Ashburn, a city-designated area of Virginia, is a suburb 30 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. It’s a small part of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area which has grown significantly in the past twenty years. From just under 4,000 people to now around 46,000.
Ashburn has become home to many high-tech businesses. Verizon Business has its main East Coast office located there, and it’s also home to government contractor Telos and Amazon Web Services, hosting one of its main cloud computing centers.
Along with this growing Tech industry, Ashburn is also home to The George Washington University’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. This, combined with the large tech presence, has attracted a youthful population.
Though it’s close to D.C., where the Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Policy Act of 2020 decriminalized natural psychedelics, Ashburn doesn’t currently share this same psychedelic leniency. Like most states, psychedelics remain illegal here, but things are quickly changing.
In the past, there have been two attempts at decriminalization in Virginia, but none have yet to pass. If you’re looking for psychedelic healing in Virginia, stick around for tips on how to begin your psychedelic journey right in Ashburn.
Are Psychedelics Right For You?
The therapeutic value of psychedelics is becoming hard to ignore, with most news outlets now consistently running stories that tout the remarkably transformative properties of psychedelics– and for a good reason.
From depression to anxiety, chronic pain to PTSD, psychedelics are proving to be highly effective in treating many health conditions. Not only are they proving more effective than current treatments, but the treatment course is shorter, offering results much quicker.
With the currently available treatments, such as psychotropic medication and talk therapy, the client can expect to wait 6 to 12 weeks before any noticeable effects materialize.
With psychedelic therapy, once you’ve completed a rigorous course of preparation, clients can expect change after a single session. Although it can take a few weeks to grasp all changes, through the process of integration, it is still much quicker than what is currently available.
However, psychedelics are not some magical panacea, and it is essential to talk about “the work” in psychedelic therapy, as well as the fact that psychedelics are not for everyone. They are extremely powerful and, just like all medicines, come with potential risks.
That’s why it is crucial to go over some of the risks along with some criteria that may exclude you from psychedelic therapy. Let’s start with a few medical issues that come along with risk factors that may make psychedelics less safe. Knowing these will help ensure your safety, to get the most from your experience.
A few conditions that can cause complications when psychedelics are used are cardiovascular conditions, a family history of or diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and especially suicidal ideation.
Both of schizophrenia and suicidal ideation are of great concern because psychedelics may make them worse by heightening already unstable emotions.
Another concern surrounds combining psychedelics with SSRIs and antidepressants. For example, when MAOIs are combined with psychedelics, they’re highly likely to cause a life-threatening interaction known as serotonin syndrome.
Tricyclic antidepressants are known to potentiate psychedelic hallucinations. If you happen to be using these medications, you should talk to your doctor about tapering off before using psychedelics, if it would be a healthy choice for you.
Some prescription medications such as Trazadone, are known to blunt the effects of tryptamines like LSD and mushrooms. Bottom line, you must talk to your doctor before consuming any psychedelics as they can best guide you through potential risks and possible tapering protocols.
The Sociocultural Climate of Psychedelics in Ashburn, Virginia
Ashburn is a very youthful area, highly influenced by the tech industry. Despite being a suburb of Washington DC where the Entheogenic Plant and Fungus have been decriminalized, there is no such luck in Ashburn, as of the current moment.
Currently, like most of the United States, there is little to no legislative leniency towards psychedelics. Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, is a Schedule I controlled substance and carries heavy penalties for possession.
Currently, possession is a Class 5 felony. This kind of felony is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 10 years, along with a fine of $2,500. Although this may seem stiff, things are rapidly changing.
Last year, in 2022, a bill to decriminalize a wide array of psychedelics in the Virginia Commonwealth went under review, only to be pushed off until 2023. A separate Senate proposal to decriminalize psilocybin alone, was also later defeated.
This is not the first time a bill like that has been proposed. In fact, it was the second, but as they say “third time’s a charm,” so hopefully, this will see positive development in 2023.
Along with changing laws, there is a local underground mushroom scene. As we stated earlier, Ashburn is full of young people, and a few of them are quite knowledgeable. There is a bit of a local tradition around foraging for mushrooms.
Locally, a few different mushrooms are known to be foraged, including Panaeolus cinctulus, Panaeolus cyanescens, Psilocybe caerulipes, Psilocybe cubensis, Gymnopilus luteofolius, Gymnopilus luteus, and Inocybe insignis.
Where To Find Legal Psychedelic Experiences in Ashburn 2023
Soon, it seems like the floodgates will open, and there will be multiple routes to a legal psychedelic experience. Currently, there are the two legal options in Virginia: Ketamine clinics and guided psychedelic journeys with Psychedelic Passage.
1. Ketamine Clinics
Ketamine clinics are one of Virginia’s only current options for working with psychedelic-like substances. Because ketamine has been used in our medical system since the 80s, it’s one of the most accessible routes for many to have their therapeutic experience.
Ketamine has historically been used as an anesthetic, but recently it’s been proven to be effective in treating PTSD, depression, and chronic pain.
The benefit of ketamine comes from its dissociative properties, which allows clients to detach from their issues temporarily. Often, this detachment enables people to be less self-critical, promotes self-love, and leaves space for objectivity.
The main drawback to this type of treatment is that many report ketamine’s effects to be temporary. This is more than likely due to the current lack of therapeutic support that’s offered in many ketamine clinics.
Before finding a ketamine clinic, we recommend you check out the pros and cons of ketamine therapy to ensure this is the route you’d like to take for your psychedelic journey.
2. Guided Psychedelic Experiences with Psychedelic Passage
At Psychedelic Passage, the client’s well-being always comes first. With full autonomy over your experience, you set the pace and direction of your journey.
Psychedelic healing is a highly personal experience. We, along with our extensive network of pre-vetted facilitators, will do everything we can to ensure you get the most from your experience.
You can choose from a wide range of psychedelics, and our sliding payment scale allows those from any income level to benefit from the therapeutic value of psychedelic medicines.
We offer a 5-week program that is completely customized to fit every client’s needs. We’ve made it our mission to ensure you are matched with the best psychedelic facilitators to meet your specific needs. If you’re interested, explore our other Virginia service areas!
Find Your Next Psychedelic Journey in Any Major Ashburn Area
- Leesburg, VA
- Dulles, VA
- Herndon, VA
- Reston, VA
- Chantilly, VA
- Wolf Trap, VA
- Centreville, VA
- Oakton, VA
- Vienna, VA
- Tysons Corner, VA
- Fairfax, VA
Explore How it Feels to be Connected
Hopefully, we have piqued your interest and shared the necessary knowledge to help you make a well-informed decision. Psychedelics are powerful tools for healing.
As we stated earlier, psychedelic laws are changing quickly, and hopefully, soon, psilocybin will be in the toolbox of many Virginia therapists. If you’re ready to take the dive, we invite you to book a consultation with one of our knowledgeable psychedelic concierges.
Let us, Psychedelic Passage, help you get started on your journey of self-improvement and growth. Have more questions? Head on over to our resources page for all-things-psychedelic. Have fun, enjoy the journey of self-discovery, and stay safe!
