Expert Psychedelic Consultation
by a Board Certified Psychiatrist
“I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being!”
― Hafez
Working With Clinicians & Healers
Healers from all paradigms working in the psychedelic space can benefit from consultation with an expert psychiatrist. Penumbra provides this service on a sliding-scale. Here are some questions that Penumbra can help you answer:
- What are the psychiatric and/or medical risks in my client?
- How does my client’s pharmaceutical medications interact with psychedelics?
- How do I prevent a negative outcome in my client?
- I had a negative outcome with a client, how do I learn from it?
- How do I identify and manage challenging interpersonal dynamics?
- What medical safety considerations are there for set & setting?
- What do I do in a medical or psychiatric emergency?
As of January 2023, Oregon Psilocybin Service Centers may obtain a license from the Oregon Health Authority to hire licensed facilitators and administer psilocybin to clients on service center grounds. Penumbra can help service centers, retreats, and other psychedelic centers deliver safer more effective care:
- Strategizing how to provide equitable services
- Education regarding helpful on-hand medical supplies
- Recommendations on screening clients for candidacy for services
- Consultation on moderate or high complexity clients seeking services
Elevating the Excellence of Service Centers
Dr. Sarparast has created the OHSU Psilocybin Education & Assessment Collaborative for Excellence (PEACE) where he and colleagues work directly with patients interested in psilocybin seeking education and understanding about the potential risks and benefits of a psilocybin use. OHSU accepts insurance, including medicare/medicaid, thereby increasing access to the many folks. Note that OHSU is not a service center and does not administer psilocybin. To be placed on the waitlist, please send an email to adultpsych@ohsu.edu or contact the OHSU adult psychiatry office 503-494-6176
Direct Patient Care
Aryan Sarparast MD
Psychiatrist, Educator, and Creator of Penumbra Psychedelic Consulting
Hello! I am Dr. Aryan Sarparast (he/him). I am a board-certified psychiatrist in Portland, Oregon, USA and Assistant Faculty in the Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic at Oregon Health & Science University
I was fortunate to have early exposure to research as an undergrad exploring human neuroscience and also at the MD Anderson Cancer Center doing neuro-oncology research while completing my medical degree. My passion for psychedelic science emerged in 2017, shortly before starting my psychiatry residency, and my pursuits deepened thanks to my research mentor at the time Dr. Chris Stauffer. Together we studied drug interactions between psychedelics and psychiatric medications, an important subject that I hope will increase safety and access to psychedelics among those receiving mental health treatment. From there kicked off many exciting opportunities including: serving as a Study Doctor for a Beckley sponsored trial on 5-MeO-DMT as an intervention for treatment-resistant depression, and for a MAPS sponsored trial on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of social anxiety led by Dr. Jason Luoma.
I have spoken widely on about psychedelics with WIRED Magazine, Chacruna, VA Northwest Health Network, Canadian Medical Association, and so on. I love to teach eager minds and de-centralize knowledge (if knowledge is power, then shouldn’t it be accessible?) about the mind and psychedelics. I am an external lecturer for the MIND Foundation’s Augmented Psychotherapy Training Program in Berlin, Germany and advisor to a number of associations including the Psilocybin Assisted Psychotherapy Association. I’ve also had many opportunities working as a legal and organizational consultant to the City of Lake Oswego, Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, and others.
Although these decorations share aspects of my accomplishments, I aspire to always return to compassion as the guiding light in my life, and for that I thank my family, sangha, friends, mentors, and patients.
contact: info@penumbrapsychedelic.com
Articles
Delve into scientific topics and discussions related to psychedelic science. Explore in-depth analyses, research breakthroughs, and thought-provoking editorials. Keep up with the latest developments and insights in psychedelic science by subscribing
Personal Writings
This section features my personal writings covering a diverse range of topics including social justice, culture, poetry, and more. Join me as I explore and share my thoughts on these compelling subjects.
Subscribe to Penumbra’s blog posts below and we’ll notify you whenever there’s a new post on psychedelic research, science, and editorials
Penumbra Psychedelic Consultation 