psilocybin for
ED recovery
Safe, responsive and courageous spaces for equitable healing access
In partnership with Confluence Retreats the USA's #1 rated Legal Psilocybin Retreat Center
Cognitive Flexibility, Emotional Breakthroughs and Spiritual Transformation
Psilocybin may be uniquely suited to meet the needs of individuals recovering from eating disorders, due to it's characteristic and fairly-reliable induction of introspective, insightful and mystical-type experiences. Through these experiences, which many participants report as among the most meaningful of their lives, along with the changes the brain undergoes on (and after) psilocybin, one's sense of identity, relationship with themselves or others, and behavioral patterns can radically and sometimes rapidly transform. Unlike some treatment models which may be guided by the experience and expertise of external providers (doctors, therapist, family etc.) which in some cases can undermine a client's sense of autonomy and power, our process of working with psilocybin, especially within the legal regulated system of Oregon's Psilocybin Services, emphasizes the client as the primary authority in the journey of their own healing. While respecting client autonomy and prioritizing each client’s unique values, needs and desires as the core driver of the process, collaboration across multiple domains of a client's life (family, friends, work etc.) creates supportive conditions for deep and lasting change.
Meet Your Facilitator
Arin Amsler
Arin brings over a decade of experience in professional psychedelic settings—bridging indigenous South American traditions, North American communities and licensed psilocybin service centers. Her work is grounded in years of personal practice, having spent thousands of hours in intensive retreat and study with teachers across the Andes, Himalayas, and India. A certified coach, yoga therapist and Reiki Master, Arin integrates modalities such as yoga, meditation and somatic embodiment to help participants translate insights into lasting change. She approaches transformation as a natural unfolding of one’s deepest intentions and potential, something she has also lived experience with on her own personal journey of ED recovery.
Equity Committment
At Ursula + Pearl I facilitate state-legal psilocybin experiences in Southern Oregon for people living with eating disorders, and I do so as a thin, white, English-speaking woman with a great deal of unearned privilege. For generations, systemic racism, colonialism, and white supremacy have shaped whose bodies are policed, whose suffering is believed, and who is able to access care for disordered eating. Eating disorders are not “white girls’ illnesses,” yet our systems still often behave as if they are.
I’m committed to practicing cultural humility rather than claiming cultural competence: staying teachable, seeking ongoing education and supervision, listening deeply to feedback, and naming the ways power and oppression show up in this work. My intention is to co-create spaces that are as safe, affirming, and accessible as possible for people of all races, genders, sizes, abilities, and backgrounds to explore psilocybin-supported healing on their own terms, or otherwise help folks find and connect with those spaces within their desired affinity.
I honor that my work takes place within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Modoc (Klamath), Takelma, and Cow Creek Umpqua peoples who lived here since time immemorial. I honor and acknowledge the legacy of those who stewarded this land for many generations before being displaced by colonization, treaties, and other violent acts. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians are living descendants of the Shasta, Takelma, and Cow Creek Umpqua peoples of this area. The Klamath Tribes are the living descendants of the Modoc Nation in Southern Oregon.
What Previous Clients Say
The Journey
What you can expect at every step along the way.
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During this comprehensive consultation we will walk through all the factors that together contribute to whether or not it could be a good fit for you to work with psilocybin (or perhaps another psychedelic) at this point on your journey. We will discuss each factor in depth as well as, when appropriate, ways to enhance the levels of support within a given factor. Factors we will discuss include but are not limited to your medical and mental health, current medications and supplements, current care plans and treatment teams, support structures, lifestyle factors, previous experience with psychedelics or other substances, and most importantly your dreams, desires, hopes and aspirations.
These calls are required in order to qualify for a participating in a psilocybin program. However, they are also offered free of charge for anyone simply curious about working with psychedelics as part of their recovery.
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Once you have completed a free Consultation Call the next step is to educate and empower your community in the process of your recovery journey with psilocybin. One of the most essential components of recovery (and of a successfully integrated psilocybin experience) is having the support, understanding and encouragement of others in your community. This Community Preparation Call is conducted in order to provide important education for your loved ones, treatment team and recovery allies about working with psilocybin — including how to better support you during the process. During this call we will go over, in detail, exactly what you can expect during the preparation, administration and integration phases of the program, what you might experience, the layers of support that will be available to you along the way, potential risks and benefits of working with psilocybin, and best practices to increase the likelihood of an optimal outcome.
These calls are also offered complimentary as a way of supporting both you and your loved ones on your journey of recovery and providing broader education about working effectively with psychedelics.
These calls usually include, but are not limited to, spouses, parents, siblings, treatment team members, close friends, mentors and sponsors. You will identify these individuals during your initial Consultation Call and will. be responsible for inviting them to the Community Preparation Call.
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Once you have completed both your Consultation Call and Community Preparation Call you are eligible for program enrollment, provided the outcomes of the prior two calls qualified psilocybin as a potentially safe and effective treatment for you at this time.
During enrollment we will compose a 'Program Plan’ that will include details about how long the preparation phase will be, how frequently we will meet, any supplementary interventions we agree together would add support and build additional safety into the process, and we will outline some shared agreements to help facilitate safe and transformational space during the course of the program.
A deposit equal to 50% of the total program cost and signing of the Client Services Agreement is due to complete program enrollment.
