In recent years, in line with increasing research and constant media coverage, more and more people are seeking therapeutic treatment with classic psychedelics and MDMA. The clinical trials have progressed to the point where there is little doubt that it has a good effect and when pop author Michael Pollan's book, How to Change Your Mind , (which was also published in Norwegian in the fall of 2019) was published in 2018, interest in the population began to become significant.
MAPS , which is conducting most of the research on this today, has estimated that MDMA will be approved as a drug in 2023 in the US and hopes that psilocybin (mushrooms) will follow a few years later. It is likely that Norway will follow shortly after. Remember that this is not about legalization, but the use of an approved drug together with a psychologist. Until then, it is illegal in most places in the world, and also here in Norway. So what do you do if you don't want to wait until 2024-2026? There are some alternatives.
So what options do you have in Norway?
The first, most accessible, is ketamine treatment. Ketamine is not a classic psychedelic and has a dissociative effect, quite different from MDMA and psilocybin. At the same time, it has been an approved drug since the 70s and has clearly shown good results in the treatment of depression (both uni- and bipolar) and chronic pain. There are a couple of private clinics that do this in Norway, the Axon clinic and the Emma Sofia clinic , in addition to a public offer at Østfold Kalnes Hospital where you can get treatment after a referral from your GP. For more information about ketamine treatment and documentation, you can see these pages . A study for MDMA for PTSD received approval from the Norwegian Medicines Agency in June 2020 and will initially only enroll two participants who will be recruited passively. A larger study is expected to come out in a little while with the possibility of wider recruitment. See the status at clinicaltrials.gov . I will update with more information when I know more about this.
I can take you through a therapeutic process. Read more about what I can offer here.
Når det gjelder mindre lovlige alternativer, finnes det flere som tilbyr ayahuasca- og peyote-sermonier rundt omkring i Norge og Sverige, men her er det veldig viktig at du tar ansvar for egen sikkerhet og gjør din egen research i forkant. Ta gjernekontaktmed meg for en gratis konsultasjon hvis du vurderer slike alternativer. Et annet alternativ er å prøve å finne en “underground terapeut” eller guide som kan lede deg gjennom prosessen. Da kan man få en en-til-en-opplevelse som mange mener er optimalt for terapeutiske opplevelser. Det finnes noen få av disse i Skandinavia, men er ofte ikke så enkle å spore opp. Hvis man spør litt rundt så kan man finne noen. Her er det igjen viktig å gå varsomt frem og ta litt forhåndsregler. Nesten alle jeg har møtt som vier sine liv til psykedelisk behandling er flotte, samvittighetsfulle mennesker, men det finnes eksempler på uetisk oppførsel.
Read more about the cost of psychedelic therapy
And which ones are found outside Norway?
Det finnes det flere lovlige alternativer for psilocybin og ayahuasca utenfor Norge, blant annet i Nederland, Jamaica, og flere land i Sør-Amerika. Disse kalles “retreats” og man kan Google seg frem til disse. Det er verdt å merke seg at dette foregår i grupper og at det sjelden ligner den kliniske stilen som forskningen er basert på i bildet ovenfor. Også her er det viktig å gjøre sin egen research og ha et støttenettverk klart til når du kommer tilbake for å integrere opplevelsen. Det kan for eksempel være lurt å finne en psykolog som kjenner litt til psykedelika og de mentale prosessene rundt en slik opplevelse i forkant av en reise til en sånn retreat.
I can help you along the way, and MAPS has a list of integrative therapists here . There are few in Europe at the time of writing, but if you are comfortable speaking English and can handle the time difference, there are many good integrative therapists in the US. In addition, there is a psychologist in the Netherlands who has received MAPS training and who offers one-on-one treatment with psilocybin. This process is more similar to the clinical protocols.
MDMA er ulovlig i de aller fleste land fortsatt og det er per i dag kun undergrundsguider som tilbyr behandling med MDMA.Det er uansett viktig at du selv tar ansvar for opplevelsen du søker og jeg anbefaler ingen å bare “hoppe i det” uten å gjøre grundig research. Psychedelics Today har etvideo-kurstilgjengelig som gir en veldig omfattende introduksjon til psykedelika.
Non-pharmacological alternatives
Det finnes et par alternativer til inntak av psykedelika. Meditasjon kan gi lignende opplevelser som psykedelika, men det krever ofte at man mediterer regelmessig i mange måneder eller kanskje år. Det er allikevel mange som rapporterer om god terapeutisk effekt allikevel, men ikke så markant som en psykedelisk opplevelse. Det finnes også noen former for pusteøvelser som kalles “holotropic breathwork” som kan gi kraftige psykedeliske opplevelser.
Perhaps the world's foremost researcher on psychedelic therapy, Stanislav Grof, developed this when LSD was classified as a drug in 1967 as a legal alternative to psychedelic-assisted therapy. In practice, this involves breathing in and out forcefully while listening to rhythmic music over a few hours. I have not been able to find any regular providers of this in Norway, but I know that some events have appeared in this area in the past. Elsewhere in Europe and the USA there are several such holotropic breathwork gatherings. You can find a good description of the process here . This is also something you can try at home, but then perhaps a little shorter in the beginning (e.g. 15 minutes) and with someone watching. This person should be informed about how this works. I can also guide you through such an experience over a few hours.