RESOURCES
The Oregon Center for Psychedelic Somatic Therapy
The Oregon Center for Psychedelic Somatic Therapy does not provide illegal substances nor do we encourage participation in the use, purchase, or transfer of illegal substances.
We operate from a harm reduction and therapeutic approach. We provide education, aim to increase awareness around safe practices and offer assistance prior to participation, and to integrate experiences after they occur. While we do facilitate therapy journeys, participants are requested to properly inform themselves prior to participation, and to provide their own cannabis as well as legally prescribed ketamine lozenges for use during these ceremonies.
Our practices are firmly grounded in an understanding that how one goes about preparing or, then living changes forward in a positive direction following any medicated journey or ceremony are the real keys to long term benefit.
Along these lines, we offer the Psychedelic Preparation and Integration Exercise Program with Randall Brown:
Learn more about specific psychedelic agents and therapies by exploring the resources below.
-The OCPST Team
-
- Dan McQueen, Psychedelic Cannabis
- Peter Grinspoon, MD, Seeing Through the Smoke
-https://www.forbes.com/health/body/health-benefits-of-cannabis/
-https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/cannabis-marijuana-and-cannabinoids-what-you-need-to-know
-https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085
-
What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a psychoactive drug classified as a dissociative anesthetic. It was first synthesized in 1962 and has been used in the United States as an anesthetic in medical settings since 1970. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines
Ketamine has been used off-label in sub-anesthetic doses for the past 20 years to treat chronic pain, depression, and a variety of other mental health concerns, thanks to its rapid onset antidepressant effects, sometimes providing nearly immediate relief from emotional and physical pain. While the antidepressant effects tend to be temporary after a single ketamine treatment, multiple treatments have proven to have a cumulative effect, successfully alleviating symptoms in approximately 30 - 60% of individuals with treatment-resistant depression.
In low doses, ketamine can serve as a supportive adjunct to psychotherapy, as it provides an opportunity for the temporary softening of the psychological defenses, allowing for deeper self reflection and psychotherapeutic processing.
In moderate doses, ketamine has psychedelic effects, which have been shown to facilitate profound transpersonal experiences. These types of experiences can help people in a variety of ways, offering important clarity and insight into one’s struggles, adding a spiritual dimension to ongoing therapeutic work, and facilitating a sense of meaning and interconnectedness.
Recommended reading:
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy: A Systematic Narrative Review of the Literature ; 2022, Journal of Pain Research. (Sandra J Drozdz, Akash Goel, Matthew W McGarr, Joel Katz, Paul Ritvo, Gabriella F Mattina, Venkat Bhat, Calvin Diep, Karim S Ladha)
Ketamine Psychedelic Psychotherapy: Focus on its Pharmacology, Phenomenology, and Clinical Applications , Eli Kolp; International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, Volume 33, Issue 2, California Institute of Integral Studies.
Brockus Therapy Playlist for Podcasts about Psychedelic Therapy, especially Ketamine: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6v47dqE5VPxf5s9TQVO9gW?si=66c9027a4d844cfeVideos of therapists experiencing ADVANCED level ketamine and cannabis therapy:
Educational Resources for Therapists & Clients | Psychedelic Somatic InstituteA Brief History of Ketamine’s use to treat depression:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-brief-history-of-ketamines-use- to-treat-depression-180980106/A Variety of Articles from Ketamine Therapists at Polaris Insight (similar to MAPS): https://www.polarisinsight.com/media-news/articles/
A quick Read on Ketamine Preparation:
https://psychedelic.support/resources/what-i-wish-id-known-before-ketamine- therapy/A collection of Ketamine articles for depression, alcoholism, suicidality:
https://medium.com/search?q=ketamineKetamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02791072.2019.1587556?scroll=top&needAccess=truePsychEd Episode 34: “Ketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression”, with Dr. Sandhya Prashad https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/psyched-episode-34-ketamine-for-treatment-resistant/id1215646896?i=1000515122266
Psychedelics Today, Methods of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, by Veronika Gold: https://psychedelicstoday.com/2019/05/07/veronika-gold-methods-of-ketamine-assisted-psychotherapy/
Ram Dass, Here and Now, Episode 166: “How Different It Is…”:
https://www.ramdass.org/ram-dass-here-and-now-ep-166-how-different-it-is/ (Ram Dass’ talk begins at 18:10)- Listen to Awareness by Anthony de Mello, available on Audible.
(This is a live recording from the 1980s by a Jesuit Priest, truly amazing and easy to listen to in short increments!) www.amazon.com/s?k=aware+anthony+de+mello&adgrpidhttps://psychedelic.support/resources/what-i-wish-id-known-before-ketamine-therapy/
-
Roger Walsh and Charles Grab, Higher Wisdom
Excerpt: “Use them (psychedelics) with care, and use them with respect as to the transformations they can achieve, and you have an extraordinary research tool. Know what you’re using, decide just why you’re using it, and you can have a rich experience. They’re not addictive, and they’re certainly not escapist, either, but they’re exceptionally valuable tools for understanding the human mind, and how it works.” -Alexander Shulgin- Foundations:
- MAPS.org
- Articles & News:
- psychedelicstoday.com — source of workbooks and trip journals
- Conferences:
- Information:
- Clinical Trials:
- Paul Stamets, Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World ; as well as his site, Host Defense.
-
-”How to Change your Mind”, Netflix documentary and book by Michael Pollen https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/arts/television/how-to-change-your-mind-netflix-michael-pollan.html
-Trip of Compassion Documentary, following three PTSD survivors healing with MAPS MDMA Therapy tim.blog/2019/03/09/trip-of-compassion/
-Henry Whitfield, A Spectrum of Selves Reinforced in Multilevel Coherence: A Contextual Behavioural Response to the Challenges of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Development ; 2021, Fronteirs in Psychiatry.
-Lonny S. Jarrett, Entheogens: The Light and Shadow of Subtle Medicine ; 2021, Journal of Transpersonal Research.
-Psychedelic Medicine: A Review of Clinical Research for a Class of Rapidly-Emerging Behavioral Health Interventions , First Edition, March 2022, BrainFutures.