Rima Danielle Jomaa: Psychedelic Therapist. Los Angeles, California

Rima Danielle Jomaa: Psychedelic Integration Therapist and Mindfulness Expert

Frshminds had the chance to ask Rima Danielle Jomaa, a psychedelic integration therapist based in Los Angeles about her practice which includes integration therapy and plant medicine retreats. Now more than ever, the mental health paradigm is shifting to recognize and incorporate more traditional and holistic forms of healing.  See what Rima had to say about her work and opinions regarding psychedelic therapy and integration:

What sparked your interest in providing psychedelic integration to your patients?

Rima Danielle Jomaa: Psychedelic Therapist. Los Angeles, California
Rima Danielle Jomaa

I would say that this niche unintentionally found me. As someone who came to psychology from a young age, I’ve always had a natural curiosity about the mind and how it works. I always knew I wanted to be a psychotherapist and I started studying psychology early. I became licensed as a psychotherapist quite young compared to the average. I grew up in southern California where psychedelics and plant medicines are easy to come across and so I started experimenting and exploring on my own pretty early on. Some of my experiences include having used or worked with psilocybin since I was a teenager and working with ayahuasca since I was 24. I’ve organized ceremonies and retreats for healers coming from Peru for many years now. When the field of psychedelic integration started to gain interest, people started to understand my work in a different way and would approach me to guide them through the process of using plants to heal. Previously, if clients were using psychedelics in any form, it would naturally come up in our sessions anyway, so I was already doing integration work without formally labeling it as such (there weren’t databases to find therapists for that sort of work in those days).

I easily integrated all of my experiences, both personally and professionally, into offering this space for my clients. It’s been an amazing ride in many ways and it’s so exciting to see many areas merging now and to see how accepting people have become of using alternative ways to heal.

What makes your practice special? 

I will reference my answer above in that I not only have 13 years of clinical training and experience but 18 years of personal and professional experience working with psychedelics as well. I know many clinicians that work in this space who haven’t explored plant medicines or psychedelics themselves and my work is different in that I’m very familiar with the experiences that clients may have or have had. I’ve traveled the world and lived among many different cultures and with different healers and have a lot of knowledge as well about the history of these medicines and I love to integrate all of this knowledge and experience into what I do.

How do you see psychedelic therapy evolving in the future? 

I believe psychedelic therapy of all kinds will eventually be legalized or decriminalized in most parts of the world and will become part of the mainstream. That’s my hope, at least, and there are a lot of good people working to make that happen. I also hope it will be done with integrity and with systems in place to ensure responsible and ethical practices as this can always be an issue with these types of evolutions. Whatever does happen, there is so much momentum now to expand these types of services to be available to more people and I have no doubt that big changes are coming in the next 5-10 years.

What’s the one piece of advice you would offer to patients considering psychedelic integration to help them manage their mental health? 

I would tell patients who are considering psychedelic integration as a part of their mental health management to make sure they do their own research and that they should only explore therapies that make them feel comfortable and safe. I work with clients pre- or post-experience so the decision to explore any type of ceremony work, for example, would need to be their own decision.

What are the most remarkable changes you have seen in patients who have leveraged psychedelic integration to manage their mental wellness? 

It helps people to understand their reality and experience from a different perspective and to let go of certain stories or attachments that are no longer serving them. The integration work is more valuable than the actual psychedelic experience in many ways because it where you actually bring the lessons you learned into the physical world and start to put changes into action. People are able to cultivate a sense of self-love and compassion for themselves that they weren’t able to before.

What challenges do you see for further integration of psychedelic-based therapies into more mainstream healthcare?

Governments do not typically want this type of therapy or experience to be available openly to the public for various reasons so the legal issues are the biggest challenges that I see.

You can learn more about Rima Danielle Jomaa’s practice on her website,  and if you are looking for other psychedelic therapists in Los Angeles you can find them on Frshminds.

Learn more about the link between psychedelics and mental health with our Ultimate Psychedelics and Mental Wellness Guide!

Share Frshminds Content With Your Network

About the Author

Passionate about studying the psychedelic/mystical experience from a neuropsychological lens, Emily is a member of MAPS Canada Research Committee and graduated with an Honours BSc in Cognitive Neuropsychology from York University.  She currently leads a team of RAS with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating microdosing psilocybin for persistent depressive disorder.

Earn points.
Unlock rewards.

Earn points to unlock rewards by completing your Frshminds user profile and writing reviews.
Share Your Experience
and start earning today

Comments

Leave a Reply

Sign In

Register

Reset Password

Please enter your username or email address, you will receive a link to create a new password via email.