💧 Who steps up when LA is on fire?

Welcome back to The Drop In, DoubleBlind’s newsletter serving up news, culture, and independent journalism about the psychedelic underground straight to your inbox.

Today is a special edition of The Drop In. Instead of our usual mix of bite-sized news and content from DB’s luminous archive, we’re focusing today’s send on a longer news feature about LA’s first major climate disaster and how some in the psychedelics and wellness worlds are stepping up to meet this moment of crisis.

Stay tuned for another special edition Drop In feature on the LA fires coming to you on Monday.

Take care of each other 🫶🏽,

Mary Carreón
Senior Editor

Together With Modern Medicine

Meet Modern Medicine: Los Angeles Integrative Medicine and Ketamine Clinic’s Open House + New Year Discounts

Modern Medicine Services in LA is our fantasy version of what a healing sanctuary should be. From ketamine-assisted therapy to acupuncture, sound journeys, and IV treatments, their integrative approach blends East and West to focus on your total well-being.

They are extending their holiday specials throughout January, so you can receive up to 50% off services, including Ketamine Assisted Therapy. 

Curious to learn more? Join their Open House on Thursday, Feb 13, for an inside look at their unique clinic space, meet their incredible team, and learn how their approach can help you reach your health and wellness goals this year. They’re even offering free sound-bed sessions, B12 shots, and discounted IV treatments. 

Attending the open house automatically enters you into a raffle for a chance to win complimentary services and a care package featuring IV vitamin therapy, acupuncture, a soundbed session, and a personalized nutrition consultation valued at over $500!

Plus, new clients can use the code DOUBLEBLIND at booking to receive 15% off your first session, which is stackable with other January promotions to benefit from more savings.

Whether you want to reset, manage anxiety, or thrive in 2025, Modern Medicine is here to help. Check out their website here and RSVP to their open house on February 13 at 6 pm PT here.

When the City of Angels Burns

As LA reels from its worst wildfire disaster, psychedelic and wellness communities rally to aid survivors and reckon with the harsh realities of climate catastrophe.

The past week and a half is arguably the worst 10-day stretch in Los Angeles’ history. Since January 7, LA County has been gripped by multiple wildfires that have devoured upwards of 40,000 acres of land and counting. At least 24 people have died, tens of thousands of people and animals have been displaced, homes incinerated, businesses gone, and communities wiped off the map. Governor Newsom says this disaster could be the worst in US history “in terms of just the costs associated with it [and] in terms of the scale and scope.” It’s not the way any of us thought 2025 would start. Alas, here we are, amidst climate catastrophe.

As sprawling as LA is, it feels very small in the context of a tragedy. Everyone knows someone personally who lost everything, and through our connections with one another, we all know of dozens more who are enduring tremendous loss. It quickly became clear just how deeply the psychedelic and artist communities have been impacted — and how swiftly they’re rallying to respond.

Zorthian Ranch, located in Altadena near Eaton Canyon, is a 48-acre artist community established in 1946 by Armenian artist Jirayr Zorthian. It served as a haven for artists, intellectuals, and free spirits in SoCal, and has long embodied a psychedelic spirit of community. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, most of the ranch burned in the Eaton Canyon fire. 20 people lived on the ranch at the time, according to reports.

“We lost most of the ranch, the artwork that Jirayr created, the stage collapsed, the bridge is gone,” writes Julia Zorthian, the daughter of Alan Zorthian, the current keeper of the ranch, in their GoFundMe. “The photos of the summer camp, the archives of videos. It’s too tragic to think of all the irreplaceable pieces of history that were lost. My dad lost everything he owned. He has no car, no clothes…We don’t want to put this land in the hands of developers.”

Dozens of people touched by the ranch have mobilized to donate. “[Zorthian Ranch] is such an irreplaceable sanctuary to countless animal and human souls, artists, freaks, families, creativity, and utopian inspiration at large,” @samandude posted on Instagram.

We also learned of several medicine workers who lost their housing in the fires. One of whom had just purchased and moved into a new house in Altadena at the end of December that burned. Another was a facilitator who lived in Topanga Canyon and lost her home.

We checked in with Sam Mandel, Co-Founder & CEO of Ketamine Clinics LA located in the Playa District, to see if there had been an uptick in appointments due to the stress, grief, and trauma caused by the disaster. “We have had some new interest as a result, but frankly, many more people have had to cancel because of being evacuated or displaced,” he tells DoubleBlind.

While Mandel and the clinic are safe, the fires have still impacted him. “Unfortunately, my uncle’s house burned down; another family friend had theirs burned down as well,” he says. “The elementary and middle school that my nieces and nephew went to burnt down, my favorite hiking trail, and other places I used to go are gone. The pollution of air and water has been very disturbing and concerning. I’m heartbroken. I send my deepest condolences to all of LA, especially those who lost their homes and businesses or have been displaced. This has been absolutely devastating.”

