{"id":461164,"date":"2026-05-22T03:57:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T03:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/461164\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T03:57:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T03:57:25","slug":"inside-the-trippy-work-of-psychedelic-assisted-therapists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/461164\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Trippy Work of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated5 min read<\/p>\n

Key Points<\/p>\n

\"CaretAs the interest in ketamine and psilocybin grows, so is the demand for psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) counselors.Unlike \u201ctrip sitters,\u201d PAT counselors usually hold a degree in counseling and receive training from psychedelic-focused training institutes.Examples of PAT counselor techniques include pushing on someone\u2019s feet to simulate literal ground and holding their hand if the client is re-experiencing a trauma.<\/p>\n

DURING MY FIRST ketamine journey<\/a>, I found myself in a void, curious to follow an overhead boulevard of bold pink, green, blue, and orange neon light. But the sound of water dribbling into a bowl was drowning out the ethereal music in my ears and prevented me from going.<\/p>\n

With great effort, I reached out to the person world and croaked, \u201cPlease stop the water.\u201d I immediately heard my therapist\u2019s voice, with an embodied clarity that did not exist in my present: \u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d The water sounds stopped, music washed into my ears, and I flew along the neons.<\/p>\n

The rest of that journey helped me process and understand the compounding traumas of losing my mother to ALS in 2017 and a grave injury that left me paralyzed two years later.<\/p>\n

The water sounds in my therapist’s office might be helpful to some clients. But the fact that I found them distracting\u2014and my therapist\u2019s quick reaction\u2014show the value of working with a properly trained counselor when using psychedelics to resolve psychological pain.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that psychedelics have helped people like me who live with deeply internalized traumas of all kinds. Research has shown that these medicines can help people overcome PTSD<\/a>, treatment-resistant depression<\/a>, addiction<\/a>, and other serious mental health issues. Ketamine, a well-studied and generally safe medicine, has become a fairly common therapeutic psychedelic. And, as states legalize psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, more practitioners have obtained training to help clients use that treatment. (Other psychedelics are also in use, with legality varying.)<\/p>\n

While the research and support around psychedelic-assisted therapy builds, counselors are meeting the needs of clients in a whole new way.<\/p>\n

What are Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Counselors?<\/p>\n

UNLIKE SO-CALLED \u201cTRIP sitters,\u201d who typically don\u2019t have specific training, but agree to protect someone\u2019s physical safety while they\u2019re on a dissociative journey, practitioners of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) are formally qualified.<\/p>\n

PAT counselors usually hold a degree in counseling\u2014typically a Master\u2019s in Counseling, Doctorate of Psychology, or Master\u2019s of Social Work\u2014have an active license in their state, and have received specific training from a psychedelic-focused training institute like PRATI<\/a>, the Mind Foundation<\/a>, or the California Institute of Integral Studies<\/a>. In some states, counselors may also hold a separate certification in psychedelic facilitation.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re looking to reap the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy, you should look for a counselor who practices PAT, not just do a journey with a trip sitter. Because…<\/p>\n

What Is the Role of A Psychedelic-Assisted Therapist?<\/p>\n

PAT COUNSELORS PREPARE and support clients during a journey, and, just as importantly, work with clients to integrate the insights from that journey in the days following.<\/p>\n

The first step is to ensure that a client will even benefit from a dissociative journey, says Gina Gratza,<\/a> a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Portland, Oregon, who facilitates journeys with ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin. If the therapist believes treatment may work, then the PAT counselor helps the client prepare.<\/p>\n

\u201cPsychedelics can serve as revealers rather than the ultimate healers,\u201d Gratza says. “It shows you what needs to be worked on in your waking life and from there the integration work begins.” Creating a trusting relationship with clients is also important. If any part of the process feels uncertain or unsafe to the client, they\u2019re more likely to face challenges during their journey, she says.<\/p>\n

