What are Psychedelics?
Psychedelics is an umbrella term for certain types of drugs that are known for their psychoactive effects, and increasingly for their vast therapeutic potential. They include certain types of plants and fungi, and well as synthetic compounds.
What is psychedelic-assisted therapy?
Psychedelic assisted-therapy is a form of psychotherapy that involves the use of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for the purpose of facilitating mental wellness, therapeutic breakthroughs, and insight.
While still largely restricted to research settings, psychedelic assisted therapy is a broad term that encompasses a number of different approaches and protocols using psychedelic substances, and involves proticols and practices that have been studied since the 1950s. Though psychedelics like LSD showed promise as therapeutic agents in those early years, a period of prohibition starting in the 1960s and through the early 2000s significantly hindered the research and development of these modalities.
The last decade has seen a significant body of encouraging research supporting the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for a number of mental health issues, especially depression, anxiety, addiction, and trauma. Though most psychedelics are still regulated substances, the legal and medical landscape is changing quickly, and more treatment options are starting to become available to the general public.
Is psychedelic-assisted therapy available now?
Yes. Numinus currently offers ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Additionally, we are undertaking clinical trials with MDMA and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to help further the body of research examining them as treatments for a variety of conditions. We plan to offer these treatments as the regulatory landscape in North America changes. Read our recommendation letter to Health Canada for more.