Cardea

What Cardea does

Cardea is a New York City-based psychedelic-assisted therapy and transformation practice operating as Cardea LCSW PLLC. Founded in 2022 and co-led by Ross Ellenhorn (Ph.D., LICSW, author of three books on human change) and Dimitri Mugianis (harm reduction advocate with 500+ ibogaine ceremonies), the company delivers ketamine-assisted psychotherapy through its proprietary Lascaux Method, a short-term framework integrating dialogic space holding, live vibrational sound, and art-making. Services are provided in individual and group formats at a dedicated, artist-designed Ketamine Space on Canal Street, supplemented by psilocybin preparation/integration coaching, harm reduction and addiction support, and challenging-experience support. Cardea also operates multi-day retreats in Jamaica and runs a recurring Salon Series of cultural and educational events.

The business monetizes through a portfolio of professional-services offerings: group ketamine sessions at approximately $550 per session (including $100 medical fee and $100 medication), specialty sessions at $750, workshops and retreats priced $1,500-$2,300, and a flagship 5-week Lascaux Method Facilitator Training at $2,100. The go-to-market is asset-light and content-led: Cardea relies on free 30-minute consultations as the primary intake funnel, supplemented by earned media in The Guardian, Time, NY Magazine, Rolling Stone, Jacobin, and Salon, plus an owned blog, monthly email newsletter, and Instagram presence. Community is reinforced through weekly virtual integration groups, the Furthur Fund non-profit scholarship program (which has treated 90+ frontline professionals), and a growing network of Lascaux-trained facilitators. The customer base is concentrated among individuals seeking personal transformation and service-oriented professionals, with secondary demand from aspiring practitioners and wellness-seekers; all revenue is consumer-paid or training-paid, with no disclosed enterprise contracts. The company has raised a single $200,000 seed round in July 2022 and has not disclosed additional funding, revenue, or profitability metrics.

Name

Cardea

Legal name

Cardea LCSW PLLC

Website

https://cardea.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cardea is a New York-based psychedelic-assisted therapy practice offering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy through its proprietary Lascaux Method to individuals, service-oriented professionals, and aspiring practitioners via sessions, facilitator training, and Jamaica retreats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

akta.pro primary industry

Cardiac Rehabilitation & Secondary Prevention (HLAKABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs (HLAFAFAJ), Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation (Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehab) (HSADAIAK), Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Therapy In-Home (HSABADAG)

Keywords

• Psychedelic-assisted therapy
• Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy
• Psychedelic preparation coaching
• Facilitator training programs
• Integration coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Sessions: Revenue from individual and group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions. Includes session fees, medical evaluation fees, and medication costs. Group sessions are priced more affordably than individual sessions.
2. Training and Certification Programs: Revenue from the Lascaux Method Facilitator Training program - a 5-week immersive training for psychedelic-assisted care. Includes certification for preparation and integration.
3. Retreats and Workshops: Revenue from therapeutic retreats including ketamine-assisted workshops, sound bath events, and special programming like the Founder's Weekend and partnership retreats.
4. Salon Series and Events: Revenue from educational and discussion events including the Cardea Salon Series featuring guest speakers. Ticket proceeds are often donated to the Furthur Fund non-profit.
5. Furthur Fund Scholarships: Non-profit scholarship program providing subsidized ketamine treatments to service-oriented professionals. Supported by donations and event proceeds rather than generating direct revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cardea is a human-centered psychedelic therapy and transformation practice that delivers ketamine-assisted psychotherapy through its proprietary Lascaux Method, offered in both individual and group formats with live vibrational sound and art-making. The practice also provides psilocybin services, psychedelic preparation and integration coaching, harm reduction coaching, facilitator training and certification programs, and organizational consulting, all anchored in a dialogic model of care.

Product overview

Cardea is a human-centered psychedelic therapy and transformation practice offering a unified portfolio of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy services. The core offering centers on The Lascaux Method—a signature dialogic model of ketamine-assisted care—delivered through individual and group sessions featuring live sound, art-making, and integration coaching. Additional offerings include psilocybin services, coaching certifications, facilitator training programs, and the Furthur Fund non-profit scholarship program. The company operates a dedicated Ketamine Space facility in New York City and provides organizational consulting services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Psychedelic-assisted care combining ketamine treatment with therapeutic support, offered in individual and group session formats with live sound integration for individuals seeking psychological healing and transformation.
• Individual Ketamine Sessions One-on-one ketamine therapy sessions with personalized therapeutic support and space holding for individual clients.
• Group Ketamine Sessions (Communitas) Group ketamine ceremonies featuring live vibrational sound, art-making preparation, and post-journey integration, designed to induce communitas—an experience of community and psychological connection.
• Psilocybin Services Psilocybin-assisted therapy and preparation services for personal exploration and transformation.
• Psychedelic Preparation and Integration Coaching Coaching services to help clients prepare for and integrate psychedelic experiences, supporting psychological emergence and transformation.
• Harm Reduction Coaching Support services focused on harm reduction approaches for individuals engaged with psychedelics or dealing with addiction.
• Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Support Specialized support for individuals navigating difficult or challenging psychedelic experiences.
• Lascaux Method Facilitator Training 5-week immersive training program for psychedelic-assisted care facilitators, certifying participants in the Lascaux Method of space holding and dialogic practice, priced at $2,100.
• Coaching Certification Professional certification program for individuals seeking to become psychedelic coaches, part of Cardea's training offerings.
• Ceremonial Sound Practitioner Training Training program for individuals seeking to facilitate ceremonial sound experiences as part of psychedelic therapy.
• Organizational Support and Consulting Consulting and support services for organizations seeking to implement relational, human-focused approaches to healing and psychedelic programs.
• Jamaica Ketamine and Meditation Retreat Multi-day therapeutic retreat in Jamaica featuring dialogic sessions, sound ceremonies, yoga, art-making, and integration work with luxury beach-front accommodations; Early Bird $1,800, 3-Day Weekend $2,100.

