BALTIMORE — Many Americans are turning to psychedelics to deal with trauma, stress and depression.
While Maryland lawmakers consider legalizing some substances, a North Baltimore company specializes in guiding people through the process.
The state legislature recently passed a bill to research psychedelics.
White noise echoes through the halls of Inner Path Wellness in North Baltimore. Every hospital room is full.
“We have EMDR,” said Eleanor Bramwell, microdosing coach and co-founder of Inner Path Baltimore. “In another room, we have acupuncture, virtual psychotherapy sessions, somatic psychotherapy sessions. We have psychotherapy sessions and KAP sessions.”
“KAP” Session – Ketamine-assisted therapy.
Not a day goes by that Jessica Knott doesn't think about her brother, Jeff, who struggled with addiction.
“You can't live right after an experience like that,” Knott said.
Knott told WJZ that Jeff had a relapse that took his life.
“It changed me forever. It's very, very traumatic,” Knott said. “I'll never go back to the person I was before I got that phone call.”
Knott was taking antidepressants. But they weren't enough to get her through this kind of grief.
She started microdosing.
“When I started this, it had been seven months since he passed away, and it was really hard to focus on work,” Knott said. “It was just incredible head fog.”
She started by taking the lowest dose of psilocybin, mushrooms, every night.
“The relief I experienced from such tremendous grief was quite profound,” Knott said.
“Of course, psychedelics aren't for everyone,” Bramwell said. “That’s why we have very rigorous health screenings on people.”
Bramwell, the microdosing coach, said people pursue this treatment for a variety of reasons.
“Not being able to sleep, anxiety, depression, brain fog, feeling like my life is at a standstill,” Bramwell said.
Rob Lenfesti experienced his first KAP session.
“It's really good to take a little time and look at that,” Lenfesti said.
Lenfesti admits that he was initially skeptical about the benefits of ketamine after seeing its recreational use.
He wants to relieve the stress and anxiety of work.
“I don't know what my relationship with this drug is going to be,” Lenfesti said. “This is one of the moments that I'm very interested in.”
“A lot of people have this stigma,” says Lauren Going, a psychotherapist at Inner Path Wellness who specializes in ketamine-assisted therapy. “They think of raves and 'K-hole' and things like that. When used in the right environment, these effects can be very beneficial for mental health.”
Ketamine is a controlled substance. Although it is not approved by the FDA as a mental health treatment, it is often prescribed when other treatments are ineffective.
“They're looking for something to unstuck and create movement in their lives, especially with depression, anxiety, and traumatic symptoms,” Going says.
Lenfesti asked WJZ not to record his session, but later said he had a good experience.
Going argues that psychedelics work in conjunction with other changes.
“If you don't combine it with a change in lifestyle, a change in behavior, a change in thinking, the change won't last long,” Going says.
“These habits are not magic pills,” Bramwell said. “It can be difficult because you have to do the inner work. But this is the way.”
Psilocybin is only legal in Colorado and Oregon, but it has largely been decriminalized.
“They saved my life, and they made me a better husband, a better father, and a better person,” Tim Hamilton said at a Maryland House hearing in March. . “It can help millions of people.”
Lawmakers in Maryland are currently researching psychedelic substances following the recent passage of a bill.
“We're on the front lines of a wave here in Maryland, but we're riding a wave that's already cresting in many other parts of the country,” Bramwell said.
Bramwell coaches patients who obtained psilocybin on their own.
“They help develop habits, healthy habits,” Knott said.
KNOTT: She says the dose she's getting is almost imperceptible. She acknowledges that many people, including her parents, have opinions about what it means to consume mushrooms.
“And when they were my age, it had a whole different meaning in the public eye,” Knott said. “It's an ongoing conversation. I'm nervous that they're seeing this.”
Knott told WJZ that she came to Mushroom fully aware of her family's history of addiction.
She plans to take a break once she hits the 10-week mark, but expects microdosing to be part of her grief management going forward.
“We knew we could get there, but we didn't know when or how,” Knott said. “And now I can see the way.”