Psychedelic Assisted Therapy in Winnipeg

Many people in Western culture may not think of cannabis as 'medicine'. This plant has long been associated with counterculture and is often seen as a symbol of lethargy. When people think of a cannabis user, we tend to picture stereotypical delinquents and underachievers, not well-meaning people with productive lives seeking relief from mental health struggles or even personal or spiritual growth.

 

On account of this stigma, cannabis has been largely neglected throughout the psychedelic renaissance. While it can be abused, just like any other substance, it also offers a doorway to the subconscious and, therefore, an opportunity to heal and grow when used with guidance in the right context. It is time to correct this unfortunate error in judgment and begin offering education on CAP as well as direct access to the treatment and the psychedelic experiences it offers.

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CAP is structured in a manner very similar to Ketamine-Assisted Therapy. The treatment is divided into preparation, dosing, and integration phases:

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• The preparation phase is dedicated to screening, assessment, education, and the formation of an intention to carry into the dosing phase. This intention may take the form of a request for symptom relief, a meaningful question, or anything that feels important for the client to explore or understand better.

• Dosing sessions will typically be structured in the following order: reviewing intentions with a therapist, imbibing the medicine, putting on a tailored playlist and a blindfold, and finally, processing the psychedelic experience with the therapist. These sessions will be longer than standard therapy sessions, lasting approximately 2 hours. Clients will need to arrange transportation after dosing sessions, as they cannot drive afterwards. Depending on the response to treatment, an individual may benefit from one, several, or even a dozen or more dosing sessions. For C-PTSD, for example, the available evidence supports 10 dosing sessions.

• Integration may be thought of as the process of incorporating small, meaningful changes into one's life based on one's psychedelic experience. This process begins after the first dosing session and continues in some form or another between subsequent dosing sessions as well as after CAP treatment is formally concluded. Integration may include adopting new habits or projects, taking steps to overcome poor habits, changing how one presents oneself in relationships, or a variety of lifestyle adjustments. 

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Please note that in order to access a full course of in-person CAP treatment, a medical cannabis prescription is required. Virtual/hybrid options are available for those without a prescription. This treatment is only suitable for those who do not have an abusive relationship with cannabis, and in particular those who can abstain from use for multiple weeks leading up to treatment as well as throughout treatment. If you believe CAP may be helpful to you or have questions about getting started, please reach out at the link below:

Based on the same breathing technique as Holotropic Breathwork, created by Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof (co-founder of transpersonal psychology), Neurodynamic Breathwork (NDB) allows for a deeper connection to oneself. It is used as a non-substance alternative to accessing expanded states of consciousness, which in recent years has been heavily researched.

 

NDB utilizes only your breath and music to induce physiological and psychological changes in the body that occur during this type of breathing, allowing you to access, as breathwork refers to it, your inner healing intelligence. Just as your body knows how to heal when it is cut, the psyche has the same drive to healing, health, and wholeness.

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Known to help with emotional awareness, emotional release, psychosomatic symptoms, processing experiences of trauma, and increased self-awareness, this technique can be used for those with existing chronic conditions as well as those who are in good health (some contraindications do exist). 

 

This practice is evidence-based and has been, and is being used by many trailblazing medical practitioners in individual, community, and clinical settings.

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Sessions can be done:

• 1:1 Individual

• 1:2 Couples

• Groups 

 

Only in-person options are available at this time.

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​Breathwork is very powerful in a safe group setting. In our day and age, where experiences of loneliness and isolation are being recognized as an epidemic by the World Health Organization, community experiences are fundamental to health and healing. That being said, it is understandable if a group experience may be something you wish to work up to, 1:1 can be a great place to start.

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This treatment is offered in partnership with Beatha Holistic Nursing. If you are interested in accessing this treatment or if you have any questions, feel free to contact the practitioner at the link below:

Meditation is a powerful tool on its own, as is cannabis. Both of these things have been well-researched and shown to have significant utility for helping manage mental health conditions and symptoms. The combination of the two, along with music and soundscapes, offers the opportunity of a deep journey into one's mind, and opens the door to a truly psychedelic experience.

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It is not uncommon for people who are relatively new to psychedelics to prefer their own, private experience when they first use this tool of self-exploration and healing. However, it is also perhaps just as common for people to prefer working in groups once they have tried them. ​While not ideal for everyone, there is something special about coming together with a unique constellation of individuals, all seeking to look inward. The group setting requires an act of trust and vulnerability of all participants, and these two things are central to healing and growth.

