🩺 At-home psychedelic therapy

And a very happy Friday to you.

Recently, I said I was going to explore a few companies that offer at-home psychedelic treatments, choose one, and chronicle my experience for you.

Welp - welcome to part 1 of I-don’t-know-how-many. 

He went to Peak

If you recall, I was looking at Mindbloom, Field Trip Health, and Peak. I ended up choosing Peak.

So, why did I choose Peak? To be transparent, aside from branding, these services seem largely interchangeable to me. They all offer up similar talk-tracks around ketamine and its potentially-profound impact on the human mind. They all offer similar at-home programs (although Field Trip outsources theirs to a third party). They all make sure you are in a “legal” state.

But, the one big differentiator for Peak: you can pay month-to-month.

😂

With the others, the programs last ~three months, and you gotta pay for every month. They are all similar in monthly cost, but Peak was the only one that let me shell out ONLY $400 to test it out (vs. $1100-1200).

Step 1: Intake

Step 1 was to shell out the dough and go through intake with a “care coordinator.”

(Step 1a was to explain the $386 surprise charge to my wife. I told her it was for science, it was for content, and really - it was for the betterment of the human condition. She rolled her eyes and moved on).

My meeting with the Care Coordinator was a phone consultation. I really liked him. He was considerate and attentive, and I think he fully realized that it was a strange, new experience for everyone he speaks to.

The conversation was heavy on determining if there were any contraindications, which is a cool word that means they want to make sure that the ketamine wouldn’t interfere with any of my medical conditions or prescriptions. Essentially, they want to be sure that ketamine won’t kill me. I appreciate that.

Notably, he asked me if I had taken any drugs over the last couple months. I opened my mouth to launch into my cannabis-is-medicine spiel, and he quickly interjected:

“…that is, any drugs outside of cannabis.”

I told him I appreciated that qualification, because cannabis is not a drug. He said it was actually more of a red flag if people claimed they did not partake in cannabis.

He then described the experience - this was the interesting part:

• If you are prescribed ketamine, they ship you a test dose

• You find a comfortable place - usually where you meditate, if you meditate - and make sure you have a sitter

• You put the pill under your tongue for 10 minutes, then spit it out. Any longer and you’ll be overly sedated and fall asleep

• Spend an hour exploring your mind, then about 3 hours feeling giddy (“like you’ve had a few drinks at a party, but only enough to be social and funny, not enough to knock over potted plants”)

• Have a good sleep

• Wake up the next day - that’s when people describe the experience as “feeling like how you are meant to feel - like you are truly you and your life is in perfect order”

  • I actually nearly teared up at this. Not for me, necessarily - but for the potential of that feeling to impact humanity, on a deep level. Imagine feeling like you are perfectly suited to each moment, and that you are content

• Then, three days later, you crash (!)

  • He elaborated - your brain dumps two weeks worth of serotonin in a matter of days, so you have an inevitable retraction. He offered up 5-HTP to alleviate those symptoms

• Then meet with your therapist, discuss the dose, and tweak as necessary. Weekly doses at first, tapering to biweekly, then maintenance doses whenever you need (or stop completely)

Step 2: The Clinician

I had step 2 today, which is a conversation with a clinician - more details around your medical history, and a go / no-go on the ketamine prescription.

My clinician was lovely, and just who I’d want to guide me through this thing. She was kind, and she listened to me - really listened to me. That’s rare. I didn’t feel like she was waiting to speak; she was just present.

I talked to her about why I wanted to do this - my depression is under control, I generally really love my life, but sometimes I still experience anxiety and repetitive thought patterns that take me out of the moment.

She suggested that I explore the underlying reasons for my repetitive thoughts - because it’s likely a mechanism to protect me from something. 💡

She was big into psychedelic therapy, obviously, and openly discussed psilocybin journeys with me. This was different, she said, in that I would likely have a less profound and visual experience, but it would also be less “scary” if it ever turned a bit negative.

Overall, she made me feel confident in the exploration. I told her I was nervous; she said that’s good, and normal.

Step 3: The Test Dose

So, I got the okay for the test dose.

I’m going to find a time and a place away from home, because it makes me uncomfortable to be compromised around my kids. I think I’ll tap my brother as my sitter - he doesn’t know that yet, but he’s a gentle and comforting person, and I’ve always felt safe around him.

I’ll document the first experience in detail. Stay tuned and wish me luck.

📚 tl;dr

• I chose Peak for my at-home psychedelic therapy, simply because they let me pay month-to-month in case I want to stop after a few treatments

• I met with my Care Coordinator, who described the experience

• Then I met with my Clinician, who was just lovely and put me at ease

• I was approved for a test dose; I’m going to take it and tell you about it

• It is Friday