Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Sessions

Photography: Daniel Schreiber

Overview

The use of plants, aids, and expanded states of awareness for healing and evolution is an age old practice. Gaining a new perspective on our ordinary challenges, patterns and tendencies is invaluable in uncovering new and creative solutions and resolutions. This process allows us to access new spaces within ourselves in an accelerated way, as it bypasses the usual protections and coping mechanisms of the cognitive mind. While these mechanisms are designed to keep us safe, they can also keep us trapped in old, dysfunctional patterns of familiarity.

Within us, there often exists a "cache" of unresolved content, waiting to be processed and integrated. This material is continually being pushed back down into the unconscious to maintain our sense of safety. However, the energy being used to keep this partition in place can significantly impact our lives.

MDMA

MDMA is a substance derived from high concentrations of safrole, a molecule found in the root bark of the Sassafras tree, bark of the Camphor tree, and in several spices such as saffron, nutmeg, anise, cinnamon, and black pepper, all euphoriants in high quantities. It is concentrated through a chemical process to give a more enhanced effect.

The experience described here allows us to explore ourselves, and particularly our areas of discomfort, with greater compassion and insight than we typically allow. MDMA induces the release of serotonin, our "feel good" neurotransmitter, as well as dopamine and norepinephrine, and our sense of wellbeing is substantially enhanced. For this reason it is known as an "empathogen". In this way, it allows access to deeper parts of ourselves, that are typically out of reach. With the guidance of a skilled practitioner and a safe container, the experience can be profoundly therapeutic and transformative.

Research conducted by Dr Gül Dölen, a Turkish American neuroscientist who has extensively studied the affects of psychedelics on re-opening critical periods of learning, reveals that we have a unique window or learning, connection, and social bonding during our early years. These windows are called "critical periods". These windows are times when our brain is especially sensitive to the environment, internalising crucial information that shapes our brain development and impacts how we engage with life moving forward. Psychedelics have the ability to re-open these critical periods, offering a window of time that allows us to reorganise and enhance our neural connections, potentially shifting these patterns formed earlier in life. This research suggests that psychedelics act as a "master key" for reactivating these critical periods by radically increasing synaptogenesis—the formation of synapses between neurons. This process, which is at its peak in our formative years of brain development, can be leveraged to heal and reshape the brain's neural pathways.

This becomes particularly valuable in the context of trauma. When the brain has been impacted by overwhelming events and trauma, psychedelics enable a downregulation and reconfiguration of the synapses tied to those traumatic events. By using psychedelics in a therapeutic context, we create a temporary opening in the brain at a cellular level, allowing neurons to reorganise themselves and form new pathways that promote learning and potentially even healing. In essence, these substances create a unique window of opportunity for transformation. Her studies found that Psilocybin and MDMA maintain the critical period for up to two weeks, with the window typically closing by the third week. This is why allowing for a spacious period of integration following the experience is so valuable—providing ample time for the newly formed neural pathways to settle and fully integrate.

On a biological level, this process works by taking our amygdala,—the brain's survival center—offline. On a biological level, this process works by temporarily taking our amygdala—the brain's survival center—offline. The amygdala, a small almond-shaped cluster of neurons located in the medial temporal lobe, is part of our limbic system. It plays a critical role in our responses to perceived threat and safety, regulating emotions, memory, and learning. When we are in a state of heightened reactivity, fear, defense, or long-term trauma, the amygdala’s overactivity can inhibit our ability to process information and learn effectively. It also makes it difficult to fully feel emotions tied to traumatic experiences, and sometimes, we can struggle to access entire memories from our lives. Trauma often hijacks our development, with the body and mind expending significant energy to cope, suppress, and avoid reactivating painful content. This mechanism can keep us stuck, preventing us from fully engaging with the present and moving forward in our healing process.

The amygdala acts as the Gatekeeper between the conscious and unconscious minds. It protects us ourselves not only from actual threat, but also from any thoughts, emotions and memories associated with the threat, which can be equally distressing. What MDMA does is temporarily sedates this Gatekeeper. While it is not rendered completely offline, it significantly widens the tolerance zone of our perception. This expanded perception allows content that is ripe for processing to have passage into our conscious awareness. This shift offers a unique opportunity for change in the brain and nervous system. Stored memories, reactions and emotions that were previously lodged in the reactive, protective limbic system, can be moved into the narrative, cognitive neocortex. The neocortex operates in a different perceptual mode, one that is capable of reframing and accommodating these experiences. This shift in the brain’s function enables a transformation in our perceptual and responsive systems, creating space for healing and new ways of processing past experiences.

At the same time that we are exposed to deeper aspects of our consciousness that are emerging, we are also enveloped in a wave of serotonin, which brings a sense of relaxation and safety. This allows the content that needs healing to surface without the usual emotional charge, impact or defensiveness. We are able to feel secure enough to engage with experiences we typically disconnect from, giving them space for acknowledgment, validation, and resolution. Unprocessed emotions or trauma, which would ordinarily resist deep recognition, are offered the opportunity for healing and integration.

