Have a safe trip: Oregon trains magic mushroom facilitators

DAMASCUS (OR) -- A group of 30 people are seated in a retreat center in Oregon listening to peaceful music. This is as Oregon prepares for the opening of controlled access to psychedelic mushrooms to the public. The program will be open to the public in the middle or late 2023. It is a model for other states.
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Ballot Measure 109 was approved by Oregon voters in 2020. It also passed in November. The ballot measure allowing the regulation of'magic mushrooms,' which will be available in 2024, was also passed in Colorado. On Dec. 16, California state Sen
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Scott Wiener, a San Francisco resident, introduced a bill that would legalize psilocybin as well as other psychedelic drugs. Wiener tweeted, "Psychedelics help patients heal from trauma, depression, and addiction." "Why is it still illegal in California to use them?" Wiener tweeted. 'Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Andrew SelskyPhoto: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Andrew SelskyPhoto: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Andrew SelskyPreviousNextInnerTrek, a Portland company, is now training around 100 students, in three groups, to be licensed 'facilitators' who will create a safe space for dosing sessions and be a reassuring, but nonintrusive, presence
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The $7,900 six-month course is offered online. Other classes are held in person near Portland in a building that resembles a mountain lodge, with Tibetan prayer flags fluttering in the breeze. The only psilocybin-related mushrooms found at the training center were the shitake mushrooms in the miso soup at lunch. Training instructor Gina Gratza explained that clients should have a place to rest or lay down, an eye mask, a cushion, and comfort items such as a blanket, stuffed animals, and a sketch pad. She also suggested that clients bring a bucket of psilocybin. The session should last at least six hours. Music is important and should be provided via headphones or speakers.
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(Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Baltimore, have created a playlist that 'expresses the sweeping arc typical of a medium- or high dose psilocybin treatment. Gratza explained to students that they are there to facilitate safe passage and keep the container that allows for a release or unfolding. Be mindful of your words and the energy you are sending. "Trainers stressed that those who use psilocybin should have the freedom to feel whatever emotions arise during their inner journeys. For example, they shouldn't be encouraged to cry if they are crying.
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Expressions of anger are fine, but it is best to agree beforehand that there will not be any throwing objects or hitting. 'We're not guiding,' Gratza said. 'Let your participants' experiences unfold. Use words sparingly
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Let the participants draw their own conclusions and insights. 'Tom Eckert is the architect of Ballot Measure 109 and now serves as InnerTrek’s program director. It's not about getting high, he said. Instead, it's about helping people overcome depression, PTSD, and other problems. Eckert stated in an interview that Oregon has a platform for psilocybin service. "Service" refers to a series of sessions where a psilocybin experience can be contextualized.
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There is preparation and integration before the event. It is a therapeutic sequence. It's a therapeutic sequence. The Heroic Hearts Project, a veterans service organization, organizes a program that brings military vets suffering from PTSD and athletes with trauma to the jungles in Peru for restorative sessions using ayahuasca (a plant-based psychedelic).
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According to the CBC, police are not getting involved but are instead targeting violent criminal groups that traffic and produce harmful opioids.
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8 and arrested the manager and store owner. Oregon's most populous counties, including Salem, Eugene and Bend, did not opt out of Measure 109. They said it was unsafe and made misleading promises to Oregonians with mental illness. They pointed out that you don't have to be a doctor to obtain a license as a facilitator. Eckert however said that the status quo isn’t working. Eckert stated that there is a need for a revolution in mental healthcare. Eckert stated that the current approach to mental health care is not working and it's affecting the results.
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Oregon has a serious mental health crisis. He said, "I'm not trying throw away the existing structure," he continued. "There is definitely value in the existing structure, but clearly there is something missing. 'Copyright 2022, The Associated Press. All rights reserved
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