229 - Heather Friedman - Pulling the Thread on Trauma, Love, Ketamine, & Psychedelic Therapy
“We are magic. We are medicine for each other.” - Heather Friedman
In the words of post-punk pioneers Talking Heads, “This ain’t no party! This ain’t no disco! This ain’t no foolin’ around!” Instead, we’re getting serious about ketamine and psychedelic-assisted therapy with Heather Friedman MC, LCMHC, LPC, a New Hampshire-based psychotherapist, NARM-certified therapist, EMDR practitioner, and witchy-witch. Heather and I connected via NARM training but bonded during this episode when she casually let drop that she’s participating in the year-long Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training program at the Integrative Psychiatry Institute.
Whether you’re psychedelic curious or cautious, it’s worth noting that the use of MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca, etc., in guided practice could expedite breakthroughs in the treatment of PTSD, C-PTSD, and depression that might take years via talk or somatic modalities alone. Psychedelic therapy, when administered by a professional, isn’t a one-and-done rave. Nor is it all rolling through rainbows. From my own experiences, I can say that trips often include tears, confrontations, and revelations requiring a modicum of physical and emotional safety. Even the funny bits shouldn’t be taken for casual romps. There are healing insights to be gleaned from those “everything is love” visits with Mother Earth and Father Time.
Heather views psychedelics as a true “assist,” meaning she advocates for advanced client prep plus post-experience support to correctly disseminate the epiphanies one may have while under the influence. Lest you think all this groundwork is overkill, our ancestors followed similarly stringent protocols when administering psychedelics, a tradition of ethics that trained therapists and many modern spiritual practices honor today. “The power of these experiences––like ayahuasca––is [that] it’s in such a sacred ceremonial space with layers of people. You have the participants [and] sitters, some sort of shaman or spiritual guide, other people who are there for protection and [medical] monitoring,” Heather asserts. “It takes a whole community.”
We live within systems that gain strength by severing us from our innate essence, agency, and community. The current recommendations for coping aren’t enough to combat that disconnect. If the ethical administration of psychedelics can help us build the capacity to tolerate connection to ourselves and reestablish our kinship with each other, why not give them a chance?
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RECOMMENDED LISTENING
CWH221 - Elena Rego - The Holy Witch’s Guide to Sacred Soul Magic
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
NARM - NeuroAffective Relational Model
Pain Reprocessing Therapy - Certification
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
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Tree Of Life Psychotherapy
Heather Friedman MC, LCMHC, LPC, is the owner of Tree of Life Psychotherapy, where she treats a wide variety of clients for PTSD, C-PTSD, mood and anxiety disorders. While she has been trained in many modalities over her 12 year career, her heart belongs to NARM, EMDR and most recently, psychedelic assisted therapy. When she is not busy with the work of healing, you can find her gardening, writing, snuggling her hounds and being with the people she loves.
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