Living with chronic pain can affect many parts of your life—your sleep, your relationships, your mental health, and your sense of self. Because chronic pain involves both physical and emotional factors, it can create a cycle where stress and anxiety contribute to increased discomfort and reduced quality of life.
If you’re looking for a pain management clinic that offers an alternative approach, our clinics may be a good fit. At Field Trip Health, we provide psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) in a safe, medically supervised setting. This therapeutic approach supports both the emotional and psychological dimensions of living with chronic pain.
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) combines structured psychotherapy with supervised, non-ordinary states of consciousness. PAP focuses on the emotional, psychological, and cognitive aspects of living with chronic pain, offering individuals an opportunity to explore new perspectives and support overall well-being.
For more information, book a free discovery call with our team. We’re here to support you and answer any questions you may have.
PAT is a therapeutic model in which psychotherapy is paired with carefully supervised, non-ordinary states of consciousness. Unlike short-term procedures such as nerve blocks, this approach focuses on the psychological and emotional factors that may contribute to the lived experience of chronic pain within a structured therapeutic environment.
Many people living with chronic pain also navigate emotional stress, fear, or patterns that can influence how pain is experienced day to day. PAP provides a clinician-supervised setting where individuals can explore these experiences with therapeutic support.
Chronic pain can involve thoughts, emotions, memories, and coping patterns that develop over time. PAP offers a framework to examine these factors as part of a broader mental-health plan.
PAT may be considered for individuals navigating:
✔ Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
✔ Neuropathic pain
✔ Fibromyalgia
✔ Central sensitization
✔ Other chronic pain conditions
Some individuals explore this option when standard pain-management approaches have not met their needs, or when they are seeking additional therapeutic support within a structured clinical model.
A psychedelic-assisted therapy session typically lasts just over two hours and is supervised by both a healthcare provider and a therapist. A complete program includes preparatory sessions, grounding time, and multiple integration sessions.
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is an area of active clinical interest. Some individuals living with chronic pain explore this option when other treatments have not provided the level of improvement they were seeking. Experiences vary widely from person to person. People often describe the process as helping them approach their symptoms and overall well-being from a different perspective within a supported therapeutic environment.
Research in this field continues to develop. Your clinical team will work with you to determine whether this approach may be considered as part of a broader care plan.
After a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy session, some people may feel drowsy or prefer a quiet remainder of the day. For safety, clients should not drive or operate heavy machinery until the next day. Most resume typical activities when they feel ready.
The first step is to book a discovery call with one of our expert team members at your nearest clinic location.
*Individual experiences vary.
Unlike some traditional pain management approaches that focus exclusively on physical symptoms, this therapeutic model combines psychotherapy with the carefully supervised use of a low-dose, prescription psychedelic, when deemed appropriate. Sessions may involve altered perceptual or emotional experiences, which can be explored further with your therapist within a structured psychotherapeutic framework.
Several published studies have examined the use of low-dose psychedelics in chronic-pain research settings. These studies do not guarantee or predict outcomes but offer insight into how the medication has been explored scientifically.
A 2023 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, described how participants living with long-standing chronic pain reported changes in their pain experience and quality-of-life measures after a series of medically supervised sessions using low-dose psychedelics within a structured program. Subgroups such as individuals with neuropathic pain or co-occurring depressive symptoms described differences in their reported experience.
A 2021 scientific review summarized research evaluating the potential role of low-dose psychedelics across chronic-pain contexts, including conditions such as CRPS, fibromyalgia, phantom-limb pain, cancer-related pain, and post-surgical pain.
A 2022 follow-up study described that some participants continued to report changes in their pain experience one year after treatment.
These findings are observational and vary substantially between individuals. They are presented for educational context only and should not be interpreted as claims of effectiveness.
Often, yes. Medication use is reviewed during your medical consultation, where a prescribing clinician evaluates your history, current prescriptions, and overall health. Some medications may be continued, while others may require temporary adjustments. All decisions are made collaboratively with your clinical team to support safety.
Coverage varies by insurer and plan. When your care plan includes sessions with a licensed mental-health professional—such as a registered psychotherapist, social worker, or clinical counsellor—some clients use extended health benefits toward that portion of care. For individuals pursuing a supervised program that includes the use of a low-dose psychedelic without psychotherapy, most insurance plans do not cover the medical or nursing components. Some people use Health Spending Accounts (HSAs) or Wellness Accounts when available. Our team can help you understand which options may apply to your situation.
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is not recommended for individuals who are:
Pregnant
Diagnosed with schizophrenia or psychosis
Experiencing uncontrolled hypertension
Allergic to ketamine
Eligibility is first explored during your discovery call and formally reviewed by our medical team during your consultation.
Like all medications, psychedelic therapies may have side effects. Reported effects are typically mild and temporary and may include nausea, changes in blood pressure, or drowsiness. Your care team monitors you throughout each session. For safety, clients are advised not to drive or operate heavy machinery for the remainder of the day.
A psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy session generally lasts around two hours. After a short preparation period, a healthcare professional administers the medication in a clinically appropriate manner. A therapist is available to provide support throughout the experience. Afterward, you have time to rest, followed by later integration sessions where you and your therapist reflect on insights or emotional material that emerged.
Experiences vary widely. Some individuals describe noticing changes within the first few sessions, while others progress more gradually. Many people find that insights continue to develop during integration sessions and in the weeks following their program. Because each person’s history and health profile are unique, timelines differ from one individual to another, and no specific outcome can be predicted.
Dworkin RH, Turk DC, Peirce-Sandner S, et al. Research design considerations for confirmatory chronic pain clinical trials: IMMPACT recommendations. Pain. 2010;149(2):177-193. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2010.02.018
Israel, J. E., St Pierre, S., Ellis, E., Hanukaai, J. S., Noor, N., Varrassi, G., Wells, M., & Kaye, A. D. (2021). Ketamine for the Treatment of Chronic Pain: A Comprehensive Review. Health psychology research, 9(1), 25535. https://doi.org/10.52965/001c.25535
Corriger, Alexandrinea; Voute, Mariona; Lambert, Célineb; OKAPI Consortium; Pereira, Brunob; Pickering, Gisèlea,c,*. Ketamine for refractory chronic pain: a 1-year follow-up study. PAIN 163(4):p 690-701, April 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002403
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