🫠 Psychonaut POV

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Wilhelmina De Castro believes we're much stronger together than we are alone. That’s why she broke from convention and started offering unheard-of group ketamine sessions in her psychotherapy practice, Integrate.

We picked Wilhelmina’s brain about lessons from her Filipino heritage, how she’s knocking down financial barriers to psychedelic therapy, and why group dynamics can lead to deeper healing.

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How have psychedelics played a role in your self-discovery and helped you embrace your identity as a queer Filipina?

I feel like this question mirrors a bit of my coming-out journey. Looking back, I see my past crushes and am reminded of how psychedelics played a role in my process of becoming. I went through a party phase in my twenties, where I experimented with alcohol and other substances. Some of those experiences brought on feelings of shame, especially when alcohol was involved. But there were other moments of profound connection to my higher consciousness, too.

When I started exploring psychedelics, particularly psilocybin and MDMA, I found a way to reach parts of myself that societal norms and shame had kept hidden. These substances allowed me to tap into a truth that felt inaccessible otherwise.

Initially, these two worlds—the structured, societal one and the transcendent, spiritual one—felt separate. However, over time, I craved integration. This realization prompted me to incorporate these psychedelic experiences into my life in a more intentional way. It's about connecting with a higher, multi-dimensional aspect of myself in my daily life.

This journey also ties back to my background as a social worker. My training had emphasized specific interventions and ways of being of service, which I had also internalized for self-care. So when I used psychedelics, I often questioned or even judged myself for bending the rules to rejuvenate and prepare myself for demanding social work.

These experiences always carried an air of secrecy due to the lack of space for curiosity around spirituality and consciousness in the nonprofit realm. Ironically, these were the very elements that nourished me and equipped me to assist both others and myself. So, this rigid, shame-laden societal framework and an ineffable essence of existence persisted as two contrasting stories for a significant part of my life.

Now you’re a trained ketamine and MDMA-assisted psychotherapist. In your experience, what are some of the key factors that contribute to successful therapeutic outcomes with psychedelic-assisted therapy?

One essential element that springs to mind is the ability to create a trusting and secure container—a presence that supports not only the psychedelic space but also the therapeutic space. That container for the experience is what allows deep, beautiful, and transformative work to unfold.

It’s worth stating that this dynamic relationship isn't limited to the practitioner and client alone; it extends to the medicine itself. Often, people approach psychedelics thinking they can simply take their role as a helper or healer and “insert medicine here.” Yet, the crux of the healing lies in the evolving, regenerative relationship between individuals, the medicine, and the context.

In psychedelic therapy, there’s this ongoing debate that revolves around whether extensive personal experience with psychedelics trumps being a proficient clinician, or vice versa. For me, it’s not so simple. Doing lots of drugs doesn’t necessarily make someone a skilled facilitator. Similarly, credentials don’t inherently translate to adeptness in psychedelic-assisted therapy. I believe an effective psychedelic-assisted therapist must have an enduring relationship with the medicine—one that encompasses sitting with it personally, understanding its impact on various life stages, and acknowledging the need for breaks.

Another factor is the rhythm of the work. Right now, the psychedelic industry is moving at lightning speed, and you can feel the pressure to match its momentum. But as a therapist engaged in healing, it's really important to recognize the inherent slowness required in most instances. It takes discipline and willpower to diverge from the capitalistic pace.

Lastly, the facilitator's rapport with themselves is paramount. You can sense when a therapist loses touch with their own essence. On the other hand, when a therapist has a profound connection with herself, it fosters a deeper surrender and trust. And that’s only amplified when medicine is involved.

The Filipino concept of Bayanihan emphasizes community spirit in healing. How have you incorporated this ethos into your work?

To give you a better sense of the word, let me tell you a story. In the Philippines, the land and its people are susceptible to the whims of extreme weather. Typhoons and floods challenge the very foundations of families' homes, which are constructed from bamboo and other natural earth elements. When a dwelling is threatened in a storm, the collective spirit ignites, and everyone lifts and physically moves the house to stable ground. There’s no pause to consider whether to help; it's an intrinsic facet of communal existence.

