Mental Health Breakthrough with Magic Mushrooms in Oregon

The idea that taking psychedelics as an alternative antidepressant, anti-anxiety, PTSD and addiction managing drug, seems like the world is losing its mind. The laws around psilocybin have been changing due to the research that has been done and founded. Starting in the 70’s and starting back up again in recent decades.

Psilocybin can affect many things in your brain such as organization, mood, perception, thoughts, emotional and informational pathways. This very drug that can be found in a random field, can also help with many mental illnesses. The downside is that the drug can take a toll and have a backfire on someone who has schizophrenia, personality disorders or any health conditions involving the heart and liver.

The Oregon Psychiatric Physician Association had opposed using psychedelics due to misleading promises in 2020. The FDA had announced and created draft guidance on how psilocybin can be used for mental health improvement in the summer of 2023. Epic Healing Eugene is America's first licensed service center with psilocybin. They opened in June of 2023 and have had patients give feedback.

Epic Healing Eugene have claimed that their priority is safety. There is preparation before being given psilocybin with a preparation session that helps make sure that the patient is looking in the right place for the right condition. During sessions the patient will be with a facilitator while on the drug, this helps narrow the window of the patient hurting themselves or others. It is stated by a retired police officer named Gared Hansen who is now a magic mushroom grower, that he would highly recommend no one takes psilocybin by themselves.

The facility, Epic Healing Eugene, denies people with psychosis, violent thoughts or someone who takes lithium. Again, this is to keep the space safe, somebody with psychosis, schizophrenia or personality disorders could have a trip and cause more damage to themselves. The mixture of lithium and this drug, again, can cause harm to the patient.

The patient is not allowed to leave with the drug or under the influence of the drug, the drug must lose its effects on someone, and sessions can last up to six hours. A dosage of 50 milligrams is legally allowed in the state of Oregon, though a facilitator had taken a dosage of 35 milligrams and has concluded that 35 is the highest dosage that they will provide. One patient had even said that they had a very unpleasant experience with a dosage of 35 milligrams but coming out of it they process their traumatic memories differently.

There are currently 10 licensed service centers, four growers, two testing labs and dozens of facilitators in Oregon. These people all have the same intention to help people mentally. Gared Hansen, the retired police officer, believes that having a negative experience or re-experiencing trauma can help you improve and benefit by getting past the things in your head. This grower believes that what Epic Healing Eugene is doing, can help many people in the Oregon community.

In the state of Colorado, there has been a law passed that allows regulated usage of psychedelics, this happened in the year of 2023. California is also heading in the same direction, therapeutic use of psilocybin. Whether having a positive or a negative experience, there is a mental health breakthrough.

Magic Mushrooms as medicine. Magic mushrooms as medicine - Alcohol and Drug Foundation. (n.d.). https://adf.org.au/insights/magic-mushrooms-medicine/

Selsky, A. (2023, September 16). Oregon launches legal psilocybin access amid high demand and hopes for improved mental health care. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/psilocybin-oregon-magic-mushrooms-psychedelics-therapy-legal-6e5389b090b0c50d5c90d9574b63eca5