Plant Medicine

Psilocybin

The medicine in our Awaken retreat, held in Colorado as sacramental practice.

What it is

Psilocybin is the active compound in over 200 species of mushrooms. In the body it turns into psilocin, which acts on serotonin receptors. People have used mushrooms like these ceremonially in Mesoamerica for at least a thousand years. María Sabina, a Mazatec healer in Oaxaca, brought them to wider Western attention in the 1950s.

Effects usually begin 30 to 60 minutes after you take it, peak around the first two hours, and last four to six hours in all. What you notice varies a lot from person to person and from ceremony to ceremony.

How we hold it

Awaken is held in Colorado as sacramental practice. It includes three ceremonies over a one-week retreat, and everything around them: a free connection call, your application and medical intake, one month of virtual preparation, and one month of virtual integration after you come home.

Our facilitators include Austin Mao, Tamara Golden and Jo Ann Forristal, who each hold a Colorado natural medicine facilitator license. Our ceremonies are held under RFRA. You can read more on licensing and faith.

Jo Ann Forristal, a family nurse practitioner, is on site during the retreat. Our nurse practitioner reviews every medical intake before you are accepted.

What the research shows

Researchers have studied psilocybin with careful screening and trained support. We share three findings, because they show both the promise and the limits.

• Major depression (Davis et al., 2020). In a Johns Hopkins randomized trial, 71% of participants responded and 54% were in remission at 4 weeks after two psilocybin sessions with psychotherapy support. Published in JAMA Psychiatry.
• Psilocybin vs escitalopram (Carhart-Harris et al., 2021). In 59 adults with moderate-to-severe major depression, the primary outcome did not differ significantly (p=0.17). Remission was 57% vs 28%, a secondary outcome not corrected for multiple comparisons. Published in NEJM.
• End-of-life distress (Griffiths et al., 2016). In 51 people with life-threatening cancer, about 80% still showed clinically significant reductions in depressed mood and anxiety at 6 months after a high-dose session. Published in Journal of Psychopharmacology.

These are findings from controlled research settings. They do not describe what happens at a retreat, and none of these studies evaluated Ceremonia. Psilocybin is not FDA-approved. For the full picture, see our research library.

Who it is not for, and medications

Psilocybin is not for everyone, and we say no when taking part would not be safe. We screen for a personal or family history of psychosis, bipolar I disorder, serious heart conditions, seizure disorders, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and recent or active suicidal thoughts that need crisis-level care. Our nurse practitioner decides each case.

Some medications, including lithium and MAOIs, do not mix with psilocybin. Your prescriber leads on any medication. Never stop or change one on your own. Tapering often takes one to two months, and our nurse practitioner reviews every intake. More on screening and medications.

Where

Awaken is held in Sedalia, Colorado, in a private retreat center about 45 minutes from Denver International Airport. Five nights, with accommodation and meals included. See the Colorado retreat center.

After ceremony

The ceremony is a doorway. What you do in the weeks after matters most, so one month of virtual integration is included, and an optional two-month extension is there if you want more support. See how it works.