Interpersonal neurobiology in somatic & psychedelic assisted therapy: A somatic relational framework for psychedelic practitioners
UWA Profiles and Research Repository November 28, 2025 Penno, Tobias
A doctoral thesis proposes a somatic psychotherapeutic framework for psychedelic-assisted therapy based on interviews with twelve practitioners. The framework suggests that psychedelics deepen somatic experience, reopen attachment critical windows, and amplify relational processes. It integrates three phases: somatic preparation, relational attunement during dosing, and body-based integration. Effective practice requires ongoing practitioner somatic work, personal experience with liminal states, and capacity for relational depth. The framework provides clinical rationale for somatic-relational training in psychedelic-assisted therapy and suggests directions for future neurobiological and phenomenological research.