If you’ve ever struggled with mental health, you know that there are a wide variety of techniques and practices available when seeking treatment. Plenty of these are more common, and increasingly encouraged and supported by mainstream mental health care–mindfulness, CBT, to name a couple. But a new addition/companion to traditional therapy is on the rise: psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Perhaps you’ve heard this expression buzzing around–you may even know people who have ventured into this seemingly more mysterious territory. Microdosing psilocybin and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy are two such methods growing steadily more popular as treatments for depression, anxiety, and trauma. Like any non-traditional practice, discussing it openly still carries somewhat of a taboo, but there are plenty of resources available to those who are interested in exploring that route and want to know more. One of the important things to remember is that, as with any pharmaceutical drug, there are many ethical, physiological, and emotional considerations to keep in mind, including the conversation surrounding its function as a tool to be used in conjunction with one’s inner work, as opposed to a crutch, or replacement for it.
With increased interest also comes an increased demand for licensed mental health professionals to expand their practice to incorporate these new methods. Programs designed to certify those professionals ensure that they are sufficiently qualified to provide patient support and provide an emotionally safe space. To that point, LAST is pleased to have Devin Green back with us as a returning therapist, who brings to the team this particular specialization as part of her offered services. For more information on Devin and her practice, click here!
As always, the best policy is to pursue the treatment option that’s right for you. Keep checking back as we post more about this new frontier in psychotherapy!
**DISCLAIMER** As the laws and regulations currently stand in the United States, LAST Collective and its employees are not liable for actions you take, nor are we doctors and therefore cannot provide medical advice. We do not provide nor promote the use of plant medicine, assist folx in finding how to access, nor sit or provide therapy while clients are under the influence, but rather offer an integration of non-ordinary states of consciousness. If you are looking for a trip sitter or needing support while under the influence, please consider utilizing the Fireside Project Peer Support Line (62-FIRESIDE, 623-473-7433). For more information on the laws/regulations, as well as research in this field of study, check out the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies site below!
Caitlin Oates
Author
Doubling as LAST’s practice manager and intake coordinator, Caitlin is a writer and creative with a passion for sex-positivity, LGBTQIA advocacy, and mental health care.
Caitlin earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Northwestern University, and now flexes those communication muscles by teaching medical students humanism skills, coaching athletes in functional fitness, and learning from and working with LAST to promote, amplify, and normalize the importance of sexual and mental health.