Individual Counseling: Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy Provided by Take Charge

Individual counseling is a helpful course of treatment for those who have been diagnosed with depression. Have you heard of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy? It’s been proven to be another helpful treatment method for depression, anxiety, and much more. If you are suffering and unsure how to help, you may want to explore individual counseling through Take Charge Inc. in Overland Park.

Psychedelic assisted therapy is a form of therapy that incorporates the use of psychedelic substances, such as psilocybin (found in certain species of mushrooms) or MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), and ketamine, as a catalyst for therapeutic exploration and healing. It involves a structured therapeutic process in which individuals consume a psychedelic substance in a controlled and supportive environment under the guidance of trained therapists. Ketamine is an anesthetic used to sedate both humans and pets. Now it’s also the subject of enormous interest as a fast-acting treatment for depression and other mental health conditions. So, who is most likely to benefit from psychedelic assisted therapy?

Ketamine has been most widely studied in people with treatment-resistant depression and acute suicidality. It also demonstrates benefits to patients with PTSD, OCD, bipolar depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. People with specific conditions such as psychosis generally are not candidates for therapeutic ketamine. Ketamine is a rapid-acting, extremely effective intervention with a mechanism completely different from all other antidepressant medications. Ketamine enhances neuroplasticity by significantly increasing Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, a critical brain hormone that can promote the reversal of the loss of connectivity between neurons caused by chronic depression. Ketamine also normalizes the activity of the default mode network, the brain network responsible for obsessive negative thinking in depression, creating an opportunity to get unstuck and regain hope. Ketamine can block receptors for glutamate – a neurotransmitter associated with brain excitotoxicity and inflammation. All these mechanisms appear to play a significant role in the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine.

It’s important to note that psychedelic-assisted therapy is not a standalone treatment. It is typically combined with traditional psychotherapy techniques such as individual counseling and is administered by trained professionals in a legal and ethical framework. It is hopeful that MDMA will be approved by the FDA in 2024 after finishing Phase Three trials on MDMA showing 88 percent experienced a clinically meaningful reduction in symptoms.  Legal use of Psylocibin began in Oregon this year.  While everyone’s experience with depression is unique, so are the ways of handling and helping those who are dealing with depression. Learning more about supporting yourself while dealing with depression, sometimes through individual counseling, can help you feel more empowered and successful with your progress.

Learning to love yourself even through tough times can be difficult, but having a relationship with yourself is the most important thing you can have. Through individual counseling, you can help to understand and learn to address your depression and get the proper screenings. Systematic screening carries the potential for huge benefits. Untreated depression is associated with decreased quality of life, increased risk of suicide, and poor physiological outcomes when depression co-occurs with chronic medical conditions. There is evidence of the effectiveness of screening in adults and recommendations for screening for depression in primary care. If you are suffering, please don’t wait. Even though America is the most prosperous society, we face an epidemic of depression and anxiety based on suppressing our emotional needs. With the rise of technology, people feel more alone now than ever, and depression/anxiety is at an all-time high. Take Charge Inc. offers individual counseling to those located in Overland Park, Johnson County, Leawood, and Olathe. For more information about depression treatment or individual counseling, contact Terri today at (913) 239-8255.