SoundMind Trains Psychedelic Facilitators for Legal Psilocybin in Oregon

Portland, OR - In the coming months Oregon will approve the first psilocybin therapy facilitators in the country, and the SoundMind Institute is one of a handful of organizations approved to train these new professionals.

Founded in 2010 by Dr. Hannah McLane, SoundMind is a grassroots, women-led organization committed to bringing ethics, equity and innovation to psychedelic medicine.

“We are incredibly honored to be part of this landmark program in Oregon,” said Dr. McLane, “It will enable us to weave ancient wisdom with modern science to create something that truly benefits all.”

Oregon voters approved Measure 109 in 2020, making it the first state to legalize access to psilocybin in a therapy setting, when guided by a certified facilitator. The Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) Psilocybin Services program approved SoundMind as one of the initial organizations to train facilitators last year.

The first SoundMind training cohort started in November 2022 following full licensure by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC).

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to help guide the rollout of the first state-level infrastructure built to support these incredibly effective healing modalities,” said Dr. McLane, “Now, it’s up to programs like ours to learn how to apply these practices in the Western Medical System.”

SoundMind’s certification of facilitators follows a 200-hour intensive course in the therapeutic use of ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA.

This program is taught over eight months and is designed to merge clinical techniques with ceremonial tradition. Instructors at SoundMind include scientists, physicians, traditional healers, therapists, and other experts within the psychedelic ecosystem.

“I have so much gratitude for the teachers and traditions that have carried these practices through millenia,” said Dr. McLane, “They help us understand how to responsibly work with such powerful tools.”

Belinda Eriacho MPH is a wisdom keeper from the Diné (Navajo) and Zuni lineage who is a program instructor and the Native American Outreach Coordinator at SoundMind.

"It is important that we ground the psychedelic movement with the insights, wisdom, and guidance from the original stewards,” said Eriacho.

Jon Dennis, an activist and attorney in Oregon who helped pass Measure 109, recently joined as an advisor and guest instructor.

“SoundMind combines medicinal approaches to psilocybin with ceremonial and traditional approaches,” said Dennis, who also points out that SoundMind “requires teachers to be centered in anti-racism and anti-oppression.”

Psychiatry resident Alec Lerner MD took the training course and said, “I learned a tremendous amount about the contemporary uses of psychedelics and the road ahead in this area of research and clinical work.”

Hector Soriano is an herbalist who took the SoundMind training and said, “Everything from use in indigenous communities all the way to the ethical debates we’re having now. It [has] helped me build the personal tools I need to really know myself better, and in turn help my community.”

SoundMind Institute works closely with our affiliated treatment facility, the SoundMind Center, where students can benefit from hands-on learning with psychedelics in Philadelphia, Portland and other locations.

Among the research and clinical development initiatives at SoundMind is our Peer Support Model, which improves quality and access to psychedelic care for Veterans, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals.

The SoundMind training program developed for Oregon is quickly emerging as a national model, with standards and curriculum to certify psychedelic facilitators as these therapies become legal in additional states. Colorado also approved legal access to psilocybin through the NMHA (Natural Medicines Health Act) last year.

“Every day I find myself in awe of the healing I’m able to witness through psychedelic medicines,” said Dr. Hannah McLane, “There is a brighter future for healthcare when the first facilitators begin working in Oregon this year.”

The second SoundMind Psychedelic Facilitator Training Program cohort will take place in 2023.

Contact: Hannah McLane - Director - hannah@soundmind.institute

Chris Goldstein - Media Coordinator (609) 526 8787‬ - ‬chris@soundmind.institute

About SoundMind

SoundMind is a national organization with a mission to bring equity, ethics and innovation to the psychedelic ecosystem through facilitator training, public education, research, clinical services and humanitarian work.

The SoundMind Center, located in Philadelphia, offers top-rated psychedelic treatment and care.

The SoundMind Institute is the training arm of the organization currently operating one of the largest psychedelic facilitator programs in the country and honored to be among the first selected by the Oregon Health Authority to train psilocybin facilitators.

SoundMind is pioneering equitable models of psychedelic care aimed at serving populations in need; including programs for Veterans, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and Neurodiverse individuals.