Accessing Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Services in Ontario

Disclaimer: New Pathways is not a medical clinic and we do not offer psychotherapy with psychedelic medicines. To better understand the landscape of accessing psychedelic psychotherapy with licensed professionals in Ontario, please read this document we have put together.

Many people are becoming interested in exploring psychedelic-assisted therapy and experiences through safe and legal pathways in Ontario. Here is some information to support informed decision making.

Despite the increased attention and research into the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, access to these services remains limited. Here are the main pathways available through licensed, regulated providers.

Currently at New Pathways we are only offering non-medical psychedelic therapies (see #4) or working in collaboration with medical providers and clinics. We offer integration and supportive psychotherapy services to support and complement your journey towards balance and transformation.The psychedelic experience is one time-limited component of a much longer and depth-filled process that we believe should be supported by ongoing psychotherapy.

We do not provide psychedelic substances at our clinic.

1) Special Access Program

Under the supervision of a medical doctor, some clients can apply through Health Canada’s Special Access Program to gain approval to use MDMA or psilocybin under the care of a therapy team. Talk to your family doctor or psychiatrist about supporting you through this process. There are some specialty clinics, such as IPATH in the GTA, that are beginning to assist people with SAP applications.

2) Ketamine Clinics/Providers

Ketamine is considered a non-scheduled substance and does not require special government approval for treatment. There are several specialty ketamine clinics throughout Ontario that are medically led, both in the community and hospital-based. They may have psychotherapy providers attached to the clinic or be open to collaborating with psychotherapists trained in psychedelic therapy.

3) Clinical Trials

Another way to access psychedelic assisted psychotherapy is through clinical trials run by academic hospitals and centres. Currently there are trials for PTSD (MDMA), end-of-life distress,  and treatment resistant depression (psilocybin). Talk to your family doctor or psychiatrist about information and eligibility for these research studies.

4) Alternative Non-Drug Experiences 

Many people may be surprised to learn that transformational experiences can be accessed without the use of psychedelic substances and also within the framework of licensed psychotherapy. These pathways are worth considering as they are accessible, cost effective, and may be less disruptive than psychedelics.  

• Holotropic Breathwork: A natural way of altering one's consciousness which can be done in the context of therapy with a trained practitioner. This involves deepening and lengthening the breath over an extended period of time, which can produce a non-ordinary state. 

• Alpha Theta Neurofeedback: Uses brain wave training to guide people into non-ordinary states. One amplifies theta brain waves to enter into the imaginal realms of the unconscious to access and heal deeply-held traumatic memories.

Depth Therapy: Works with unconscious states and realms beyond the psychological ego (transpersonal realms) often accessed in psychedelic experiences. Methods can include EMDR, constellation therapy, Internal Family Systems, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Matrix Repatterning.