Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy and Integration | Mindspace

In recent years Mindspace has become a leader in Canada in the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. In 2019 we hosted one of the first training programs in Canada for clinicians wanting to learn more about helping their clients work safely with psychedelics, and launched our Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration program. Our psychedelics team continues to push this discipline forward and facilitate continuing education efforts with a number of partners throughout North America. In late 2020 we will be offering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. See below for our list of psychedelic-related services.

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

There is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that the supervised use of ketamine can be effective as a treatment for depression. Ketamine occupies a unique position in the psychedelic landscape from a regulatory perspective and can now be prescribed to address treatment-resistant depression. Mindspace has assembled a multi-disciplinary team of health care professionals in order to offer this service to our clients.

Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration

Mindspace holds a harm reduction position in response to the growing public interest in psychedelics to support the mental health and well-being of individuals who intend to or have had psychedelic experiences. While Mindspace neither condemns nor encourages psychedelic use, we believe that with proper education and integration support, the potential benefits of psychedelic use can be increased, and the risks associated with it reduced.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is ketamine?

Ketamine was initially developed as a surgical anesthetic in the 1970s, and continues to be used today for this purposes in hospitals. It is a well-tolerated, safe medicine from a physiological perspective that also has psychedelic and dissociative effects at certain doses. It also has a rapid antidepressant effect.
What is ketamine-assisted psychotherapy?

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a process whereby the effects of a dose or multiple doses of ketamine are accompanied by psychotherapy. This process generally has two approaches: the first includes sessions whereby a mild, sub-psychedelic dose of ketamine is used as a kind of catalyst for the psychotherapeutic process; that is, it facilitates dialogue between the individual and their therapist. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can also refer to a therapeutic process that involves longer immersive sessions whereby a full psychedelic dose of ketamine is administered for the purposes of a more internal, visionary experience. These sessions are typically accompanied by a number of preparatory and integration sessions.