BOULDER, Colo. — 9NEWS was invited into a psychedelic therapy clinic to observe with cameras what a therapy session with psilocybin mushrooms looks like.
In a small room within the bottom floor of a quiet office complex, Erin Wolfe began grinding up psychedelic mushrooms in a bowl as she sat upright in a bed. Soft, ambient music emanated from a speaker.
“I’m really open to being guided,” Wolfe told her psychedelic therapy guide, who sat next to her bed.
On most days at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness, Wolfe is a psychotherapist who helps patients undergo psychedelic sessions, but on this particular day Wolfe was a patient.
“It also helps me to understand what my clients are experiencing so we can go into that space together,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe allowed herself to be recorded at the beginning of her session.
“We get what we need,” Wolfe said of psychedelic medicines. “Every single time I've journeyed, every single time I support someone in their journey, it's exactly what we need,” she said.
On this day, Wolfe said she was going to mentally focus on childhood trauma from her past. She said psychedelics like magic mushrooms can help people better process traumatic memories that can be difficult to confront during traditional therapy methods.
“Trauma gets wrapped in police tape, like ‘Do not cross. Stay away. Big stop sign, right?’ Psychedelics soften those defenses,” Wolfe said.
After Wolfe was done grinding up the mushrooms, a “sitter” boiled water and made a psilocybin tea with honey.
Wolfe sipped the tea, put on a blindfold and laid her head on a pillow as she listened to her psychedelic guide set the tone for the session.
During every session at the clinic, not only does a psychedelic therapy guide help talk a patient through their experience, but a sitter will be there in the room to handle whatever needs may arise, like temperature control and getting water.
Patients can request a talkative session or one that is more silent and introspective where they share thoughts and memories at their own choosing without prompts.
Each psychedelic session with mushrooms can last up to eight hours, depending on the person and the dosage of the psilocybin. On this day, Wolfe consumed what was called a “therapeutic dose” of 18 milligrams of psilocybin.
Wolfe’s guide was clinic co-founder and licensed counselor Allison McQueen, who began the session with deep breathing practices as the mushrooms began to take effect on Wolfe’s mind.
“So with your next inhale Erin, I’d like you to imagine you’re breathing this medicine all the way to the bottoms of your feet,” Allison McQueen told Wolfe as she laid quietly.
9NEWS left Wolfe’s therapy session after about 45 minutes to give her privacy. She later reported her session lasted seven hours.
“Life is not the same on the other side of one of these journeys. I mean, it's like there's just a deeper understanding of self,” Wolfe said in a follow up interview, several days later.
Daniel McQueen, founder of the clinic, said clients have come in seeking relief from anxiety, depression and PTSD. The clinic began cannabis therapy sessions in 2014 when marijuana was legalized in the state, and then incorporated ketamine and psilocybin.
Most recently, the clinic has been helping people with terminal illnesses find peace, McQueen said.
“This type of therapy is a game changer. It's like quantum computers versus regular computers. In some ways, we're still in its infancy, but it does something fundamentally different,” McQueen said.
Several scientific studies have shown patients report relief from addiction and improved wellbeing from depression after psychedelic therapy.
As other states consider Colorado’s lead in legalizing psychedelics, the Veterans Administration has been discussing the benefits of psilocybin therapy.
The clinic’s medical doctor and upcoming state rules
The clinic employs Dr. Alyse Power, a medical doctor, who spends a significant amount of her time screening her potential patients for any medical histories and medications that would be averse to psychedelics therapy.
Often the clinic turns away prospective patients because of their mental health history or physical conditions, like issues with their heart.
“This isn't for everybody. And that's why we have such an extensive process,” Dr. Power said.
This month, a state board released the first proposed rules that would outline the licensure of psychedelic guides. When rules are finalized later this year, guides are expected to get clear instructions from the state not to serve people with various mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
This summer, the state will also be holding meetings to gather public input in not only how psychedelic guides should be licensed and trained, but facilities too.
The clinic not only trains its own guides, which can take months, but it also runs a certification program for people looking to become psychedelic guides at other clinics and facilities in Colorado.
Dr. Power made it a point during her interview with 9NEWS to say the therapy sessions are not always happy and euphoric.
“There can be moments of joy, moments of happiness, like sunshine, rainbows, unicorns. There can also be really difficult moments, and there can be entering into hell realms. There can be sadness and grief. And those are just as important, if not more important,” Dr. Power said.
On the clinic’s website, a standard session with psilocybin mushrooms can run $3,000. The clinic also offers programs that can take days, with a different psychedelic administered on each day.
“And so it's not always easy,” McQueen said of the patient experience. “But they reach these spaces of acceptance and peace and tranquility, even after a big experience. And sometimes they'll say, ‘That was the hardest experience of my life. When can I come back?’”
If you have any information about this story or would like to send a news tip, you can contact jeremy@9news.com.
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