Out for a Trip

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Written by Ian VanDuzer

April 22, 2025

Field Trip Health’s psychedelic-assisted therapy changes lives and minds – literally.

In Hamilton, we enjoy the benefits of one of the best-developed healthcare systems in the world. The second largest hospital network in Ontario – and the fourth largest in Canada – grants us incredible access to resources, specialists, and facilities that patients across southwestern Ontario all benefit from.

But even the expansive Hamilton network cannot help everyone. The need is simply too great, especially when it comes to mental health. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 20% of Canadians experience a mental illness each year. 50% of Canadians will either have or have had a mental illness by their 40th birthday.

To make matters more difficult, some mental illnesses prove to be difficult to treat.

Office hallway with chairs, end table, plants, and a painting of a woman and flowers on the wall
Young woman sitting in chair with weighted blanket and eye mask, for relaxation

Johns Hopkins Medicine says that 30% of people diagnosed with major depressive disorder experience “treatment-resistant depression”, meaning that their depression does not respond to most typical treatment plans and medications.

Thankfully, there’s emerging evidence for alternative treatments that prove effective for these treatment-resistant mental illnesses. But you won’t find these treatment plans offered at St. Joe’s or Hamilton Health Sciences; and that is where a private health provider can step in.

Dr. Mario Nucci calls me from his car. He’s bundled up against the Thunder Bay cold, but he’s happy and beaming. “I’m so excited to speak with you,” he says.

Dr. Nucci has been offering ketamine-based psychotherapy treatments for his patients since 2016. What started as a small offering limited to his clinic in Thunder Bay has since grown into Field Trip Health, with eight locations across Canada, and more than 1,000 patients treated – including 30 at Hamilton’s clinic, which opened in September 2024.

Field Trip developed out of a pressing need that Dr. Nucci saw in his patients – and the results he observed. “I started seeing treatment-resistant illnesses,” Dr. Nucci says. “That means that your depression, your anxiety, your trauma, isn’t responding to at least two different treatment plans.”

Dr. Nucci describes patients who had tried “every other treatment under the sun” but found no relief, only to benefit from ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. “No treatment is a panacea,” he points out. “But this is a very powerful tool in the toolkit. About 70-85% will respond to the therapy – which is a very high benchmark for a treatment-resistant group.”

While Field Trip is exploring offering other psychedelics as treatments, such as MDMA and Psilocybin-assisted therapies, ketamine is the current, primary focus. “Ketamine was developed in the 60s, initially as an anesthetic,” Dr. Nucci explains. “But studies showed that at smaller doses, ketamine can induce an altered state of consciousness. It stimulates neurogenesis, or the growth of new neurons, which may help ‘rewire’ the brain.”

That makes it particularly interesting for treating mental illnesses, many of which cause or are caused by disrupted neural paths through the brain.

“People with psychopathology, they’re in these fixed patterns of thinking and behaving,” Dr. Nucci identifies. “Ketamine temporarily turns that down, promoting neuroplasticity – or flexibility – in the brain.

When combined with therapy, patients can step outside of their usual thought loops and make real change.”

Dispatches from the Front: Field Trip’s Hamilton Clinic

Hamilton’s Field Trip Health clinic is designed to be comfortable and calming. The entranceway is painted in dark, moody colours, the lights are dimmed, and acoustic versions of pop songs gently hang in the air. The treatment rooms are a little different, featuring relaxing lounge chairs, blankets, pillows, and large frosted glass windows (for more or less light, depending on patient need).

“It’s an essential location”, says Ian Ruberry, CEO of Field Trip Health.

Profile view of young woman on a comfortable recliner chair, resting with an eye mask, headphones and a weighted blanket

“We had many clients making the trip from Hamilton, Burlington, and Niagara Falls to our Toronto location, which told us there was a demand in this region,” Ruberry says. “Geography is a huge factor – especially with emerging treatments like ketamine-assisted therapy– because not everyone can easily travel to a major city for care.“

Private vs. Public

Dr. Nucci understands that private healthcare is a prickly subject in Canada, one that he agrees with. Still, he points out that there have always been popular treatments that aren’t included in our public system.

“Physiotherapy and psychotherapy are evidence-based treatments that aren’t covered by the public purse,” he points out. “And I wish that they were. But unfortunately, I don’t control the government, so we had to make these treatments available ourselves.”

Ruberry agrees. “We see ourselves as a complementary piece of the puzzle. Hamilton has a fantastic healthcare system, and our goal is to add another option for people who haven’t found relief through conventional treatments,” he says. “Ultimately, we’re here to provide more options, support existing healthcare providers, and help people who might otherwise slip through the cracks.”

Field Trip maintains that the treatments are safe and evidence-based. “We’re not handing out drugs,” Dr. Nucci emphasizes, adding that Field Trip Health follows Health Canada’s regulations for psychedelic-assisted therapy, ensuring that all treatments are overseen by licensed medical professionals. “We’re using psychedelics in conjunction with therapy, in a medically supervised environment, to enhance both treatments.”

“At the end of the day, I can sleep well at night knowing that we’re helping people,” he says. “That’s why I became a doctor in the first place.”

An office with blue walls and an orange recliner chair and pillow, with plants and a calming atmosphere

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