Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, representative for New York, has come under fire from her detractors after it was revealed that she spent thousands of dollars of campaign funds to hire the "leadership training and consulting" services of a controversial psychiatrist.

According to Federal Election Commission records, the 36-year-old Democrat's campaign paid more than $18,000 to hire Brian Boyle, head of psychiatry at Stella, a chain of mental health clinics specializing in unconventional therapies.

Although it is unclear what the sessions led by the specialist consisted of or who participated, Dr. Boyle was first paid $11,550 in March of last year for the support the politician of Puerto Rican descent received.

Two months later, he was paid another $2,800; and in October he received an additional $4,375 to close the transaction at $18,725.

The Harvard-trained doctor specializes in treating patients using unconventional methods aimed at overcoming treatment-resistant depression, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.

The controversial point is that he uses ketamine hydrochloride, a fast-acting anesthetic used by veterinarians to treat horses and which, in low doses, he also administers to humans.

However, some doctors warn that it remains a potent hallucinogen and its ingestion carries the risk of inducing psychosis in some people.

In the case of Democrat Ocasio-Cortez, throughout her political career she has shown herself to be in favor of approving some hallucinogenic drugs for therapeutic purposes, as she maintains that they offer benefits in certain cases.

In fact, almost seven years ago, she introduced a proposal to to allow the federal government to spend taxpayer money on studying the medical potential of psilocybin,Ecstasy and other drugs to treat mental illness.

Those who oppose his view will likely demand in the coming days that he provide more detailed information about what specifically he obtained from psychiatrist Brian Boyle.