{"id":33338,"date":"2023-06-19T11:31:58","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T17:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-decriminalized-psilocybin-heres-your-guided-trip-through-what-happens-next\/"},"modified":"2023-06-19T17:31:58","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T17:31:58","slug":"colorado-decriminalized-psilocybin-heres-your-guided-trip-through-what-happens-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-decriminalized-psilocybin-heres-your-guided-trip-through-what-happens-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado decriminalized psilocybin. Here\u2019s your guided trip through what happens next"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=01d0b1a5-f9ab-5bca-aed1-a2808ff87963&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, demonstrates a guided psilocybin session with program manager Lindsey Morris. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, demonstrates a guided psilocybin session with program manager Lindsey Morris. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Four mothers gather around a Saturday morning breakfast table exchanging the obsessive anxieties that come from raising teenagers in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n<p>They share the usual concerns: Does their daughter have enough friends? Is their son being bullied at school? Are their child\u2019s frequent dark moods typical teenage emotions, or does their angst cross over into depression?<\/p>\n<p>As they talk, it becomes clear that the constant stress of worry for their teens is spiraling them down into anxiety and depressive disorders of their own.<\/p>\n<p>Right down to steaming mugs of coffee and plates of avocado toast, the scene is quintessential suburban life in the early 2020s. But this meeting of the mothers will likely produce more answers, more insight and more empathy than most. Because the night before, these mothers consumed some natural medicine known for helping to see things in a new light, bringing clarity to stubborn, problematic patterns.<\/p>\n<p>These women, along with thousands of others across Colorado, have found psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) useful in bringing relief from the anxiety and depression so prevalent in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n<p>Now, after Colorado voters approved Proposition 122 in November, they no longer have to risk state criminal penalties for their use of this indigenous medicine.<\/p>\n<p>The dramatic efficiency of mushrooms to ease mental health disorders that haven\u2019t been helped by traditional medicines and therapies isn\u2019t just anecdotal. Recent studies from respected institutions such as Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have shown psilocybin is helpful in treating everything from alcohol dependence to major depressive disorder.<\/p>\n<p>However, those experienced with this medicine suggest that it be approached with intention, reverence and, most importantly, understanding.<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Proposition 122 passed, now what?<\/div>\n<p>Under Proposition 122, The Natural Medicine Health Act, Coloradans 21 and older are allowed to possess and use psilocybin, the psychedelic fungi commonly known as \u201cmagic mushrooms.\u201d In addition, it proposes the eventual decriminalization of the substances dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine and mescaline (excluding peyote). The law allows the state to immediately begin the process of the \u201cmedicalization\u201d of psilocybin mushrooms by creating a framework for state-regulated \u201chealing centers,\u201d where people can receive medically guided psilocybin treatments. Although decriminalized in Colorado, psilocybin and the other medicines named in the Health Act remain illegal under federal law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe measure is therapeutically oriented, so recreational and retail sales are not allowed,\u201d said Kevin Matthews, one of the authors of Proposition 122. \u201cYou can share these medicines with family and friends or in religious uses, but we didn\u2019t want this to become a for-profit industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A veteran, Matthews found relief from depression during a single psilocybin journey in 2011 and has since worked for increased access to psychedelics for the treatment of trauma. While at a legalization rally, he saw a T-shirt slogan that summed up the idea behind The Natural Medicine Health Act in three words: \u201cHealers, Not Dealers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were very careful in the writing of the proposition to put forth a healing model,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know that people will still use these medicines recreationally, as they were before this passed. It\u2019s not always a clear distinction: For some people, taking mushrooms with friends and going to see a show at Red Rocks is therapeutic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The proposition laid out the problem it was hoping to alleviate, reading in part: \u201cColoradans are experiencing problematic mental health issues, including but not limited to suicidality, addiction, depression, and anxiety. Colorado\u2019s current approach to mental health has failed to fulfill its promise. Coloradans deserve more tools to address mental health issues, including approaches such as natural medicines that are grounded in treatment, recovery, health, and wellness rather than criminalization, stigma, suffering and punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In November, 53% of Colorado voters agreed with that wording.<\/p>\n<p>Denver attorney Sean McCallister\u2019s phone started ringing as soon as the votes were counted and hasn\u2019t really stopped since. Primarily working with those in the cannabis industry since the sale and recreational use of weed was legalized in 2012 in Colorado, McAllister is now a pioneer in the emerging field of psychedelics law.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most frequent questions he is asked by those outside the psychedelic community is, \u201cWhen will mushrooms become legal?