Models of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Contemporary Assessment and an Introduction to EMBARK, a Transdiagnostic, Trans-Drug Model
Frontiers in Psychology June 2, 2022 William Brennan, William Brennan, Alexander B. Belser 86 citations
A new framework called EMBARK provides a transdiagnostic, trans-drug approach to psychotherapy in psychedelic-assisted treatment. Existing models fall into basic support or evidence-based therapy categories, but both lack adequate attention to embodied, relational, and ethical elements. EMBARK addresses these gaps with six clinical domains for supporting therapeutic benefit and four care cornerstones for ethical responsibility, guiding interventions across preparation, medicine, and integration sessions. The model also standardizes therapist training and is already adopted in several clinical trials, aiming to improve research standardization and clarify which factors drive treatment outcomes.