Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is a form of psychological treatment that involves talking to a mental health professional with the intention of addressing emotional struggles or mental difficulties.
For individuals who are in need of healing from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, grief, addictions, or other similar mental illnesses, psychotherapy has been shown to be effective. However, now we have psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy which uses certain types of psychedelics to assist with the overall healing process.
Cannabis has been around since ancient times, and it’s the most widely used psychedelic. Because of its renowned healing benefits, medical professionals now offer cannabis-assisted psychotherapy. The use of cannabis to alter one’s mood, uplift the spirits, and change how the brain works can have powerful benefits especially when combined with talk therapy. The tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in cannabis plants is a safe psychedelic that has helped countless people for millennia in achieving a higher state of consciousness, and that’s why it can help.
Why You Should Give Cannabis-Assisted Psychotherapy a Try?
With more states legalizing the use of cannabis recreationally or medically, therapists can now use cannabis as part of their toolbox.
After all, cannabis is one of the oldest entheogens known to man. Entheogens refer to plants that when consumed, are designed to bring about a change of consciousness that is typically used for spiritual or religious reasons. Because of the War on Drugs and the stigma associated with cannabis and its use, the entheogenic benefits of cannabis has been lost through time.
Cannabis can both uplift and sedate, depending on the strain used and the amount consumed. Because of this, it can greatly balance the nervous system in ways that other psychedelics can’t. Using cannabis for healing benefits together with a licensed psychotherapist is wonderful for helping you open parts of your mind that you may not normally be in touch with when you’re sober or during your normal waking moments. It can help you dive deeper into the subconscious, just in the way that other psychedelics do, and break down the ego to help you see much more clearly. However, going on a cannabis-assisted psychotherapy session is nothing like your ordinary smoke session with friends.
Sure, you’ll get high, but these sessions are done in controlled, sometimes clinical environments such as a therapist’s office with a trained guide. In some cases, depending on the organizer or doctor, these sessions occur in retreats.
If you have been struggling with emotional and mental conditions for some time now, this modality is highly recommended. It’s designed to make spiritual and emotional work more effective, and patients have reported a variety of benefits including increased body awareness, a deeper sense of connection and purpose, better nervous system and emotion regulation, and feeling more present than ever.
Patient Mindset
Before signing up for cannabis-assisted psychotherapy, as a patient, it’s important that you approach it with the right mindset. Most importantly, you should be ready and open to healing. You may be required to go through preliminary talks with a therapist so that they can better understand what you need healing from.
If you’ve never used cannabis before, you should also be open to consuming it. Typically, the experience will involve smoking a strain of cannabis sativa through a vaporizer though various therapists may recommend another method. In some cases, if you have already used cannabis before, you may be given the option of using your favorite strain or product because at the end of the day, the patient’s comfort and confidence is critical in opening up their mind.
Experts in this field believe that cannabis is indeed powerful and effective in helping individuals open up feelings, including those that they have forgotten about long ago. It’s especially helpful for people who have a difficult time getting in touch with their feelings. Instead of using it to manage anxiety or depression, cannabis assisted psychotherapy can help medical professionals uncover what it is exactly that is causing these emotions. Being in the same room with a medical professional who can talk through your emotions and patterns is one of the things that makes this kind of psychotherapy so helpful.
Depending on the practitioner, patients will usually be asked to return for one or more follow-up sessions. Doctors will want to hear about how you found the entire experience, what significant insights you have gained, and how you can implement these insights into your daily life.
Conclusion
Cannabis already plays an important role in healing for millions of people around the world. Using it together with a psychotherapist and a specific program intended to address your own personal issues can be a terrific way to have emotional breakthroughs. When looking for a therapist, be sure to look for those who have significant experience and knowledge in using cannabis because they can provide you with the guidance that you need to move forward.
There are several groups and organizations around the country that already conduct cannabis-assisted psychotherapy, most especially in states that have legalized it. Thankfully, using psychedelics and cannabis as well have both been increasingly accepted in the medical and scientific community. Cannabis, as well as magic mushrooms, MDMA, and ayahuasca all have documented benefits for the mind and spirit.
At the end of the day, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for solving mental illnesses. We all have specific ailments and traumas to get through, but it’s good to know that a safe way to medicate with cannabis is an alternative option.
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