\u201d His answer: They already have.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, you don\u2019t have to wait for decriminalization provisions,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople can cultivate, possess and give away mushrooms, as well as share them and be paid for bona fide harm-reduction therapy and support services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an interesting twist, those without licensure will be the first to be able to legally offer natural medicine to clients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, those who don\u2019t have a therapy license are able to work with these medicines because they are not bound by the rules of a regulatory agency,\u201d McCallister said. \u201cWe are about two years away from the regulations being in place for doctors and therapists to be able to offer this medicine to their patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, a movement of mushroom guides who have worked underground for years or even decades is starting to push into the daylight.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e0df148d-4ae7-560f-82a3-2fc8712f9b03&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" alt=\"\u201cMagic\u201d mushrooms are ground up, boiled and strained into tea for attendees to consume before and during sessions at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness. Mushrooms are provided to the center by local contacts. \u201cWe have all the safety and the support of a typical medical ketamine clinic, but we\u2019re more ceremonial in our presentation. We want to be more \u2018homey\u2019 and cozy for people who are doing this work,\u201d said Daniel McQueen, founder of the center. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">\u201cMagic\u201d mushrooms are ground up, boiled and strained into tea for attendees to consume before and during sessions at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness. Mushrooms are provided to the center by local contacts. \u201cWe have all the safety and the support of a typical medical ketamine clinic, but we\u2019re more ceremonial in our presentation. We want to be more \u2018homey\u2019 and cozy for people who are doing this work,\u201d said Daniel McQueen, founder of the center. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>In the first three months after the passage of Proposition 122, McCallister wrote up more than a hundred disclaimers for guides to use with their clients.<\/p>\n<p>Alexandra Jenkins believes so deeply in the medicine\u2019s powers to process and release trauma that she was willing to put herself at risk of prosecution to guide medicine ceremonies underground for the past eight years. Now, before the ceremonies she holds with one or two other facilitators, she passes out a waiver that spells out what can happen when \u201csitting with the medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The waiver explains that the effects of psilocybin mushrooms include altered perception of time and space and intense changes in mood and feeling. Other possible effects of psilocybin include everything from euphoria and peacefulness to confusion and frightening hallucinations. The effects of psilocybin vary from person to person, based on the user\u2019s mental state, personality and immediate environment.<\/p>\n<p>Those who have spent time with the medicine will tell you it\u2019s all these emotions and so many more, a roller coaster of a voyage through time and space that can fit what feels like a lifetime into four to six hours.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen this (Prop 122) passed, I felt a release of stress I wasn\u2019t even aware I had been holding,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cIt feels like an open door to give more people access to this medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She has seen the medicine ground previously malfunctioning nervous systems, help people connect to their higher selves, and in doing so, feel more compassion toward themselves and others and tap into creativity and the interconnectedness of life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is this plant that grows in the ground, is free and helps us see ourselves and others differently,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s cool to be able to believe in miracles.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">The timeline<\/div>\n<p>In addition to decriminalizing the four natural medicines, for mushrooms, the new law is retroactive.<\/p>\n<p>McCallister had several pending cases that were dismissed as soon as Proposition 122 passed. Among them was the case of Ben Gorelick, a Denver rabbi who was facing prosecution after integrating psychedelic use as part of spiritual practice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe dismissal of that case was especially meaningful because it highlighted the ways this medicine is used,\u201d McCallister said.<\/p>\n<p>A representative of traditional and indigenous use and religious use of natural medicine was one of 15 appointees to the Natural Medicine Advisory Board announced earlier this year. The board, which will advise the Department of Regulatory Agencies on the implementation of the regulated natural medicine access program, also includes representatives from law enforcement, veterans, criminal justice reform, mycology, emergency medical services, health care policy, natural medicine and mental health providers.<\/p>\n<p>Colorado Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, is drafting a bill that would clarify who would be implementing Proposition 122. He is considering adding the Department of Revenue or Department of Public Health and Environment involvement in the rollout of the program.<\/p>\n<p>Proposition 122 says the state must issue rules for things like drug testing standards, license requirements, and health and safety warnings by Jan. 1, 2024, and the state must begin accepting applications for licensed facilities to administer psilocybin by Sept. 30, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The law stipulates that decisions be made on all licensing applications within 60 days of receiving them.