Psychedelic therapy, in the view of Journey Clinical CEO Myriam Barthes, is safest and most useful when licensed therapists lead it with medical screening beforehand and integration afterward. She explains how ketamine therapy is being brought into private practices, what she expects next for psilocybin, and why she believes the real work happens before and after a session.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Myriam describes Journey Clinical as a platform that gives licensed therapists a medical team, training, peer community, insurance access and a public directory for ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
- Myriam believes that for any psychedelic experience, the real work is the preparation beforehand and the integration afterward.
- She thinks of psychedelics as amplifiers that show what is already going on in the mind, and says psychotherapy is what turns insight into change.
- Myriam calls safety the foundation of the work, built on medical clearance and a care team of licensed professionals.
- She wants education that sits in the middle, neither calling psychedelics magic pills nor calling them extremely dangerous.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠWhat psychedelic therapy with a licensed therapist looks like
Myriam Barthes is the CEO of Journey Clinical, a platform that helps licensed mental health professionals offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in their own practices. She says it is built to support psilocybin and MDMA therapy as well, once those are FDA approved. Jeremy, who uses the platform in his own practice, calls it a “done for you” route for clinicians who want to learn the medicine.
Myriam describes six things a clinician receives. They are a medical team for clearance, prescription and ongoing monitoring, a community of peers, ongoing training with continuing education credits, legal and marketing resources, insurance access for the clinician and the client, and a listing in a public directory. She says clients can use that directory to find a therapist near them, and that therapists can book a demo on the company's site.
ᚢHow therapists shaped the platform
Myriam says she and her husband started the company in 2021 with a simple question: ketamine is legal, so why were therapists not offering it? Their conversations with therapists gave the answer. Clinicians needed a medical partner who could clear clients, prescribe and monitor first.
From there the requests stacked up: informed consent forms, peer consultation groups, training, insurance, and most recently a directory. She calls the result a co-creation with therapists. Today she says about 3,000 therapists are on the platform, in roughly 27 states.
ᚦWhy preparation and integration are the real work
Myriam's own path began with a car accident in 2012 that led to four years of physical therapy. After the body healed, she says the trauma of the accident remained, including a flash of panic at the sound of metal in a restaurant. She credits psychedelic medicines with helping her, and describes feeling better and staying well afterward. That is her personal experience, not a promise for anyone else.
What she took from it is the idea behind Journey Clinical. You can have one psychedelic experience after another, she says, but the real work is before and after, which she calls preparation and integration. Because difficult material can come up, she believes licensed therapists are the people equipped to handle it.
She thinks of psychedelics as amplifiers of what is already happening in the mind. In her view the insight is only the beginning, and integrating it into daily life is the most powerful work. Jeremy offers psychedelic integration alongside individual therapy and coaching for people who want that kind of support.
ᚨBeing a witness and remembering what we already are
Asked for her most remarkable realization, Myriam says it is learning to be the witness of herself and others, of joy, sorrow and rage, and to see life as it is rather than as she wishes it were. She finds wholeness in accepting each moment without blaming or criticizing others.
Jeremy shares a parallel. He had been licensed for several years before his first psychedelic experience, and he says it changed his view of mental health and the direction of his career. Today he leads Light in the Mountains, a three-day small-group psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy retreat in the Sierra Nevada, for people ready for deeper work.
ᚱSafety, licensing and medical clearance in ketamine therapy
Safety is the part of the conversation Myriam returns to most. She has seen people with the best intentions work in underground settings that do not serve the people they want to help, and that is why she chose the medical route as well as the psychotherapy route.
Jeremy adds what this looks like for clients. Before the medicine, a medical team can rule out interactions with other medicines or pre-existing conditions, and a trained person is there to help if distress comes up.
Jeremy adds what this looks like for clients. Before the medicine, a medical team can rule out interactions with other medicines or pre-existing conditions, and a trained person is there to keep a client calm and cared for if distress comes up. Anyone considering this should talk it over with a licensed provider.
ᚲThe future of mental health care: what Myriam expects next
Myriam describes a psychedelic renaissance, a quieter stretch she calls a winter, and now a third phase. She points to clinical evidence from phase two and phase three trials, and she expects faster FDA review once submissions are complete. These are her expectations, and the episode does not settle how or when any approval will happen.
If psilocybin is approved first, she says, the open question is how clients will reach it. Journey Clinical has partnered with Compass Pathways since 2024 and is building a care delivery model with preparation and integration at its center. She also expects insurance codes to follow.
What she hopes for over time is that this becomes ordinary: a treatment option a person can ask a doctor about, while remembering that these are powerful treatments.
ᚷEducation over hype and fear
Asked what listeners can do to help, Myriam says education. She hears some people call psychedelics magic pills and saviors and others call them extremely dangerous, and she wants the conversation in the middle: the benefits, the risks, and the fact that this is one more option that can help some people.
Jeremy says many of his clients are interested but afraid, partly because of what they have heard. If you are wondering whether this kind of work fits your situation, he offers a straight read on whether therapy and retreat work suits you.
ᚹLeading a company, returning to music and a message of hope
Myriam says running a startup has been a teacher in itself. As a CEO, she says, you will not make everyone happy, and sometimes you will be the villain in someone's story. She leans on a business coach and says the lesson is to design around who you are and build a team with the strengths you lack.
After 15 years away from singing, she auditioned for Carmen, after a message during her own experiences told her to go back to music. She still takes a weekly voice class.
Her closing message is that she believes people have the resources and the capacity to heal. Readers who want conversation around these ideas can find it in Thriving Spirits, the Mindful Mutiny community, which offers real conversation, live Fireside Chats and a course library.
Psychedelics and plant medicines may be illegal where you live and aren't right for everyone. Nothing here is a recommendation to use any substance. Myriam's experience with psychedelic medicine is personal and does not predict anyone else's results. Always talk with a licensed medical and mental health professional.
ᚨ Questions people ask
What is psychedelic therapy?
Myriam describes psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy as pairing a medicine with work led by a licensed therapist. She believes the experience shows what is going on in a person's mind, and that preparation beforehand and integration afterward are where the real work happens.
How is ketamine therapy delivered through a therapist?
Myriam says clinicians on Journey Clinical partner with a medical team that clears the client, prescribes the medicine and provides ongoing monitoring. The therapist then provides the psychotherapy before and after.
Why does medical clearance matter?
Jeremy explains that a medical review before treatment can rule out problems with other medicines or pre-existing health conditions. Myriam calls safety the foundation of the work and says it rests on licensed medical and therapy professionals.
What does Myriam expect for psilocybin therapy?
She expects faster FDA review once submissions are complete and believes psilocybin is likely to come to market first. Those are her expectations, not guarantees, and she notes that access will depend on how care delivery and insurance develop.
How can someone find a psychedelic therapist?
Myriam says Journey Clinical has a public directory where clients can find a therapist in their area, which she calls the largest of its kind in the world. Psychedelic treatments are not right for everyone.