Naropa University Launches Pioneering Psychedelic Minor
March 29 2024 - 7:34AM
Business Wire
New Program Prepares Undergraduate Students
to Support Emerging Need for Psychedelic Therapy Facilitation in
Colorado and Beyond
Naropa University (Naropa), the birthplace of the modern
mindfulness movement and one of the nation’s only higher
educational institutions to offer a postgraduate certificate in
psychedelic-assisted therapies, is now launching one of the first
psychedelic minor programs in the country for undergraduate
students of all majors.
Launching in the Fall of 2024, the 12-credit BA Psychedelic
Studies Minor provides a humanities and social science-based
approach to studying psychedelics. The minor is designed for
students who want to explore the historical and contemporary
applications of psychedelics and natural medicines as well as the
emerging use of these medicines in clinical practice. The
curriculum explores the clinical application of psychedelic
medicines, but importantly, also emphasizes religious and
ceremonial contexts, cultural practices, policy implications and
healing justice frameworks.
“Psychedelic minor graduates will be well prepared for a career
in psychedelic-assisted therapy, with both Naropa University’s
rigorous academic education and our singularly unique contemplative
pedagogy woven throughout the curriculum,” said Naropa University
President Charles G. Lief, J.D. “Naropa is a higher education
leader when it comes to incorporating justice, equity,
anti-oppression, and understanding lineage and indigenous community
relationships with plant medicines. This minor will integrate well
with the range of undergraduate majors offered at Naropa including
Psychology, Interdisciplinary Studies, Art Therapy, Religious
Studies, Creative Writing and Literature, Yoga Studies or Visual
Arts. Several of these majors have an online option, making the new
minor very accessible to students in North America and beyond.”
This new minor will present foundational education for Naropa
undergraduates to apply the mindfulness and compassion skills that
are essential to a successful career involving the therapeutic
application of psychedelics. Moreover, Naropa’s generous
undergraduate scholarships will support equitable learning access
for students with fewer economic resources, who may be from
marginalized communities or underserved geographic locations, to
ultimately create a more diverse field of practitioners.
“The emerging field of legal psychedelic-assisted therapy will
require trained facilitators to meet the demand for these
services,” said Joseph Harrison, M.S., Executive Director of the
Naropa Center for Psychedelic Studies (NCPS). “Naropa’s psychedelic
studies minor will provide primary education for students
interested in working in this emerging field. We are creating a
pathway for students that begins with the BA Psychedelic Studies
Minor. Serious students can further their learning through Naropa’s
Graduate School of Counseling Psychology and then our postgraduate
training programs to become licensed practitioners in states such
as Colorado and Oregon.”
“Naropa students are thoughtful, justice-oriented critical
thinkers prepared to embark on a serious course of study related to
psychedelics in our world,” said Dr. Sara Lewis, Director of
Training and Research at NCPS and the principal designer of the new
minor.
"The minor in psychedelic studies integrates existing
contemplative coursework across diverse disciplines with the latest
scholarship on psychedelic studies,” said Betsy Gonzalez Blohm,
Dean of Naropa College and the Graduate Collective. “Contemplative
pedagogy centering diverse perspectives to support inner and outer
transformation is core to Naropa’s mission, and offering academic
study about the history, policy and current research on
psychedelics supported by our unique approach to education is an
extension of that mission."
On the heels of Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies
(DORA) releasing draft rules for psilocybin facilitation training
and licensure, Naropa is also preparing to launch a new psilocybin
facilitator training certificate program.
For more information on the minor or to inquire about enrolling,
visit
naropa.edu/academics/undergraduate-academics/psychedelic-studies-minor-at-naropa-university/.
About Naropa University
Naropa University, nestled in Boulder, Colorado, was established
in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Ch�gyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Drawing its name and inspiration from the teachings of the
11th-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, this private university
stands out distinctly among America's higher education landscape in
its effort to integrate eastern wisdom with traditional western
scholarship. Recognized as the pioneering force behind
contemplative higher education and the start of the modern
mindfulness movement, Naropa University is the sole institution to
integrate a university-wide contemplative pedagogical approach. At
Naropa, education transcends the ordinary; the institution embraces
the entirety of its students—mind, body and spirit—augmenting
traditional methodologies with practices like meditation. Since
receiving its accreditation in 1986, Naropa University consistently
upholds the exacting standards for quality and accountability set
by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Learn more at
naropa.edu.
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