Psychedelic Therapy
Do You Seek Deeper Self-Awareness And Enlightenment?
Are you curious about psychedelics and how they might improve your mental, emotional, and spiritual health?
Have you had a psychedelic experience that you want to understand better?
Or are you fed up with more traditional therapeutic interventions that have not yielded the results you’re looking for?
You may be feeling “stuck” inside a problem that seems to have no resolution. Whether you battle heavy feelings of depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress, you may be tired of using all of your energy just to get through the day. You don’t want to just survive any longer—you want to thrive.
Which Parts Of Yourself Need To Be Liberated?
When we live through something painful or challenging, we develop certain patterns, thoughts, and beliefs about the world to keep us safe. However, these patterns can become quickly outdated, creating feelings of powerlessness, shame, and failure. This often results in an existence that lacks fulfillment and spiritual alignment—not to mention our relationships are adversely impacted by avoidance, withdrawal, conflict, and anxious attachment.
If this feels familiar, there may be a trauma history you feel desperate to escape. Such trauma manifests as chronic and seemingly unshakable symptoms of anxiety, depression, existential dread, and emotional distress. But what if there was a way to revolutionize how you think about yourself, your pain, and the world around you?
Psychedelic assisted therapy and integration can be a valuable opportunity to reconnect with your inner self and clear the way to healthier, more satisfying relationships—including the one you have with yourself.
Psychedelics Can Offer New Insights Where Other Interventions Fall Short
One of the pioneers of LSD research, Stanislav Grof, found that many mental health issues—including addiction—are the direct result of feeling disconnected from something greater. In our increasingly secular and polarized world, this sense of disconnection has only intensified.
However, the Western approach to mental health issues is generally based on a medical model. Healthcare providers often believe that interventions like pharmaceuticals, behavioral skills, and sheer will are enough to combat mental and emotional challenges. But as Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” An outside perspective of oneself is absolutely essential on the healing journey, but it’s not always easily accessible.
Therapy using psychedelics offers a safe, effective alternative. Used since the beginning of human history to assist in healing, integration, and spiritual growth, psychedelics enhance feelings of belonging and unification. By accessing the emotional and relational parts of the brain where trauma, early experiences, and relational frameworks are stored, we can rewire these experiences and make better sense of them. In other words, psychedelics—in conjunction with mindfulness and body-based (somatic) therapy—can be the gateway to a deeper subconscious awareness.
As a therapist trained in psychedelic therapy, I can help you safely and comfortably integrate your experiences. Working together, we can facilitate radical insights and changes in your life.
Therapy Can Help You Derive Growth And Meaning From Your Psychedelic Experience
Psychedelics are a useful way to prepare your system for substantial healing and transformation, promoting change from the inside out. Whether you’re in search of deeper spiritual alignment or trying to heal treatment-resistant mental health issues—including anxiety, depression, addiction, and PTSD)—psychedelics can be a meaningful tool in supporting a higher quality of life.
Once we have determined that psychedelic therapy and integration will be a safe and beneficial tool for you, we can begin the treatment process. *Note that psilocybin and ketamine are the primary psychedelics I work with.
What To Expect
My approach to treatment is a holistic yet structured and thorough process that is designed to guide you through every step of your psychedelic journey. In general, the phases are as follows:
Preparation - I will collaborate with you during our initial session(s) to set intentions and goals for the psychedelic experience. This portion of treatment uses elements of Internal Family Systems (IFS) to address any concerns or anxieties you may have, with the purpose of understanding your wounded parts, what they are trying to tell you, and how to respond in a healthy way. I may also incorporate elements of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Brainspotting as needed to address core traumas.
Processing and integrating the experience: after the psychedelic experience is over, we will use this time to clarify details and create a narrative of the experience through storytelling and/or creating art.
Undoing old patterns: this portion of treatment is focused on change. As you facilitate a deeper understanding of your psychedelic experience, you can use your time in therapy to figure out exactly which patterns no longer serve you and how to let them go. With this newfound insight, you can begin to shift your focus toward the future.
Orienting yourself to new goals and deeply held values: in creating a plan for undoing old patterns, you will have to become attuned to your values and the actionable steps you want to take to promote lasting change. This portion of therapy helps you identify how your psychedelic experience aligns with improved mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Reconsolidation of memories: bridging your psychedelic experience with previous transformational experiences/traumas will help you to make new meaning and revise your story in a healthier, more empowering way.
Facilitating new beginnings: I will work with you to determine where to go next. Using mindful, solution-focused approaches, you can better understand which steps you need to take to create new patterns that will serve you.
Translation: drawing out the psychedelic experience into the broader context of your life, we will establish images and themes that will continue to guide your growth.
Not only does psychedelic therapy offer you a transformational opportunity to clear away old wounds and rewire your system—it helps you gain access to your innate gifts and resources. By ridding yourself of a critical inner voice and tapping into your strengths, your thoughts and behaviors will naturally begin shifting toward a healthier mindset.
Psychedelic assisted therapy and integration dig deep to get at the root of your struggles to liberate yourself from unhealthy cycles. As you transform the way you see yourself and the world around you, you’ll feel freer to live your most empowered existence. Through psychedelic therapy, you can achieve the feelings of healing and wellness that have been missing from your life.
Common Concerns About Psychedelic Therapy
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When psychedelics were first being researched in the 1950s and 60s, a lot of misinformation was spread to incite fear and turn public opinion against the use of psychedelic treatments. However, in the 1990s, research into psychedelic medicine resumed, showing promising results for a wide range of psychedelics, both legal and illegal.
Ketamine is a completely safe and legal drug that is regulated by the FDA. And even though MDMA and psilocybin (magic mushrooms) are still considered illegal, there has been a recent push to legalize and regulate these drugs as safe and meaningful alternatives to traditional mental health treatments. No matter which psychedelic is used in treatment, I will make sure that you feel safe and comfortable with the process.
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Like all counseling, psychedelic therapy is entirely confidential; I will never disclose your personal information to others.
This process is meant to enhance your sovereignty and autonomy. As a psychedelic therapist, I am only invested in helping you make the best choices for your personal health and wellness. I can help to ensure that you feel fully safe and prepared to have a psychedelic experience, and discussing your concerns ahead of time will be a big part of this process.
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If you have already had a negative psychedelic experience or if your sense of reality was deconstructed in your experience, you may feel as though you are having a spiritual emergency. Therapy can help you make sense of what happened and how to integrate the experience into your narrative. Even if your insights were uncomfortable or challenging, we can find ways to create empowering meanings out of them.
You Can Change The Way You Think About Your Struggles
Psychedelic therapy and integration can be a gateway to deeper emotional and spiritual awareness. I invite you to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation to find out more about how I can help.
