The Morgan Centre in North Bay now offers an alternative form of therapy for people struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD and other mental health conditions.
The Centre announced Tuesday morning that it is licensed to offer a Psychedelic Enhanced Psychotherapy program, the first of its kind in Northeastern Ontario.
The program is used after most other treatment avenues have been exhausted.
“The client needs to have a diagnosis of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and/or anxiety,” explained Katty Larocque Director of Psychedelic Enhanced Psychotherapy.
“They also need to be in treatment resistance, so exhausting all avenues, and then trying Psychedelic Enhanced Psychotherapy. As of right now, the majority of the clients who have tried it with us at the Morgan Centre have been our First Responders and Veterans.”
Clients undergo treatment consisting of a mix of low-dose ketamine, taken orally in tablet form, combined with psychotherapy.
“So you put it in your mouth and then you go into a disassociated state,” explained Larocque.
Followed by talk therapy in a safe environment at the Centre.
“That session is where the client is able to process any trauma without a filter because what the ketamine does is, it puts clients in a sedative state. So it allows them to have no filter and actually process stuff,” Larocque stated.
“Then we go into the analyst part which is where we go into the themes or the core beliefs that come up and then we put them with therapeutic approaches. Then we go into the integration part going over their thoughts and feelings and reflections of what they went through in their trip so to speak.”
The Centre is incorporating various types of therapy that are research-based, new age approaches that “have profound effects, that being assisted psychotherapy,” said Centre owner and registered psychotherapist Kelly Morgan.
“So, going through all the psychotherapies and all the pharmacology approaches we’re seeing that paradigm shift where we’re now incorporating psychedelics to treat veterans. It is supported through all the universities, Queen’s University, CAMH has clinical trials with huge research outcomes that are significant so that is our approach with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.”
Morgan is excited by the development of their team of professionals.
“Including a psychiatrist, a physician, a pharmacist, a nurse, and the director of psychedelics. We’re seeing an overwhelming amount of people with post-traumatic stress, first responders with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress as well as treatment-resistant depression.”
The Centre’s owner used the following metaphor to explain the concept.
“The trip is like you are on a highway, and you see all of the things in your life that have created traumatic wounds. So you’re in a car looking at all of your past hurts and wounds and have the ability to be objective about it rather than using your ego or your thoughts to catastrophize those events in your life,” explained Morgan.
“You go through the trip and you integrate those things that came out in the session. So typically the one session will create results that are pretty profound.”
More research is coming forward.
“Which is great. So far, I would say the success is, let’s go in terms of someone who wasn’t able to go into the grocery store, they can now go into the grocery store, especially with our post-traumatic stress disorder clients,” shared Larocque.
“And another thing to consider I think would be that the symptomology, so anxiety, depression that kind of thing, starts to decrease, and they’re able to actually function in regular society.”
The Morgan Centre has assembled a team of professionals dedicated to their clients success.
“That way we have expertise and circle of care from everybody,” added Larocque. “What ends up happening is we ensure that the client is fit for ketamine, and then once making sure they are fit, then we refer them to our doctor. The doctor will then do a bunch of screening assessments and questionnaires to ensure that they are suitable. They double check on any psychological contradictions, or diagnosis or anything of that nature and then prescribe the ketamine.”
The tablet is dispersed in a supervised environment.
“What ends up happening is the client will pay for the prescription but it does get dropped off to us, so that way we have it, and there is no chance of the client taking it on their own,” shared Larocque.
“There are lots of preconceived notions about psychedelics. I do think with the evidence-based research that is coming out, and all of the things that healthcare is doing, and Health Canada as well, we’re able to make positive moves with the psychedelics. So that idea of bad trips and stuff like that won’t happen in a controlled environment,” said Larocque.
The Centre currently has 10 clients between the ages of 30 and 50, enrolled in the program.
“The first step would be calling the Morgan Centre, then we get into the consultation part together and what that looks like is just ensuring that there is a diagnosis, that you are in treatment resistance, as well as making sure you are suitable for the ketamine,” Larocque pointed out.
“Very few communities in Ontario offer this program, what we see now is the United States is opening up psychedelic therapy, “ said Morgan.
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