Peter Addy

Peter Addy (he/him)

Licensed Professional Counselor

PhD, LPC, LMHC

I work with adults whose daily lives are affected by chronic pain or illness. Let's explore what's truly possible for you.

Client Status

accepting clients

Contact

971-336-4956

6118 SE BELMONT ST

Ste 403

Portland, 97215

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $150-$300

Provides free initial consultation

Provides telehealth services

Practicing Since: 2010

Languages: English

Services

  • Individual

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket
  • Out of Network
  • Intercommunity Health Network (IHN)
  • Medicaid
  • OHP Trillium
  • PacificSource
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My Ideal Client

If someone suggested therapy for your pain and you thought, ‘My pain isn’t just in my head,’ I agree with you. I work with adults in Portland who live with chronic pain and illness, and I support their medical care. A lot of the people I see are managing a condition while holding down work it keeps interfering with. Some are preparing for a legal psychedelic experience and want to do it carefully. Some had one already and are still turning it over.

My Background and Approach

I live with fibromyalgia. That doesn’t make me an expert on your body, but I do understand how tiring it is to keep explaining yourself to people who think they already know what’s wrong. Before starting my private practice, I spent seven years doing research at Yale, studying how people experience non-ordinary states of consciousness. I’ve been practicing since 2010. I’m licensed as a professional counselor in Oregon and as a mental health counselor in Washington, and I teach continuing education for other therapists. Most of our work is practical. We look at what your days are really like, where pain takes more than it has to, and what is available to you. Therapy sits alongside medical care for a pain condition. It does not replace it, but it can help make daily life feel less dominated by pain. I also help people prepare for a legal psychedelic experience, or make sense of one they’ve already had so that they can approach it with more clarity and support.

Social Justice Issues I Care About

I think about healthcare in class terms. Psychological distress and access to care are shaped by who can pay, and a profit-driven system working exactly as designed produces suffering. Living with chronic illness has made that concrete rather than theoretical for me. My practice affirms all gender identities, sexual orientations, relationship structures and body sizes. I try to recognize my privileges and advantages as a white, cisgender, male, educated practitioner. Anti-racist, feminist and disability justice work must be grounded in material conditions.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Transpersonal External link

    My training in transpersonal psychology informs an approach that honors experiences beyond ordinary states of consciousness, including psychedelic journeys, spiritual emergencies, and profound healing experiences. I help clients integrate these experiences into their daily lives while better understanding consciousness and human potential. This orientation particularly supports work with non-ordinary states and meaning-making.

  • Somatic Therapy (Body Centered) External link

    Understanding that trauma and chronic pain are held in the body, I incorporate body-centered approaches to support healing and transformation. This includes developing a greater awareness of physical sensations, exploring the relationship between emotions and bodily experiences, and working with the body's wisdom. My approach integrates somatic practices with psychedelic preparation and integration work.

  • Mindfulness-based External link

    I integrate mindfulness practices to help clients develop a greater awareness of the mind-body connection and more effective ways of relating to pain and challenging experiences. Through cultivating present-moment awareness and compassionate acceptance, clients learn to navigate health challenges with greater ease and resilience. These skills particularly support the preparation for and integration of psychedelic experiences.

  • Existential External link

    I help clients explore questions about meaning, purpose, and identity that often arise when living with chronic health conditions. Drawing from existential philosophy and psychedelic research, I support clients in navigating uncertainty, finding meaning despite suffering, and developing authentic ways of being in the world. This orientation particularly informs my work with clients preparing for psychedelic experiences.

  • Humanistic  External link

    My practice centers on creating warm, authentic therapeutic relationships that honor each client's inherent wisdom and capacity for growth. I combine deep empathy with practical tools for navigating health challenges, emphasizing client autonomy and self-determination. This approach supports clients in discovering their own paths to healing while developing greater self-understanding and acceptance.

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • Chronic Pain or Illness External link

    Drawing from both professional expertise and personal experience with fibromyalgia, I help clients understand chronic pain within broader systems of capitalism and labor exploitation. My approach integrates practical pain management strategies with analyzing how profit-driven healthcare impacts treatment access and options. I focus on helping clients develop new relationships with their bodies while building solidarity and mutual support networks to challenge systemic barriers to care.

  • Political Climate External link

    Understanding that personal health exists within capitalism's broader social relations, I help clients navigate the alienation and exploitation inherent in our current healthcare system. I explicitly acknowledge how profit motives shape access to care while supporting client advocacy and mutual aid organizing. My practice incorporates class consciousness and collective solidarity while working toward the revolutionary transformation of healthcare from a commodity to a human right.

  • Spirituality External link

    My background in transpersonal psychology and psychedelic research informs a holistic approach that honors the spiritual dimensions of healing and transformation. I support clients in exploring questions of meaning, purpose, and connection through traditional and non-ordinary states of consciousness. While maintaining respect for diverse belief systems, I help clients integrate profound experiences into their understanding of themselves and their place in the world.

  • Personal Growth External link

    I support clients in exploring deeper questions of meaning, purpose, and identity, particularly as they navigate health challenges and life transitions. Through integrating insights from non-ordinary states of consciousness, mindfulness practices, and somatic awareness, I help clients develop greater self-understanding and emotional resilience. My approach honors both the challenges and opportunities for growth that arise through working with chronic pain and illness.

Contact Peter

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