and paved the way for wellness clinics to let clients use them as part of their therapy.
Denver has become a leader in the movement to decriminalize psychedelic drugs like psilocybin mushrooms."Denver has been a pioneer in this whole area," the founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies , Rick Doblin, told the Denver Business Journal. Caldwell, since his experience with psychedelic trauma, has become a psychedelic-assisted therapist — basically a clinician who uses certain hallucinogens as part of their treatment regimen.
"There is a lot of research coming out right now and the landscape is constantly changing, but what we've seen so far is especially promising research that I've seen so far includes psilocybin-assisted therapy for major depressive disorder, especially treatment resistant depression," Caldwell said. He also pointed to successes with substances abuse issues, like alcoholism, and benefits for terminal patients facing their own mortality.
Essentially, taking psychedelics in these settings isn’t fun — it’s work. Expensive work. In Oregon, where all drugs are decriminalized, one psychedelic session could cost $3,500,Even in a clinical setting, Caldwell said mushrooms or psychedelics more generally aren’t always the best solution for every patient. Rather, they should be another tool added to therapists’ belts.
But Stuyt, the addiction psychiatrist, worries that people will see therapeutic benefits being touted and try psychedelics on their own in an uncontrolled environment and without a qualified facilitator., she said, makes the drugs more accessible and adds to that risk. Without a professional to help guide a drug user, there’s an increased threat of mental scarring, according to Caldwell.
Caldwell clarified that traumatic drug trips could stem from something like taking too many mushrooms, but they could also be set off from bad settings like being in a crowded, uncomfortable room or from starting in a vulnerable emotional state, such as having just broken up with a partner.