Scientific Program
16 - 17 - 18th October, Hotel Barcelona Center
The wait is almost over
OVERVIEW
We’re pleased to welcome you all to the 1st International Association Summit on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), co-organized by the Ketamine Research Foundation and Clínica Synaptica. This summit aims to foster and generate a community of practitioners that are well-informed, ethically grounded, and clinically prepared to deliver KAP with the highest standards of care. By bringing together leading voices in psychiatry, pharmacology, and psychotherapy from across the world, we hope to create a space for open dialogue, shared learning, and meaningful collaboration — one that will continue to grow well beyond these walls. Whether you are new to ketamine-assisted approaches or already integrating them into your practice, we are glad you are here and look forward to building this community together.
Below you can find the full programme for the 3-day summit, and more information about the speakers and staff that have made this event possible. Contact information is also available at the bottom of the document.
Certification
Attendance to at least 90% (not counting the oral presentations for the abstracts) of the congress is necessary for obtaining the certificate of completion. This will be taken through a digital sign-in code on entry.
Thank you and see you in Barcelona!
FRIDAY – FULL DAY
BLOCK I · PREPARATION
09:00 – 09:20
Registration
09:20 – 09:40
Opening of the Summit
• Welcome by Synaptica
• Welcome by Alexandre Tomic, founder at Alea, and host of the Masters of the Mind Podcast
• Objectives and structure
🎤 Morning Keynote
09:40 – 10:30
Foundations and Boundaries of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy – Phil Wolfson
Clinical Sessions – Preparation
10:30 – 11:00
Clinical Assessment & Screening after 4 years at Clínica Synaptica — Joan Obiols
☕ Break 11:00 – 11:30
11:30 – 12:10
Setting the Stage: Useful approaches to ketamine / psychedelic preparation — Marc Aixalà
12:10 – 12:50
Relational Preparation: Building Safety and Connection as the Foundation for Healing — Lisa Gold
12:50 – 13:30
Beyond the Individual: The Promise and Challenges of Group Ketamine-Assisted Therapy — Geoff Bathje, PhD (Sana Healing Collective, Chicago, USA)
🧠 Morning Reflection Panel & Audience Discussion (Wrap-up)
13:30 – 14:00
Preparation in Practice: Key Clinical Decisions
Panel – Joan Obiols, Marc Aixalà, Lisa Gold and Phil Wolfson
🍽 Lunch 14:00 – 15:15
🎤 Early Afternoon Keynote
15:15 – 16:15
Chris Timmermann
Psychedelic Therapy as the Reconstruction of Meaning: A Theory informed by Neuroscience.
🧪 Oral Presentations – Call for Abstracts
16:15 – 17:45 – moderated by Noel Garcia
The Complexities and Limitations of a Dose-by-Weight Approach to Ketamine Therapy: An Exploration of Ketamine Practitioners’ Intramuscular Dosing Practices — R. Chapelle, D. Thomson, M. Cornfield, R. Darda, A. Casault, J. Richard (University of Ottawa, School of Psychology, Canada)
-When Trauma Meets Altered States: Psychedelic Experience at the Edge of Survival — Lessons from the Nova Festival — Dr. Orit Yaar (Jungian Analyst and Psychotherapist; KAP Practitioner and Trainer in Private Practice, Tel Aviv, Israel; Lecturer and Clinical Supervisor, Bar-Ilan University)
Individual and Group Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in the Treatment of War Victims in Ukraine — Vladislav Matrenitsky, MD, PhD (Expio Center for Psychotherapy, Kiev)
🧠 Afternoon Reflection & Audience Discussion (Wrap-up)
17:45 – 18:30
Panel – Celia Morgan, Chris Timmermann, José Carlos Bouso and Phil Wolfson
SATURDAY – FULL DAY
🌊 BLOCK II · THE KAP EXPERIENCE
🎤 Morning Keynote
09:30 – 10:15
Delivering the KAP Experience in Real-World Clinical Settings – Irene Pérez & Marta Martín Islas
Clinical Sessions – The KAP Experience
10:15 – 11:00
Pharmacology & Administration — José Carlos Bouso
☕ Break 11:00 – 11:30
11:30 – 12:15
Working Inside the KAP Session — Phil Wolfson
🧪 Oral Presentations – Call for Abstracts
