More Companies Seek Psychedelic Therapy as Part of Worker Health Care Benefits
The Messenger, August 10, 2023
The popularity of psychedelic therapy is growing in the US, leading some employers to try to respond quickly to the growing demand for these mental health treatments for employees.
Around 50 companies have already sent letters of intent to Enthea, a start-up insurance company that includes psychedelic medicine in its work insurance plans, showing interest in this solution, according to a representative of the insurance company. Enthea's health insurance plans make it possible for employers to secure this solution for workers seeking alternative solutions, such as Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for the treatment of depression, post-traumatic stress and anxiety.
The natural soap brand Dr. Bronner's, which started a pilot program last year to offer psychedelic psychotherapy to its employees, recently declared that Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy has greatly helped the workers who have used it.
Around 7% of the company's 320 workers took advantage of the program to use Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. Following the treatment, workers who had been diagnosed with the above conditions reported improvements of 85% (post-traumatic stress), 67% (depression) and 65% in generalized anxiety, according to data provided by the company.
"Although not everyone achieves such significant results, many of our team members say that they have felt an improvement in their quality of life with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy," said David Bronner. "We hope that this will serve as an incentive for other companies to turn to the insurer to offer this benefit to their workers."
Liz Kost, an employee at Dr. Bronner's, published a testimonial on her blog in September 2022 about her experience with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. She explained that she had six therapy sessions, with ketamine being injected, followed by integration sessions with a psychotherapist.
"I cried so much that my mask looked like a wet cloth. I felt like I was releasing years and years of old pain and sadness that had been trapped in hidden pockets throughout my body," she said. "When the sessions were over, I was exhausted, but I felt incredible. As if my soul had been given a massage."
