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program and Johns Hopkins Medicine, and he has served on multiple data and safety monitoring boards for clinical trials involving psychedelic drugs as well as the treatment of patients with substance use disorders. Dr. Barrett has been featured on the TEDMED stage and PBS NOVA ,and he has appeared in numerous popular press and news outlets including NPR, CNN, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, The Telegraph, The Hill, Forbes Magazine, Scientific American, Discover Magazine, Business Insider, Vogue, Wired, VICE, Nature Outlook, Scripps Research, and local public radio stations throughout the United States and abroad.

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