12:15 – 13:45 – moderated by Marta Martín Islas
-Integrating Structured Psychotherapy Into Esketamine Treatment for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Multicenter Real-World Observational Study — Rafael Pinilla, Clara Rodríguez, Pedro Gómez, Ingrid Morales, Guillermo Fariña (Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Tenerife and collaborating centers, Spain)
Exploring Effects and Experiences of Ketamine in Group Couples Therapy: A Mixed-Methods Clinical Study — Mark Cornfield, Susan McBride, Joseph T. La Torr, Daniel Zalewa, Jade Gallo, Mehdi Mahammadli, Monnica T. Williams (Private practice, Canada)
Beyond Symptom Reduction: Reframing Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Through a Relational and Psycholytic Lens — Taunya Hudson, RPC, MPCC, CT, Dr. Keith Courtney (The Renewal Process Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
The Therapeutic Field in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: From Catalyst to Field Regulation — Jacek Szczęsny, MD, Magdalena Szczęsny, MD, PhD, Magdalena Romaszko, Paweł Romaszko (Independent clinical and therapeutic practice integrating KAP, NeuroAffective Relational Model and Somatic Experiencing, Polan-d)
🧠 Morning Reflection & Audience Discussion (Wrap-up)
13:45 – 14:15
Clinical Challenges During the KAP Session
Panel: Irene Pérez, Marta Martín Islas, Phil Wolfson & José Carlos Bouso
🍽 Lunch 14:15 – 15:30
🎤 Early Afternoon Keynote (Online)
15:30 – 16:30
Ron Siegel (by Zoom)
Mindfulness, Ketamine and Psychedelic States
🧩 Breakout Groups
16:30 – 17:45
Breakout Groups: Translating Experience Into Clinical Practice
• Small-group facilitated discussions
• Case-based clinical dilemmas
• Integration of morning and keynote content
🧠 Tribute to the Pioneers: Honoring Phil Wolfson, Rachel Bennet, and Stephen Hyde + Afternoon Wrap-up
17:45 – 18:30
Plenary Synthesis & Audience Reflections
Panel: Breakout groups coordinators & Phil Wolfson
SUNDAY – MORNING
🌱 BLOCK III · INTEGRATION & SYSTEMS
🕘 09:00 – 14:30
🎤 Morning Keynote
09:00 – 09:50
Voices Across Continents: The State of Psychedelic Care Worldwide
Clinical Sessions – Integration
09:50 – 10:15
The Clínica Synaptica Model of Integration – Estefania Moreno
10:15 – 10:40
Beyond the Void: Grief Integration in the Age of KAP – Débora González
10:40 – 11:15
Follow-up: tools and techniques to foster integration – Marc Aixalà
☕ Break 11:15 – 11:45
🎤 Systems Keynote
11:45 – 12:15
KAP in the Norwegian Public Health System – Lowan Stewart
🧪 Oral Presentations – Call for Abstracts
12:15 – 13:45 – moderated by Mery Peña
Building European Pathways for Psychedelic-Assisted Care: An Overview of PAREA’s Systems-Level Work — Nico Gusac (PAREA)
Community as Medicine: A Structured Peer Support Model for Psychedelic Integration — Flora Patricia Sirkia (Psyflow, Compassion-Based Psychedelic Integration Program, Barcelona)
Neurodivergence and Psychedelics: A Conversation Long Overdue — Sofía López (Sofía y la Vida)
Ketamine-Assisted Accompaniment in Colombia: Clinical, Interdisciplinary and Contextual Perspectives — Verónica Vargas González, Jaime Andrés Vinasco Barco (ConscienciaVIBA, Colombia)
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapies for Mental Disorders: A Historical Overview and Systematic Review — J.K.E. Veraart, N. Schimmers, J.J. Breeksema, C. Seybert, J. Kamphuis, L.F.T. Huber, A. Rota, D.T. Coerts, A.J. Oliveira-Maia, R.A. Schoevers (The Hague, Netherlands)
🧠 Final Reflection & Closing
13:45 – 14:30
Wrap-Up & Closing: Integration as the Missing Link
Lowan Stewart, Phil Wolfson, Débora González, Estefania Moreno & Marc Aixalà
Administration and Organization
This congress has been made possible through the collaboration of Clínica Synaptica and the Ketamine Research Foundation, thanks to:
- Òscar Parés; CEO of Clínica Synaptica
- Phil Wolfson; CEO of the Ketamine Research Foundation
For any doubts please contact Marta Martín Islas at martamartin@clinicasynaptica.com or whatsapp at +34 648579135.
Payment and Registration
Payment and registration are can be accessed through:
