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PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY

Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy

 

Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy is a therapeutic modality using various medicines that can help you address and work through issues that might be difficult to access or work through using traditional talk-therapy alone.

 

Psychedelics produce non-ordinary states of consciousness. In a non-ordinary state, we can often see things from a different perspective; we can let go of our ego or rational/thinking mind and see alternative answers, creative solutions, and our lives from a broader perspective. In these states, we might gain insight or clarity into our patterns, issues, relationships, and/or traumas, and find novel ways to heal.

 

There are many different psychedelic medicines and each can provide a unique experience and therapeutic benefit depending on the issues you are facing.

 

In my practice, I offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and cannabis assisted therapy. If you choose to use other psychedelic medicines, I can help you prepare before those journeys and/or help you integrate and process your experiences afterwards.

 

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

 

Ketamine is a dissociate and anesthetic medicine. The anesthetic part can produce feelings of sedation or relaxation and the dissociative aspect can often result in having an out of body experience and alteration of consciousness. Everyone’s experience is unique but often times people are able to see challenges, relationships, or symptoms in a new, more compassionate way and develop greater ease at letting things go.

 

Ketamine is often very effective for people struggling with symptoms of depression although it can also be useful for a number of other issues, such as symptoms of PTSD, substance abuse, and anxiety.

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Resources:

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https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2147/JPR.S360733#abstract

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9207256/pdf/jpr-15-1691.pdf

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4933765/pdf/aps20165a.pdf

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Cannabis-Assisted Psychotherapy

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Cannabis is not often thought of as a psychedelic. Many people are not aware of the therapeutic benefits of cannabis because it is so widely used recreationally and has a long sociopolitical demonization and has been viewed as the "gateway drug," and for people with little direction or motivation. 

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Personally, I questioned the therapeutic effectiveness and alleged psychedelic effects until I took a level 1 training in psychedelic cannabis, and I experienced how profound psychedelic cannabis can be for myself and for others.

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Cannabis is a medicine with hallucinogenic, stimulant, and depressive qualities. It can mimic many different psychedelics, so a medicine session might feel like MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and/or ayahuasca. Sometimes, elements of each in one particular session.

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Cannabis is an ideal psychedelic medicine because you often have a lot more agency and control in the session. You can go as deep as you would like and work through significant issues, trauma, and/or grief, or you can choose to be light and playful, or just feel the effects of cannabis and not do deep work.

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Cannabis-assisted psychotherapy can be helpful for a number of different issues, including trauma, anxiety, depression, substance abuse and other compulsive behaviors, chronic pain, and life transitions.

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Resources:

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9947284/

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The RESET Model Training Program

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The RESET model training is a comprehensive, experiential workshop designed for clinicians to work with clients in non-ordinary states, including psychedelic therapy. It integrates Western psychological theories and techniques with indigenous, spiritual, and energetic approaches.The program immerses clinicians in over a dozen non-ordinary states, empowering them to cultivate their own Relational, Energetic, Somatic, Expressive, and Transpersonal (RESET) experiences. This hands-on approach teaches them to work from a truly integrative lens, allowing and inviting all aspects of a client's experience to emerge.Through this unique journey, clinicians gain a deeper understanding of their own consciousness, fostering greater intuition and presence. This enhanced self-awareness enables them to trust themselves more fully and provide an exceptionally safe and expansive therapeutic container for their clients.

 

 

Week 1: Introduction to the RESET Model, Preparation, and Ceremony

Participants will learn the basic principles of the RESET model. We'll discuss essential elements of preparation for clients working in non-ordinary states, including safety, ethics, and consent. We'll also cover basic tenets of ceremony facilitation and engage in an experiential group ceremony. This group experience will include here-and-now facilitation to build cohesion and begin developing these essential skills.

 

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Week 2: Mindfulness and Hypnosis

Participants will learn basic hypnosis skills, such as trance, suggestion, and creating scripts, and will be guided through several hypnosis exercises. You'll also learn mindfulness-based skills and how to apply this approach when working with clients in non-ordinary states. We'll include experiential and didactic exercises focused on sensory awareness and activation.

 

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Week 3: Energy Work

We'll explore different models of energy facilitation. Participants will learn how to directly work with energy from a Reiki perspective and by engaging with the chakra system. You'll be guided through an energy session and learn tools to provide self-energy sessions.

 

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Week 4: Shamanism

We'll discuss various shamanic lineages and traditions, with in-depth attention focused on Michael Harner’s Core Shamanism approach. Participants will be led through a power animal retrieval ceremony and learn skills to help guide clients with this technique.

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Week 5: IFS/Parts Work

Participants will learn the basic tenets of different parts theories, including Internal Family Systems, Roll's method of Drama Therapy, and Jungian archetypes. You'll be led through an individual embodied parts practice as well as a here-and-now group process.

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Week 6: Somatic Approaches I: Body-Based Healing and Touch

We'll discuss and explore body-based therapeutic approaches, examining how trauma affects the body and how working with the body can release trauma and facilitate post-traumatic growth. We'll cover safety, ethics, and boundaries associated with therapeutic touch. Participants will learn touch and self-touch skills and be guided through various somatic and self-touch exercises.

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Week 7: Somatic Approaches II: Emotional and Somatic Regulation and Release

We'll continue exploring somatic-based approaches. Participants will learn Emotion Release Techniques, principles of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and other tools to help regulate the nervous system.

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Week 8: Creative and Expressive Therapy I: Drama Therapy

Participants will learn the basic tenets of the three main types of Drama Therapy (Psychodrama, Traditional Drama Therapy, and Developmental Transformations) as well as the principles and practice of Drag Therapy. There will be an expressive therapy experiential where participants will be led through exercises incorporating all of these expressive modalities.

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Week 9: Creative and Expressive Therapy II: Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Dance Therapy, and Music Facilitation

We'll continue exploring expressive and creative art modalities, including music, dance, and art. We'll also discuss the use of music in non-ordinary experiences and how to create playlists for different experiences. Participants will learn how to apply these creative techniques during non-ordinary experiences and as tools for integration. We'll have another expressive-art experiential where these approaches will be put into action. After these two workshops, participants will have a better understanding of how to work with metaphor, role-playing, free-form movement and creative expression, play, and how to show up for clients in a non-ordinary state in whatever capacity they need.

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Week 10: Cannabis Journey

This four-hour workshop guides participants through a complete cannabis medicine session. Use of medicine is optional, and participants can substitute with breathwork. The workshop will include a grounding meditation, ceremony, intention setting, two hour journey, and optional group processing.

 

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Week 11: Integration and Bringing It All Together

We'll discuss principles of Integration, and participants will learn skills to help clients process their experiences in non-ordinary states. We'll also facilitate group integration from the cannabis experiential. Ways to bring together all the elements of this training will be discussed, providing participants with a clearer, more structured way to apply the RESET method with their clients.

© 2025 by Leon Silvers

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