Payton Nyquvest co-founded Numinus in August 2018 after partaking in four separate Ayahuasca ceremonies in Latin America to cure the chronic pain he was born with.
Born in Vancouver, Canada with a Swedish background, Nyquvest’s lifetime of pain reached a boiling point when he was sitting in a Vancouver hospital, at his wit’s end. Without a domestic option to grasp, he took the first flight out to South America where he indulged in his first-ever psychedelic experience.
Passionate about mental health and spirituality since the age of 12, Nyquvest managed to stay clear of recreational drug use despite growing up with a family who suffered from substance abuse. “I was always the anti-recreational drug person, but my foray with psychedelics was a last-ditch attempt at eliminating my chronic pain,” he explains.
“After researching psychedelics for a year and a half, I told my partner (now wife) to trust me {with regards to my psychedelic experimentation}.”
While Nyquvest’s choice for healing was Ayahuasca, the company he co-founded includes a diverse array of psychedelics that serve as alternative therapy: one of them being ketamine.
“Ketamine has been an interesting legal and accessible opportunity to serve as an alternative option,” he points out. “There’s been a lot that’s happened with ketamine therapy over the last few years, especially during Covid, where the rules around prescribing drugs virtually change significantly.”
Numinus has been working with ketamine therapy for close to 13 years, and–despite the consensus being that it’s predominantly used as a horse tranquilizer, or for fans of drum n’ bass in underground nightclubs, it’s most renowned medically as an anesthetic in emergency rooms. Even going back as far as wartime, it was used by medical teams for soldiers who were injured in battle. “It’s actually been in our ecosystem for a long time,” Nyquvest explains.
So what’s the difference between ketamine and other psychedelics, and why the inclusion to utilize it for holistic therapy?
“There is a lot of sentiment around Ketamine having a shorter lasting impact,” he explains. “People are finding that they need to go for regular maintenance doses. While from a pharmacological sense, it makes sense, I think a part of that challenge is that people aren’t wrapping therapy around it and are missing the point that psychedelic therapy is supposed to be used as an intervention to cure mental health issues, not just temporarily alleviate them.”
And that’s where the therapy part of that comes into play.
With the Numinus centers conducive to the psychedelic experience, participants can expect to be in a safe, comfortable environment complete with large chairs, eye masks, and relevant music to maintain flow. They are also afforded the option to partner with a licensed therapist, to provide the participant with a ‘north star’ to aim for.
“We’ve rooted the inclusion of a therapist in the care and services we provide, not just as a guide but to hold the participants accountable,” shares Nyquvest. “During the Pandemic, ketamine users were having it mailed to their residences–and, without that support system, they unfortunately found the ordeal challenging. In fact, the majority of them want that immersive involvement with a therapist so they can stay in flow during their psychedelic journey.”
Over the last few years, researchers have discovered that ketamine is an effective tool to alleviate depression in humans. According to their website, it can be used on its own for symptom management or paired with psychotherapy, with research showing that the combination of ketamine in tandem with therapy can extend the benefits of treatment, and lead to lasting results.
Working on both a chemical and emotional level to facilitate lasting change, ketamine-assisted therapy treats depression differently than conventional antidepressants. According to the Numinus website, “Ketamine targets the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, which results in increased activity of glutamate in the brain. Researchers believe this causes the creation of new connections between neurons, which, in turn, allows for new creations of positive thought and behavioral patterns. This is commonly referred to as neuroplasticity.”
“What’s exciting about psychedelics is–because they’re going through FDA clinical trials, it opens things up considerably and allows for insurance coverage,” explains Nyquvest. “80% of all our ketamine services in the United States get covered under insurance. So right now, ketamine, both in Canada and the US, is legally approved for therapy.”
For a comprehensive overview of how ketamine can target psychological disorders and physical ailments, check out Numinus’ ketamine-infused page.
Payton Nyquvest is the Co-founder, Chair & Executive Officer of Numinus, who specializes in both traditional and alternative mental health treatments like psychedelic therapy.
With over $2.9B already invested in psychedelic-related organizations across North America, Nyquvest’s company Numinus adds to the already-growing holistic community and has locations all across the U.S., and three in Canada: Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
To immerse yourself in a transcendental experience that provides an alternative treatment option to living a pain-free life, visit Numinus.
To book a call with Numinus’ dedicated health navigators to learn more about ketamine treatment, hit this link.
