A Montreal Clinic Announced It's Launching The First Psychedelic Therapy Program In Quebec

Mindspace, a Montreal well-being clinic, has announced the launch of its psychedelic psychotherapy program, "making ketamine-assisted psychotherapy available to the general public for the first time in Quebec."

The clinic says it was already pairing trained therapists and coaches with Quebecers who were using psychedelics on their own for therapeutic purposes.

But it's now expanding its services to include supervised treatment that incorporates the administration of ketamine, a drug that was originally developed as a medical anesthetic.

Editor's Choice: This Montrealer Dances Around The City & It'll Make You Remember How To Smile (VIDEO)

“

The not too distant future is still a long way away for people who are really suffering, and ketamine is a tool that’s available right now. 

Dr. Joe Flanders, Founder and Managing Partner, Mindspace

According to Mindspace, ketamine can have psychedelic and dissociative effects at certain doses and "a rapid antidepressant effect."

Ketamine is currently legal in Canada for medical purposes and, as Mindspace puts it in a statement, "[it's] not currently subject to the same regulatory hurdles as some other psychedelic substances."

“We fully expect to be working with both MDMA and psilocybin [which is found in magic mushrooms] for treating mental health issues like depression, PTSD, and addiction in the not too distant future,” said Dr. Joe Flanders, a clinical psychologist and the founder of Mindspace.

The press release explains that Mindspace offers a range of approaches to therapy including psychological services, group programming and workshops, mindfulness training, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Mindspace plans to begin treating its first ketamine-assisted psychotherapy patients before the end of 2020.

It has three brick and mortar locations — one in the Plateau, one in Westmount and one downtown — and also offers virtual services.