We recently connected with Amy Milroy and have shared our conversation below.

Amy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?

I worked with a participant at one of our Transcendelic ketamine-assisted therapy retreats, and they were grieving the loss of both of their parents. They were especially struggling with the loss of their mom since her passing had been more recent, and they couldn’t figure out how to move out of the place of stuckness with their grief. During one of their ketamine journeys, they saw a vision of their mom on her death bed. They were relieved to realize that their dad was present with them to say goodbye to their mom, and that’s when it hit them: The reason they couldn’t move through their grief over their mom’s passing is because their dad had preceded her in death. They had always felt stronger with their dad around, and relied on him for emotional support. In their journey, they held hands with their dad as they approached their mom’s death bed, and felt a sense of peace in being able to say a loving goodbye together as a family, with their dad’s strong hand holding theirs as it had for so many years, literally and figuratively. They came out of that journey feeling they had been able to grieve their mom in a fuller way, and that they still had the presence of both of their parents even after death.

Amy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello, I’m Amy, a double board-certified psychiatric and family nurse practitioner, and a provider of psychedelic-assisted therapy. My journey into the realm of holistic and psychedelic-assisted healing is deeply personal. As someone who has navigated the path of healing from trauma, I’ve experienced firsthand the transformative power of psychedelic medicine. This personal journey, combined with my professional background, has provided me with a unique and comprehensive understanding of the art and science of thriving.

I began my career in healthcare as a registered nurse, where I quickly became disillusioned with the systemic failures of the healthcare industry to truly heal and empower patients. Despite advancing my career and becoming a family and then psychiatric nurse practitioner, I felt a persistent calling for something more—something that could facilitate profound, lasting transformation. This calling was answered through my own healing experiences with psychedelics, which not only changed my life but also clarified my true vocation.

In 2023, I completed an intensive year-long fellowship and certification in psychedelic-assisted therapy through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, where I was trained in various modalities including ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), MDMA-assisted therapy in partnership with MAPS, psilocybin-assisted therapy, and the full spectrum of psychedelic-assisted therapy. These experiences and my education fueled my passion and commitment to this work.

I co-founded Transcendelic, a holistic wellness organization designed to offer legal psychedelic-assisted therapy primarily in retreat settings, where ketamine-assisted therapy is complemented by practices like yoga, meditation, massage, and nature immersion. Our mission is to support individuals in becoming their healthiest, most fulfilled selves by facilitating deep, meaningful transformation and wellness through psychedelic medicine. I also provide home and clinic services with ketamine-assisted therapy and other full-spectrum psychiatric services for folks wishing to access care in those ways.

What sets Transcendelic apart is our comprehensive, trauma-informed approach that honors the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. We have an amazing multidisciplinary team that brings a rich variety of talents and passions to each retreat, so that there is something special that aligns for each participant. We are dedicated to creating a safe, compassionate, and inclusive environment that respects each individual’s journey and needs. Our retreats are designed not just to address symptoms but to facilitate a profound healing process that can lead to lasting change.

I am so honored to witness the transformative healing and growth that our participants experience. There’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing someone rediscover their highest self and step into a life of greater joy, purpose, and connection. This work is not just my profession; it’s my life’s calling. At Transcendelic, we share the goal to help you unlock your inner healing intelligence, allowing you to transcend past traumas and patterns and embrace a future filled with health, joy, and peace.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Working in healthcare I had to unlearn several lessons, including the lesson that if you’re unhappy in your job, you are the problem. Oftentimes, the systems we are living and working in are the problem, and it wouldn’t make sense to feel joyful in those. I’ve had several jobs in healthcare, some better than others, and have long felt angst because of how dehumanizing the healthcare system can be to patients and clinicians alike. Rather than alleviating the injustices and oppressions present in our world, tragically often healthcare reinforces those. Time and again I have witnessed with horror how patients who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, have less financial means, or are in other ways victims of marginalization receive less or poorer care. I’m from Chicago, which has the largest life expectancy gap in the country. The average life expectancy in one of Chicago’s predominantly Black neighborhoods is 60 years, while in one of its predominantly White neighborhoods it is 90 years. To have a 30-year life expectancy gap within the same city is appalling and gut-wrenching. I have seen our systems fail patients in innumerable ways. I decided to co-found an organization where we give sponsorships for free or reduced cost care based on marginalized identities, socioeconomic struggles, and histories of trauma. We are small, but want to do our part in moving toward eliminating the gap in health outcomes.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

While there have been plenty of times in my life that I wasn’t sure I would go back and choose to be a nurse practitioner again, I am now very glad that I did, and would repeat that decision. Being a double board-certified psychiatric and family nurse practitioner who helps to lead a trauma-informed ketamine-assisted therapy retreat company means I get to help people heal in deep ways, and in the process get to wear a lot of different hats and embrace creativity and play. I am honored to witness people’s resilience and thirst for wellness. Now that I work in Transcendelic, I know I am doing what I was born to do. It is the most amazing feeling to be in alignment with my values, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.transcendelicretreats.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transcendelic.retreats
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transcendelic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/transcendelic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/transcendelic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@transcendelic
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/transcendelic-ketamine-therapy-retreats-and-at-home-treatment-san-diego
• Other: linktr.ee/transcendelic

Image Credits
“Rainbow Phoenix” by Austin Van Allen, 2021