<\/p>\n<p>After June 1, 2026, the TNMHA board can decide on the medicalization of the additional substances, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. This may include \u201chealing centers,\u201d like the ones being established for psilocybin, or some similar system with medical oversight for the use of these three substances.<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Is natural medicine right for you?<\/div>\n<p>For years, psychiatrist Craig Heacock has had patients come through his office he knew could benefit from psilocybin, but he was unable to recommend it because it was illegal.<\/p>\n<p>Heacock has been able to provide therapy using ketamine, which works in the brain in ways similar to psilocybin. That said, different psychedelics seem to work better for different conditions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKetamine is best for endogenous conditions, such as bipolar depression that has been present throughout the family history,\u201d he said. These are conditions that are caused by factors inside the person\u2019s system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m most excited about the use of psilocybin in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s been cases of people having remission from OCD for weeks or even months following a single dose of psilocybin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>OCD is one of many anxiety disorders that can develop in response to trauma. It is a coping mechanism your mind develops to try to control the possibility of something traumatic happening to you again.<\/p>\n<p>The amount of research on psilocybin has been limited by its legal status, leaving practitioners like Heacock eager to explore its possibilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPsilocybin has a rich and broad palette,\u201d he said. \u201cIt connects us with self in a way that can alleviate anxiety, depression and a lack of love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e045f6bb-b700-5ba9-8527-8367982b8ba3&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"983\" height=\"1472\" alt=\"Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, demonstrates a guided psilocybin session with program manager Lindsey Morris. Once psilocybin takes effect, which can happen within 20 minutes, individual sessions usually involve gentle guiding of consciousness through spoken word and music. About 25 milligrams of psilocybin are typical for a single day\u2019s dose. Psilocybin often draws people who are struggling with a situation or question in their lives, like a life question or major transition, McQueen said. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, demonstrates a guided psilocybin session with program manager Lindsey Morris. Once psilocybin takes effect, which can happen within 20 minutes, individual sessions usually involve gentle guiding of consciousness through spoken word and music. About 25 milligrams of psilocybin are typical for a single day\u2019s dose. Psilocybin often draws people who are struggling with a situation or question in their lives, like a life question or major transition, McQueen said. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>His podcast, \u201cBack from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories,\u201d has been a pioneering voice in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. He and his guests often share their hopes that the healing power of psilocybin can help with society\u2019s big issues, such as the communal depression lingering from the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the pandemic we have a whole group of people who are left demoralized and spiritually wounded,\u201d he said. \u201cPsilocybin can help with the big things, like alleviating existential despair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although there isn\u2019t a strict definition, those in the natural medicine community consider a transformative dose \u2013 one in which emotional breakthroughs are likely to occur \u2013 of mushrooms to be 3 grams or more.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=169cd41f-e1c3-5a69-98fb-67a0aadaad4f&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1536\" alt=\"Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, demonstrates a guided psilocybin session with program manager Lindsey Morris. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, demonstrates a guided psilocybin session with program manager Lindsey Morris. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>By disconnecting parts of the brain that form what we call our ego, psilocybin allows you to step back and look at your patterns from a different perspective. It puts you in the audience to watch your life play out on the stage and then whispers in your ear that you could do things a different way.<\/p>\n<p>It allows you to not only rethink who you are, but also who you want to be.<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins has seen people shed deep-seated trauma through use of the medicine.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e0bb57c2-2c2b-5d24-be86-59d43c92c964&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1536\" alt=\"Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, demonstrates a guided psilocybin session with program manager Lindsey Morris. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, demonstrates a guided psilocybin session with program manager Lindsey Morris. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>\u201cPeople might have something they\u2019ve been holding for so long they may not even know it\u2019s there,\u201d she said. \u201cThe medicine shows them that pain and then helps them process it so they can begin to let it go. There is a lot of strength, strength to change, that comes with the love and self-acceptance of this medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Where to start<\/div>\n<p>Hearing of possible relief from anxiety, depression and even existential despair has Coloradans (and people from around the world) wondering how to get their hands on some mushrooms \u2013 and they don\u2019t want to wait.