Biography

Anja Loizaga-Velder, PhD, is a German-Mexican clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with humanistic and transpersonal orientation. As part of her quest for bridging Indigenous and western approaches to find effective treatments for mental health challenges, she has collaborated with Indigenous healers and has been investigating the therapeutic potential of the ritual use of psychedelic plants for over 25 years. She earned a PhD degree in Medical Psychology from Heidelberg University in Germany with a doctoral dissertation on the therapeutic uses of ayahuasca in addiction treatment. She is a founding member and director of research and psychotherapy of the Nierika Institute in Mexico. Additionally, she works as a psychotherapist with humanistic and transpersonal orientation in private practice.