If you have a desire or experience with using psychedelics as part of your therapeutic process, it can be very nice to share this with your psychologist. But many people lack knowledge about this and are left with prejudices that took hold many years ago. Here are some tips on how to proceed if you want to share your experience with your psychologist. How you should proceed will of course depend on your assessment of the relationship and the psychologist's attitudes, but here are some of my tips for proceeding in a safe way.
Go step by step
If you want to share everything about your experience, I recommend starting by asking the psychologist if she/he knows anything about the latest research on MDMA and psilocybin. If the answer is no, you might want to bring an article next time. This article from The New Yorker is very well written, but if you think they would rather have something more Norwegian and academic, this is a good place to start. If the answer is yes, you have an opportunity to hear what he/she thinks about the matter. Note that most psychologists will be cautious in this area, as neither psilocybin nor MDMA are approved drugs and that they may be afraid of risking losing their psychologist's license if they are accused of encouraging the use of psychedelics. You can also mention that you want to have such an experience in a country where psilocybin is legal, such as the Netherlands or Jamaica. A couple I know well work together as psychedelic therapists in the Netherlands, where she is a trained psychologist and he has received more shamanistic training. Some would consider such a setting safer than a group setting.
Wrap it up
If you don't want to admit that you've had a psychedelic experience, you can say that you've tried holotropic breathing. This is a breathing technique that can provide clear psychedelic experiences for many and is often used as a legal alternative to psychedelic drugs. Here's a video that shows a little bit of how it works. You can also refer to your psychedelic experience as a strong dream if you want to share and get feedback from the psychologist. In addition, it can be good to prepare your psychologist that this is important to you and that it is important that she/he receives it in a good way.
What consequences could there be if I admit to using illegal drugs to my psychologist?
As a rule, you do not suffer any consequences for this. The exception is if the psychologist believes you may be harmful to others. In that case, they have a duty to report to the police. The lack of knowledge among some psychologists and the police is what makes this area a bit woolly. There are several stories about patients who have admitted occasional cannabis use to a doctor or psychologist and who have been deprived of their driver's license. The argument is that there is suspicion of driving under the influence or that cannabis affects driving performance over a long period of time. These are cases that you will most likely win if you appeal the case, but it can still be a bit of a headache. Read a more in-depth explanation of how it works at Rustelefonen.no . In some cases, it can result in the involvement of child welfare if the case is considered serious enough. It takes a lot more to lose parental rights than occasional drug use, but it can again be a bit of a headache and if you are already involved in cases with child welfare or around parental rights, it can have unfortunate outcomes.
Contact me if you would like to get in touch with psychedelic-friendly psychologists.