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were prepared for an increase in interest in psilocybin if the proposition passed,\u201d said Daniel McQueen of Boulder\u2019s Center for Medicinal Mindfulness. \u201cBut the sheer size of the wave of interest actually took me by surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although he doesn\u2019t want to be specific, given the amount of competition cropping up, McQueen said calls to the center from people interested in trying psilocybin-therapy have \u201cat least doubled\u201d since passage of the law.<\/p>\n<p>The center, one of the first legal psychedelic therapy clinics in North America, has led thousands of people through cannabis-assisted and ketamine-assisted psychedelic therapy sessions since its founding in 2014, as well as providing training for psychedelic \u201csitters\u201d (guides and psychedelic therapists). The training is done by a team of 15, including a medical doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, four licensed psychotherapists, four pre-licensed psychotherapists, two ministers and two traditional psychedelic guides.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause people are in a very vulnerable state while on a psychedelic journey, it is very important that they work with a guide who is well trained,\u201d McQueen said. \u201cA guide should have professional boundaries, the ability to handle a mental health or medical crisis, and work in an environment with oversight and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Accountability is one of the reasons Heacock is looking forward to having mushroom guiding moving out of the dark and into the light.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the black market, it has been \u2018buyer beware,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThere were no checks and balances; it\u2019s not like if someone had a bad experience with a guide, they could post a bad review on Yelp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Heacock\u2019s view, another advantage of legalization will be testing of the potency of the medicine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if you take the same amount as you had previously, the strength of the medicine could be substantially different,\u201d he said. \u201cWith legalization, you will know what you are getting every time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins, who classifies her work with psilocybin as \u201charm-reduction services,\u201d stresses the importance of finding a guide who is experienced with the medicine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve always had the energy to be a holder of liminal space,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing able to create a safe container for someone to have a psychedelic journey is crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins has spent extensive time in that psychedelic space, including journeys with ayahuasca, referred to as the \u201cgrandmother\u201d of all psychedelics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to know what they will be experiencing by having experienced it yourself; it\u2019s not something you can learn from a book,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins is also trained in a spectrum of holistic healing, from yoga to breathwork to somatic experiencing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll the things I trained in up to the point in my life led naturally to holding medicine space,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Despite helping outline the suggested credentials for mushroom guides, Matthews, the Proposition 122 co-author, still puts the most weight in personal recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk people you know, love and respect if they know someone who would be a good match to guide you,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s also important to get a facilitator who can relate to your personal experiences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you struggle with depression, find a facilitator who has also experienced depression and can have compassion for what you are going through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e3848966-cff3-56cd-888c-3b3a401f9ecf&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" alt=\"A primary part of guidance at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness is helping people explore their spirituality, said Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A primary part of guidance at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness is helping people explore their spirituality, said Daniel McQueen, founder of the Center. (Olivia Sun\/The Colorado Sun via Report for America)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Plunging in<\/div>\n<p>The \u201ccome up\u201d of a psilocybin trip takes about 15 minutes, slowly clicking you up that first big hill of a roller coaster.<\/p>\n<p>When the cable lets you go, the plunge down is a little different for everybody. Some people hold on for dear life, regretting their choice to get on the ride in the first place. Others put their hands up in the air and enjoy the ride. Some people alternate between the two.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, there is usually a lot of noise when the medicine \u201ckicks in.\u201d In order to \u201chold the container,\u201d and keep people in their own experience, guides will often request quiet in a group setting.