UpcominG Trainings
*NEW* Virtual - Practical Skills for Psychedelic Medicine & Harm Reduction Support
June 13, 2025 • 8am - 3pm MT / 10am - 5pm ET - Online
Audience: clinicians and therapists
CE credits provided
Click here for more information and to register
*NEW AND IN-PERSON IN CANADA* Intermediate/Advanced Clinical Skills in Psychedelic Medicine
September 15, 16, 17 and 18, 2025 • 9am - 4pm PT
4-day course with Dr. Adele Lafrance in Abbotsford, BC
Audience: clinicians and therapists (but not those brand new to psychedelic medicine) - CE credits provided
Click here for more information and to register
*NEW AND IN-PERSON IN USA* Clinical Skills in Psychedelic Medicine
Dates to be determined...
4-day course with Dr. Adele Lafrance in Denver, CO
Audience: clinicians and therapists (but not those brand new to psychedelic medicine) - CE credits provided
Email us at www.mentalhealthfoundations.ca and with sufficient interest (12 participants), we will determine dates
Private (and custom) trainings are also available. Click here for a sample of psychedelic and other training topics that can be stand-alone, combined or customized as needed. Contact us for a quote.
Research Projects in Progress
Caregiver Involvement in the Delivery of Adolescent Psychedelic Medicine
Psychedelics and Love as a Healing Technology - The Love Project
Click here to watch Adele's conference presentation on the topic at Psychedelic Science 2023 in Denver, CO
Support Person Involvement in a Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Trial for Anorexia Nervosa
Click here to watch Jen and Adele's conference presentation on the topic at Psychedelic Science 2023 in Denver, CO
Safety, Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa
Featured Media
Click here for a variety of online news stories - in Oprah Daily, Women's Health Magazine, Lucid News, Medical News Today and more - featuring the work of Adele and colleagues.
Research Publications
Scientific Articles (in refereed journals):
Lafrance, A., Spriggs, M. J., Gukasyan, N., & Peck, S. K. (2024). Beyond the numbers: reimagining healing with psychedelics for eating disorders. Journal of Eating Disorders, 12(1), 148.
Williams, M., Kingston Miller, A. & Lafrance, A. (2023) Ayahuasca ceremony leaders’ perspectives on special considerations for eating disorders, Eating Disorders, DOI: 10.1080/10640266.2023.2271201
Brewerton, T. D., Wang, J. B., Lafrance, A., Pamplin, C., Mithoefer, M., Yazar-Klosinki, B., ... & Doblin, R. (2022). MDMA-assisted therapy significantly reduces eating disorder symptoms in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of adults with severe PTSD. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 149, 128-135.
Williams, M., Crotty, S., Callon, C., & Lafrance, A. (2022). Ceremony Leaders’ Perspectives on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Ayahuasca Drinking in Ceremonial Contexts. The Journal, 54(2), 142.
Robison, R., Lafrance, A., Brendle, M., Smith, M., Moore, C., Ahuja, S., ... & Strahan, E. (2022). A case series of group-based ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for patients in residential treatment for eating disorders with comorbid depression and anxiety disorders. Journal of Eating Disorders, 10(1), 1-9.
Spriggs, M. J., Douglass, H. M., Park, R. J., Read, T., Danby, J. L., de Magalhães, F. J., ... & Carhart-Harris, R. L. (2021). Study Protocol for “Psilocybin as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Pilot Study”. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 1770.
Lafrance, A., Strahan, E., Bird, B. M., St. Pierre, M., & Walsh, Z. (2021). Classic Psychedelic Use and Mechanisms of Mental Health: Exploring the Mediating Roles of Spirituality and Emotion Processing on Symptoms of Anxiety, Depressed Mood, and Disordered Eating in a Community Sample. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 00221678211048049.
Callon, C., Williams, M., & Lafrance, A. (2021). “Meeting the Medicine Halfway”: Ayahuasca Ceremony Leaders’ Perspectives on Preparation and Integration Practices for Participants. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 00221678211043300.
Brewerton, T. D., Lafrance, A., & Mithoefer, M. C. (2020). The potential use of n-methyl-3, 4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (mdma) assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of eating disorders comorbid with ptsd. Medical Hypotheses, 110367.
Thiessen, M. S., Walsh, Z., Bird, B. M., & Lafrance, A. (2018). Psychedelic use and intimate partner violence: The role of emotion regulation. Journal of psychopharmacology, 32(7), 749-755.
Renelli, M., Fletcher, J., Tupper, K. W., Files, N., Loizaga-Velder, A., & Lafrance, A. (2018). An exploratory study of experiences with conventional eating disorder treatment and ceremonial ayahuasca for the healing of eating disorders. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 1-8.
Lafrance, A., Loizaga-Velder, A., Fletcher, J., Renelli, M., Files, N., & Tupper, K. W. (2017). Nourishing the spirit: exploratory research on ayahuasca experiences along the continuum of recovery from eating disorders. Journal of psychoactive drugs, 49(5), 427-435.
Chapters in Academic Books:
Lafrance, A., Renelli, M., Fletcher, J., Files, N., Tupper, K. W. & Loizaga-Velder, A. (2021). Ayahuasca as a Healing Tool Along the Continuum of Recovery from eating disorders. In The therapeutic use of ayahuasca, Second edition. (Edited by B. C. Labate & C. Cavnar), Springer Science & Business Media.
Renelli, M., Fletcher, J., Loizaga-Velder, A., Files, N., Tupper, K., & Lafrance, A. (2018). Ayahuasca and the Healing of Eating Disorders. In Embodiment and Eating Disorders: A Handbook of Theory, Research, Prevention and Treatment. (Edited by H. L. McBride, J. L. Kwee), Routledge.
PAST Research Engagement
Collaborator and Clinical Support on Imperial College-sponsored study examining the safety, feasibility and preliminary outcomes of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa
Strategy Lead and Clinical Investigator on MAPS-sponsored study examining the safety, feasibility and preliminary outcomes of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for eating disorders
Co-Principal Investigator on studies examining the safety, feasibility and preliminary outcomes of Emotion-Focused Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Major Depressive Disorder and Anorexia Nervosa
Principal Investigator on studies examining ceremonial leader perspectives related to the potential for ayahuasca as a healing tool in western context, including with eating disorders
Co-Founder of The Love Project - rehabilitating the concept of love; exploring its role as a mechanism of change in therapy and healthcare through psychedelic research