Amidst the loss, some in the psychedelics and wellness communities are offering refuge and supplies to those directly impacted. The Reality Center, located in Santa Monica, uses technology to emulate the psychedelic experience to regulate the nervous system. Jonathan Chia, co-founder and an Army Combat Veteran, says he and his team have made their location “ground zero” as a redistribution hub and have moved millions of dollars in supplies, food, and support to the frontlines.

“What we have been doing is coordinating with agencies, from Red Cross, the Veterans Administration, local police and fire, and World Central Kitchen, along with 20 to 50 other nonprofits that are collaborating with us to do everything from cook meals, run deliveries, accept donations, or just give people a hug,” Chia tells DoubleBlind. “We have currently sent out $7.5 million to the front lines in supplies and goods. We are feeding thousands of people a day, from disenfranchised veterans who are living at the Veteran's Administration home to on-duty firefighters and police officers, and people who have lost their homes, and we are helping house hundreds [of people].”

The Reality Center has become a central fixture providing well-rounded disaster relief services to first responders and people impacted by the fires. “Our team is also overseeing multiple campuses, from donation distribution campuses to housing 25 firefighters from [Las] Vegas, and we’re providing all of the services for them — from meals to showers to bedding to toiletries. We are going to continue this fight for months moving forward, focusing on all aspects of assistance, recovery, and rebuilding.”

MudWTR Gather is a brick-and-mortar mushroom cafe in Santa Monica. It is currently being used as an indoor space for healing and collecting donation supplies. They are seeking therapists, facilitators, and volunteers to help provide support for folks.

“We are focused on offering [MudWTR] Gather as a safe and supportive indoor healing space to unite the community and assist those impacted by the fires,” a MudWTR representative tells DoubleBlind. “We are actively taking and distributing donations while providing free wellness practices such as breathwork, acupuncture, and craniosacral therapy. Additionally, we are creating opportunities for open discussion, grieving support, and connection.”

The team at Dr. Bronner’s has also collected tons of donations and supplies for fire survivors. The company is giving moe than $175,000 in product and financial donations. “For the past week, our Magic Foam Experience team & other staff have been gathering soaps, food, new clothing, pet food & more to help our neighbors in Los Angeles who've been affected or displaced by the fires,” the Bronner account posted on IG. ⁣ “Dr. Bronner’s Engagement team has [also] worked closely with other staff as well as LuvWorx, Lived Experiences, and Rolling Wheel to distribute these donations. We're moved by & grateful to you ALL.⁣”

The Urban Indigenous Collective, a non-profit in NYC that maintains a presence in the ceremony and plant medicine community, also amplified where affected Indigenous folks in SoCal can locate essential support, including addresses and phone numbers for shelter, food, and transportation. “To our Indigenous relatives impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles, we stand with you,” UIC wrote on Instagram. “Let’s continue uplifting and supporting our community during this time. Please share these resources with anyone in need.”

Climate experts like Peter Kalmus and Daniel Swain have long said that LA is a climate disaster waiting to happen. For even longer, Indigenous communities have warned of the dire consequences of treating the Earth as a mere object rather than a living, interconnected being. (Not to mention, Indigenous communities have thousands of years-old practices of effectively managing wildfire-prone areas!) But now that LA is enduring the reckoning of the West’s relentless capitalistic extraction of the Earth, some urgent questions loom: How can we contribute to meaningful solutions that improve our relationship with the land? How do we adapt to the rapidly intensifying climate crisis that will worsen as profits are prioritized over the planet and humanity?

“We’re moving from an era of climate crisis to one of climate emergency, and now we have a new administration that ignores climate altogether,” Marissa Feinberg, founder of Psychedelics for Climate Action (PSYCA), tells DoubleBlind. “We can only plan so much for what’s constantly changing and unknown.”

Feinberg tells us that PSYCA and New Health Institute are looking at how to bring healing to people who are climate community leaders and to those who have lost homes in the LA fires.

“Some of the most immediate actions we can take involve mutual aid, helping people when the government fails to protect us, and aligning with the psychedelic values of oneness and connectedness,” she says. “As an organization, we draw inspiration from Indigenous peoples who view healing as extending beyond the individual to encompass the community and the land itself — it’s time we include the natural world in our Western mindset and how we understand mental health.”

Together With Modern Medicine

Ketamine, Acupuncture, and Sound Beds? Yes, Please!

Modern Medicine Services is redefining integrative medicine. They offer a full spectrum of integrative east-west modalities: ketamine therapy, acupuncture, personalized nutrition, peptides, and more. It’s whole-person care, ensuring your healing goes deeper than surface symptoms.

Benefit from their New Year special pricing, with up to 50% off services like ketamine-assisted therapy, exclusive discounts on home peptide kits, and specially priced longevity protocols featuring peptides and NAD+ injections or infusions! If you've been thinking about trying ketamine therapy to enhance your mental and overall well-being, now is the perfect opportunity to experience it at an accessible price.

Plus, use the code DOUBLEBLIND for an additional 15% off your first service—the perfect way to start your healing journey.

Don't miss this opportunity to prioritize your health and well-being as we kick off the new year. Schedule your consultation today and take the first step toward a healthier, more vibrant you!

Discover care that puts you first.