Speaker Bio
Chandra Khalifian, Ph.D., (she/her), is a clinical psychologist, researcher, and educator. Along with her colleague, Dr. Kayla Knopp, she is the co-founder of Enamory, a psychedelic-assisted relationship therapy practice and training institute, where they currently focus on the development and delivery of the Enamory Model of Psychedelic-Assisted Relationship Therapy. As an academic research psychologist, she is a principal or co-investigator on several federally funded clinical trials in the U.S. examining couple-based interventions, including those enhanced with psychedelics, for a range of mental health presentations. She has developed and evaluated couple-based interventions for suicide, relationship distress, and partner violence, and she provides psychedelic-assisted and relationship therapy consultation and trainings to private clinics, academic institutions, and industry mental health systems across the U.S.
ICPR 2024 Abstract
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies for Couples and Relationships: Emerging Evidence and Future Opportunities
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies are emerging as promising treatments for clinical mental health problems including posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, suicidality, anxiety, and more. Although psychedelic medicines have been used in indigenous traditions for millennia, scientific research has only recently begun to turn serious attention to the potential of these substances to treat mental health disorders. Early research shows encouraging results, particularly for treatment-resistant populations. Beyond treating individuals, scientists and practitioners have begun to conceptualize ways in which psychedelic therapies may be useful for treating relational dysfunction. The proposed biological and psychological mechanisms of psychedelic medicines including 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, and psilocybin include pathways that impact intimate relationships, such as triggering oxytocin release and promoting empathy. Relationship dysfunction has broad impacts on mental health, mortality, and quality of life, and although effective cognitive-behavioral relationship interventions exist, many couples do not fully recover from relationship distress by psychotherapy alone. This panel discussion will focus on the potential of psychedelic medicines to enhance the impact of evidence-based treatments for relationships. Expert panelists have experience conducting MDMA-assisted Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD and ketamine-assisted couple therapy. The panel will discuss the growing evidence base showing the promise of these treatments, along with clinical considerations, safety and ethical concerns, the role of cultural humility in navigating the intersection of Western science with traditional medicine, and larger implications for the field of cognitive and behavioral science. The discussion will also identify areas for continued development in the evidence-based practice and practice-informed research on psychedelic therapies for couples.