Not everyone who’s interested in psychedelic-assisted therapy is ready for it. And that’s not a judgment—it’s a clinical reality that protects both safety and effectiveness.
Readiness isn’t about being “good enough” or “fixed enough” to deserve treatment. It’s about ensuring that your nervous system, your support network, and your life circumstances are stable enough to metabolize what these treatments can unlock. Because when they work, they work deeply—and that depth requires preparation.
What Readiness Actually Means
In psychedelic-assisted therapy, readiness is assessed on multiple levels:
Psychological readiness: Are you emotionally resourced enough to approach difficult material? Do you have coping skills in place for when things feel overwhelming?
Physical readiness: Are there medical contraindications that would make treatment unsafe? Are you on medications that might interact with the medicine?
Social readiness: Do you have people in your life who can support you through this process? Is your living situation stable enough to hold space for integration?
Therapeutic readiness: Have you already tried other treatments? Are you working with a therapist who can support you before, during, and after medicine sessions?
These questions aren’t arbitrary. They’re part of compliance with Health Canada and provincial health regulations, and they reflect decades of research into what makes these treatments safe and effective.
Why Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Is Considered Second-Line Treatment
At ATMA CENA, psychedelic-assisted therapy is offered within a framework of evidence-based pharmacological interventions within medical scope. That means treatments are administered in accordance with Health Canada regulations, under the oversight of licensed medical professionals, and only when other approaches have been tried first.
This isn’t about gatekeeping. It’s about responsible medicine. Psychedelic-assisted therapy isn’t a shortcut or a replacement for foundational mental health care. It’s a powerful tool that works best when it’s integrated into a broader treatment plan—one that includes therapy, sometimes medication, and always a commitment to ongoing integration work.
As Priya Bains, lead therapist at ATMA CENA, explains: “Psychedelics is still considered a second-line treatment. Our psychiatrists and doctors are looking to see, what have you already done? What types of treatments have worked or didn’t work? What medications have you been on?”
The goal isn’t to make you jump through hoops. It’s to ensure that when you do receive psychedelic-assisted therapy, you’re in the best possible position to benefit from it.
When Your Nervous System Says “Not Today”
Here’s something that surprises many people: even if you’ve been approved for treatment and have a session scheduled, your therapist might still recommend postponing it.
Why? Because readiness isn’t static. It changes based on what’s happening in your life, how regulated your nervous system is, and how prepared you feel in the moment.
If you come into a session feeling highly dysregulated—anxious, panicked, disconnected—adding a medicine that amplifies what’s present could be counterproductive or even harmful. A skilled clinician will recognize this and make the difficult but ethical decision to pause.
“If somebody’s too dysregulated, I might hold off on treatment,” Priya shares. “To add a medicine that’s designed to amplify something to a system that’s already maxed out—that feels kind of scary and unethical.”
This is what continuity of care through multidisciplinary collaboration looks like in practice. It’s not just about following a protocol. It’s about having clinicians who are trained to assess readiness in real time, who prioritize safety over staying on schedule, and who trust their clinical judgment enough to say, “Not today.”
The Role of Comprehensive Assessment
Before you ever enter a psychedelic-assisted therapy session at ATMA CENA, you’ll move through several layers of comprehensive mental-health assessments and consultations:
1. Initial contact with a client care specialist who helps you understand what to expect
2. A consultation with a nurse to review your medical history and screen for contraindications
3. An assessment with a psychiatrist to ensure the treatment is appropriate
4. A preparation session with your therapist to build rapport, discuss intentions, and assess psychological readiness
At each stage, you’re being informed—not just about what the treatment will feel like, but about what’s expected of you before, during, and after. This process isn’t bureaucratic red tape. It’s how personalized care plans reviewed by licensed medical professionals actually work.
What Happens If You’re Not Ready?
If you’re not ready for psychedelic-assisted therapy right now, that doesn’t mean you’ll never be ready. It means there’s preparatory work to do first.
That work might include:
– Establishing a relationship with a therapist who can provide ongoing support
– Addressing immediate crises or safety concerns
– Building coping skills and emotional regulation capacity
– Trying other treatments first to see what helps
– Stabilizing your living situation or social support network
At ATMA CENA, therapists can provide trauma-informed and integrative psychotherapy as part of that preparatory process. Some clinicians in the ATMA CENA network offer general therapy alongside psychedelic-assisted therapy, creating a continuum of services that meets you wherever you are in your healing journey.
The Importance of Integration Support
Readiness doesn’t end when the medicine session ends. In fact, some would argue that’s when readiness matters most.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy can uncover a lot—memories, insights, emotions that have been locked away. Integration is the process of making sense of those experiences and weaving them into your everyday life. Without ongoing therapeutic support, those insights can feel overwhelming or even destabilizing.
That’s why ATMA CENA emphasizes a continuum of services supporting recovery and resilience. Psychedelic-assisted therapy is never just about the session. It’s about what happens in the weeks and months afterward—how you process what came up, how you apply new insights, and how you continue building a life that supports your healing.
Feeling Stuck? That’s When Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Might Help
So who is a good candidate for this work? According to Priya, it’s often people who feel stuck—people who’ve tried multiple approaches and still can’t find forward movement.
“I’d want people to consider: Does it feel like you’ve done lots of things and you’re still feeling kind of stuck? That’s where psychedelics really come into play. It can help crack some of that open, loosen up those patterns a bit.”
If that resonates with you, the next step is reaching out. Start with a consultation. Be honest about where you are, what you’ve tried, and what you’re hoping for. The team at ATMA CENA will help you determine whether this approach is right for you—and if not now, what steps might help you get ready.
Safety Is a Shared Responsibility
Psychedelic-assisted therapy works best when safety is co-created. That means you come prepared, honest, and willing to do the work. And it means your clinical team shows up with expertise, compassion, and a commitment to ethical care.
Together, that collaboration creates the conditions where deep healing becomes possible.
Wondering if you’re ready for psychedelic-assisted therapy?
Book a consultation with the ATMA CENA team to explore your options and create a personalized path forward.
