Psychedelics
Used by Indigenous communities for millennia, these compounds have been central to healing ceremonies and initiations worldwide. In the Western model of therapy and medicine, psychedelics and entheogens have more recently returned to research spheres after a politically driven hiatus of many decades. Current clinical trials have shown promising results when treating a variety of mental health issues, as well as for supporting individuals and groups with psycho-spiritual exploration. When used in safe therapeutic environments, which includes competent support, many individuals have seen reduced symptoms in depression, anxiety, PTSD and in chronic relapsing conditions.
I have been involved with a number of organizations seeking to make these medicines legally and medically available.
MDMA: Below is the link to the Nature Medicine journal article outlining the MAPS sponsored, Phase III clinical trials studying the safety and efficacy of MDMA assisted therapy for individuals living with severe PTSD. I was a sub-investigator in this trial at the Vancouver study site.
Psilocybin: TheraPsil is a Canadian organization working to make psilocybin assisted therapy available to individuals living with end of life anxiety and depression. I was a trainer with this organization, providing education and experiential support to health and spiritual care providers seeking psychedelic assisted therapy training. I currently support TheraPsil as a supervisor to program graduates.