Biography

Anja Loizaga-Velder, Ph.D., is a German-Mexican clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with humanistic orientation. Parallel to her psychotherapeutic practice, Dr. Loizaga-Velder has been learning from and collaborating with indigenous healers specialized in the therapeutic use of sacred plants. She also has dedicated part of her professional life to the scientific research of therapeutic potentials of psychedelic plant medicines. She earned a doctoral degree in medical psychology from Heidelberg University through research dedicated to identifying therapeutic mechanisms of ayahuasca-assisted treatment for mental health challenges and is coordinating the mental health section of a Mexican transdisciplinary research group on the therapeutic potentials of psilocybin mushrooms. Dr. Loizaga-Velder is founding member and director of research and clinical services at the Nierika Institute for Intercultural Medicine in Mexico: an NGO dedicated to the preservation of indigenous traditions with sacred plant medicines and research around their therapeutic applications in the treatment of mental health challenges.