Dori Lewis | Should you Consider Integrating Psychedelics into Trauma Work in Private Practice? | TPOT 384
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Release Date: 06/02/2025
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Most of us know the feeling. You pick up your phone to check one thing and suddenly twenty minutes have disappeared. For many people, this has become a daily pattern, and it is starting to show up more and more in therapy sessions. In this episode, I sit down with Eli Singer to talk about digital overwhelm and the complicated relationship many of us have with our phones and devices. Eli has spent years working in the digital world, including building one of the early social media agencies in North America. After stepping away from that work, he began focusing on helping people develop...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Marketing can feel uncomfortable for a lot of therapists. Most of us were trained to be neutral, private, and to keep the focus on the client. So when someone tells you that you need to show up on social media or talk about your work publicly, it can feel a little strange. But visibility matters more than ever when it comes to building a private practice. In this episode, I’m joined by Jazzmyn Proctor, a therapist, podcaster, and marketing mentor who helps clinicians show up online in ways that feel authentic and sustainable. Jazzmyn shares how she started building her presence while still...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Couples therapy can be some of the most rewarding work we do as therapists, but it can also be one of the most challenging. Many couples don’t reach out for help until things feel like they’re falling apart. By the time they sit down in your office, there are often years of resentment, hurt, and miscommunication built up beneath the surface. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Wyatt Fisher, a psychologist and couples therapist who has spent years refining his approach to helping couples work through those deeper issues. Wyatt shares how his own personal and professional experiences shaped...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
If you’ve ever thought about offering couples therapy in your private practice but felt intimidated by the complexity of it, you’re going to love this conversation. In this episode, I’m joined by Kiana and Andrew Joyner, a married duo who run their practice together and specialize in couples work. Kiana is a licensed therapist, and Andrew is a certified professional coach, and together they bring a really unique dynamic into the therapy room. We talk about what it actually looks like to do couples counseling as a husband and wife team, how they divide roles between therapy and coaching,...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
If you’ve ever thought, “There has to be a way to make money in my private practice besides just seeing more clients,” this episode is for you. In this conversation, I’m joined by Jenny Melrose, host of the Practice to Profit podcast, and we dive into what it really looks like to diversify your income as a therapist. We talk about moving from one-to-one work into one-to-many offers, creating resources based on the same questions your clients ask over and over, and building income streams that do not require you to be in the therapy room 40 hours a week. Jenny shares practical ideas...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Running a private practice usually means you did not set out to become a numbers person. You are trained to help people, not to read profit and loss statements or stress about tax projections. But the reality is this. If you own a practice, you are running a business. In this episode, I sit down with of to talk about the financial side of private practice in a way that feels practical and doable. We unpack how to use your financial reports as a management tool, what healthy profit margins actually look like, and the payroll mistakes that can quietly drain your profit. We also talk about cash...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
What if chronic pain isn’t a sign that your body is broken—but that your nervous system is trying to protect you? In this episode, Dr. Melissa Tiessen, a clinical psychologist and neuroplastic pain specialist, joins the show to unpack a paradigm-shifting way of understanding chronic pain and persistent physical symptoms. Drawing on neuroscience, trauma-informed therapy, and real-world clinical experience, Melissa explains how pain can exist without tissue damage—and why that realization can actually be good news. You’ll learn how neuroplastic pain develops, why symptoms can move,...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
What if couples therapy isn’t about fixing the other person at all? In this episode, Gordon sits down with Erin Valente, a couples therapist based in Los Angeles, to talk about one of the most common mistakes couples make when they come to therapy—and why real change doesn’t live with one partner, but in the relationship itself. They explore why couples work can feel intimidating for therapists, how regulation and co-regulation shape meaningful conversations, and what it really takes to help couples move out of blame and into connection. Erin also shares how she’s structured her...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
In today’s episode, I’m excited to introduce you to Tobin Richardson, the founder of a platform called Save the Therapist. When I first learned about what Tobin is building, I knew this was something many of you would want to hear about. Continuing education is a requirement for all of us, but let’s be honest. It can be expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes hard to fit into an already full schedule. Tobin saw that problem firsthand and decided to do something about it. He created a platform that offers high-quality, accredited continuing education for therapists that is completely...
info_outlineThe Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
There are some conversations you record where you know right away that they’re going to land differently. In today’s episode, I sit down with Dr. Julie Merriman, a therapist, professor, and longtime advocate for helpers who are quietly burning out. We talk about something that hits close to home for many of us in this profession: what happens when we’re really good at helping everyone else, but don’t know how to receive ourselves. Julie shares how so many therapists become what she calls “floating heads of competence.” We’re full of knowledge, skill, and clinical insight, yet...
info_outlineWhat if the path to healing trauma isn’t just through talk therapy, but through carefully guided psychedelic experiences?
In this episode of The Practice of Therapy Podcast, I sit down with Dori, an experienced therapist and psychedelic facilitator, who shares her deeply informed perspective on the nuanced, responsible, and transformational use of medicines like ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin mushrooms. Dori doesn’t just follow trends—she’s been on the frontlines, participating in research, working underground before legalization, and now helping clients access inner healing intelligence in a grounded, therapeutic way.
If you're curious about how psychedelics actually fit into trauma work, when they're appropriate, and why they’re not a one-size-fits-all miracle, this conversation will challenge your thinking and expand your clinical toolkit. Tune in to discover how seasoned therapists like Dori are bridging science, soul, and therapy to help clients heal in ways traditional methods sometimes can’t reach.
Are you ready to explore the real story behind the hype? Let’s dive in.
Resources Mentioned In This Episode
Use the promo code “GORDON” to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free
Meet Dori Lewis
Dori Lewis, MA, MEd, LPC-S, is a co-founder of Elemental Psychedelics and the owner-operator of Reflective Healing in Fort Collins, CO—a psychotherapy group practice that specializes in psychedelic therapy using ketamine, integration therapy, transpersonal psychotherapy, and clinical supervision.
With over a decade of clinical experience, Dori blends transpersonal psychology, depth work, and psychedelic-assisted therapy within a model that centers the therapeutic relationship. To date, she has stewarded nearly 100 ketamine therapy sessions and countless more individual and group ceremonies. She has also been trained and mentored in shamanic ritual, which has helped her bridge traditional counseling practice with transpersonal and existential realms—spaces that can hold incredible meaning and connection for clients.
As an educator and trainer, Dori has delivered numerous talks to the professional psychedelic community through the Nowak Society and other guest lectures. In 2022, she spoke on the importance of psychedelic facilitator ethics through the lens of existential shadow work as a main stage speaker at the Emergence Festival. She co-teaches introductory psychedelic therapy workshops and served as a core lead faculty member with the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI) from 2020 to 2023, where she specialized in training new and experienced clinicians on topics like set and setting, ethical ceremony, cultural appropriation in spiritual practices, and ritual in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
As interest in psychedelic medicine grows, Dori believes it is the responsibility of those with a voice in professional and psychedelic communities to stay informed—and to intercept and challenge disinformation and questionable ethical practices emerging in the public arena.