Close-up: Heal Ukraine Trauma – by Norrsken Mind

NORRSKEN HOUSE STOCKHOLM  |  17 SEP  |  17:30 - 19:15
BY NORRSKEN MIND

Psychedelic Therapy & Mental Health in Ukraine

As the war in Ukraine continues, the country is facing a growing mental health crisis. Traditional treatments fall short of addressing the scale and complexity of this suffering, and Ukraine urgently needs new tools and resources. 

Welcome to a session focused on mental health, resilience, and psychedelic therapy in Ukraine, featuring perspectives from the ground and insights from organizations championing new mental health treatments:

• Oksana Gryshchenko, PhD – Ukraine Country Director at Heal Ukraine Trauma, leading the country’s first group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy program for veterans.
• Galyna Pidpruzhnykova, PhD – Neuroscientist and strategy lead for Ukraine’s international psychedelic therapy alliance, former strategy director at atai Life Sciences.

During the event, hosted by Norrsken Mind, Oksana and Galyna will explore the challenges with introducing innovative mental health treatments in an active war zone, the promising initiatives underway, and the emerging future of psychedelic therapy in Ukraine.

The talk will begin at 17:45. Seats are limited so make sure to sign up to claim your spot.  

17:30-17:45 Doors open
17:45-18:15 Presentation by Oksana Gryshchenko and Galyna Pidpruzhnykova
18:15-18:45 Fireside chat and Q&A with Marcus Stråth, Co-MD of Norrsken Mind
18:45-19:15 Mingle

Overview

​In a historic shift, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health is working on rescheduling certain psychedelic substances, opening the door to clinical research and innovative approaches to care that were not possible under the existing legal framework.

​Over the past year, Ukrainian and international collaborators have launched a growing initiative to support patients with treatment-resistant conditions such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Efforts include plans for clinical trials, capacity-building programs for therapists, and a recently implemented group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy protocol as a scalable, cost-effective model.

About Norrsken Mind

Norrsken Mind is a non-profit foundation dedicated to advancing psychedelic science in Europe. We fund high-quality research to investigate the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for mental health disorders, along with non-profit initiatives to lay the foundation for the future integration of these treatments into healthcare. By mobilising philanthropic capital, offering grants, and facilitating partnerships, Norrsken Mind aims to create the necessary conditions for psychedelic treatments to be rigorously studied, responsibly implemented, and accessible to patients in need.