Education
Psychedelic therapy, as it actually works.
A plain-English orientation to psychedelic-assisted therapy: what it is, what the peer-reviewed evidence shows, and what to consider before deciding if it is right for you.
What it is
What psychedelic therapy is, and what it isn't
Psychedelic therapy is the use of psychedelic compounds, typically psilocybin or ayahuasca, in a structured clinical or ceremonial context, supported by trained facilitators and a preparation and integration framework. The medicine is a catalyst, not a cure. The therapeutic work happens before, during, and after the session.
It is not recreational use. The difference is not only legal, it is structural. Set (internal state), setting (external environment), preparation, dosing protocols, facilitation, and integration are all load-bearing. Research consistently shows outcomes correlate strongly with these conditions.
It is not a magic bullet. Evidence supports psychedelic therapy for specific indications when it is delivered with care. It is also contraindicated for certain individuals. Honest screening is what makes the work safe.
The medicines
The medicines we use.
Psilocybin
ColoradoRFRA ceremony, state-licensed facilitators
The active compound in over 200 species of mushrooms. Ceremonia holds psilocybin retreats in Colorado under our religious-freedom framework (RFRA), with NMHA-licensed facilitators verified on the DORA registry. Colorado's Natural Medicine Health Act created the state credentialing path for facilitators in 2022.
Ayahuasca
Baja, MexicoReligious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
An Amazonian brew of vine and leaf. Ceremonia holds ayahuasca ceremony as sacramental religious practice within a 508(c)(1)(a) church framework on the Pacific coast of Baja, drawing on protections established by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The model
The three-phase model — and why facilitation matters.
Set and setting are not incidental to the outcome, they are the mechanism. Research from Leary, Pahnke, and Carhart-Harris converges on the same finding: environment and support shape the experience more than dose alone. Ceremonia's structure is built around this.
Phase 1
Preparation
Three calls before retreat, four weeks, two weeks, and one week out. Intention-setting, medical screening, medication review, and nervous-system orientation. You arrive with a context for what you are entering.
Phase 2
Ceremony
The session itself. Held in cohort with trained facilitators and on-site medical staff. Eye masks, curated music, and a supported structure for going inward. The container is designed so that what arises can be met.
Phase 3
Integration
The neuroplasticity window, the weeks after ceremony, is when behavioral change is most possible. Daily check-ins the first week, weekly group integration calls for weeks two through four, and optional extended support for deeper work.
The evidence
What the research shows
Four peer-reviewed trials. Public DOIs. Read them yourself.
JAMA Psychiatry · 2020
Effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on major depressive disorder: a randomized clinical trial
Davis AK, Barrett FS, May DG, et al.
71% response rate, 54% remission at 4 weeks after two psilocybin sessions with psychotherapy support in a Johns Hopkins randomized trial.
doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285New England Journal of Medicine · 2021
Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression
Carhart-Harris RL, Giribaldi B, Watts R, et al.
Psilocybin showed comparable effects on depression severity to escitalopram, with larger remission and quality-of-life gains in the Imperial College trial.
doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2032994Journal of Psychopharmacology · 2016
Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer
Griffiths RR, Johnson MW, Carducci MA, et al.
Cancer-related anxiety and depression substantially reduced after a single high-dose session; effects sustained at 6 months.
doi:10.1177/0269881116675513JAMA Psychiatry · 2022
Percentage of heavy drinking days following psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy vs placebo in the treatment of adult patients with alcohol use disorder
Bogenschutz MP, Ross S, Bhatt S, et al.
Significant reductions in heavy drinking days at 32 weeks in a randomized trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder.
doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096
Psychedelic therapy is not FDA-approved for any condition. For the full evidence base, see our research hub.
Candidacy
Who it helps, and who it doesn't
Conditions where evidence is strongest
- Treatment-resistant depression
- End-of-life distress and cancer-related anxiety
- Certain trauma presentations (with appropriate screening)
- Alcohol use disorder
Clear contraindications
- Personal or family history of psychosis or schizophrenia spectrum
- Bipolar I disorder
- Certain medications, SSRIs, MAOIs, lithium, tramadol
- Significant cardiovascular conditions or uncontrolled hypertension
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Recent or active suicidal ideation requiring crisis-level care
Full contraindications and medication screening protocol at /safety/contraindications.
Legal framework
The legal landscape
Colorado's Natural Medicine Health Act (Proposition 122, 2022) created a state credentialing path for psilocybin facilitators. Our facilitators are NMHA-licensed and DORA-verified. Ceremonia's psilocybin ceremonies themselves are held under our religious-freedom framework (RFRA, 1993), the same federal protection that supports our ayahuasca work. The two frameworks are complementary: state-credentialed facilitators holding ceremony within a sincere religious-practice container.
Ayahuasca contains DMT, a Schedule I substance under federal law. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA, 1993) provides federal protections for sincere religious exercise involving sacramental plant medicines. Ceremonia holds ayahuasca ceremony as a 508(c)(1)(a) church. This is the same framework that protects the União do Vegetal and Santo Daime traditions, affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal (2006).
Begin
Ready to find out if it's for you?
A 5-minute readiness assessment helps both of us understand whether this is the right work, the right time, and the right container for where you are.