Speaker Bio
Dr Rosalind Watts is a clinical psychologist and the founder of ACER Integration. Her contributions to the field of psychedelic therapy are numerous and include the development of the the ACE model ‘Accept, Connect, Embody’, which has been used in clinical trials of both psilocybin and DMT, as well as the Watts Connectedness Scale, which is a psychometric tool for measuring outcomes of psychedelic therapy. Dr Watts is the former clinical lead on the Psilocybin for Depression trial at Imperial College London, and sits on the clinical advisory board of the Usona Institute.
ICPR 2024 Abstract
Connecting to plant teachers in times of chaos
In turbulent times, in disconnected societies bereft of adequate care, we see psychedelic medicine moving towards a purely pharmacological model with therapeutic components removed. This talk looks at the Nature Codes which warn us against this approach and guide us towards a slower, more cyclical, interconnected and balanced approach to healing. The ACER model (Accept, Connect, Embody, Restore) will be reviewed, a community of care set up to hold people who have accessed insufficient psychedelic integration (most of us in western contexts). Each month we work with the lessons from one of Twelve Tree Teachers, supporting an ongoing process of deepening our psychological and relational flexibility which we call ‘psychological photosynthesis’. The model includes a focus on Outegration: how can we share what we learn with our local communities to provide grounding and support in times of systemic upheaval? Now in our fourth cohort, we are learning about the strengths and weaknesses of ACER and our vision for the future. This talk will include case studies and discussion of learning so far.