Psychedelic Stories of Healing and Hope
Dear Supporter,
Over the course of the last four years, we’ve seen profound stories of healing and personal empowerment help shift public perception around psychedelic therapy today. We know that stories of healing and hope can be given a fair amount of credit for the blossoming bipartisan psychedelic movement in the U.S. Psychedelics are one of a handful of topics transcending an otherwise highly partisan political scene in the United States, and the Healing Advocacy Fund is proud to be at the forefront of those efforts to share stories of healing.
We take our responsibility seriously to educate our communities around the potential risks and rewards of psilocybin therapy, so this week, we’re sharing a video we produced about KC, one of the first clients to experience the Oregon Psilocybin Services program, and a social worker who has dealt with depression all her life, stemming from an abusive childhood. KC sought out psilocybin therapy after many attempts at other modalities which did not meet her desires for personal connection, and freedom from emotional hardship.
Ultimately, as you’ll see in the video below, KC’s psilocybin therapy experience offered her hope, however, her story helps us understand how important access to psilocybin therapy outside of traditional medical models are, and additionally, how valuable an integrated approach to mental health, and well-being can be. As with any substance, there are always potential risks and benefits, and we encourage all prospective clients to consider their own circumstances and needs before pursuing this modality.
Are you interested in sharing your story as a psilocybin therapy client in Oregon? Did you have a unique experience, or are you inspired to help others find their path to healing, or did you have an experience that you feel warrants system improvements?
In order to learn more about the nation’s first state-regulated psilocybin therapy program, the Healing Advocacy Fund would like to hear your story as a client of the Oregon Psilocybin Services program. As we await real-time data reporting to begin in 2025, these on-the-ground experiences will inform future programmatic changes, and share narratives that help the public understand the risks and benefits of psilocybin therapy.
> Share Your Story
Onward,
Sam Chapman
Executive Director
UPDATES
Up to Date Numbers on Oregon Psilocybin Services Program Licensing
The following information has been compiled through the OHA’s Psilocybin Services website.
These numbers are updated on a weekly basis and are subject to change. Last updated 3/11/24.
Paving a Path for Dual Licensure: Colorado Draft Rules Allow Mental Health Practitioners to Make Use of Their Medical Licenses as Psilocybin Facilitators
As Colorado nears final rulemaking for the state’s natural medicine therapies program, the Healing Advocacy Fund is working to bridge the gap between the success of Oregon’s psilocybin services program with what’s possible in Colorado as the state’s first healing centers begin opening in 2025. In particular and unique to Colorado, the state is considering dual licensure, which would enable existing licensed healthcare providers to incorporate their scope of practice as a clinician within their practice as a licensed natural medicine facilitator. This is an important step forward from Oregon’s program, which currently does not allow for licensed psilocybin facilitators to act under any other license they hold, limiting psilocybin facilitators from taking an integrated approach to mental health and well-being.
Next year, healthcare providers across Colorado will have an opportunity to offer groundbreaking mental health services to their patients and clients with regulated psilocybin therapy. Educating Colorado’s providers about the transformative potential and risks of psilocybin therapies based on the research, as well the policy and emerging best practices, will better prepare providers to directly participate as licensed facilitators, offer integrated care, and educate their patients and clients about natural medicines.
Oregon’s program does not currently allow for dual licensure, creating barriers to currently licensed health care providers from using their medical expertise to support psilocybin therapy clients. HAF Oregon will be learning from Colorado’s improved regulatory structure, and observing the ways that dual licensed providers may create better access outcomes – including a lower cost to entry for services, as we predict a higher supply of providers being available for psilocybin facilitation. This increased supply should bend the cost curve over time, and we are confident that incorporating licensed professionals’ skills into psilocybin therapy rooms will allow for improved safety outcomes..
This week, the Colorado HAF team is wrapping up an educational webinar series with Mental Health Colorado, discussing the importance of dual licensure, and much more.
> Watch Past Webinars
> Register for the Final HAF & Mental Health Colorado Webinar
EVENTS
Webinar Series: Natural Psychedelic Medicines for Mental Health. Session 4: It Takes A Village
Our final session in this four-part webinar series, It Takes A Village: Integrative Approaches to Maximize the Benefits of Psychedelic Therapies will explore how psychedelic therapies can be integrated with existing mental health practices and peer support to enhance safety and maximize positive outcomes.
Session 4: It Takes a Village: Integrative Approaches to Maximize the Benefits of Psychedelic Therapies will take place March 14 at 12 pm MT (tomorrow!)
> Register for the March 14 session
RESOURCES
Healing Advocacy Fund Psilocybin Services Guide Supports Prospective Clients
The Oregon Psilocybin Services Client Guide is an introduction to Oregon’s state-regulated psilocybin services program. This guide is designed for individuals interested in accessing psilocybin services, and contains information on the basics of the Oregon program, understanding the limits of psilocybin usage and adverse events, mental health, family history, and medical considerations, resources to find and assess service centers and facilitators, and more.
The Healing Advocacy Fund encourages clients to do their diligence before seeking services, a facilitator, or a service center to ensure services can be matched to their needs. Particularly, it is important to request license information from your prospective facilitator and service center to ensure accountability, safety, and that folks are operating under the regulatory framework of the Oregon Psilocybin Services program.
> Read the Full Guide
Healing Advocacy Fund Psilocybin Services Guide Supports Prospective Clients
Looking for a service center near you? The Healing Advocacy Fund is sharing a directory of current service centers offering psilocybin services across the state of Oregon to support prospective clients, and the nascent psilocybin community in continuing to thrive.
This directory does not constitute an endorsement of any kind by the Healing Advocacy Fund. All prospective clients considering services are encouraged to consult their doctor, and to do their own research to ensure the services and providers they are seeking are a good fit for their needs.
This directory is reflective of service providers who opted-in to sharing their information, may not reflect all service providers in the state, and is accurate as of January 26th, 2024.
> Access the Directory
IN THE NEWS
Odyssey Hosts Legal Psilocybin Retreats in Oregon
Globetrender
After opening in September 2023, Odyssey has announced the dates of its 2024 psilocybin retreats at its licensed service centres in Oregon after a recent change in the law.
Note: Odyssey is a group of facilitators, not a licensed service center.
> Read the Article
Nearly 9 In 10 Americans Think Using Psilocybin For Therapy Or Well-Being Is ‘Morally Positive,’ Study Finds
Marijuana Moment
Nearly 9 in 10 Americans in a newly published study on the “moral status” of psilocybin said they approve of the psychedelic’s use in a controlled, licensed setting to treat a psychiatric condition or promote well-being.
> Read the Article
This Portland Psilocybin Clinic is Designed to Take Magic Mushroom Therapy Mainstream
Fast Company
At InnerTrek, a psilocybin service center in southeast Portland, her facilitator held her hand for “lift-off”—the first ten minutes that the mushrooms take effect, when patients sometimes become apprehensive—and checked in with her periodically throughout her six-hour journey, offering water. Patterson’s intentions for the journey—to resolve emotional trauma from a failed relationship and from the death of her father—were both realized.