Supporting psychedelic experiences with Care, Competence & Responsibility
With Nurse Jo, Richard Tyo & Julian Vayne
5-week online course
Thursdays 7–9pm (UK time)
Live sessions with recordings available
Begins 24th of September 2026
About the course
As interest in psychedelic experiences grows, so does the need for people who can support others safely and responsibly.
This course offers a structured introduction to psychedelic sitting — the role of providing calm, non-directive support before, during, and after altered states of consciousness.
What you’ll learn
Over five weeks, you’ll explore:
- What the role of a sitter involves
- The current landscape: clinical research, community practice, and differing approaches
- How to prepare properly, including screening, consent, and boundaries
- How to create a setting to maximize benefits and mitigate risks
- What it means to remain present during difficult or intense experiences
- How to approach integration and aftercare in a responsible way
Teaching approach
The course brings together three complementary perspectives:
- Nurse Jo— care planning, co-ordination and curation of therapeutic environments.
- Julian Vayne — combining scientific, cross-cultural, and esoteric approaches
- Richard Tyo — psychological understanding, somatic practice and integration
This course will draw on the extensive work of Richard and Jo in licensed psychedelic theraputic settings as well as nauralistic environments. It will bring to life the skills and knowledge contained in Julian’s seminal works Getting Higher: The Manual of Psychedelic Ceremony and Trip Sitting: The Art and Science of Holding Psychedelic Space. This course is the perfect for those interested in joining The Fellowship of Psychonauts, especially people who will be joining our next training retreat in November 2026.
Course structure
Each session includes teaching, discussion, and reflective work.
Week 1 — Introduction to Trip Sitting
A brief History of Trip Sitting. Psychedelic ceremony in indigenous cultures and modern theraputic settings. Skills and qualities needed for sitting, defining your scope of practice.
Week 2 — Setting up the Setting
Communication, screening, assessment, care planning, setting up a ceremonial container. Pharmacological contraindications and medicine competence. Harm reduction and benefit maximisation.
Week 3 — Preparation
Participant centred practical process & curation of ceremonial spaces. Working with playlists and music. An introduction to (neo)shamanic techniques. Supportive practices for both sitter and journeyer and preparation advice.
Week 4 — The Ceremony
Supporting people through the journey, including challenging or intense experiences.
Week 5 — Integration & Developing Your Practice
Coming down. Aftercare, meaning-making, the social context of psychedelic experience and next steps in developing your experience and practice.
Who this is for
This course may be useful if you:
- Want to support friends or peers more responsibly and successfully
- Are involved in harm reduction or community care
- Are seeking your own supported psychedelic experience and wish to be better informed.
- Are interested in integration work
- Would like to develop your professional practice in this field
No formal background required.
Format
- 5 weekly sessions (2 hours each)
- Live online teaching with optional participation
- Full access to recordings
- Opportunities for discussion and reflection
- Learning from experienced fasciliators sharing real-world case studies and experiences
- Extensive and relevant list of resources to extend and deepen your understanding
- Approachable, accessible and fun!
Booking
Standard Workshop participation ticket
£220.00
Concession Workshop participation ticket
£165.00
If you have questions about this course please contact us here
Julian Vayne 