These often ended up causing more harm than good.  After years in the wilderness, psychedelics are being studied again as a treatment for everything from PTSD to end-of-life anxiety. And, their undeniable efficacy has meant that the laws are just having to change. 

Canada At The Forefront

Canada especially, is one of the countries at the forefront of this psychedelic healing revolution. In the past year a non-profit company called TheraPsil, has managed to secure access to psychedelic therapy for 30 Canadians. The majority of whom are living with terminal illnesses. It has been proven that psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms and truffles) treatment combined with therapy can effectively alleviate end-of-life anxiety, something that many people facing terminal illness experience acutely. Despite this, the case was hard won — but won it was. 

So, the exemption has been granted. But what now? To have the most effective possible experience the person who will guide them through their psychedelic therapy has to know what they are talking about. If you had to explain flying to a baby bird, you’d get an eagle to do it right? Not a penguin. 

i.e. — you’d get someone who knew the experience. 

This poses a problem when psilocybin is only legal for those 30 Canadians who need to receive the treatment. Quite the conundrum…

5 History Makers

Well, conundrum solved! There are 5 Canadian healthcare professionals who have been officially trained in psychedelic therapy since June. This means that they themselves have experienced totally legal psilocybin-assisted therapy for training purposes. Natasha Fearnely is one of these 5 history making folks. 

Initially training as a nurse, she became frustrated with the ‘nuts and bolts’ approach to healthcare so prevalent to the modern world.

“I always was frustrated by this model of giving people pills, and just making them comfortable, and not actually diving into the psychology and into the innate nature of who humans are and what they need.” 

The Healing Properties of Psychedelics

During nursing school Fearnely researched alternative therapeutic treatments for cancer patients. Through this, she learnt about the healing properties of psychedelics. It really seemed like a breakthrough idea, one she had never considered before. It is the proven efficacy of psychedelics that lead Fearnely down this path. Soon, she was a registered nurse, and the clinical intake director for TheraPsil. This means she is the first point of contact for each new intake of patients at the organisation. 

Supporting patients in need

“I’m educating them about psychedelic psychotherapy. I’m beginning to guide them through their journey. And I can’t imagine doing that without ever having any psychedelic experience.”

It’s common sense really isn’t it?

And so Fearnely became the first registered nurse in Canada to complete her psilocybin therapy beta training program with TheraPsil which began in March. She joined a clinical psychologist, a palliative care physician, a clinical counsellor and an emergency medical doctor for the training. 

Fearnely herself, was previously a palliative care nurse. The psilocybin treatment helped her to delve further into her understanding of mortality, and she realised that previously she had not been able to put herself into her patient’s shoes. After 100+ hours of training, during the 10 week course Fearnely feels prepared to discuss and explain the therapy to prospective patients. She says;

“From my own perspective, it would be really weird if I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is what’s going to happen, you’re going to feel this way.’ And if I have no experience whatsoever, they’d be like, ‘Who are you to tell me that?’”

A Greater Level of Trust

Fearnely has found that since she has had the training, there is a greater level of trust between her and the patients. Something essential for such a sensitive experience and situation. 

However, with something that actually works, demand will always increase. Dave Phillips, who designed the treatment course, predicts that to roll out this type of therapy over the next 5 to 10 years, around 10,000 healthcare professionals will need to be trained. This all depends on whether further exemptions will be granted by the government. The 30 already granted have been a massive breakthrough — however since then no more exemptions have been issued. TheraPsil aims to train 500 healthcare professionals in the next year, however, no exemptions means proper training using psilocybin cannot take place. 

Spencer Hawkswell, the CEO of TheraPsil explains;

“We can only train those who have exemptions and it’s just not enough to meet the patient demand that the government has already created by giving out those exemptions. So they’ve really got to respond, they’ve got to give more exemptions out. And we’re going to continue to do training, and to prep these doctors and therapists and nurses for their experiential session, because it’s just a matter of time.”

A Promising Start…

So, there you have it. A promising start for psilocybin assisted therapy in Canada, but fingers crossed for the progress to make it available to all who need it. We will have all the updates as they come!

(all quotes from The GrowthOp)

And while you’re waiting, why not check out our full range of magic truffles and magic mushroom grow kits? The trippy results are a gift for all!