Helena’s main academic background is in Psychology. She worked at the Department of Personality Psychology focusing on Positive Psychology, and at the Department of Psychological Methods, Evaluation and Statistics. During a time as clinical psychologist at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Helena joined the Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging to study the effects of psychedelics and meditation. As a doctoral student, she investigates altered states of consciousness – primarily induced by pharmahuasca and ayahuasca –, their effects on empathy and prosociality, as well as neurophysiological correlates. She finds herself at intersections, aims at bridging science and practice, contributing to the development of psychedelic-assisted therapy-approaches, and applies her experience working with patients.