About Psychedelic Support

IMPORTANT LEGAL DISCLAIMER:

Plant medicines such as sacred mushrooms (psilocybin) and ayahuasca (DMT) are still currently illegal within the landscape of the South African law. The SA Medicines and Related Substances Act No. 101 Of 1965 classifies these psychedelics as schedule 7 substances only to be used within science and research settings. Psychedelic assisted therapy is not yet permitted in South Africa. Health care professionals are, therefore, not allowed to be administering these substances in any form as part of treatment or therapy since the use, possession, sale and manufacturing of these substances are illegal.

Over the last three decades, the Western world has seen a resurgence in the interest and use of psychedelics. Despite its still illegal status in most countries globally, many people continue to access and use these substances of their own volition for their mental health, well-being, spiritual and personal growth purposes.

The current illegal status of psychedelics in South Africa does, unfortunately, mean that this is also a largely unregulated field. Accordingly, those who choose to access and imbibe these medicines are left to depend on services offered by groups or individuals that have not necessarily received or adhere to any standards of training, experience or safety. This could lead to potential users of psychedelics placing themselves at great risk while ingesting psychoactive substances that will impede their ability to navigate their surroundings and keep themselves safe.

Psychedelic Support Services

Given the potential risks, Psychedelic Support Services (including assessment, education, preparation, harm reduction and integration) are offered at my practice as a way to facilitate safety for individuals who want to / do use psychedelics of their own volition within an unregulated landscape. The goal is to reduce or prevent any risks and negative consequences that can accompany the use of psychedelic plant medicines. Accordingly, my services are aimed at enabling potential users to make more informed decisions, mediate any adverse emotional & psychological reactions, and effectively assimilate the experience into their life and psyche. My focus and training is specifically on the use of psilocybin (sacred mushrooms).

Psychedelic Support services are offered in a consultation setting at my practice rooms. This process does not replace any existing psychotherapy process that may be ongoing with the person's therapist. Instead, it is a consultation process of around 3-4 sessions running parallel to any existing psychotherapy. The first session is 90 minutes in duration while follow up sessions are between 60-90 minutes depending on the particular consultation process.

As with all psychological consultations and processes, a clinical assessment needs to first be done to consider a person’s medical and psychological history, symptom presentation, treatment history and reasons for considering plant medicine. This assessment process allows me to offer optimal and responsible guidance in terms of general intervention options as well as any subsequent education, preparation and integration support should the person proceed to use psychedelic plant medicines.

If psilocybin is deemed to be a safe and viable option based on the initial assessment session, the following session/s will consist of discussions on the necessary safety and preparation guidelines to be considered and put in place before embarking on any micro- or macro-dosing of psilocybin. In the case of macro-dose plant medicine journeys, an integration session is recommended post-journey to assist with assimilating the experience back into the person’s life and psyche.

Apart from the clinical support services offered in this individual consultation setting, I also occasionally offer Psychedelic Support workshops in a group setting. Click here for more information on these workshops and upcoming dates.

For those individuals for whom psychedelics are not deemed to be a viable option, either because of safety criteria or personal preference, another option may be innerdance. Many participants attending innerdance sessions with me have described it as being similar to a psychedelic experience - without having to take any medicine or substance. For more information on innerdance, click here.

IMPORTANT: Psychedelic Support services are not to be confused with Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT) which involves the ingestion of psychedelic substances as part of the psychotherapy process. PAT involving psychedelics such as mushrooms and ayahuasca is not currently legally permitted in South Africa. The only current legal option in this regard is Ketamine Assisted Therapy (KAT). While ketamine is not a classic psychedelic it has properties and effects similar to psychedelics. KAT is not offered at my practice.

Therefore, please be aware that the Psychedelic Support services offered at my practice does not include:

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