Gay Lynn Williamson-Grigas, LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Ocala FL
Stories heal us. Stories transport us to another place and time. Stories release the good endorphins in our brain that help us feel empathy and hopefulness. Whether it be a myth, fairy tale, a biography, or a memoir, stories uplift our minds, help us organize thought and emotion, and engage our brain in imagining what might happen next. Stories are powerful. When we engage in them we can identity our own role in a story we begin to understand our place in the world. I will listen and help you tell your story, hear your journey, and help you understand your path for your own inner healing.
Gay Lynn Williamson-Grigas, LMHC, CAP is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Addiction Professional, and completed the MDMA Therapy Training Program (2021)through the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and studied in the Netherlands in September 2022 after attending the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research (ICPR)- the leading scientific conference in Europe dedicated to advancing psychedelic research and therapies, organized by the OPEN Foundation. She also attended the Psychedelic Science 2023 MAPS Conference in Denver, Colorado. Gay Lynn is a lifelong learner and continues with cohort groups and studying with leaders in the field of psychedelic medicines and therapies. Her upcoming book is Psychedelics, Dreams, and Rituals: A Guidebook for Explorers, Therapists, and Facilitators.
Understanding Psychedelic Medicines (Presentation)
Topics Covered: Anxiety, Depression, PTSD/Trauma, Addictions, End of Life Distress
Audience: Individuals, Therapists, Doctors, Nurses, Clergy, Palliative Care Professionals, Addiction Professionals
Psychedelic medicines are now offering another tool for our tool bag in treating anxiety, depression, PTSD/Trauma, addictions, and end of life distress. We need to better understand what they actually can do. What are the different varieties of psychedelic medicines? What are some of the facts and fiction with understanding how they work? What is the important role of psychotherapy?
Psychedelic medicines have the potential of offering a glimpse of our existence from a wider lens of perception. Psychedelics are different than current drugs that are used on a daily prescription basis as they only require a few times of use to act as a catalyst for change. Psychotherapy is the key success factor in preparing for and integrating what may be presented during the psychedelic medicine session.
Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy has shown great promise in treating mental health problems. Increased scientific evidence shows the positive effects to reduce anxiety, depression, enhance psychological well-being, and reduce end of life distress. In some people creating a mystical openness; causing deeply personal and meaningful spiritual experiences. Psychedelics can offer an initiation into the direct experience of non-ordinary state of consciousness. This is not an altering of consciousness but instead an expansion and increasing of consciousness which opens us to a greater field of reality. We have only begun to scratch the surface on what is there for us to know and understand through psychedelics and plant based medicines. There are over 30 million psychedelic users in the United States.