NeuroBloom to host psilocybin talk for Roaring Fork Valley community

Knowledge is power, and that’s why NeuroBloom is offering a free community talk Monday, Dec. 8.

The talk, “Understanding Psilocybin Therapy Under Colorado’s Regulated Model,” is free and open to the public. It will take place from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at NeuroSpa Willits, 350 Market St., on the lower level of the Willits Healthcare Building in Basalt. 

“We are super excited to educate the general public on what is going on with Colorado’s natural medicine law, and what it means to be a licensed healing center and for our facilitators to have their licenses working in the regulated model,” said Dr. Brooke Allen, medical director at The NeuroSpa. “​​We really have to start from scratch and help people understand that these are natural medicines that have been used for centuries. We’re reviving something old and sacred.”

The community talk will dive into what psilocybin therapy is, how Colorado’s new regulated model works, who’s eligible to receive psilocybin therapy and what the screening process looks like, what occurs during a guided psilocybin session, what research says about psilocybin for depression, anxiety, and other conditions, and more. Several facilitators that collaborate with NeuroBloom, which is a healing center licensed through the State of Colorado’s regulated Natural Medicine Program that is part of The NeuroSpa in Aspen and Basalt, will be present, as will a client who will share her journey.

“It’s for people who are curious,” said Meagan Adams, NeuroSpa’s lead psychedelic integration specialist, of the talk. “You can be interested in doing a journey yourself or maybe you have a loved one in mind. It’s a way to get acquainted with us at NeuroBloom.”

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms that is converted in the body to what’s called “psilocin,” which interacts with serotonin receptors in the brain to alter perception, mood, and cognition, according to previous reporting from The Aspen Times.

“Whether you have a diagnosis that’s clinical, like depression or anxiety or PTSD — and even addiction is now being looked at — we all have the capacity to really get stuck in our lives,” Dr. Allen said. “We tell ourselves the same stories that are oftentimes making us unhappy. What these medicines can do is provide an opportunity where new neural connections are created.”

Adams emphasized that psilocybin’s ability to open an individual up to connection is a huge part of its power.

“Psilocybin can help with a connection to our deeper self, our connection to nature, our connection to others,” Adams said. “Connection is a big part of what makes psilocybin so powerful.”

Dr. Allen does note that psilocybin therapy differs from recreational use. Working in a healing center allows the client to tune into their inner wisdom and build a relationship with a facilitator who can provide encouragement and support.

Psilocybin remains a Schedule I substance under U.S. federal law, meaning it is considered one of the most dangerous and strictly controlled substances. The Natural Medicines Health Act of 2022 passed by Colorado voters led to the state’s regulated psilocybin program. Psilocybin sessions are only legal in licensed healing centers with trained facilitators. 

NeuroBloom has already been providing psilocybin therapy at NeuroSpa’s location in Willits since early October, and just this past weekend began offering psilocybin therapy at NeuroSpa’s Aspen location for individuals, couples, and groups.

“It’s been such a beautiful unfolding of seeing who’s drawn to the medicine,” Adams said. “Seeing from start to finish how they arrive, and being able to sit with them in the journey and craft a specific intention, it’s really deep work that community members are doing in collaboration with the medicine. They remember things about themselves they’d forgotten along the way. I’m just so honored.”

Attendees to the community event will also have the opportunity to view NeuroBloom’s space in Willits before or after the talk. The event is for educational purposes only and does not include the use or distribution of psilocybin.

Those interested in attending must reserve a spot by Dec. 1. To RSVP, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-psychedelics-tickets-1967659661014?aff=oddtdtcreator.

For more information, contact neurobloom@theneurospa.com or visit neurobloompsychedelic.com.