As the world becomes more digital every day, more people are turning to online therapy as a way to transform and heal themselves for personal growth.
Today’s digital age has witnessed a significant surge in online accessibility thanks to COVID-19. Working remotely seems to be more common than not, and even doctor’s appointments can be conducted online.
The pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for new treatments as the number of mental health diagnoses skyrocketed. Depression rates alone increased by 25% during the pandemic. Clearly, we need more mental health treatments that are readily available.
Before embarking on your psychedelic journey, it’s important to fully know what psychedelic therapy entails. We will discuss the differences between psychedelic therapists, guides, and facilitators.
Then, we will review the benefits of psychedelic therapy and outline the safety precautions that are implemented throughout the journey.
To close off, we will provide you with resources on finding online psychedelic therapy based in the US that is right for your needs. While finding online psychedelic therapy may seem difficult, Psychedelic Passage is dedicated to making it a reality for you.
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The Difference Between a Psychedelic Therapist, Guide, & Facilitator
Surely you’ve heard the words ‘therapist’, ‘facilitator’, and ‘guide’ when learning about psychedelic therapy. But what is the difference?
Psychedelic therapists are licensed medical professionals who incorporate psychedelics into their practice. Due to the strict laws surrounding psychedelics in the US, psychedelic therapists may be hard to come by, as many aren’t willing to risk their licensure.
Even if a therapist is willing to help you, they can only assist in the preparation and integration stages of your psychedelic journey, as they are not legally allowed to be present during your actual psychedelic experience.
On the other hand, the terms ‘guide’ and ‘facilitator’ can be used interchangeably when it comes to talking about psychedelics. Guides have extensive knowledge surrounding psychedelics through years of facilitating experience and first-hand encounters with psychedelics themselves.
The main difference between psychedelic guides and therapists is therapists have a medical license while guides do not. However, guides can offer the same therapeutic services as a therapist, plus in-person ceremonial support.
The Benefits of Psychedelic Therapy
Psychedelic therapy offers countless benefits that positively impact your mental health and overall well-being. One of the most important parts of psychedelic therapy is its ability to treat a wide range of mental health disorders, including treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and even OCD.
The treatments currently available for mental disorders aren’t effective for everyone and take weeks until relief is felt. In contrast, the benefits of psychedelic therapy are almost instantaneous, but of course, the integration step plays a big part in this.
What sets psychedelic therapy apart is its ability to address the root cause of mental health problems rather than just managing the symptoms. By working at the core of the problem, psychedelic therapy offers a transformative approach to healing.
In addition to their therapeutic applications, psychedelics can also induce a range of positive experiences, including feelings of relaxation, an improved sense of well-being, increased social connectedness, introspection, and even spiritual experiences.
While more research is needed to fully understand the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, the current evidence highlights their efficacy in treating various conditions, and there may even be more conditions that can benefit from their use that we haven’t discovered yet.
Safety Measures & Precautions in Psychedelic Therapy
In order to have a successful and beneficial psychedelic experience, your safety is of the utmost importance.
During the preparation stage of psychedelic therapy, your facilitator will conduct a thorough health screening to ensure that you are suitable and well-prepared for the journey. This screening includes a review of your medical history and any other factors in your life.
For example, if you have a mental disorder like bipolar disorder, it is strongly advised to not use psychedelics, as negative side effects could occur. Even if you have a family history of bipolar disorder, the use of psychedelics could bring out some underlying symptoms in you.
Another crucial part of ensuring a safe experience is having a qualified professional with you, whether that be a licensed therapist or a psychedelic facilitator, that can provide assistance if needed.
The concept of set and setting is another important part of having an impactful experience. ‘Set’ pertains to your subjective experience and is influenced by your state of mind and intentions, which is why it’s crucial to be in the right mindset before your experience.
‘Setting’ refers to the physical environment where your psychedelic experience takes place. Your facilitator will provide you with a comfortable environment, whether that be in a public setting or in the comfort of your own home.
Where to Find Online US-Based Psychedelic Experiences 2023
As psychedelic laws differ from state to state, you may be wondering where you could find a psychedelic experience. The main options available to you include ketamine clinics, clinical trials, and guided psychedelic journeys with Psychedelic Passage.
