Kalyana Bliss
Mindfulness for the Psychedelic Renaissance
Mystical experiences — rare, self-transcending shifts of consciousness — are strong predictors of lasting psychological change, and psychedelics are the most reliable way to occasion them. As global policies shift and these substances move beyond the underground, a critical question is emerging: what kind of container promotes safe and beneficial psychedelic experiences?
This session draws on a systematic review of the seven randomised controlled trials combining mindfulness programmes with psychedelics. We'll look at what the evidence shows — including that skilful mindfulness preparation appears to deepen the mystical character of these experiences — and explore how mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) may be well-positioned to serve as that container, grounded in embodied facilitation, emotional regulation, and trust in the healing power of being present. Attendees will leave with a grounded understanding of the research, a sense of what remains unknown, and a clearer view of what an MBP-led approach could offer this rapidly evolving field.
Kalyana Bliss is an MSc Mindfulness student at Bangor University, where her ongoing thesis systematically reviews randomised controlled trials that combine mindfulness and psychedelics. As a Bangor-trained, BAMBA-listed MBSR teacher, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, trauma-informed yoga teacher, and Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness teacher, she brings embodiment, nervous system regulation, and a Buddhist chaplaincy lens to her work. She is a recent graduate of Vital, Psychedelics Today's yearlong training in psychedelic ethics, preparation, integration, and harm reduction, and would love to develop an eight-week mindfulness programme for psychedelic preparation and integration. She sees clients, co-facilitates retreats, offers weekly online drop-in heart-based practices, and is passionate about ending suffering and increasing flourishing through deeper connection to ourselves, our bodies, each other, and the living world, for the benefit of all beings everywhere.
Note that Kalyana does not provide, nor encourage, the use of illegal substances, and this information is offered in a spirit of education and harm reduction.
www.linkedin.com/in/kalyanabliss
