Seattle residents look abroad for psilocybin healing
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Seattleites chasing psychedelic breakthroughs are packing passports for psilocybin retreats abroad, where the trip is about therapy not tourism.
Why it matters: Psilocybin retreats aren't just a travel fad — they reflect a larger shift in mental health care with a slew of studies, including from the University of Washington, suggesting psychedelic therapy can ease depression, anxiety and trauma.
How it works: Seattle-area therapist Gwen Ingram-Jones has been leading retreats at MycoMeditations in Jamaica for three years.
- A typical retreat runs eight days and mixes group therapy, one-on-one therapy, specialized coaching and three days of dosing, she told Axios.
- "Some say it's like 10 years' worth of therapy in a week," she said. "I like to say participants get a piece of their puzzle and their life can be forever changed."
Behind the scenes: Unlike Oregon and Colorado, Washington does not allow the administration of psilocybin in licensed supervised settings.
- Washington set up a University of Washington pilot two years ago to study psilocybin therapy for veterans and first responders, but a broader bill to let adults use it in supervised settings is still only a proposal.
What they're saying: Curt Angell, 75, of Olympia — a retired Air Force and State Department officer — told Axios his doctor and therapist supported psychedelic treatment after he "hit a wall" with traditional therapy for grief over his wife's Alzheimer's decline.
- At his first retreat in 2023, he said he had a "spiritual experience" each day he took a dose.
- At the second, he saw how he'd built walls around himself emotionally. At the third, after his wife's death earlier this year, he committed to lifelong learning.
- "I wasn't a spiritual person, but psilocybin showed me how to lay down the armor I'd carried my whole life. It let me release grief I couldn't touch any other way."
By the numbers: The cost of psilocybin therapies vary greatly depending on location, length of session and amenities, ranging from about $1,200 for a one-day group experience in Portland to a starting price around $6,500 for eight days in Jamaica.
The bottom line: Few try to seek psychedelic therapy when things are going well, said Angell, but for him it offered peace and connection not available through therapy alone.
- "It's the most profound intellectual, emotional and spiritual thing I've ever done," he said.