Clinica Synaptica

Clinica Synaptica is a psychedelic medicine and mental health clinic in the center of Barcelona, described as the first mental health center specialized in psychedelic therapy. The team presents psychedelic medicine as a catalyst for change that must always be paired with solid therapeutic support, placing people, safety, and an integrative view of health at the core of care.

Their model is evidence based and psychosocial. They understand psychedelic therapy as a structured therapeutic process that combines a fast acting psychedelic drug with psychotherapy, in order to reduce symptoms, stimulate brain plasticity, and help patients create new patterns of thought and behavior.

Service

Clinica Synaptica offers psychedelic assisted psychotherapy as a personalized treatment, mainly for major depression and other treatment resistant mental health and pain conditions. The clinic highlights work with anxiety disorders, depression, suicidal ideation, chronic pain, bipolar disorder, complicated grief, post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder, perinatal grief, and existential anxiety.

Services are organized into three main lines: clinical intervention with safe psychedelic medicine treatments, research in collaboration with other entities and healthcare professionals, and consulting in psychedelic therapy for teams that want to implement similar services. The clinic also provides psychoeducation, TRE somatic work, and other complementary psychotherapy or integration sessions that can be added around the psychedelic work.

Safety

Clinica Synaptica describes itself as a center authorized by the Department of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya, listed in the Registry of health centers and establishments of Catalonia under number E08757979. They emphasize an exceptional healthcare team, pioneer experience in scientific research, and a safe environment as core values.

In the psychedelic therapy program, only one dissociative drug that is legally used in clinical settings is administered, under the care of accredited professionals. Sessions are in clinic, with medical and therapeutic supervision throughout, doses significantly lower than anesthetic use, and clearly stated exclusion criteria such as psychosis history, uncontrolled hypertension, certain cardiovascular and neurological risks, pregnancy, and inability to provide informed consent. The clinic states that psychedelic therapy is very safe when delivered in this controlled environment and that regulatory agencies in Europe and Spain have authorized its clinical use.

Care pathway

Psychedelic therapy follows a defined four stage process that is customized to each patient. It begins with a clinical interview with a psychiatrist to understand the case and decide whether psychedelic therapy is appropriate. Preparation sessions then allow the patient to meet the therapist who will accompany them, receive detailed explanation of the process, and address questions so that they can proceed feeling calm and secure.

In psychedelic psychotherapy sessions, the medication is administered in the clinic and the patient rests in a reclining chair or comfortable bed, usually with eyeshades and specially selected music. A therapist is present throughout. After the acute effects, integration psychotherapy begins within the same session, focusing on exploring the meaning of the experience and using what has emerged for therapeutic work. Follow up and maintenance sessions continue afterwards, with additional psychotherapy or integration sessions offered as needed to consolidate change and adapt treatment duration to individual needs.

This description was generated based on information from the official website and other materials provided by the provider.