Episode 13: Psychotherapeutic Touch and Fostering Connection with Sabrina Santa Clara
“In traditional, more formal therapy, most of us are taught in school, ‘It’s a slippery slope to sexual abuse, don’t touch your clients’…In psychedelic therapy, there’s an understanding: touch can be beneficial…Deciding to not use an intervention based on your fear of litigation is not ethical.”
Welcome to Integrating Psychedelics, featuring insights gleaned from psychedelic experiences and conversations around how to integrate this wisdom into our daily lives. I'm your host, Jenny Weinar, and in today's episode I'm speaking with Sabrina Santa Clara.
Sabrina’s early career began as a massage therapist, embodiment educator and yoga instructor focused on the interchange of soma, psyche and spirit. She received her Master’s in Dance/Movement Therapy and Body Psychotherapy from Naropa University and has been a Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist for over 15 years. Sabrina is currently the owner of the Center for Embodied Spirituality and the creator of Psychotherapeutic Touch™, a comprehensive certification training and criteria standard for the ethical and skilled use of touch in therapy. She has also designed the Self Psychedelic Integration Certification program which weaves together IFS, Psychedelic Harm Reduction Integration and other forms of expanded states of consciousness, creative and expressive arts and neoshamanistic ritual. As such, she provides training and consultation in Self Psychedelic Integration, Somatic Psychotherapy, Psychotherapeutic Touch, Embodied Meditation and Internal Family Systems Therapy. Additionally, Sabrina is bilingual (Spanish), culturally mixed, and genderfluid. She is an artist, poet, and dancer who lives in the in-between spaces.
In this conversation we discuss::
Sabrina's path to psychedelic assisted therapy through dance therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS)
The danger of the "magic pill" view of psychedelics and the need to assess the potential for harm
How Sabrina assesses people's readiness for working with the medicines and prepares them for challenging experiences
Why traditional psychotherapy often falls short
Psychedelic integration as reconnection work
How Internal Family Systems supports work with psychedelics
The issue of touch in therapy and Sabrina's framework of Psychotherapeutic Touch™
The importance of consensual touch in healing
Sabrina's vision for community healing
…and more!
You can connect with Sabrina on her website and Instagram.
You can connect with me on Instagram, through my website and very occasional newsletter. In addition to providing Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy in Philadelphia, I offer Psychedelic Integration Therapy to residents of Pennsylvania, Colorado and New Jersey.
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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. Please do your research about the legality and safety of any substance you are considering using and make the most informed choice possible for your unique situation and self.