San-Diego Based Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
San Diego’s Growing Interest in Psychedelic Therapy
Nowadays, psychedelics and psychedelic science are in the news regularly. People are increasingly interested in the therapeutic potential of these medicines and their effects on the brain, safety, and methods of access.
While research and public attention to psychedelic medicine has risen in just a couple of years, these plants and their use have been around for thousands of years. Various cultures around the world have relationships with these medicines conducive for healing, initiation, expanding consciousness and catalyzing cognitive breakthroughs.
Today, there is great interest in psychedelic assisted therapy in San Diego, especially as documentaries like How To Change Your Mind and Fantastic Fungi pop up on Netflix.
The prominent soap making business Dr Bronner’s Magic Soaps, headquartered in Vista, CA in San Diego county, has outwardly come out in support of increasing access to psychedelic therapies.
Organizations, medical professionals, and advocates are awakening to the potential for psychedelics to bring profound benefits to one's well-being, especially when paired with guided treatments, psychotherapy, and/or psychedelic integration.
It's not uncommon for someone to learn about psychedelics and then consider them for healing, gaining insights into their emotions, and/or cognitive betterment.
Psychedelics In America Today
Clinical researchers study psychedelic medicine for the treatment of mental health conditions, such as anxiety, addiction, PTSD, and depression (including treatment resistant depression). What the science so far suggests is that psychedelic assisted therapy can lead to powerful positive changes for the brain and body. As the positive buzz around psychedelics grows, so too does interest in experiencing them.
If you’ve seen a news piece on psilocybin therapy, you’ve probably seen an example of research with psychedelic assisted therapy, whereby the client / patient / research participant lies down on a bed with headphones and eyeshades while a trained mental health facilitator, often a therapist, sits next to them to ensure safety and take notes. This work in the United States is limited to research trials and the competition for participating is high.
For anyone looking to heal through psychedelics, it's important to understand the role of a facilitator, their local laws, and treatment options for psychedelics. Let’s dive into the benefits of working with trained professionals.
The Role of a Psychedelic Facilitator
Facilitation is perhaps the most common form of support for a guided journey with psychedelics. People choose to work with a facilitator because a psychedelic experience can seem exhausting for the brain and body. A facilitator is an experienced professional who offers guidance, wisdom, and compassion to promote healing and maximize benefits for clients.
The facilitator works with the person engaging with the psychedelic, let's call them the "journeyer", and ensures they feel supported before, during, and after the experience. It's essential to know that working with a facilitator is not therapy treatment and one will likely waive certain rights to pursue this; however, many who learn about facilitation find it helps them achieve their goals.
Psychedelic Facilitation vs. Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
People commonly work with a facilitator as they pursue psychedelics on their own volition. This is in part because there are limited routes for actual psychedelic assisted therapy available today. Additionally, many people find that a short term facilitation process over a few weeks or months helps them create positive, lasting changes in their life, such as a shift in perspective or a greater sense of connectedness.
The facilitator helps the journeyer get the most out of psychedelics, from mitigating against bad trips to clueing them into novel insights. A facilitator should possess a high capacity for empathy, culturally sensitive understanding of mental health issues, and personal experience with plant medicines. Again, facilitation is not formal therapy with ketamine or psilocybin, though it can be done in connection with a therapist or a mental health treatment provider.
Guided Psychedelic Experiences In San Diego
Here in San Diego, there are a few options for facilitation in San Diego and San Diego County. We at Pivot Psychedelics have experience facilitating sessions, supporting clients, and helping them translate benefits from psychedelics into lasting changes in their lives.
Over the last three years, our team has helped hundreds of people (literally over 500) navigate psychedelics. All team members have their Master's degrees in Counseling Psychology and have trained in psychedelic assisted therapy and ketamine assisted therapy.
We are an education and harm-reduction organization built to help you understand your options for psychedelic facilitation and psychedelic assisted therapy. We do not provide you with psychedelic medicine, ketamine, magic mushrooms, or any illicit substances.
Anyone beginning their exploration of facilitation and types of treatments with psychedelics can make contact with Pivot Psychedelics to learn more.
Where To Find Legal Psychedelic Experiences
While many psychedelics remain federally illegal, states are taking matters into their own hands and passing legislation on how these substances are treated. States and local jurisdictions have passed legislation to change the status of psilocybin and other substances. There is an active senate bill in California that would increase access to certain psychedelics, including psilocybin.
As the legality of these medicines changes, so too does their use in therapy. Oregon and Colorado are two states who have made legislative changes and are setting up Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. The exact process is still being ironed out, but these states will be the best bet for aspiring patients.
If you live outside the US or have the means to travel, there are opportunities to pursue plant medicines with little or no legal issues in other parts of the world. Two of the most popular areas for psychedelic treatment are Jamaica and the Netherlands. In these two countries, psilocybin therapy and wellness centers offer the medicine, typically in conjunction with therapeutic support or integration.
Ketamine Assisted Therapy
As an alternative to a psychedelic experience domestic or abroad, some people pursue ketamine for treating anxiety and depression. While not considered a classic psychedelic (because it targets glutamine receptors in the brain, rather than serotonin), ketamine is often lumped in with other psychedelic drugs, and research suggests its efficacy for treating a range of patient psychological conditions.
Ketamine assisted therapy typically involves multiple dosing sessions for the patient, lasting 1-3 three hours in length, spaced out over the course of a few weeks. The two primary options for receiving ketamine treatments are in-person clinics or at-home prescription delivery services, though not all of them involve psychotherapy in particular. Doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants can prescribe ketamine to patients for off-label use in all 50 US states.
Prospects For Psychedelic Therapy San Diego
While the availability of psychedelic assisted therapy in the US is limited to clinical trials and ketamine assisted therapy, there are encouraging signs that psychedelic drugs will be approved for therapeutic use within a few years or decade.
In the meantime, we know people are interested in healing the brain and body through psychedelic medicine, psychedelic integration, and opportunities for treatment, so we at Pivot Psychedelics are prepared to discuss your options with you.
You can make contact with us for a free appointment by clicking below.
