Bend clinic reports psilocybin breakthroughs in anxiety and depression care

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend-based therapy group says a single dose of psilocybin mushrooms could lead to lasting mental health improvements, based on what they call the largest study of its kind in Oregon.

Bendable Therapy’s Yearlong Study

Bendable Therapy, a local provider that has offered psilocybin treatment for the past three years, released findings from a yearlong study involving clients in Bend. The group asked participants to complete in-depth surveys about their mental health before treatment, and again weeks afterward, following guided therapy sessions intended to help patients process their psychedelic experience.

According to the report, the majority of participants reported meaningful improvements in symptoms of anxiety and depression after just one psilocybin session. No patients reported negative experiences, and only three percent cited minor side effects such as nausea.

Executive Director Amanda Gow said the sessions often led to deep emotional breakthroughs. “One psilocybin session is typically plenty to give a person a deep insight, an ability to hold or carry something differently. So there is a lot of emotional processing. Emotional breakthroughs can really take place during a psilocybin session,” she explained.

Unique Approach Among Studies

Researchers at Bendable Therapy noted that the study was also the first of its kind to include clients who continued using other psychiatric medications during psilocybin treatment. They argue the findings suggest psilocybin can safely integrate with existing mental health care plans.

The therapy group says these results strengthen the case for psilocybin as a legitimate treatment option in Oregon, three years after the state became the first in the nation to legalize supervised use of the psychedelic.