Are Hallucinogens for You?

When Jim Carroccio traveled to Oregon this summer to experience a psilocybin (magic mushroom) journey, he was hoping to come away with "a refreshed view on life." What the 71-year-old retired builder from Arizona didn't realize was that he would be one of the initial "clients" of the nation's first state-legal regulated psilocybin program.

For industry observers like me, the fact that a baby boomer would invest significant time, energy and resources (these experiences typically cost several thousand dollars) for a psychedelic "trip" was not surprising. Older age can be a time of introspection, spiritual exploration and a search for meaning. A carefully planned psychedelic experience can check all those boxes.

Psychedelics have been getting plenty of positive media coverage lately as an experimental treatment for a host of mental health ills. Particularly poignant are the accounts of cancer patients suffering from extreme depression and demoralization who received psilocybin-assisted therapy in clinical trials.

Describing their "journeys," they often report experiencing boundless love, forgiveness and resolution of traumas borne over a lifetime. Their remaining days, months and years are positively changed forever.

Even without a serious illness, we all have a terminal condition. As boomers and other generations contemplate their mortality — whether with anxiety or curiosity — why wouldn't they want to at least consider having a similar experience?

Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in "magic mushrooms," is one of several psychedelic substances banned under the Controlled Substances Act. The Drug Enforcement Agency classifies psilocybin as a Schedule I substance, a designation reserved for drugs "with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."

And yet, at the same time, psilocybin is also a highly promising experimental drug under clinical trials as an adjunct to therapy for depression and other psychic ills.

Until recently, the only way to access an above-ground psychedelic experience was to enroll in a clinical trial or travel to a country, like Jamaica, where these drugs are legal.

Here in the U.S., however, researchers expect it will be years before federal agencies approve and reschedule psilocybin and it becomes available and reimbursable in the health care system.

The good news is that other avenues are opening to have an experience with psilocybin — not for medical use but for wellness and spiritual exploration. For now, navigating the boundaries in this emerging field can be complicated.

A recent BrainFutures report suggests that people who are considering a psilocybin experience "deserve to be well-informed about the purpose, legal structure and limitations of the access pathway they choose."

One such pathway has recently opened through "decriminalization" legislation in the states of Oregon and Colorado and the cities of Oakland, California, and Washington, D.C., among others. "Decriminalize nature" initiatives in these locales have persuaded voters that the benefits of plants (and fungi) like psilocybin outweigh their risks.

While these states and cities lack the authority to legalize these substances — federal officials can still enforce the federal ban — they generally make the prosecution of people who cultivate, possess or gift them the lowest law enforcement priority.

Oregon and Colorado have gone a step further, creating "Psilocybin Services" — regulated facilities where adults can have a psilocybin experience with a licensed facilitator. Brain Futures distinguishes psilocybin services from the medical access pathway in that "participants do not need a diagnosis to participate and facilitators are not required to be licensed health care professionals," such as a physician, nurse or social worker.

The Oregon Health Authority offers this partial list of licensed services providers and facilitators. Waiting lists for appointments can be long.

In Colorado, which has also decriminalized psilocybin, state-licensed and ‑regulated healing centers will only launch some time in 2024.

In general, psilocybin services offer what they believe a client needs for a supported and supervised psychedelic journey. The process starts with at least one preparatory session with a facilitator to help the client enter the experience with an optimal mind-set.

This is followed by the actual "journey," with administration of a tested and measured dose of psilocybin mushrooms supplied by a licensed grower. The journey takes place in a comfortable and safe environment, in the presence of the facilitator.

A day or more later, there is a follow-up integration session with the facilitator, where the insights from the experience are processed and integrated into the journeyer's life.

While no medical referral is needed for psilocybin services, prospective clients are screened beforehand to assess their suitability based on criteria including one's mental and physical medical history.

Some services are run by individuals, while others have pools of facilitators from which to choose. In Oregon, the facilitators are trained and licensed, although they may not be certified health care professionals. The ability to choose a facilitator you feel comfortable with and can trust is essential to the outcome of the experience.

Some centers offer services on a sliding scale, with discounts for people of color or veterans. But in general, the cost for the entire experience ranges between $1,500 and $3,000.

Entering a profoundly altered state of consciousness puts one in a highly vulnerable and suggestible state. Hence the presence of a trusted, experienced facilitator is crucial. People considering an experience like this should carefully vet any potential facilitators, interviewing them, checking their credentials and ensuring you have "good chemistry."

Before embarking on a journey, it is also important to clarify issues such as what are permissible forms of supportive touching. That is, are you at ease holding hands? Comfortable with a hand on your shoulder, or prefer no touch at all? The harm-reduction site Fireside Project offers helpful guidelines on vetting a facilitator.

Beyond their purported therapeutic or wellness applications, psychedelic journeys are often profoundly spiritual. Indigenous cultures consider these plant medicines as sacred, to be approached with reverence and respect.

Since the late 19th century, members of the Native American Church have asserted their right to engage with the hallucinogen peyote in sacred ceremonies that continue to this day.

In the meantime, a small but growing number of "psychedelic churches" are operating ostensibly under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in sites around the country.

The Divine Assembly Church in Salt Lake City, for example, emphasizes the personal experience of the divine afforded by a psychedelic sacrament — in this case, psilocybin. While its ritual does not directly involve consumption of psilocybin, the church will instruct members on how to grow their own.

While the connection between religion and psychedelics may seem odd, studies conducted at Johns Hopkins University have equated the profound mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin with those described in the classic religious traditions.

After several deeply impactful mystical experiences as a psilocybin research study participant, Episcopal minister Hunt Priest was inspired to establish Ligare, a Christian psychedelic society. For Rabbi Zac Kamenetz, a similar experience was the impetus for creating Shefa, a resource for Jewish psychedelic support and community building.

And what about Jim Carroccio, Oregon's pioneering psilocybin client? During his session, the Arizona retiree was able to address an early trauma and release a lifetime of grief — breakthroughs he'd been unable to achieve over decades of therapy. He's even considering a follow-up session down the line.

Psilocybin is not a panacea. These experiences are unpredictable and, when expectations run high, they can be disappointing. And while clearly not for everyone, the opportunity to have a safe, supported psychedelic journey is clearly appealing to some older adults.