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A growing group of students is seeking out a different kind of cap and gown — a mushroom cap, to be exact.
In 2020, Oregon passed Measure 109, becoming the first US state to legalize supervised psilocybin use for people ages 21+.
Now, professionals — like midwives, hospice workers, and educators — can train to become state-licensed psychedelic facilitators, per The Guardian.
To work at one of the state’s 19 service centers, students must first enroll in a government-recognized training program and apply for a license.
One such program, InnerTrek, was the first in the world to be recognized by the government.
- The program takes six months to complete, and includes online and in-person learning across 120 hours of “core training” and 40 hours of hands-on “practicum.”
- Facilitators offer support for clients experiencing a range of issues, from anxiety and depression to trauma, addiction, and grief — as well as those simply interested in the experience.
- InnerTrek trains its students to create “containers,” or safe spaces, where they offer preparation and structure to clients.
The program is a major investment for students, with tuition totaling $8.9k.
Get psyched
There are now 24 state-approved psilocybin training programs like InnerTrek, as interest in administering psychedelics grows.
And the psychedelic trend is bringing with it a new crop of business opportunities:
- Psychedelic retreats — for everything from soul searching to networking — are sprouting up globally.
- The health care sector is increasingly experimenting with ketamine and LSD as treatments for PTSD and depression.
Plus, the non-trippy types of shrooms are being used for everything from chocolate to coffins, and could even be the answer to our sustainability problems.
Mushrooms really are magic.
