Brit Creelman, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Evanston IL
As a therapist my intention is to hold space where one can safely explore roadblock behaviors and beliefs, see them in a new light. From a more spacious perspective acceptance can settle in, and a more direct contact with the present can happen. I am comfortable doing "parts work," using an Internal Family Systems (IFS) lens, and can be an especially good fit for those with established mindfulness practices and an ability to tune into inner experience.
My orientation to working with psychedelics in the clinical trail space is anchored in a “set and setting” approach, which involves preparation and intention setting prior to dosing; ensuring safety and psychological support during the journey; and integration to consolidate, embody, and implement insights gained during the process. This approach is rooted in ancient native traditions of healing, and is further supported by decades of research using expanded states of consciousness to treat depression, PTSD, and other mental health challenges.
Brit Creelman, PhD, is a clinical psychologist whose work, over the years, has included providing community-based recovery alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization, peace and justice activism in war zones, research on the relationship between trauma and substance abuse, home visiting in public housing projects, and 10 years’ service as training director in a program for youth survivors of complex trauma. More recently, in addition to maintaining a private practice in Evanston, Dr. Creelman works in the clinical trial space using psychedelics to address mental health challenges.
In his work with psychedelics, Dr. Creelman has served as Lead Facilitator in a study (PSIL201, Usona) using psilocybin to treat depression, and as Lead Dosing Session Monitor in a study (MindMed) using LSD to treat anxiety. Both were FDA approved, multi-site, phase 2 clinical trials. The MindMed study is historic, as it marks the first time LSD has been legally administered in the US since research with this compound was shut down in the 1970’s. Favorable results from PSIL201 were just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, Aug 2023). Dr. Creelman is currently serving as Lead Facilitator in a Phase 3 Usona study (PSIL301), which begins recruiting Spring 2024. Dr. Creelman has received training from Usona Institute/Madison, with support from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and for years he has been engaged in ongoing consultation with leading research clinicians in the field. Dr. Creelman has also served in a more ceremonial context (Jamaica, Atman Retreats) using plant medicine for psycho-spiritual exploration and healing.
I enjoy providing preparation and integration support for those who seek out expanded states of consciousness experience, such as through breathwork retreats and international cerimonial experiences.