Quantifiable outcome

• Treated over 90 frontline care professionals through Furthur Fund scholarship program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core and key.

• Ashton ApplewhitenotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2024Author of 'This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism' and anti-ageism activist. Hosted salon event on ending ageism. All ticket proceeds donated to Furthur Fund.
• Dr. Elias DakwarnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2024Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and practicing psychiatrist. Hosted salon on 'The Captive Imagination' exploring relationships with psychoactive drugs and the role of imagination in psychedelic experiences.
• Hamilton MorrisnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2024Scientist, journalist, and documentarian known for Hamilton's Pharmacopeia. Hosted salon event 'Unveiling the Science of Ketamine' exploring ketamine's pharmacology, therapeutic uses, cultural context, and contemporary challenges.
• The Mind Bod Adventure SquadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2024Co-host of Ketamine, Meditation & Healing Retreat (postponed to March 2025). Partnership combines Cardea's psychedelic expertise with Tasha Schumann's contemplative teaching and meditation practice. Features integrated programming with group ketamine sessions, meditation, and creative exploration.
• Randy PalumbokeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2023Partner and designer of Cardea's Ketamine Space on Canal Street. Created the unique ambiance using reishi mushroom mycelium to craft tables, light fixtures, and window shutters. Contributed artistic vision including The Beatrice Wood Room for art-making, The Alice Coltrane Room for sound listening, Bootsy Collins Room for live sound, and the Mothership room for lectures and events.
• Dr. Andrew TatarskycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (IHRP) model. Co-hosted 4-day experiential workshop at Cardea combining IHRP training with ketamine-assisted care. Expert in treating spectrum of addictive and compulsive behaviors.
• Eugenia BonenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerMushroom expert featured in Fantastic Fungi, journalist, chef, and author. Hosted salon 'Have A Good Trip' on magic mushrooms, their biology, use, potential and harms.
• Your Morbid FriendsnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeath literacy company co-hosting 'Mindfulness of Death' therapeutic group ketamine session. Provides mindfulness and somatic exercises related to death awareness before ketamine journey.
• Omega InstitutenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Planetarium: An Immersive Hi-Fidelity Sound Experience at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. Collaboration featuring sound artists from Mister Saturday Night/Mister Sunday/Nowadays.
• Aimee Meredith Cox, PhDnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural anthropologist, writer, and movement artist from NYU Anthropology Department. Previously at Yale African American Studies and Anthropology. Led movement session during 'Weekend of Serious Play' workshop.
• Paul CalderónnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerWriter, actor, producer, director; faculty at NYU Tisch, Lee Strasberg Institute, School of Visual Arts, Actors Studio Drama School. Co-founded LAByrinth Theater Company. Led improvised life workshop during 'Weekend of Serious Play'.
• Margie Navarro, LAcnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder of Vivacity Acupuncture, specializing in integrative sports medicine, chronic pain, and illness. Researcher on acupuncture for psychedelic integration. Co-facilitated group ketamine with acupuncture sessions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Field Trip Health: Multi-city psychedelic therapy clinic chain with ketamine and MDMA offerings that scaled significantly prior to winding down. A well-capitalized comparable that pursued the same outpatient psychedelic therapy market at much larger scale.
• Compass Pathways: Publicly listed developer of psilocybin therapy (COMP360) operating clinical trials and exploring clinic delivery. A larger incumbent in clinical psychedelic therapy pursuing a more pharmaceutical and regulator-driven pathway.
• MAPS Public Benefit Corporation: Established non-profit subsidiary developing MDMA-assisted therapy and psychedelic therapy training programs. Sits in the adjacent regulatory/training space and competes for both client relationships and practitioner mindshare.

Emerging players

• Fluence: Psychedelic therapy training company offering facilitator and clinician certification programs. Directly competes with Cardea's Lascaux Method Facilitator Training in the practitioner education market.
• Third Wave: Psychedelic education, microdosing content platform, and certification provider. Overlaps with Cardea in thought-leadership content and certification offerings for psychedelic facilitators and informed consumers.

Direct peers

• Mindbloom: At-home and clinic-based ketamine therapy provider offering physician-supervised ketamine sessions. Competes for the same client demographic seeking ketamine-assisted mental health treatment but via a remote-first delivery model.
• Nushama: NYC-based ketamine therapy clinic offering group and individual sessions with similar premium wellness positioning and target customer base. Directly comparable as a boutique ketamine therapy competitor in the same metropolitan market.
• Polaris Insight Center: Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinic in California focused on integration-focused therapy. Operates a similar treatment-plus-therapy model to Cardea, emphasizing preparation and integration coaching alongside ketamine sessions.
• Klarisana: Network of ketamine treatment clinics in Texas serving similar outpatient mental health use cases including depression, PTSD, and chronic pain. A directly comparable clinic-operator peer with multi-location outpatient delivery.

Regional players

• Ayahuasca Foundation: Operator of plant-medicine retreats in Peru offering guided group ceremonial experiences. Comparable as a retreat-format psychedelic therapy peer, though it operates in a different geography and traditional medicine framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cardea_space
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cardea-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cardea