Educate, Empower, and Heal Part 1

What the general public thinks it knows about Oregon’s psilocybin program starting in 2023 is often untrue and ranges from the belief that psilocybin mushrooms are legal to what may be a more harmful misconception that Oregon has created “psilocybin therapy.” Measure 109, which Oregon voters passed in 2020 as essentially a mental health treatment option, has morphed into an informed-consent model that purposefully omits professional mental health treatment and, while potentially therapeutic, is not “therapy” in the traditional sense.

What is true is that Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) will allow adults supported use of a single dose of psilocybin at a licensed facility in Oregon for an out-of-pocket fee. The general public does not perceive the sizable gap that exists between the more popular misconceptions and the actuality, and to that end we founded the Psilocybin Assisted Therapy Association (PATA).

PATA was created to educate, empower, and heal: to provide potential consumers of psilocybin information and point them to additional resources, empower them to express interest in psilocybin and pursue its therapeutic benefits when appropriate, and maximize the healing potential of a psilocybin experience when used for mental health.

In this first part of a three-part series on our values to educate, empower, and heal, we will focus on the importance of education and the tools PATA has created to give the potential consumer, or anyone involved with them, solid ground on which to begin: a psilocybin-assisted therapy model, a guidebook for potential consumers who are relatively new to psilocybin and/or therapy, and a free, online self-assessment tool as a first step if needed to begin their self-education and research.

Because current information tends to involve research that doesn’t translate to the public at large, we started by outlining a therapy model focused on the potential consumer to demonstrate when and how Licensed Mental Health Professionals (LMHPs) can ethically be involved in psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) outside of a research setting. Our model also includes what is not therapy/therapeutic, different goals and intents for the use of psilocybin, and who else (if anyone) may be involved when someone chooses to consume psilocybin.

First, we created an intention-of-use scale to prompt people to consider what their primary goals are when using psilocybin (healing, exploration, spiritual quest, treating anxiety/depression/etc.).

Scale of intention and increased potential need for PAT for experience purpose

The meter above asks the consumer to consider the complexity of their needs and experience level, weigh choices, and achieve goals while minimizing harm. For example, no or low intention consumers may want to explore on their own, especially if they have familiarity with psilocybin or psychedelics. These consumers will have different needs than someone new to psychedelics whose situation includes health or mental health concerns, symptoms, or diagnoses. For those latter “therapeutic users” at the far end of meter, we recommend much greater thought about potential risks to health and safety, the unknown elements of what psilocybin’s effect may be, and the level of expertise a facilitator or guide might have, and we encourage consultation with a professional.

Next, the PATA Model flowchart presented in our Guidebook for Consumers illustrates the basic steps that will be involved in the therapeutic use of psilocybin.

PATA Model Flowchart

Therapeutic use outside of research settings is a largely uncharted territory. There are existing models that can be used to guide it like harm-reduction, a client-centered counseling approach used to meet people where they are and try to help them without requiring abstinence from substances. It should be noted that the usual phases of research-therapy models as well as “underground” guidance in using psilocybin – preparation, administration, and integration – are different in our proposed model. We’ve begun, and intend to continue, to introduce and define concepts such as these that are involved in the process. Additional concepts include: set and setting, preparation (for safety education), administration or drug experience, facilitators, guides/sitters, intention of use, integration, therapy, and licensed mental health professionals (LMHPs).

These illustrations are on our website (http://pata-us.org) and are introduced in our Guidebook for Consumers, our most detailed resource that includes a brief history of Western psilocybin use, an outline of the components of our psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) model, other options for both using psilocybin and alternatives to it, and examples of the conditions that have been positively affected historically, anecdotally, and especially scientifically, with the purposeful and careful use of psilocybin.

Finally, we wanted to have an online tool that potential consumers can complete fairly easily, and online self-tests are popular, quick, and accessible. We created the PATA Self-Assessment Tool, where anyone can start by answering simple yes-no questions one at a time and be guided to a recommendation. These recommendations are paired with encouragement to continue seeking information and offers to quickly and easily download our free Guidebook for Consumers.

While there are still a lot of questions about psilocybin, the new services in Oregon, and the potential for change and healing, there’s no question psilocybin will become more prominent along with other psychedelics used for mental health. In our next newsletters we’ll go more into depth on how education empowers people to advocate for themselves and others, and continue on their healing journeys.

Authored by Lisa Ritter, LPC. Founder and Chief Clinical Officer