We have to ask ourselves: How can we harness our innate inclination toward community and allow it to guide us? The ethos of communal spirit is about lifting each other up, bolstering and propelling one another forward.

This perspective challenges the prevailing narrative of autonomous individualism—a capitalist notion predicated on self-sufficiency. Instead, it invites us to shift towards interdependence, to draw strength by leaning on one another. As my psychedelic journey unfolds, it's become increasingly clear: the dissolution of societal constructs that enforce isolated autonomy allows for a harmonious dance where shared burdens lead to shared victories.

You're also involved with the nonprofit Thank You Life, which focuses on eliminating financial barriers to accessing psychedelic therapy. Could you tell us more about your work with the organization and its impact on those seeking support?

At my company, Integrate, we’ve found that there’s a stigma looming over ketamine and psychedelics in general, particularly among the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities I'm committed to serving. People often show up with preconceived notions about ketamine. To one person, it’s a club drug. To another, it’s a financially inaccessible pharmaceutical. Moreover, its historical association with medical settings can either offer a sense of security for some folks or trigger trauma for others. There's a wide spectrum of experiences within this space.

Over the past year, I've partnered with Daydream MD, our medical counterpart, to initiate what we call "access groups." Basically, participants sign up, undergo medical clearance and psychological evaluation, and then embark on a group ketamine journey. This journey is intended as a supplementary component to their mental health treatment. But I’m seeing an unexpected secondary benefit, too, which is a reduction in the stigma attached to ketamine and who it can benefit. This shift creates a ripple effect, encouraging marginalized groups to consider that this approach could also be for them.

So we’ve been providing these access groups for some time now, using our own limited resources. But frankly, it’s not financially sustainable. This predicament is what led me to approach Thank You Life. I pitched the concept of group-based ketamine-assisted psychotherapy as a more affordable and accessible option that would allow for broader outreach and greater impact. Thank You Life embraced the vision and began channeling donations and funds to pilot the initiative.

What complicates this whole endeavor further is the limited research on group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. In fact, the body of knowledge on ketamine-assisted psychotherapy itself is sparse. The group and cohort formats we’re practicing are at the bleeding edge of innovation. And now that we have some funding, we're able to look deeper, document narratives, and potentially construct a case report that champions this approach as a means of enhancing access.

Thank You Life's support has been instrumental, offering both a platform for innovation and fiscal sponsorship. Our goal is to not only demonstrate the efficacy of this approach but also establish its sustainability within the industry as a whole.

Can you speak to the advantages of group therapy versus individual counseling? How does incorporating group work enhance the healing process in the context of psychedelic-assisted therapy?

Comparing group and individual therapy can sometimes feel like apples and oranges, since they really cater to distinct preferences and needs. But when we look at these groups going inward and moving forward together, there are some unique dynamics and advantages that come up. Participants gain insights from one another's coping strategies, resilience, and personal growth. They navigate the labyrinth of non-ordinary states of consciousness in unison, fostering a profound sense of connection. These experiences, which can often feel isolating when faced alone, are much more easily integrated when you can sense that you’re not alone in the mystery.

Group dynamics offer more than just skill-building, though; they also cultivate a distinct sense of "communitas." For someone going through depression and anxiety, which is often the case in ketamine therapy, loneliness intensifies the struggle. The beauty of group therapy lies in the ability to organically foster a sense of community throughout the healing process, when socialization otherwise feels impossible.

Ultimately, there’s something incredibly potent about witnessing and being witnessed through healing. The reciprocal exchange fuels empowerment and creates an environment where shared or similar experiences deepen connections. These aspects exist in a traditional therapist-client relationship, but they assume a unique hue within the group setting. The peer support is irreplaceable.

Want more from Wilhelmina? Follow her on Instagram to learn about Integrate’s ketamine-assisted group therapy program, or consider funding her work through Thank You Life.

That’s all for today. Before you head off, don’t forget to share, rate, and review Tricycle Day below. Catch ya next time, Cyclists! ✌️

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.