Speakers and Facilitators

Jason K. Day is a final year PhD Candidate in philosophy and Doc.CH scholar at the University of Fribourg. Their primary research focus is on the phenomenological qualitative study of psychedelic experiences and, in connection to this, philosophy of attention and the phenomenology of Aron Gurwitsch. Their further research interests include socio-political issues surrounding the recreational use of psychedelics, anarchist thought, and Buddhist philosophy. They are a committee member of the Psychedelic Research Organisation of Fribourg and a member of the research groups Aesthetics & Critique and Aesthetics & Ethics of Attention at the University of Fribourg. 

Dr. Ansgar Rougemont-Bücking (MD, Privat-Docent) is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, specialized in addiction treatment. He is a certified EMDR practitioner, researcher, educator, and author with extensive experience in the field of mental health. He has conducted significant research in addiction and post-traumatic stress disorders at Harvard University (USA), as well as the Universities of Lausanne and Fribourg in Switzerland. He is recognized as one of the pioneers in the medical application of psychedelic substances in French-speaking Switzerland. He authored the book "Vampirocene: How Structural Traumatic Dissociation Is Leading Society Into a Spiral of Violence," published in both German and English, which examines structural traumatic dissociation at both individual and collective levels. Since 2021, Dr. Rougemont-Bücking has directed the training program "Psychedelic-Augmented Psychotherapy - Ketamine Module." In 2023, he co-founded the Swiss Society of Psychedelic Medicine. 

He currently maintains a private practice in Vevey while also serving as a scientific Senior Resident at the Fribourg Network for Mental Health (RFSM/FNPG).

Originally from South Korea and having grown up in Switzerland, Dr. Catherine Duffour has been able to cultivate this dual background with a sensitivity for Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) and European education. In 2017, she set up CXIO, a foundation for integrative medicine, to bring these two worlds together. As a psychiatrist, couple and family therapist, sexologist and hypnotherapist who has been familiar with ASC for several years (meditation, hypnosis, shamanism, etc.), she brings together the systemic approach, non-pharmacological ASC, the treatment of sexual trauma, spiritual questions and the notion of Consciousness through Psychedelic Augmented Psychotherapy (PAP). She has been training psychiatrists in PAP since 2021, and co-founding and chairing the Swiss Society for Psychedelic Medicine since 2023. 

Her motto: ""Do you want to live happily? Travel with two bags, one to give, the other to receive"".

Friederike Meckel, MD trained as a medical doctor and a medical psychotherapist in Germany. From 1989-1991 she trained as a Holotropic Breathwork© facilitator with Prof. Stanislav Grof in the US. From 1992-1995 she trained to be a psycholytic therapist. She also underwent training as a couple’s therapist, a family therapist and a family-constellation-worker. After receiving her license for psychotherapy in 1997, she worked in her own private (psychotherapeutic) practice providing conventional psychotherapy, Holotropic Breathwork©-groups and systemic-family-constellation work. For nearly ten years she offered substance-supported therapy, working underground. After her being betrayed in 2009 she gave talks about her work at conferences, like “Breaking Convention” and “Beyond Psychedelics”. Being retired now she still offers some private psychological counselling in Zürich. Her book „Therapy with Substance “* was published in 2015. She is an advocate of substance supported therapy and is engaged in sharing her knowledge and experience with others and to learning and exchanging from other people in this growing field.

Agnieszka Soltysik Monnet is Professor of American Literature and Culture at the English Department of the University of Lausanne. She is author is two monographs and several edited volumes and has recently been researching and publishing in the field of American counterculture, including Critical Psychedelic Studies and the Environmental Humanities. Her current research project is on the links between the counterculture and contemporary consciousness studies.

Dr. Julia King Olivier is a Swiss Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist specializing in the care of adults, adolescents, and children. She holds a certificate in Psychedelic Research and Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), where she now serves as a Mentor. Dr. King Olivier is a MAPS-certified MDMA-Assisted Therapist and Associate Consultant, actively contributing to the advancement of psychedelic-assisted therapies. She is also a faculty member of Mind Medicine Australia’s Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (CPAT) program, supporting education and clinical development in this emerging field. Her work bridges traditional psychiatry with innovative, evidence-based approaches.

I am a neuroscientist and lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva. I completed a PhD in the laboratory of Pr. Christian Lüscher which aimed at understanding the molecular and cellular basis on heroin addiction the neurobiology of addiction. I am now working on inner ear deficits in Angélica’s Pérez-Fornos laboratory. Trained in Holotropic Breathwork and integrative trance facilitation, the exploration of non-ordinary states of consciousness is a subject I am passionate about. I developed a course sequence on integrative medicine and transpersonal approaches at Geneva University, with a focus on experiential modalities that combine scientific insight with subjective depth. I am also currently completing a master’s degree in clinical psychology at Université Paris 8, aiming in a nearby future to bridge neuroscience, psychotherapy, and psychedelics studies.

