If you live on the West Coast, there’s a high likelihood you’ve heard of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Oregon has legalized psilocybin mushrooms, and California is pushing for the ratification of Senate Bill 519, which would decriminalize all psychedelics in the state.
What about the grand state of Washington? If you live in the Evergreen State, what are your options for a safe, legal psychedelic experience?
The key lies in the word therapy. Right now, it is illegal all across the United States for therapists to provide psychedelic experiences, even in cities where they’re decriminalized, like Oakland or Denver. This is because a therapist is a licensed professional whose license depends on following the rules of their state government.
However, therapeutic psychedelic experiences are different. The word therapeutic simply means “to have a beneficial effect on the body or mind.” Yoga, breathwork, meditation, and even psychedelics can thus be referred to as “therapeutic” without legal repercussions.
Psychedelic Passage is a network of facilitators experienced in guiding people through therapeutic psychedelic journeys. We are not licensed mental health professionals, so we are not restricted by the rules that bind traditional therapists.
We travel all across the country, including Washington. Read on for more information on the legal landscape of psychedelics in Washington and how you can have a supported psychedelic experience in your area.
Benefits of Having a Therapeutic Psychedelic Experience
“I feel like I did 20 years of therapy in one night.” Psychedelics, in the right set and setting, are capable of providing rapid transformation. They do this primarily by turning off something called the Default Mode Network (DMN), a neural network in our brains responsible for maintaining our general sense of “I” and all its associated stories, limiting beliefs, and negative self talk.
With our sense of “I” turned off, it becomes more possible for us to explore our psyches. We can release unaddressed traumas, enhance our capacity for forgiveness, and deepen our relationship to the natural world. Psychedelics are not a panacea, but studies repeatedly show enormous potential to help those with anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
However, psychedelics can also help those who are emotionally healthy. When the DMN is turned off, your brain lights up. Parts that don’t usually talk to each other begin to talk to each other, which increases your capacity for creative thinking and problem solving.
And everyone, regardless of their mental health status, can benefit from the mystical experiences that psychedelics are known to produce. People who have an experience of “oneness,” or a deep connection to a divine principle, are more likely to be fulfilled and happy than those who don’t.
The Current Legislation on Psychedelics in Washington
But let’s get down to it: what is the legal landscape of psychedelics in Washington? On October 4th, 2021, the city of Seattle passed a resolution that decriminalized all psychedelic plant medicines, including ayahuasca, ibogaine, mescaline, and psilocybin mushrooms. LSD and MDMA were not included. On December 20th, 2021, the city of Port Townsend followed suit.
As for the rest of Washington State, psychedelics remain illegal. However, in February 2021, the Washington State Supreme Court determined that felony offenses for simple drug possession are unconstitutional. This means that law enforcement no longer arrests individuals for possessing small amounts of psychedelic substances.
Seattle’s decriminalization certainly sets an example for other cities, and activists are pushing for statewide decriminalization of all drugs in 2022. State governments don’t typically succumb to peer pressure the way you and your friends do, but being right above Oregon and California, it’s reasonable to bet that Washington will soon be on the psychedelic legalization train.
Cannabis has been recreationally legal since 2012. We mention it here because although cannabis is not a traditional psychedelic, people do use it for a myriad of healing purposes.
Your Legal Options for Therapeutic Psychedelic Experiences in Washington
In Washington, you have three options for a psychedelic experience: ketamine clinics, cannabis-assisted therapy, and guided psychedelic journeys. It’s important to note that if you do decide to pursue a guided psychedelic journey, you are responsible for sourcing your own medicine. If you have questions or concerns about this process, check out our Resources page for more information.
1. Ketamine Clinics
Although not a traditional psychedelic, ketamine does provide a host of mental and emotional health benefits, most notably as a fast-acting antidepressant. And unlike psilocybin or LSD, it’s a Schedule III substance, which means that it’s federally legal to use for medicinal purposes.
Ketamine clinics are scattered throughout Washington, and most are infusion clinics, where the medicine is administered via an IV. Depending on the clinic, the amount of support you will receive varies. If you do decide to go this route, you’ll want to make sure that you have a therapist or medical professional with you throughout the process.
2. Cannabis-Assisted Therapy
With cannabis legal since 2012, there is a higher likelihood of finding a practitioner who uses cannabis as a therapeutic healing tool. There are two routes: clinics and individual practitioners. In a clinic, you work with a registered psychotherapist or an MD. Your program may be anywhere from four to eight weeks, and cannabis is usually consumed during the session.
Make sure to vet any clinic you find for the kind of support you will receive, as this field is still relatively new. With an individual practitioner, the style of healing varies. You might find someone with a shamanic and life coaching orientation, like Psychedelic Passage, or you might find people who do group healing ceremonies, similar to ayahuasca. While clinics are more likely to use a vaporizer for controlled dosage, individual practitioners may offer cannabis flower as well.
3. Guided psychedelic journey with Psychedelic Passage
At Psychedelic Passage, we come to you. Whether it’s in the comfort of your own home or in an Airbnb nearby, if we can physically get to you, we will sit for you. One of the mistakes people make when pursuing psychedelic healing is improper support. The journey doesn’t begin and end with the medicine— it begins with thorough preparation and ends with dedicated integration (which could go on forever, because we never really stop integrating).
If you choose to work with one of our facilitators, you will participate in two virtual preparation sessions, the psychedelic experience itself, and then two virtual integration sessions. Coaching is provided throughout, especially if you are considering microdosing before your full-dose trip.
The most common psychedelic that our clients choose is psilocybin. However, our facilitators are all experienced with many other medicines, like mescaline and LSD. Check out the Washington state page to learn more.
We Provide Guided Psychedelic Journeys in Every Major Washington City
- Seattle
- Spokane
- Tacoma
- Bellevue
- Vancouver
- Kent
- Everett
- Auburn
- Renton
- Spokane Valley
- Federal Way
- Yakima
- Kirkland
- Bellingham
- Kennewick
- Port Townsend
This list is not meant to be exhaustive. We provide our trip sitting and guiding services in all major cities in Washington, including those which are not listed above. If we can physically get ourselves to you, we will sit for you. If you are curious whether we are able to service your area specifically, please contact us.
Ready to Take the Next Step in Your Healing Journey?
To us, the transformation of consciousness is a fundamental human right.
In the right set and setting, everyone should be able to have access to life-changing medicines. Especially in times of rising uncertainty, anxiety, and despair, the change that psychedelics can ignite is becoming increasingly necessary.
From Seattle to Spokane, we’re committed to providing you a space for psychedelic healing. If you’re ready to take the next steps, go ahead and book a consultation call with us. We’d be stoked to hear from you.
