Bridging Psychedelics, Psychiatry, and Spirituality for Global Healing

As psychedelic medicine continues its rapid reentry into mainstream science, few voices have managed to bridge the worlds of psychiatry, spirituality, and policy as seamlessly as Dr. Anna Yusim. With training at Stanford and Yale, and more than 5000 clients served across 70 countries, Dr. Yusim has become an international leader in reshaping how we understand mental health—and how psychedelics may play a critical role in its future.

Dr. Yusim’s journey began with hard science. As an undergraduate student at Stanford University, she conducted neurobiology research under the guidance of Dr. Robert Sapolsky, investigating how trauma, stress and environmental pressures affect the brain. That experience rooted her in evidence-based medicine, a foundation that would later prove essential as psychedelics moved from counterculture into the laboratory.

Yet she quickly realized that neuroscience alone couldn’t explain the depths of human suffering—or the pathways to true healing. After completing medical school at Yale and psychiatric residency at NYU, Dr. Yusim immersed herself in spiritual traditions around the world: Buddhist meditation in India, Kabbalistic teachings in Israel, and indigenous practices in South America. What emerged was a holistic philosophy that blends science with spirituality, positioning her at the vanguard of integrative psychiatry.

“It is about time that science meets spirituality,” she told global leaders at the United Nations Science Summit. “Only when we unite the two can we begin to unlock the full potential of human healing.”

Dr. Yusim’s work has taken her far beyond the clinic. As a Clinical Assistant Professor at Yale Medical School, she is helping establish the Spirituality & Mental Health Program and Center, a pioneering institution that seeks to unite ancient wisdom with modern psychiatry. This effort includes research on the therapeutic role of spirituality and psychedelics, laying the groundwork for future generations of clinicians.

On the world stage, she is a frequent keynote speaker. Whether addressing the UN General Assembly’s Science Summit, the Conscious Leaders Summit during NYC Climate Week, or the Bhutan Innovation Forum, Dr. Yusim has consistently pushed for a new paradigm in mental health—one where psychedelics are integrated responsibly, with ethics and evidence at the center.

In her clinical work, Dr. Yusim embraces the potential of the legal psychedelic ketamine, which is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression. She emphasizes that these compounds are not magic bullets, but catalysts for deeper healing and transformation.

Her focus is on integration—the process by which patients translate psychedelic experiences into lasting changes in mindset, behavior, and emotional resilience. “The real work happens after the session,” she explains. By combining psychedelic insights with psychotherapy and spiritual practices, she helps patients make sense of profound experiences and embed them into daily life.

This approach ensures that psychedelics are used not as quick fixes but as part of a comprehensive model of care that honors the mind, the body and the spirit.

Dr. Yusim’s influence extends beyond psychiatry into the realms of leadership and performance. She works as an executive coach, serving elite athletes, C-suite executives and cultural leaders in more than 70 countries, coaching them on how to align professional excellence with authenticity and inner purpose. Her conscious leadership modelemphasizes empathy, creativity, and resilience, offering a template for how psychedelics might not only heal individuals but reshape organizations.

Her book, Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life, distills her philosophy for a broad audience. Widely praised, the book underscores her belief that personal well-being and societal transformation are deeply interconnected.

As psychedelics continue their path toward medical mainstreaming, Dr. Yusim sees three priorities guiding her work:

Institutionalizing Holistic Care – through initiatives like Yale’s Spirituality & Mental Health Program/Center, ensuring future clinicians are trained in integrative approaches.

Advancing Ethical Psychedelic Integration – creating frameworks for responsible access that prioritize patient safety, cultural sensitivity, and scientific validation.

Expanding Global Dialogue – continuing to bring evidence-based, scientifically grounded, ethically sound and cultural inclusive conversations about psychedelics to international stages.

She is also committed to expanding access—ensuring that evidence-based psychedelic therapies don’t remain the privilege of the few but are available to patients and communities who need them most.

For Dr. Anna Yusim, psychedelics are not just medicines—they are mirrors that reflect the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit. By combining rigorous psychiatry, spiritual wisdom, and ethical advocacy, she is helping chart a path where psychedelics are embraced not as fringe substances but as legitimate, regulated therapies.

As the global conversation accelerates, her voice carries both authority and compassion, reminding us that healing is not just about symptom management but about wholeness, purpose, and human flourishing.