PD Dr. med. Yasmin Schmid is a specialist in clinical pharmacology and toxicology. She is currently working as an attending physician in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology and at the Interdisciplinary Emergency Department at the University Hospital Basel. In addition, she is head of a research group at the Department of Clinical Research at the University of Basel. As a member of Matthias Liechti's Psychopharmacology Research Group, she has participated in conducting several placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over studies examining the effects of various psychoactive substances, including MDMA, LSD, and mescaline in healthy subjects. Her current research is focused on the possible therapeutic applications of LSD and on the prevention and treatment of any undesired psychological effects using pharmacological methods. In collaboration with the relevant specialists, she is conducting clinical studies with patients suffering from cluster headaches and patients in palliative care. She is also responsible for the quality assessment questionnaires of the limited medical use of psychedelics and MDMA in Switzerland, which is carried out in collaboration with the University Hospital Basel and IG-PAT. 

Abigail Calder is the scientific research coordinator at ALPS and a doctoral researcher in medical neuroscience at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Her research revolves around the effects of psychedelics on neuroplasticity and mental health, as well as adverse effects from psychedelics and how to prevent them. 

Sam is a PhD ecologist, independent researcher and science communicator. He has varied experience of working within the psychedelic field, including as a past scientific assistant to the director of the Beckley Foundation and as a research assistant and ecopsychology coordinator with the Synthesis Institute. His work has also involved science communication, including past roles as a senior science writer for Wavepaths, a content writer for DoubleBlind, and delivering talks on psychedelics in association with Seed Talks. 

A lifelong nature lover, he has a primary research interest in the capacity of psychedelics to influence human relationships with nature, and is a collaborator with a number of academics and research departments including the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London.

Max is pursuing a PhD on community in psychedelic therapy while coordinating ayahuasca research for veterans with PTSD at Onaya Science. In addition to research, Max integrates training in cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, therapeutic massage, and aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine to offer mind and body treatments in his private practice. Max envisions a healing centre that blends Western science, indigenous wisdom, and psychedelics to provide ethical, transformative experiences for lasting personal and collective well-being.

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Stefan Lang is a social anthropologist and Buddhist dharma teacher from Bern, Switzerland. He has been actively engaged in the development of a multi-traditional Buddhist city center since 2000 and is an authorized teacher leading secular meditation retreats and introductory courses on Buddhism. Over the years, his longstanding interest in contemplative traditions has expanded to include the field of psychedelic-assisted practices. His work explores the potential for meaningful dialogue and cross-fertilization between these domains, drawing on both scholarly insight and lived experience. 

Sandra is a Holotropic Breathwork facilitator. She completed a six-year training program in transpersonal psychotherapy and breathwork with Dr. Ingo Jahrsetz and Judith Miller, PhD, and regularly co-facilitates workshops in Switzerland, Germany, and Greece since 2016. In addition to her breathwork practice, Sandra works as a social worker with adolescents. She holds a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Systemic Counselling and is a certified yoga teacher. Her approach is shaped by a solid understanding of altered states of consciousness and a practical, embodied approach that integrates breath, body awareness, and a systemic understanding. She brings a steady presence and a grounded perspective to her individual and group work.

Thomas is a Breathwork Facilitator, Tantric Art teacher, and leads wilderness & nature connection retreats in the Swiss Alps. He studied Applied Psychology at the FHNW and has been guiding people since 2020 in the areas of mindfulness, Tantric Art, stress regulation, emotional awareness, and the search for well-being and authenticity. He considers breathwork one of the most powerful tools to support these processes. Thomas has over five years of experience with Shamanic Breathwork and the Wim Hof Method, and in 2024 he completed further training in Embodied Breathwork and integration work. For Thomas, breathwork is a powerful tool to reconnect with oneself, release stress and emotional blocks, strengthen inner trust, and gain clarity — on both a psychological and spiritual level. “Each breathwork session is a unique experience that helps me access exactly what body and mind need in that moment.”

Dr. Pamela González is a biomolecular scientist with an interdisciplinary approach that combines scientific research and ancestral plant wisdom. She has long engaged in psychedelic studies, contributing significantly to the field, including serving as Chair in organizing the first-ever Summer School on Psychedelic Research at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in 2022. Pamela has developed a deep connection with the Maya Yokot’an community of Tabasco, Mexico, from whom she received teachings on the ancestral wisdom and spiritual tradition of cacao. In ceremonial settings, she shares this knowledge with respect, emphasizing reciprocity and honoring the Indigenous peoples who safeguard these traditions, guiding participants to connect with the spirit of cacao through holistic and contemplative practices.

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