Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Access deeper layers of your consciousness, break through emotional barriers, and uncover profound insights into your personal growth and healing.
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Access deeper layers of your consciousness, break through emotional barriers, and uncover profound insights into your personal growth and healing.
Emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) is an innovative and powerful approach to healing that combines the transformative potential of psychedelic substances with guided therapeutic support. PAT is designed to help individuals access deeper layers of their consciousness, break through emotional barriers, and uncover profound insights into their personal growth and healing. This therapeutic method is gaining recognition for its effectiveness in addressing trauma, depression, anxiety, and various other mental health challenges. At its core, PAT is a holistic approach that fosters emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being.
What Is Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy?
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy involves the intentional use of substances like psilocybin (derived from certain species of mushrooms), MDMA, and other psychedelics in a controlled, therapeutic environment. These substances, when used with professional guidance, help individuals enter altered states of consciousness that enable them to explore and heal unresolved emotional wounds, trauma, and mental health challenges.
Psychedelics are not the therapy itself but a tool that opens a door to deeper therapeutic work. During these sessions, the individual may access repressed memories, confront fears, experience shifts in perspective, and uncover healing insights that might otherwise remain hidden. These insights can lead to lasting change when paired with skilled therapeutic support.
I hold a Master’s Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy from VIU, and it is my deepest passion and honour to guide others through this profound and sacred work. I approach each session with reverence, understanding that this journey into the psyche is both humbling and transformative.
The Three Stages of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy follows a three-stage process that ensures safety, intention, and integration. Each stage is essential in ensuring that the experience is meaningful and the insights gained are applied in daily life.
1. Preparation
The preparation stage is crucial for setting the foundation for a successful PAT session. In this phase, we take time to clarify your intentions, explore your motivations, and establish a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship. This is also the time when we discuss the potential challenges that may arise during the psychedelic journey and create an environment that fosters emotional safety. In the preparation phase, we explore your history, concerns, and goals, and help you cultivate a mindset of openness, curiosity, and acceptance.
2. The Psychedelic Experience
The ‘journey’ is the heart of the process. In this phase, under safe and supportive conditions, you enter an altered state of consciousness. I will be with you every step of the way, holding space, offering grounding support, and ensuring that your journey unfolds in a safe and contained environment. During the experience, you may encounter visions, memories, and emotional states that can bring deep healing, insight, and resolution to long-standing inner conflicts. The journey is not about pushing for answers but allowing the experience to unfold naturally, with trust in the wisdom of your mind and body.
3. Integration
Integration is where the real work begins. This stage involves making sense of the insights and experiences from the psychedelic journey and applying them to your everyday life. During integration, we work together to process and interpret the emotions, memories, and revelations that arose during the session. Integration is essential for turning the powerful experiences of PAT into lasting transformation. We will explore how to anchor the insights gained in your day-to-day reality, allowing for healing, growth, and expanded awareness to become a permanent part of your journey.
What Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Can Help With
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) has shown promise in treating a wide range of mental health conditions, particularly those that are resistant to conventional therapies. Some of the areas where PAT has been helpful include:
Trauma and PTSD
Research has shown that psychedelics, particularly psilocybin and MDMA, can help individuals process and release trauma in ways that traditional talk therapy sometimes cannot. Individuals can confront past events and move toward healing by accessing deep emotional layers.
Depression and Anxiety
For individuals who have struggled with depression or anxiety, especially treatment-resistant forms, psychedelic therapy offers a new way of accessing emotional breakthroughs and shifting perspectives that can lead to significant mood improvements.
C-PTSD
C-PTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), often caused by long-term exposure to trauma, can be difficult to treat. Psychedelic therapy offers a way to revisit and heal these deep wounds by working directly with the nervous system and unconscious mind.
Cluster Headaches
Psilocybin has shown promise in treating cluster headaches, often referred to as “suicide headaches” due to their intensity. Research and anecdotal reports indicate that psilocybin can reduce the frequency and severity of these headaches, with some individuals experiencing prolonged periods of remission. The potential mechanism involves psilocybin’s effect on serotonin receptors and cerebral blood flow, offering relief where conventional treatments may fail.
Anorexia Nervosa
Psilocybin is being explored as a treatment for anorexia nervosa, a condition notoriously resistant to conventional therapy. Early studies suggest that psilocybin may help patients by promoting neuroplasticity and facilitating deep psychological insights, allowing individuals to reframe their relationship with food and body image. Although in its early stages, research is showing promise in treating eating disorders through the integration of psilocybin therapy.