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Cannabis meditation groups are approximately 3.5 hours long. There are also virtual preparation and integration meetings several days before and after the group meditation, each lasting 60-90 minutes. There is also a screening and assessment process (paperwork) prior to any group meeting, which may involve a phone call. Groups are kept relatively small with no more than 7 participants and 2 guides. The meditation begins with an introduction and preparation support. After imbibing cannabis, participants are encouraged to apply a blindfold and settle onto a mat. Following a brief guided meditation, a tailored music set is played.

 

There is a short intermission; this is a good time to grab a snack, use the restroom, and ask for support from your guides if necessary to prepare for the second imbibing and music set. When this playlist ends, the meditation formally concludes. There will be some time to connect with fellow group members and guides as everyone slowly transitions into the rest of their day. As with CAP, participants will have to arrange for transportation after the event, as they will be unable to drive. Snacks are available at intermission and after the meditation is concluded; participants are encouraged to bring their own as well.

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A medical cannabis prescription is required to participate in cannabis meditation groups, which are only offered in person at this time. These groups are scheduled when a minimum of 5 committed participants express an interest in being added to the waitlist. If you would like to be added to this list or if you have any further questions about cannabis meditation groups, please reach out at the link below:

Perhaps you don't feel that CAP or Breathwork are right for you. Maybe you have a specific psychedelic medicine in mind that remains difficult to access in a clinical setting, such as Psilocybin, Ayahuasca, Ketamine, or MDMA. This is more than understandable, given all the exciting research and media attention that these compounds have received in recent years. While support is also available for gaining special access through Health Canada (see below), such approvals are rare, time-consuming, and often feel out of reach for many.

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However, stepping outside of legal, above-ground treatment carries risk. Some of my clients have been harmed by practitioners in underground spiritual communities that use psychedelic compounds. Others I have worked with, after struggling with a treatment-resistant mental health condition for a long time, use psychedelic drugs alone. For various reasons, this is never advisable, and I have seen examples where such experiences worsen someone's condition or even result in a crisis situation.

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This is one of the great harms of prohibition: desperate, vulnerable people seeking relief they cannot find in the healthcare system are left to navigate difficult decisions in a risk-laden psychedelic landscape.

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Thankfully, professional help is still available through a harm reduction approach. Just as addicts don't need to hide their illicit drug use from their therapists, people who choose to use psychedelic drugs don't need to isolate themselves with their decisions or their care. Of course, at no point can a therapist aid, abet, or condone illegal activity, but we can offer various forms of support:

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• Education and risk assessment of popular and even legal, yet potentially risky paths to access (psychedelic tourism, such as Ayahuasca or Psilocybin churches/healing centers).

• Therapeutic support in processing challenging or traumatizing psychedelic experiences.

• Preparation and integration support for psychedelic experiences of all kinds.

• Informed discussion and education on paths to access.

• Screening and risk assessment.​

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If you believe you may benefit from any of these forms of support or if you have any further questions, please feel free to book online through the tab above or reach out at the following link:

One leading school of thought on why psychedelics are therapeutic is that they offer us a profound experience, truly unlike any other. Many beautiful words are used by journeyers and researchers in an attempt to describe these experiences. They are referred to as: mystical, transcendental, numinous, unifying, holotropic, spiritual, expansive, and non-dual, to name a few. 

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Obviously, experiences like this are not something everyone can relate to. It can be difficult to find conversation partners to help you process what you have been through, which is critical to integration. In fact, it is generally discouraged to try to talk to others who have not had comparable experiences, as their responses may be invalidating or even contain contagious anxiety if they feel worried or confused on your behalf. This can make good psychedelic care difficult to access for many, as not everyone can afford to pay for a properly trained therapist as part of their integration. And, again, the group experience offers something that one-on-one conversation does not in the form of trust, vulnerability, and camaraderie. As powerful as psychedelics are, they are not more powerful than being heard or tapping into a sense of community.

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Integration groups are one way to solve this problem. All attendees will have had their own psychedelic experience/s they wish to discuss. Experienced and psychedelically trained health professionals will be present as well to create structure and offer support from a harm reduction approach.

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These groups are offered periodically at 141 Sherbrook St for a suggested donation of $15. Donations cover expenses such as posters, drinks/snacks, and making psychedelic-assisted therapy in Winnipeg more accessible. All attendees must be sober, or they will be asked to leave.

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The next group is scheduled for November 10th at 7:30pm.

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If you are interested in attending this or a future integration group, please reach out at the link below.