Heather Friedman - Pulling the Thread on Trauma, Love, Ketamine, & Psychedelic Therapy
“We are magic. We are medicine for each other.” - Heather Friedman
Today we’re getting serious about ketamine and psychedelic-assisted therapy with Heather Friedman MC, LCMHC, LPC. Heather is a New Hampshire-based psychotherapist, NARM-certified, an EMDR practitioner, and witchy-witch. In Sarah’s interview with Heather, you’ll hear them bond over NARM, and you’ll get to hear them both talk about just how incredible Psychadelic-Assisted Therapy can be.
Whether you’re curious or cautious about psychadelics, it’s worth noting that the use of MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca, etc., in safely guided practice has been shown to expedite and support breakthroughs in the treatment of PTSD, C-PTSD, and depression that could have taken years via talk or somatic modalities alone. Psychedelic therapy, when supported by a professional, isn’t a one-off rave. It isn’t all rolling through rainbows and seeing magical beings. It requires a safe, supported space and involves real confrontations and revelations that can help provide a deeper understanding and letting go than more traditional methods or therapy. There is real processing to be done after, as well.
Heather views psychedelics as a true “assist,” meaning she advocates for clients to prepare before the experiences, and plenty of post-experience support to correctly process what came up while under the influence. For drugs that people take recreationally, this prep may sound like overkill but our ancestors followed similarly stringent protocols when administering psychedelics, a tradition of ethics that trained healers and many modern spiritual practices honor today. This work has roots that are as deeps as humanity. “The power of these experiences, is it’s in such a sacred ceremonial space with layers of people. You have participants, sitters, some sort of guide, other people who are there for protection and [medical] monitoring. It truly takes a whole community.”
We live within complex systems that gain strength by severing us from our intuition, agency, and community. For some, the current recommendations for coping with the difficulties of the worls aren’t enough to combat that disconnect. If the ethical administration of psychedelics can help us build the capacity to tolerate connection to ourselves and reestablish our kinship with each other, there’s a big future for Heather and her colleagues!
Mentioned in this Episode
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
GUEST CONTACT AND BIO
Heather Friedman MC, LCMHC, LPC, is the owner of Tree of Life Psychotherapy, where she treats a variety of clients for PTSD, C-PTSD, mood and anxiety disorders. While she has been trained in many modalities over her 12 year career, her heart belongs to NARM, EMDR and most recently, psychedelic assisted therapy. When she is not busy with the work of healing, you can find her gardening, writing, snuggling her hounds and being with the people she loves.
Let’s be friends! You can find me in the following places…