External factors are key, too, says Betty Warden,<\/a> a licensed clinical social worker who practices psychedelic facilitation in Bend, Oregon. \u201cIt\u2019s important to create an environment for people, especially if you\u2019re in a city and there are sirens going by, traffic, or other potential distractions,\u201d Warden says. “We\u2019re not doing this ceremoniously out in the jungle, and we have to help manage for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warden tells her clients that she will remain in the physical environment and, if the client has any issues on their journey, they can communicate that issue to her. “I\u2019m not going to allow them to bang their head on the floor, but they can scream and yell, or writhe in pain if that\u2019s what they need.” When done right, says Warden, a psychedelic journey looks a lot like helping someone to move something that has felt immovable.<\/p>\n

Sometimes \u201cit can be a game of charades to try and figure out what someone needs,\u201d Warden says. “I once had a client who, unbeknownst to me, had three layers on, and was under a heavy blanket. He was clearly uncomfortable and started to fan himself with his hands before I realized he was burning up.\u201d (She and the client later laughed, but Warden now encourages light clothes and uses blankets to regulate temperature.)<\/p>\n

Warden says that facilitating psychedelic journeys can be intense, especially when a client is re-experiencing a trauma. Helping clients through the hardest moments can even be physical. PAT techniques can include pushing on someone\u2019s feet to simulate literal ground, or holding their hand to be physically with them in a traumatic experience.<\/p>\n

Zappy Zapolin<\/a>, who calls himself a \u201cpsychedelic concierge,\u201d has worked with notable clients including the retired L.A. Laker Lamar Odom and actor Michelle Rodriguez. Zapolin helps clients prepare for scary moments (psychedelic facilitators are allergic to the phrase \u201cbad trip,\u201d because even \u201cbad,\u201d \u201cscary,\u201d or \u201cintense\u201d experiences can have a great benefit. The preferred term is \u201cchallenging journey.\u201d) by reminding them that no matter what they may see or experience, it will end, and that they are in a safe place.<\/p>\n

Gratza says that helping someone experiencing something scary while on a journey may involve saying words or phrases that affirm they are safe or not alone. “They may feel soothed by having pictures of loved ones, meaningful objects, or special cozy items like a blanket or a stuffed animal,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapists?<\/p>\n

DESPITE ALL THE well-documented benefits of psychedelics, the medicines\u2019 use in therapy is up against a culture stigma, Warden says.<\/p>\n

The average person is probably more likely to associate psychedelics with Ari Gold getting lost in Joshua Tree or Ehrlich Bachman smearing shit on a bathroom wall than with Ted Lasso<\/a> going on the journey that saved AFC Richmond\u2019s season.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy desire as a facilitator has been to tell a different kind of story so we think of psychedelics in a mainstream way,\u201d says Warden. \u201cI want to reduce the stigma and help people understand what it means to use psilocybin for healing.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in trying PAT, you can search the Psychology Today<\/a> database using filters for your area and the kinds of therapy you want to receive. Psychable<\/a> maintains listings of PAT counselors, including psilocybin facilitators in states where it is legal.<\/p>\n

Practitioners of psychedelic-assisted therapy will typically be trained to work with particular medicines. Gratza has training with both ketamine and MDMA. Warden has training in the administration of ketamine. Both are licensed psilocybin facilitators in Oregon. Zapolin is one of many psychedelic facilitators who rely on earned experience instead of formal training and has created his own certification program.<\/p>\n

Just know that your personal drive matters too when it comes to getting the results you\u2019re looking for from psychedelics. \u201cThis is mental work,\u201d says Zapolin. \u201cMedicine helps, but changing your lifestyle, making mental shifts, living in the real world with an expanded consciousness is up to the individual. You need to learn how to apply the lessons you learned, and keep to them by name when the world is happening and your family is throwing things at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Andrew \u201cBernie\u201d Bernstein is a former Bicycling Magazine Gear Editor, and Bicycling marketing manager. While at Bicycling, he promoted the Bicycling Fall Classic, and the famed Fifth Street Cross Thursday Night Training Series. Bernie was an elite track and road racer from 2010-2019. In 2019, he was hit by a driver near his home in Boulder, CO. The crash nearly killed him and left him with paraplegia. He considers himself very lucky to still now be able to hike, and ride with the help of an e-gravel bike. He\u2019s written about his experience as a paracyclist disabled athletes for Men\u2019s Health, Bicycling, and Outside Magazine. You can follow his adventures on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n