This is a profound shift in the way our brain processes trauma. By bringing the previously overwhelming or avoided experiences into our conscious awareness, we allow ourselves to witness them without the automatic reflex of fear or defensiveness. At the same time, the sense of "being okay" provides a safe container for these memories, enabling them to be reframed and integrated into our experience.

As these two previously disconnected experiences—a traumatic association and a sense of peace—are simultaneously present in our awareness, new neural pathways begin to form, linking the memory and emotion with a sense of safety and acceptance. This rewiring helps us create a new relationship with our past, one where we no longer need to dissociate or repress, but can instead begin to experience the full spectrum of emotions without the overwhelming charge. This integration process allows us to heal and move forward with greater resilience and emotional freedom.

Tapping into the brain’s natural ability to rewire itself—what we call neuroplasticity—

can be deeply transformative. One of the key ways this happens is through the release of

trophic factors, naturally occurring hormones that support the growth of new neurons and

pathways. Practices like nourishing the body with wholesome food, moving through exercise,

and quieting the mind through meditation, all help to awaken these processes. These

approaches don’t just affect the brain on a surface level—they reach into the core of how we

process stress, inflammation, and emotional challenges. Over time, they strengthen our

internal systems of balance and renewal, offering a grounded way to shift old patterns and

open space for something new to emerge. This transformation impacts our entire system,

influencing how our subconscious patterns manifest physically and energetically. The

therapeutic value of this process lies in reinforcing these new neural pathways through

integration practices. Additionally, the use of nutritional supplements such as nootropics

can greatly enhance this process. Nootropics, which improve cognitive functions like awareness,

attention, and memory, help fortify and accelerate the development of these beneficial

neural associations, providing continued momentum for positive perceptual shifts.

As with any medicinal experience, the journey toward healing can sometimes involve

discomfort in the aftermath. When we venture into the deeper realms of our awareness

and allow what is ready for assimilation to surface, there can be a period of turbulence as

things come to settle and integrate. While this is not always the case, it’s helpful to recognise

this possibility, and have this awareness as an anchor if feelings of unease or unsettledness

arise in the weeks following the experience. Often, things need to be stirred up in order to be

restructured, allowing them to settle once again into a healthier, more balanced state. The

long-term benefits of this process are evident, as it can release much of the energy that was

previously held in coping or "holding" patterns, creating space for greater ease and flow.

While this treatment is highly effective in addressing PTSD and other chronic adaptive patterns, it is not limited to severe cases. This experience can also be a profound and valuable tool for deeper self-exploration and expression, benefiting individuals across a wide spectrum of emotional and psychological experiences.

Treatment

We begin with a screening process and an orientation session to ensure that participants are well-suited for this work, both physiologically, medically, and psychologically. Following this, we proceed with the deeper therapy. The optimal process for this treatment involves three immersion sessions, spaced at least one month apart. This timing allows for integration on both a physical and psychological levels. Sessions experiences are cased in packages. The most basic package has one intake and one integration session included with the immersion session. The Intake sessions help to prepare us for the deeper work ahead, and following each immersion session we provide Integration sessions to help synthesise the benefits of this work into daily life. In cases where a longer-term process is needed—such as when trauma requires extended work—the protocol of three sessions can be repeated, with several months between each series to provide ample space for deeper integration.

The intake process for this treatment entails the following steps:

Initial Intake Form: The applicant will receive an intake form to fill out. This helps assess whether the participant's physical and mental conditions, as well as any medications they may be on, are compatible with the treatment. Heart conditions, high blood pressure, and certain medications may require additional consideration, as some can be prohibitive for this process. We will work to accommodate these factors to ensure the participant’s comfort and safety.
Consultation Session: Once the intake form is reviewed and it is confirmed that the treatment is suitable, an initial consultation session will be scheduled. During this meeting, we will discuss the treatment, answer any questions, and determine if this work is a good fit for the applicant. It is also a chance to assess the chemistry between the facilitator and the participant to ensure a supportive dynamic. Once we confirm the decision to work together, the client will receive an Agreement Form; a Preparation Guidelines manual; and a guided creative writing exercise titled 'Letter to Self' to reflect on their intentions for this process.

Package of choice initiates:

Therapeutic Intake Session(s): Following the consultation, at least one intake session will be conducted, which is more personal and therapeutic in nature. This session focuses on the participant’s current experiences and what we imagine may arise in the immersion session. Additional sessions may be scheduled before the immersion to explore deeper aspects, and the client will receive preparatory materials to support both before and after care.
Immersion Session: The immersion session lasts six hours and takes place on a full day. Participants are encouraged to allow a few gentle days afterward for integration.
Therapeutic Integration Session(s): Following each immersion session, therapeutic integration sessions provide key support in integrating the insights and revelations into the participants daily life. These sessions ensure that the changes are meaningful and sustainable. During the initial phase, sessions may take place twice a week if needed, and later shift to weekly, depending on the participant’s individual needs. These integration sessions are essential to the medicinal aspect of the experience and can continue for as long as they are beneficial to the participant, and allow us to receive the most from this experience.

Session Details: