Meet the People Bringing Safe, Equitable Psilocybin Therapy to Oregon
The promise of psilocybin therapy is made even stronger by the people working to bring this promising treatment to those who need it. Today, we are introducing a video series featuring some of those people in Oregon.
Dr. Nicholas Gideonse specializes in end-of-life care at Oregon Health & Science University. He supports psilocybin therapy because of the strong evidence that it can help ease people’s physical and emotional pain as they approach the end of their lives.
Hear Dr. Gideonse’s perspective on the promise of psilocybin therapy for end-of-life care:
We look forward to sharing more stories as Oregon’s program nears its launch and people gain access to the healing and hope psilocybin therapy has been shown to provide.
Why Support the Healing Advocacy Fund? Meet Daniel Covington
Our work is fueled by your generosity, especially as Oregon and Colorado begin their programs and to support other states joining the movement. By donating to the Healing Advocacy Fund, you can directly impact people who are suffering and who deserve access to this life-changing treatment.
"My relationship with psilocybin has increased my confidence, openness to others, scope of understanding and patience, and it has made me a better dad and husband. These are the qualities that I want in my neighbors, friends, and leaders. I support the Healing Advocacy Fund, because I support access for whoever is interested in exploring themselves and their relationships on a deeper level."
DANIEL COVINGTON
Owner of Cultivating Interests—Providing workshops that examine psychedelics and the psychedelic experience
Join Daniel and support our movement by donating to the Healing Advocacy Fund.
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Psilocybin Business Owner Leads With Innovation and Affordability
In Central Oregon, business owner Ryan Reid is preparing to become one of the state’s first providers of psilocybin therapy, and he’s emphasizing innovation and affordability in his plans. He’s looking into combining a service center and manufacturing into a single business, and he’s working to create a service model that provides low-cost, affordable services.
Here’s what Ryan had to say in a recent interview with Central Oregon Daily News:
UPDATES
Service Centers: Navigating Local Planning Departments
The HAF team created a resource guide around Navigating Local Planning Departments for Service Centers. This includes important considerations for licensing and engaging with local governments to ensure your business is in accordance with land use requirements under state and local regulations.
>Download the PDF
In Case You Missed It… Watch Our Webinar Online!
Thanks to everyone who joined our recent webinar with Green Light Law Group and Indiva Advisors, "Psilocybin and 280E: Understanding the Tax Implication’s Impact on Businesses." If you missed the live event, you can watch the webinar online to learn about Internal Revenue Code 280E and gain insights on how it affects profitability and success.
IN THE NEWS
Making Peace With Dying: How Death Doulas in Oregon Help Terminally Ill Die on Their Own Terms
USA Today
In Oregon, the first state to legalize physician-assisted death and supervised magic mushroom use, doulas and volunteers usher people through dying.
Steve Connelly has mountain-climbed, biked, rafted, surfed, skied and taken on any pulse-quickening challenge he could find, earning about 27 fractures for his efforts.
At 58, he is facing the first challenge that scares him: death.
Almost two years ago, he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. His wife looked for support and found someone who could help guide them: death doula Amy May. After sessions with May every other week for the past year, the two can’t imagine this time without her.
Therapist Gives a Peek Into Training for Psilocybin Therapists
Jefferson Public Radio
The vote was big, but the steps were slow. Oregon was the first state to legalize a psychedelic drug—psilocybin or “magic mushrooms”—for use in therapy. The vote was in November 2020, but the measure didn't take full effect until the beginning of this year.
That gave regulators and participants time to get set up, and SoundMind, based in Philadelphia, did just that, setting up a training center in Oregon. Physician and therapist Dr. Hannah McLane is the founder and director of SoundMind, supervising the training of therapists. She gives the backstory on why she got into psychedelic therapy, and why she sees such value in it.
Psychedelics Open Your Brain. You Might Not Like What Falls In.
The Atlantic
Last year, a patient of mine, a woman in her early 50s, decided to try psilocybin with a friend. The experience was quite pleasurable until she started to recall memories of her emotionally abusive father, who had an alcohol addiction. In the weeks following her psilocybin exposure, she had vivid and painful recollections of her childhood, which precipitated an acute depression.
Her experience might have been very different—perhaps even positive—if she’d had a guide or therapist with her while she was tripping to help her reappraise these memories and make them less toxic.
This must have been just the sort of situation legislators in Oregon had in mind last month when they legalized recreational psilocybin use, but only in conjunction with a licensed guide. It’s the right idea.