Facing Trauma Under Psychedelics: A Phenomenological Study of Nova Festival Survivors

FREE for AMAPP Members (you can access your discount code in the MightyNetwork channel under events)

If you are not a member but would like to join please head to the website (https://www.amapp.org.au/membership) to sign up before registering for the event.

Non-Members can join us for $30 +BF

Join us for a special AMAPP webinar featuring Guy Simon, founder of ‘Impulse - an integrative clinical center’, as well as co-founder and board member of ‘Safe Heart’ NGO.

Guy will share insights from his study into trauma and altered states of consciousness during the Nova Festival attack, examining how psychedelic experiences shaped survivors’ immediate coping, emotional dissociation, and post-traumatic meaning-making. Drawing on phenomenological and anthropological methods, the study explores the challenges of integrating psychedelic states encountered in moments of extreme violence and how survivors navigate collective trauma through culturally situated frameworks of understanding and recovery.

The talk will introduce the concept of Adaptive Psychedelic Dissociation (APD) and examine how survivors used epistemic containers to interpret their experiences and construct coherent narratives of survival.

This webinar invites practitioners, researchers, and students to explore:

★ The intersection of phenomenology, trauma, and psychedelic states in the wake of mass violence
★ The role of psychedelic states experienced during trauma in shaping post-traumatic integration and psychological recovery
★ How cultural narratives, therapeutic set and setting, and epistemologies of healing shape both risk and resilience
★ Ethical and relational considerations in supporting survivors of collective trauma

About the Presenter

Guy Simon, M.A., M.S.W., PhD(c) is a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and PhD candidate in medical anthropology. His research explores trauma, healing, and altered states of consciousness, with a focus on the phenomenology of psychedelic experiences. Guy leads qualitative and ethnographic research into how therapists, users, and underground practitioners conceptualise the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, particularly in the context of trauma and integration.

He is the Founder and Clinical Director of Impulse. He serves as Chair of the Clinical Advisory Committee for SafeHeart, a nonprofit supporting survivors of collective trauma through psychedelic-informed care. Guy teaches internationally and is currently based in the Netherlands, where he expands his research and collaborations across European academic and therapeutic communities.

Acknowledgement & Positioning Statement

This webinar is not a space for political debate, but for healing, reflection, and ethical care. AMAPP does not tolerate hate speech or dehumanisation. We gather in a spirit of compassion, unity, and respect.

AMAPP aims to create a culture that transcends fear, hatred, and separation—one that amplifies our shared humanity, our interdependence, and our reverence for the profound mystery of life and death, which we are all, in our own way, trying to comprehend.

We acknowledge that trauma reverberates through generations and across communities, shaping how we grieve, connect, and seek healing. AMAPP does not claim to have the answers to such deeply rooted historical and current traumas. Instead, we come with open hearts and minds, committed to holding this space with humility, courage, and care.

We hold space for the Jewish, Palestinian, and global communities impacted by cycles of violence, war, and displacement. We honour all the men, women, and children who have lost their lives to terrorism, war, and conflict, and we recognise the pain carried by those left behind.

As the poet Rumi reminds us:

“In the space beyond right and wrong, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

Let us hold these intentions with care and compassion as we enter this conversation together.

You will be sent a Zoom link on the day of the event.
Members, please find your 100% discount code in the event section on Mighty Networks