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The preparation phase of the process is designed to support client's in cultivating confidence and trust in themselves, their facilitator and the process of working with psilocybin. The primary outcome of this phase is that clients feel ready to enter the administration phase, where they will take psilocybin. Preparation is uniquely tailored each individual and their unique needs, desires and preferences, the result of which is often a customized administration environment. Preparation often includes some degree of psycho-education about psilocybin, its potential effects, risks and benefits along with, importantly, relationship and trust building with the facilitator. Preparation can also include elements of preparing to work with resistance, parts work, desire and values mapping, motivational interviewing, somatic integration, spiritual support and community empowerment.
The length of the preparation phase will be recommended based on the outcomes of the Consultation Call and the Community Preparation Call.
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'Adminstration’ is the technical term used in the Oregon Psilocybin Services nomenclature to refer to the sessions in which you will actually take psilocybin, these will be your journey sessions.
There are several options for these sessions which can be dictated by your needs, desires, and what we determine together will likely be the most effective for your unique program. For example, individual 1-1 sessions are possible, as is potentially participating in a 5-day group retreat (with 7 other participants), or a combination of the two.
Administration sessions (psilocybin journeys) generally last approximately 6-8 hours, during which time you will take psilocybin mushrooms, in an amount/dose to be determined in collaboration with your facilitator, during the Preparation Phase.
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The integration phase of the process is designed to support clients in making sense of their psilocybin experience and translating any insights, shifts or challenges into meaningful, sustainable change in daily life, including in their relationship with food, body and self. The primary outcome of this phase is that clients feel accompanied, grounded and empowered as they weave what emerged in their session into their existing treatment plan, values and recovery goals. Integration is uniquely tailored to each individual and their unique needs, capacities and circumstances, and often includes a collaborative pacing process so that changes unfold in a way that feels safe and manageable. Integration often includes some degree of reflection and meaning-making, practices to support nervous system regulation, and practical action steps to further progress along the client's desired path, alongside ongoing relationship and trust building with the facilitator. Integration can also include elements such as parts work, somatic and mindfulness practices, values and motivation mapping, repair and boundary work in relationships, spiritual support, and community-based integration calls or circles when appropriate.
The length of the integration phase is typically three months, with the specific cadence of sessions recommended based on the outcomes of the administration session and the client’s ongoing needs and support network.
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Integration is on-going process and something we do on a consistent basis, whether we are integrating from a psilocybin journey specifically or not. As a participant in our programs you will always remain a client and can reach out for additional support at any time.
Additionally, if you volunteered to participate in an ongoing research study we will conduct regular follow ups with you according to the study timeline.
Finally, as part of our commitment to making these experiences more accessible, we offer free monthly group integration circles and breathwork sessions that are open to all to attend.
“The key to recovery is having a full awareness of all of your parts without being overwhelmed”
— National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine
“The key to thriving is to love your parts, then expand your ‘definition of self’ until you come into joyful harmony with all existence.”
— Ursula + Pearl
FAQs
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Psilocybin, in general, is a very safe substance. At present, there is no known mechanism for physiological nor psychological dependance upon psilocybin, and the lethal dose would be impossible for someone to consume. A famous study conducted in England rated psilocybin-containing mushrooms as the least harmful or detrimental to public health and safety out of 20 substances that were researched (including tobacco, prescription medication, cannabis, and alcohol which topped the list, above heroin, as the most harmful substance to society).
That said psilocybin is contraindicated for certain medical and mental health conditions as well as contraindicated with some medications. Additionally, even if someone does not present with any of the major contraindications, it is not the case that psilocybin is the right thing for everyone, at every point on their journey.
Safety then ultimately boils down to scrupulous medical, mental health and medication screening as well as an evaluation of one's overall 'readiness’ to participate — meaning essentially, evaluating the likelihood of a successful outcome given the present conditions of one's unique life situation, and potentially making some changes or adding additional supports to increase the likelihood of a beneficial outcome.
Regarding Eating Disorder recovery specifically, there are some increased risks to working with psilocybin, most namely cardiac and metabolic risks, associated with a compromised system as well as risks around providing consent, given the sometimes psychologically all-consuming nature of an Eating Disorder. These risks can oftentimes be carefully planned for and mitigated through the coordinated effort between one's treatment and support team (doctor, therapist, nutritionist, family etc.) and us as your facilitator.
Finally, one unique aspect about working in a regulated environment such as the one in Oregon is that having oversight into each aspect of the process ensures a particular level of safety in the overall process given licensing requirements, lab testing and professional accountability.
For specific questions about safety, please book a complimentary Consultation Call.
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It is important to convey that while early research into the effectiveness of psilocybin in the treatment of Eating Disorders is promising, and many anecdotal reports confer, there is not nearly enough research to validate psilocybin-assisted services as an effective or reliable intervention in the treatment of Eating Disorders.
Additionally, success in the process of working with psilocybin is not only contingent upon taking the mushrooms themselves, but rather, involves a significant amount preparation, community empowerment and ongoing integration — all of which necessitates a certain level of engagement in the process. This poses a potentially unique challenge but also an incredible opportunity for folks with Eating Disorders in particular, as while motivation to engage in the process of recovery can come and go, our approach is centered around the unique experience and autonomy of each client with the goal of empowering individuals to move at their own pace and respect the wisdom of each step and stage of the process.
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Yes! Psilocybin Assisted Service are legal in a few states including Oregon. This means that participating in a program with us fully legal.
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Equity and inclusion commitment
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