Michael Harner was a contemporary of Stanislav Grof and many of the other leaders in psychedelic therapy in the 50s and 60s. He popularized a non-psychedelic approach to accessing altered states of consciousness using sonic drumming. I have been trained to provide Harner Shamanic Counselling, which teaches people to journey and enter non-ordinary states of consciousness over a period of five, one-hour sessions. For those who are interested in exploring what healing might be available from non-ordinary states of consciousness, Harner Shamanic Counselling is a gentle introduction. Journeys are short, and because no medicines are involved, you have full control over your ability to come out of the experience if you are uncomfortable. The drawbacks of this approach are that it tends to be less intense, and without the medicines it can be harder to surrender and trust what you are experiencing.

Ketamine is a synthetic medicine that is typically used as pain relief in hospitals, but at certain dosages can provoke a psychedelic experience and is now used widely across Canada for mental health treatment in ketamine clinics. As part of my graduate certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy from Vancouver Island University, I am required to complete a certain number of practicum hours. I am currently shadowing and assisting Dr. Alexis Goth two days per month at her ketamine clinic in Bedford, Nova Scotia. If you are interested in receiving ketamine therapy or learning more about it, please fill out this form on Dr. Goth’s website and indicate to her that you would like me involved in your treatment. It is my hope to eventually team up with a physician and nurse to provide ketamine-assisted therapy here in Antigonish. If this would be of interest to you, please let me know.

While psilocybin is still a controlled substance in Canada, it is available to a select few through Canada’s Special Access Program (SAP). Preparing a SAP application requires the support of a physician. The theory portion of psilocybin-assisted therapy was covered in my VIU training, and I am scheduled to receive experiential training in Jamaica (where psilocybin is fully legal) at the beginning of November, 2023. Professionally-led psilocybin-assisted therapy is available at multiple locations in Jamaica. If you would like more information about legal, safe access to psilocybin, please contact me.

Psychedelic experiences can lead to profound insights, shifts in perspective, and renewed clarity about our values. However, when we return to our everyday lives, it can be easy to lose touch with those insights and clarity and end up back where we started. Integration therapy is an important part of the therapeutic use of psychedelics. It involves taking time to draw connections, ponder our experiences, and make tangible changes to how we engage in our daily lives. As an Occupational Therapist, I am most interested in how psychedelic medicine can shift how we show up and engage with the world around us through our everyday actions and behaviours. Please contact me if you have undergone a recent psychedelic experience and are interested in gaining support in integration.

As a regulated health professional, I do not endorse engagement in illegal activities. I cannot provide or administer psychedelics to a client. However, it is also my responsibility as an Occupational Therapist to ensure that people engage in meaningful occupations safely. An excellent resource for determining contraindications for various psychedelic medicines is the Spirit Pharmacist website. If you, or someone you know, is planning to access psychedelics through an illegal or underground provider, I encourage you to book a session to discuss harm reduction approaches.