End-of-Life Anxiety
Psychedelics have been used with terminally ill patients to help alleviate the existential anxiety and fear of death, offering peace and acceptance during their final months.
Addiction and Substance Use Disorders
Psilocybin and other psychedelics have shown potential in helping individuals break free from addictive patterns by facilitating profound shifts in consciousness and motivation.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Studies have shown that psilocybin may reduce the symptoms of OCD by disrupting rigid neural pathways and decreasing the hyperactivity of the Default Mode Network (DMN), which often underpins obsessive thoughts. Psilocybin increases neuroplasticity, allowing for new patterns of thinking and behavior.
One-on-One, Group Sessions, and Retreats
I offer Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in multiple formats to meet your unique needs. Whether you prefer the focused support of a one-on-one session, the collective energy of a group experience, or the immersive healing potential of a retreat, I am here to guide you through this transformational process. Each format provides a safe and supportive space for you to engage in this deeply personal work.
One-on-One Sessions
Personalized, private sessions where we can focus specifically on your unique experiences, needs, and goals.
Group Sessions
Group settings provide a collective healing experience, where participants can share and process in a supportive community while still receiving individual attention.
Retreats
For those seeking a deeper immersion into their healing process, retreats offer a multi-day experience in a safe, serene setting. Retreats provide ample time for preparation, journeying, and integration, all within the supportive container of nature and community.
How Psychedelics Change the Brain:
The Neuroscience of PAT
Recent advances in neuroscience have shed light on how psychedelic substances change the brain, offering profound insights into why they can be so effective for trauma and mental health treatment. One of the most fascinating aspects of psychedelics is their ability to rewire neural pathways, offering new ways of thinking, feeling, and perceiving.
Central to this transformation is the effect psychedelics have on the Default Mode Network (DMN). The Default Mode Network is a group of brain regions that are most active when the mind is at rest and not focused on the outside world—when we are daydreaming, reflecting, or engaging in self-referential thoughts.
The DMN is often overactive in individuals with conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD, leading to repetitive, negative thought patterns and a sense of being “stuck.”
When psychedelic substances such as psilocybin are introduced, they temporarily suppress the activity of the DMN, allowing the brain to enter a more flexible, interconnected state. This opens the door for new perspectives and insights by breaking habitual patterns of thought and behaviour. Essentially, the brain becomes more plastic—more capable of rewiring itself, creating new connections, and breaking free from entrenched mental and emotional patterns.
Research using brain imaging has shown that during a psychedelic experience, communication between different regions of the brain increases dramatically. Networks that don’t usually interact begin to connect, leading to a breakdown of rigid patterns of thinking and the emergence of more fluid, creative, and open-minded perspectives. This is one of the reasons why many people describe psychedelic experiences as deeply healing and life-changing—it allows them to perceive themselves and the world in entirely new ways.
This neuroplasticity is particularly important for those with trauma, depression, and other mental health challenges, as it allows for the integration of new ways of being and thinking, facilitating profound shifts in emotional and psychological health.
Psilocybin Therapy
Psilocybin, the active compound found in certain species of mushrooms, has been one of the most studied psychedelics in therapeutic settings. Psilocybin works by interacting with serotonin receptors in the brain, promoting neuroplasticity, and opening up pathways to deep emotional and psychological insight. It is particularly effective for individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, and trauma.
In a psilocybin therapy session, the journey can often take individuals into a state of heightened awareness, where they may experience a sense of interconnectedness, heightened emotional clarity, and new perspectives on life. It has the potential to bring unresolved emotions, trauma, and limiting beliefs to the surface for healing. Many individuals describe their psilocybin experiences as profoundly spiritual and life-changing, offering a deep sense of peace and purpose.
Studies Supporting Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Research into psychedelic-assisted therapy is rapidly growing, with numerous studies showing its efficacy in treating mental health disorders. For instance:
A landmark study conducted by Johns Hopkins University found that psilocybin-assisted therapy significantly reduced depression and anxiety in patients with cancer, with many reporting enduring benefits even six months later.
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has spearheaded research into MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, showing that over 67% of participants no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD after treatment.
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that two doses of psilocybin, combined with supportive therapy, produced rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in individuals with major depressive disorder.
These studies are just a glimpse of the growing body of research showing how powerful psychedelic therapy can be when used in a therapeutic setting with skilled support.
Let’s Begin Your Journey
If you would like to find out more or explore whether Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy is right for you, I invite you to book a free 20-minute consultation with me. During this time, we will discuss your goals, answer any questions you may have, and explore how this transformative work can support your healing journey.
I am deeply passionate and humbled to offer this work, and I look forward to supporting you on your path to healing and wholeness.