Healing Through Awe: What 2024 Taught Us About Transformational Mental Health Care
Sometimes, healing begins with a moment of awe.
That was the key takeaway from one of the most talked-about psychedelic therapy studies in 2024: participants who experienced awe during ketamine treatments showed significantly better outcomes for depression up to 30 days after their session.
As more and more research continues to explore the therapeutic power of psychedelics (over 1,800 ketamine studies were published last year alone), what we’ve felt in our bones here at Within Center is finally catching up in the clinical world: healing isn’t just about the medicine it’s about the experience. And more importantly, it’s about how that experience is held.
We’ve Seen This Firsthand
At Within Center, located just outside of Austin, TX, awe isn’t something we chase. It’s something we create space for.
We’ve spent years building an environment where people can soften, feel safe, and open up to something bigger whether that’s insight, emotion, or simply a part of themselves they haven’t connected with in a long time.
Our home base, AWKN Ranch, was designed with that in mind. Think wide-open skies, quiet nature trails, and healing spaces that feel nothing like a clinic. It’s not about escaping life it’s about remembering how to live it fully.
Healing That Goes Deeper Than Symptoms
We work with people facing treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, OCD, anxiety, chronic pain, and substance use. But honestly, a lot of the people who come to us aren’t sure exactly what to call what they’re feeling.
Burnout. Disconnection. Emotional fatigue. The sense that life feels flat, or that something essential has gone missing.
These are hard things to name but they’re very real. And they deserve real healing.
As our founder, David Naylor, often says:
“We see people return to themselves not just feeling better, but feeling whole for the first time in a long time.”
More Than Just the Medicine
Yes, we work with ketamine and other psychedelic-assisted therapies. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle.
We combine those sessions with somatic integration, functional wellness (like IV drips), group work, breathwork, coaching, and more. Healing isn’t something that happens in isolation. It’s relational. It’s layered. And it takes time.
That’s why we offer immersive retreats so people can actually step out of their day-to-day patterns and into a space where healing becomes possible.
The Power of Being Held
Awe doesn’t always come from fireworks. Sometimes, it’s a quiet moment on a morning walk. A conversation that cuts through the noise. A release that’s been waiting for years.
And when those moments happen at Within, our team is there to hold them.
We’ve got experienced guides like Heather McCan, who brings 14 years of ceremony and plant medicine work into the healing space. We’ve got therapists and coaches who meet you exactly where you are no pressure, no pushing, just presence.
The truth is, people don’t just need more treatment. They need to feel safe. Seen. Supported.
It’s Not About Quick Fixes. It’s About Real Change.
We don’t measure our success in symptom scores alone (although those do change, dramatically). We measure it in the relationships that heal. The boundaries that get rebuilt. The moments of joy that return. The breath that comes easier.
We’ve seen people step out of cycles that have held them for decades and begin to live in a way that’s rooted in truth and connection.
Because that’s what awe does. It reminds us who we really are.
Looking Ahead
This new wave of research is exciting but for us, it just reaffirms what we already know: healing is possible. And it often begins in the moments when we feel deeply connected to ourselves, to others, to something bigger.
Whether you’re navigating depression, trauma, or just a sense that something in your life needs to shift, we’re here. We don’t promise a magic solution. But we do promise care, presence, and the space to rediscover what’s already inside you.
If you’re curious about our retreats, our approach, our classes, events, memberships or just want to talk with someone who gets it we’d love to connect.
Because healing doesn’t start with answers.
Sometimes, it starts with wonder.
Learn more about Within Center or schedule a consultation at within.center.
