SoundMind Approved by the Oregon Health Authority to Train Psilocybin Facilitators
Friday, June 17, 2022, the Oregon Health Authority approved the SoundMind Institute Psychedelic Facilitator Training program as a state-sanctioned training facility for Oregon Psilocybin Services. We are beyond excited to be one of the first three programs in the world to become approved to offer legal psilocybin training for facilitators.
Many Indigenous communities have used psilocybin for healing and spiritual practices for thousands of years, yet the western medical model has criminalized this medicine and these practices. In landmark legislation, ballot measure 109, Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy, creating a pathway for licensed and unlicensed facilitators to train to provide this medicine legally.
All those interested in becoming a licensed psilocybin facilitator in Oregon must complete a training program approved by the OHA. Students who take our Psychedelic Facilitator Training Program this September would now meet these training requirements. While psilocybin services must be provided in Oregon, being a resident of Oregon is not required for training, and anyone across the nation can participate in our facilitator training program. We anticipate—and are hopeful—that other states will follow this same model with the same psilocybin training requirements.
Amidst this excitement, at SoundMind we give thanks to the traditions and cultures who have bravely continued lineages and protected sacred knowledge about these incredible healing modalities through suppression and oppression. We mourn the lives lost and torn apart by the War on Drugs. We vow to use our privilege as one of the organizations given the legal right to teach these practices to work equitably, and inclusively, always keeping indigenous reciprocity, respect, and cultural humility at the forefront of all that we do.
To learn more about our training program, and apply for our September cohort, check out our course page here.