with Mary Cosimano, LMSW

Part of the 16th annual Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics conference in New York City.

Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 8am-6pm
at the New York Academy of Medicine

In this workshop, Mary Cosimano, LMSW, who has served as a psilocybin therapy session guide for over 20 years at Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, will share foundational knowledge about her practice, as well as her unique perspective on the relationship between death, mental health, and the psychedelic experience.

This workshop is intended for students and professionals who are interested in pursuing a career as a psychedelic guide or therapist.

In the morning, Mary will present the fundamentals of guiding psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions. She will highlight the importance of the therapeutic alliance with attention to safety, presence, connection, intentions and integration. The use of guided imagery will also be discussed. Didactic and experiential learning via a demonstration, guided imageries, and role-playing will be used to incorporate the information and techniques discussed. Question and answer periods will follow each segment.

In the afternoon, Mary will present her Death Awareness workshop. This workshop is designed to help psychedelic guides have a better understanding of their own feelings around death by raising their personal death awareness. 

Death is a universal human experience, and yet many have a fear of dying that often results in an avoidance of addressing death. In psychedelic experiences people sometimes experience their own death, the death of others, or have encounters with those who have died. 

As a psychedelic guide, being more aware of your own beliefs and feelings around death may result in being better prepared to assist others that might encounter death experiences. Most importantly, it may help you to live your life more fully now by reducing your fears and exploring practices designed to help you face your own death, your mortality. 

Didactic and experiential learning via guided imageries and break out groups will be incorporated in this workshop. Large group share and Q&A period will follow.

The Instructor

Mary Cosimano, LMSW, has been with the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research since 2000 when they began research with psilocybin. She is currently a Psychedelic Session Facilitator and has served as Director of Clinical Services and as a research coordinator. She has been involved with all the psilocybin studies and has conducted over 500 study sessions including Club Drug studies with Salvia Divinorum and Dextromethorphan.

Mary has trained postdoctoral fellows, faculty, clinicians, and research assistants as guides and taught individual and group meditation to breast cancer patients in a Johns Hopkins research study. She is a teacher and mentor at California Institute to Integral Studies for their Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research (CPTR) certificate program and conducts training for therapists in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. She recently began presenting a Death Awareness Workshop relating to psychedelic-assisted therapy. In 2003 she started a meditation group for employees in her department. She also has 15 years of experience with direct patient care as a hospice volunteer. 

1. Name 3 important qualities that enhance the therapeutic alliance.
2. Compare and contrast at least 3 areas of comfort and discomfort that I experienced during the role plays of therapeutic competencies.
   
3. Name 2 reasons why setting an intention is important.
4. Describe 3 ways death can present itself in a psychedelic experience.
5. List 2 ways that having a deeper understanding of one’s personal death awareness can better prepare one as a psychedelic therapist.
6. Describe 2 to 3 aspects of your personal experience during the death guided imagery exercise.

8:00am | Doors open
9:00am | Convene
9:30am | Morning session
1:00pm | Lunch
2:00pm | Reconvene
2:15pm | Afternoon session
5:15pm | Session concludes
6:00pm | Adjourn

Registering for catered lunch on-site is strongly recommended, as neighborhood lunch options are limited.

Horizons offers all-day introductions to psychedelic-assisted therapy led by leading researchers and experienced practitioners. These classes are designed with medical and mental health professionals and students in mind, but may also be attended by others. These classes are limited in size, not recorded or broadcast, and are intended to foster interaction between the students and instructors. The class is one full day of instruction with breaks in mid-morning, midday, and late afternoon.

Lunch is available at The New York Academy of Medicine for an additional fee, available through registration.

Due to changes in CE / CME requirements and providers, Horizons will not be offering CE / CME credits for any workshops or presentations.

Scholarships

Our scholarship programs allows community members to attend who may not have the resources to support our standard rates.

The scholarship program is available to anyone, not just students and academic professionals.



Applications for this year's scholarships will be open shortly.

Learn more >

The New York Academy of Medicine

1216 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029

Since its founding in 1847, the Academy has been a vital source for thought and action regarding healthcare and public health in New York City and beyond. 



Its landmarked building on Fifth Avenue facing Central Park was completed in 1927 and houses one of the most comprehensive and historic medical libraries in the country.

Mary Cosimano, LMSW

Psychedelic Session Guide, Johns Hopkins University

Mary Cosimano, LMSW, is currently with the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University as a Psychedelic Session Guide for the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research (CPCR) and has served as Director of Guide Services and Research Program Coordinator for the psilocybin studies over the past 22 years. During that time, she has been a session guide, involved with the psilocybin, Salvia Divinorum, and Dextromethorphan studies and has conducted close to 500 study sessions. She has trained post doctorate fellows, clinicians and research assistants as guides. She taught individual and group meditation to breast cancer patients in a Johns Hopkins research study and teaches at California Institute to Integral Studies (CIIS) for their Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research program (CPTR) and conducts trainings for therapists in psychedelic psychotherapy. In 2003 she started and maintained a meditation group for employees in her department. She also has 15 years of experience with direct patient care as a hospice volunteer.