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes people find it impossible to not let out a squeal, a moan, a cry, a retching, a giggle or a choice expletive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an intense experience; sometimes someone gets too loud, and there\u2019s the risk that they will compromise everyone in the group\u2019s experience,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cAn experienced guide can maintain the container through this by going to that person and helping them through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While one facilitator tends to the person who is struggling by taking them to another room, the other facilitator sings to the remainder of the group, her voice soaring above the chaos. Trippers have a choice to go on the wings of the medicine to a peaceful supportive place and have their own experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRather than saying it was a bad trip, I would say there are moments in every journey that are challenging,\u201d said Matthews, who has found psychedelics helpful in processing trauma from earlier in his life. \u201cUnresolved trauma comes to the surface, and you can witness with clarity how something that has been buried deeply is influencing the way you are in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Psychiatrist Heacock agrees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t learn when things are going well,\u201d Heacock said of difficult ketamine sessions. \u201cIt\u2019s the hard sessions, when you feel like you can\u2019t stand another second, that can be the real game changers.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Single dose<\/div>\n<p>Licensed clinical social worker Michelle Landon, like many in healing professions, has faced her own struggles with mental health.<\/p>\n<p>She often tries healing modalities out herself before prescribing them to her clients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA couple years ago, I began hearing a lot about the science of psychedelics and how they can help people heal,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to help others with their trauma and disordered thinking patterns, but first I knew I needed to help myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Landon, who has been a therapist in northern Colorado since 2004, found psychedelics helpful in coming to terms with the death of her father in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last two weeks of my dad\u2019s life, he started telling my sister he was going on a trip and wanted to say goodbye to everyone,\u201d she said. \u201cI was with him, watching him go in and out of this world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Psychedelics lightened the impact and pain of the moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, sure it sucked, but it wasn\u2019t traumatic,\u201d she said of her father\u2019s final days and the grief that came after his death. \u201cThere were moments of beauty and connection. I saw him through the lens of the medicine, and he didn\u2019t look like he was suffering. He was ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through ketamine-assisted therapy, Landon has brought similar relief to clients dealing with a range of mental health challenges, from persistent depression to acute post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome people processing trauma find it so hard to shift things and let go with traditional therapy and prescriptions,\u201d she said. \u201cWith psychedelics, some people have direct access to knowing they are loved and are able to finally let go of their past trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Microdose<\/div>\n<p>While a single-dose psilocybin journey can have profound, lasting effects, many people are beginning to take mushrooms as a daily medication \u2013 and a lot of those people, at least anecdotally, are mothers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are discovering microdosing to be a good alternative to the pharmaceutical approach that is so prevalent in our culture,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cIt gives your serotonin a bit of a boost and puts you more in tune with yourself. It can really help people with anxiety without a lot of side effects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Microdosing mushrooms involves taking such small amounts of the medicine (about 0.05 grams to 0.25 grams) that a person doesn\u2019t feel the effects outright. People can take a microdose every day or work in days off to integrate the insights gained on days they do take the medicine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I\u2019ve had a microdose, I feel so much more confident in the choices I\u2019m making for my family,\u201d said one mother. \u201cIt\u2019s like the mushrooms are a little cheerleader in my head telling me I\u2019m doing a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another mother had been on prescription antidepressants for a little more than a decade before recently switching to microdosing psilocybin to rein in the ruminating, spiraling, obsessive thoughts she has contended without throughout her life.<\/p>\n<p>She wanted to find a more natural way to access what her brain needs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was rough going off them (antidepressants),\u201d she said. \u201cI was dizzy, nauseous, felt trapped and was really, really, really depressed. Then I started microdosing, and it was like my whole brain lit up again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those who work with psychedelics caution that they aren\u2019t an instant cure, but rather one resource that has been helpful to many in their healing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt (psilocybin) is a reminder that we hold the answers inside of ourselves,\u201d Landon said. \u201cIt gets the BS out of the way so you can see your true self and your true potential for happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/\" id=\"link-fd228d54ba13a5f87df3fe9b29066926\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em id=\"emphasis-33ee85bcdd6971c4f367ef099982c5a5\">The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering Colorado issues. To learn more, go to coloradosun.com.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What\u2019s the timeline? Is natural medicine right for you? Should you microdose? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[394,28,61,2172,3686,1938],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-33338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-colorado-legislature","tag-headlines","tag-health","tag-healthcare-policy","tag-holistic","tag-medicine"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33338"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=33338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}