Interview with Allen Kalpin and Reiko Ikemoto-Joseph: psychedelics and ISTDP
Journal of Contemporary ISTDP March 14, 2025 Thomas Hesslow
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, using substances like psilocybin and MDMA, is approaching regulatory approval for treating conditions such as PTSD, with Lykos Therapeutics expecting FDA authorization by late 2024. This therapy shares key features with Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), including aiming to activate the patient's inner healing intelligence and optimizing the therapeutic setting for breakthrough experiences. Two prominent ISTDP therapists, Reiko Ikemoto-Joseph and Allen Kalpin, who work with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, were interviewed to provide first-person perspectives on the integration of psychedelics into psychotherapy.