Our Healing Methods
Somatic Psychotherapy
The Somatic Experiencing method is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders. It is the life’s work of Dr. Peter A. Levine, resulting from his multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics, together with other 45 years of successful clinical application. The SE ™ approach releases traumatic shock, which is key to transforming PTSD and the wounds of emotional and early developmental attachment trauma.
Somatic Psychotherapy is founded on leading research that shows that traumatic experiences are stored in the body and that trauma healing can only fully occur by bringing the body into the healing process. The body has an innate capacity to heal once we learn how to listen to what it needs to move through trauma or stress patterns. This is often referred to as our “inner healing intelligence.” The aim of a Somatic Psychotherapist is to get to know your unique nervous system and, through a variety of somatic and neurobiological interventions, assist your system in processing traumatic experiences, so you can increase capacity for more ease and regulation in your body and therefore, in your relationships, in your work and in your world. At Palo Santo, we take a whole team and whole health (physiological, neurobiological, energetic) approach to healing trauma.
EMDR Psychotherapy
EMDR is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy tool that has become widely accepted as one of the leading approaches to help re-process and release the experience of trauma and life stressors.
EMDR does not require extensive verbal processing to be successful and rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, allows the brain to resume its natural healing process. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion).
At Palo Santo, we know that not one therapy fits every nervous system. Therefore, we employ a somatically-informed EMDR process, constantly assessing the nervous system for what it needs to help move through and release traumatic experiences. EMDR can be a great tool to assist the brain and body and healing from trauma by helping remove the fight/flight/freeze charge that exists as a result of past trauma. EMDR is known for assisting with a variety of mental health and trauma experiences, such as depression, grief, anxiety, developmental trauma, car accident and surgical trauma and much more.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is an innovative method used to address a variety of mental health conditions, where Ketamine sessions are blended with psychotherapists specifically trained to work with transpersonal, somatic and ego state themes that arise during session. Ketamine is a psychoactive drug that was first synthesized in 1962 and has been used in the United States as an anesthetic in medical settings since 1970.
Ketamine has been used off-label in sub-anesthetic doses for the past 20 years to treat chronic pain, depression, and a variety of other mental health concerns, thanks to its rapid onset antidepressant effects, sometimes providing nearly immediate relief from emotional and physical pain. While the antidepressant effects tend to be temporary after a single ketamine treatment, multiple treatments have proven to have a cumulative effect, successfully alleviating symptoms in approximately 30 – 60% of individuals with treatment-resistant depression. Ketamine provides an anatomic repair that works by stimulating new dendritic and synaptic growth between the neurons connecting our mood centers.
In certain doses, Ketamine also has psychedelic effects, which have been shown to facilitate profound transpersonal experiences and trauma healing. Palo Santo differs from Ketamine clinics by incorporating the presence of a highly skilled clinician during the ketamine experience who can work with the sub-conscious material that arises.
Ketamine sessions are blended with integrated, somatic-based psychotherapy sessions and occur under the supervision of Dr. Lane Peyton of Rivus Wellness and Research Center and Christina Conrad, LPC-S, SEP of Palo Santo.
Medicinal Cannabis Consultations
At Palo Santo, we honor and recognize the power of plant medicine, in all its forms, from herbal teas to psychedelic medicine. Now that Cannabis has become legal in our community, there is a significant increase in use, often without any real understanding of the impacts of the medicine on mental and physical health.
Due to the high quality and increased potency of cannabis that we are now able to access, we have witnessed both profoundly positive and profoundly negative experiences with Cannabis use.
We know that Cannabis can be incredibly supportive in people struggling with chronic pain, autoimmune issues and mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression. We are also aware that Cannabis Induced Psychotic episodes in adolescents and adults have greatly increased as a result of greater access and stronger potency of Cannabis.
For this reason, we offer Medicinal Cannabis Consultations to support those who would like to explore this option, in a safe and guided way. This process provides both education on the wide range of Cannabis strains, potency and products available, as well as ongoing support in determining if Cannabis is a good fit for your unique nervous system.
Psychedelic Integration & Education
“Psychedelics is to the mind what the microscope is to biology and the telescope is to astronomy” – Stan Grof
Psychedelic medicine is quickly changing the landscape of the mental health arena and rightly so. Extensive research has already been completed and is still ongoing that has shown the significant positive impact that plant medicine and various other psychedelic medicines have on a variety of mental health struggles, such as PTSD, anxiety, depression and many others. At Palo Santo, we have a team of highly trained clinicians who understand the need for safety and support for those who choose to do plant medicine on their own. This work can be profoundly healing or profoundly upsetting. The difference between the two experiences is safety, knowledge and support in the integration process.
Both MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) FDA studies for PTSD and Psilocybin (the psychoactive ingredient in mushrooms) FDA Studies for Treatment Resistant Depression have already achieved breakthrough status, meaning the results of the studies have been profound. Palo Santo together with Rivus Wellness and Research Center is prepared to offer these services via research or upon full FDA approval.
Christina Conrad, LPCs, SEP, is trained in MDMA -Assisted Psychotherapy, Psilocybin Research and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy and is passionate about bringing this work to her community and the heartland region.
Due to the extensive published research and press that psychedelic medicine is receiving, there has been a surge of psychedelic use among people eager to find relief from mental health struggles. As a result, Palo Santo has the mission to provide community and clinical education around the safe use of psychedelics. Palo Santo also offers psychedelic integration services for those who have engaged in psychedelic work so they can safely integrate and ground in the material that arose for them and the insight they have gained. This work can be invaluable or detrimental depending on a variety of details. Palo Santo is eager to bring more safety and knowledge to our community in this arena.
*Until research status or legalization is acquired, Palo Santo is not able to offer psychedelic “sitting” or bedside services for psychedelic experiences, outside of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Community Conversation & Clinical Education
“In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.” – Marianne Williamson
Palo Santo’s mission statement states “healing in community with ingenuity and mindfulness.” Community is listed forefront in our goal as we know that we do not exist separate from one another. Trauma healing is an individual and community process. We cannot separate one from the other and there is much power within this very community in which we live. Therefore, a core part of our mission is to support and connect our community through education and experiential events that encourage connection and increase healing potential by activating our greatest resource – our community. At Palo Santo, we are so excited about what lies ahead for Tulsa and the heartland region.
We do this through offering individual sessions and group therapy, holding space for needed community conversations, engaging the life work of local artists, innovative therapeutic and holistic events, increasing connection to our bodies, our hearts and our community.
Another key component that we offer is to our local healing community – those who have given their life’s work to supporting others in the healing process. Palo Santo will offer regular, innovative and conversation inducing clinical trainings to support our healers as they support our community as a whole. Palo Santo will also be offering clinical trainings on a variety of leading-edge healing modalities, as well as wellness and self-care events to those in the healing fields so that we can all continue to do this work with mindfulness and integrity.
Palo Santo wants to connect with you, our community. We want to know your passions, what you see that our community needs and the conversations that need to be had to create deeper connection, understanding and healing. Stay tuned. We have some great days ahead of us.