r/PsychedelicTherapy

Once someone experiences an intense "ego death" trip, is there any reason to attempt to replicate that experience, or should that be considered the best possible outcome?

I am brand new to using psychedelics. I understand that everyone's experience both during and after will vary, but I suppose I just wanted some insight from some people who have more experience with this.

I've struggled for the better part of the last 17 years with debilitating depression, anxiety, existential dread, and PTSD. I have always wanted to try psilocybin and I have done a ton of research, but I never had the opportunity to do it until recently. For my first experience, I took 5g. And boy, did that flip my world upside down. I felt a complete dissolution of myself and a new, profound appreciation for life and the beauty of the human condition and experience. It has truly been an amazing week, I am so much more in control of my emotions, my mind is quiet, I don't crave substances (I'm also an addict), I don't need constant distractions, and I am sleeping better than I can ever remember. I understand that the antidepressive and anxiolytic effects likely won't last permanently, but I feel like an entirely different person.

So I guess I just wonder, is there any more to be gained from recreating that experience? Is it worth exploring more at that dose or should I just stick to a more conservative therapeutic regimen of moderate dosing?

Again, just looking to gain some insight from others experiences. I'd really like to maximize this opportunity while I have it available.

In March I was working hard on my PhD. As I worked, I started feeling this internal shaking feeling. As I worked it got really intense until one day there was an explosion of colour and sounds. I experienced profound happiness, like I've never experienced before. In the following days I experienced extreme emotions, mostly fear as the colours changed and strange smells happened. Afterwards I lost my sense of smell. Everything just smells like soap. Everything also looks sepia, like I'm watching the world through a Mexico filter. And the worst part is I've lost the ability to feel pleasure and human connection. I have not felt a single iota of joy since March (on top of everything my dad died but the problem started before that so I don't think it's grief). I'm getting desperate. I've had brain scans and therapy and psychiatric treatment. Nothing has worked and nobody can work out why my senses are going crazy and I can't feel. I'm hoping psilocybin can help. I don't need any of the mystical trippy stuff. I just need to feel some genuine happiness, even if it's just for a few hours.

TL; DR: Trying to figure out how realistic it is to build a career as a psychedelic-assisted therapist. Would love some insight from other therapists, facilitators, or anyone already working in this field. 

I'm in California and currently in my second year of a counseling master's program to become an LPCC. My program is 3 years long, and I’m starting my 2nd year, so I’m starting to think about my long-term career path. Ideally, I’d like to integrate psychedelic-assisted therapy into my practice as a licensed therapist, so I’ve been researching different routes like ketamine and psilocybin, and I am interested in using both in my practice

Since California doesn’t have a psilocybin facilitator program, I’ve been looking at options in Colorado and Oregon, and I found a Colorado psilocybin facilitator training program I’m considering. 

 I learned I can do the online didactic part of the program (about 6 months) while I’m still in school, then finish the other requirements after moving to Colorado; they also offer scholarships to make it affordable, since most facilitator programs are expensive af.  

The plan would be to work toward my LPC licensure while also getting my psilocybin facilitator license. 

For those already psychedelic-assisted therapists or others doing something similar: does this sound like a realistic route? 

I'm also wondering what the job market looks like in Colorado since I would be starting off as an LPCC, then eventually get licensed, and ideally I’d start doing psychedelic-assisted therapy

I’m still in the research and planning phase and haven’t committed to anything yet (I’ve talked to the program's admissions department to get some general info)

I’d appreciate any tips, experiences, or guidance on how to approach this career path.