Soul Surgeon MD

Soul Surgeon MD is a ketamine-assisted therapy practice in Los Angeles, based in Venice and founded by Dr John Moos, a physician who left trauma surgery to work on healing trauma. It offers psychedelic-assisted sessions for individuals, couples and groups, along with integration, microdosing guidance and support for coming off antidepressants.

Approach

Moos has worked in medicine for more than 20 years, in trauma centres, emergency rooms and operating theatres, and has spent nearly a decade on psychedelic-assisted therapy; the practice says it has supported more than 1,000 sessions. Each one includes a medical consultation, a risk and safety screening, preparation and integration. In a session the client usually lies down wearing an eye mask, with music playing and a facilitator present for the several hours it lasts. The practice calls ketamine the only psychedelic that can legally be prescribed in the United States, and it describes its care as connection-based and trauma-informed. Calina Artimescu is director of operations and a facilitator.

Who it is for

The practice works with PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, burnout, addiction and relationship difficulties, often in people for whom years of talk therapy or medication were not enough. It also sees adolescents and families, supports therapists and coaches who want a prescriber, and offers integration for people who used psychedelics elsewhere.

Practical details

Preparation, integration and consultations can take place remotely; medicine sessions are in person. Prices have ranged from $500 to $4,000. Care is private pay only, though superbills are available.

Care and safety

A free fifteen-minute call or a paid consultation comes first. The intake questionnaire and consent form are due at least forty-eight hours ahead, and a thirty-minute consultation then reviews them and sets a plan of care. For antidepressant tapering, the practice follows the Horowitz-Taylor hyperbolic method alongside ketamine support.