- Ketamine Therapy
When thinking about ketamine therapy, we typically think of a clinical setting where ketamine is administered intravenously. But believe it or not, ketamine therapy can be offered completely remote so you can have the experience in the comfort of your own home.
Ketamine therapy is an option for those without success in other mental health treatments. Of course, make sure to talk to your provider to see if ketamine therapy is right for you.
Unlike clinics, at-home ketamine therapy typically involves oral ingestion of the drug, with effects taking up to an hour to begin and lasting approximately 3 hours. When administered intravenously, the effects of ketamine can be felt immediately.
However, certain precautions must be taken into consideration before undergoing ketamine therapy due to the potential side effects, such as a spike in blood pressure. Before treatment, undergoing a health screening with your provider is important to ensure your suitability for ketamine therapy.
While not classified as a traditional psychedelic, ketamine induces hallucinogenic effects similar to other psychedelics. Currently, ketamine stands as one of the only psychedelics with legal therapeutic use.
On this note, it’s important to acknowledge and remember that a ketamine experience differs from a traditional psychedelic experience. Holding misconceptions about the nature of ketamine therapy may impact your desired results, leaving you dissatisfied.
As great as online ketamine therapy sounds, it may be hard to come by. Not all in-person ketamine clinics offer the preparation and integration stages, which is key to a beneficial experience.
Still wondering if ketamine therapy is right for you? We invite you to read our article on the benefits and pitfalls of ketamine therapy before beginning the search of finding the right ketamine clinic near you, online or not.
- Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are another way to get a psychedelic experience in the US. However, the difficulty of finding a psychedelic clinical trial in your state may be more complicated than in other states, depending on the laws and institutes available.
If you are looking for a completely remote psychedelic clinical trial, the difficulty of finding one increases even more. Certain stages of the process can be held online, such as preparing for the experience and follow-up appointments.
Because this is a clinical trial, the researcher will have to monitor you closely, therefore requiring you to have the psychedelic experience in person. Another reason for this is the need for consistent, controlled settings.
Psychedelic clinical trials are very difficult to get into. Even if you get past the initial screening, there are still additional assessments and criteria that need to be met.
Some of these criteria could include being diagnosed with a specific disorder, proof of failed treatments for that disorder, meeting specific medication requirements, and prior psychedelic use.
It’s important to be aware that you may receive a placebo during the trial instead of the psychedelic. In some cases, you may be asked to stop current treatments/medications, and therefore, it’s essential that you consult with your doctor prior to the trial.
Follow-up appointments with the researcher are part of the clinical trial, but these appointments discuss you and the treatment, not how to integrate the experience into your daily life. We recommend you have an integration coach with you every step of the way.
- Guided Experiences With Psychedelic Passage
At Psychedelic Passage, we understand how personal and meaningful a psychedelic experience is, which is why we give you the freedom to take control of your journey every step of the way.
We believe that everyone should be able to experience the benefits of psychedelic medicine, so we’ve built a pre-vetted network of psychedelic facilitators across the country so you are able to experience the journey.
Our 5-week program includes preparation, integration, and ceremonial support, whether that be in person or remotely. Unlike other psychedelic services, we offer all stages of the psychedelic journey on Zoom, as well as remote microdosing support.
After you’ve found the right match, your facilitator will guide you throughout the preparation stage, where you will set your intentions for your journey. You can also choose to have your psychedelic experience in the comfort of your own home.
Your facilitator will provide ceremonial support during your psychedelic experience and will continue to work with you through the integration stage, helping you process your experience and teaching you how to apply this newfound knowledge to your everyday life.
You also have the freedom to choose from a wide range of psychedelics to work with. If you still have questions about the psychedelic therapy process, please be sure to check out our step-by-step guide.
Talk to a Psychedelic Professional
Beginning your psychedelic journey may seem intimidating, which is why we are here to help. If you’re interested in learning more about our services or you are ready to start your journey, we encourage you to book a consultation with us.
To get a better understanding of how beneficial therapeutic psychedelic experiences are, we recommend you head over to our testimonials page to learn more about what others have gained from working with us.
We hope that we have given you all the information you need to get started on your psychedelic journey, but if you have any more questions, make sure to check out our resources page. Enjoy the journey!
