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.
When it comes to less legal alternatives, there are several that offer ayahuasca and peyote ceremonies around Norway and Sweden, but here it is very important that you take responsibility for your own safety and do your own research beforehand. Feel free to contact me for a free consultation if you are considering such options. Another option is to try to find an "underground therapist" or guide who can guide you through the process. This allows you to have a one-on-one experience that many believe is optimal for therapeutic experiences. There are a few of these in Scandinavia, but they are often not so easy to track down. If you ask around a little, you can find some. Here again it is important to proceed with caution and take some precautions. Almost everyone I have met who dedicates their lives to psychedelic treatment are wonderful, conscientious people, but there are examples of unethical behavior.
Read more about the cost of psychedelic therapy
And which ones are found outside Norway?
There are several legal alternatives to psilocybin and ayahuasca outside of Norway, including in the Netherlands, Jamaica, and several countries in South America. These are called "retreats" and you can Google them. It is worth noting that this takes place in groups and that it rarely resembles the clinical style on which the research is based in the image above. Here too, it is important to do your own research and have a support network ready for when you return to integrate the experience. For example, it may be wise to find a psychologist who knows a little about psychedelics and the mental processes surrounding such an experience in advance of a trip to such a 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 is still illegal in most countries and currently only underground guides offer MDMA treatment. It is important that you take responsibility for the experience you are seeking and I do not recommend anyone just "jump in" without doing thorough research. Psychedelics Today has a video course available that provides a very comprehensive introduction to psychedelics.
Non-pharmacological alternatives
There are a few alternatives to taking psychedelics. Meditation can provide similar experiences to psychedelics, but it often requires regular meditation for many months or even years. However, many people report good therapeutic effects, but not as pronounced as a psychedelic experience. There are also some forms of breathing exercises called "holotropic breathwork" that can provide powerful psychedelic experiences.
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.