Thrive Relational Recovery
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Understanding
therapy.
psychedelic-assisted
LEGAL STATUS
Legal in Colorado since 2024
FACILITATED BY
Licensed Mental Health Professionals
RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS
Johns Hopkins · NYU · Yale · Imperial College
FRAMEWORK
Colorado Natural Medicine Health Act
A COMPLETE GUIDE
Everything you need to know — the science, the process, the research, and the legal framework — to make an informed decision about whether this work is right for you.
WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS GUIDE
The Transformative Potential
What Is Psilocybin?
How It Works in the Brain
Research Findings
Set & Setting
Integration
The Typical Process
Colorado Law
01 – THE TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL
A deep reset of the
emotional system.
01
A sense of expanded perspective — seeing long-held patterns and stories from a completely new vantage point.
02
Feelings of deep connection to themselves, others, and the world around them — often for the first time.
03
Relief from heavy emotional burdens that had resisted years of conventional treatment and insight-based work.
04
Renewed clarity about what truly matters — values, relationships, direction, and meaning in daily life.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is emerging as one of the most promising breakthroughs in mental health care. Many people describe the experience as a deep reset of the emotional, psychological, and even spiritual system — allowing individuals to move beyond the defensive patterns, limiting beliefs, and emotional walls that traditional talk therapy sometimes struggles to reach.
This combination of inner openness and skilled therapeutic support can lead to profound, lasting transformation.
02 – WHAT IS PSILOCYBIN
A naturally occurring
healing compound.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms. Indigenous cultures have used these mushrooms for healing and ceremony for thousands of years. In modern therapeutic settings, psilocybin is administered intentionally, safely, and ethically to support deep emotional healing.
What makes psilocybin uniquely valuable is its ability to soften psychological defenses without removing consciousness or the capacity for insight. Clients remain present, aware, and able to engage with whatever arises — guided by a trained therapist throughout.
Because defenses soften and the mind becomes more flexible, many people reach insights that might otherwise take months or years with traditional therapy alone.
Moves past rigid thinking or emotional protection that limits healing in conventional therapy
Accesses meaningful memories or insights that are difficult to reach through talk alone
Creates deeper connection with inner experience — emotions, the body, and meaning
Cultivates experiences of compassion, acceptance, and clarity that persist well after the session
Ready to explore whether this work is right for you?
The Journey Interest form is where to begin.
03 – HOW PSILOCYBIN WORKS IN THE BRAIN
Neuroplasticity and the
default mode network.
Psilocybin works by binding to serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, temporarily shifting patterns of communication in the brain. One of the most important effects is the quieting of the default mode network — the part of the brain responsible for self-talk, rumination, and habitual thought loops.
Default Mode Network
Responsible for self-referential thought, rumination, and habitual mental loops. When overactive, it reinforces depression, anxiety, and rigid patterns. Psilocybin temporarily quiets this — creating space for new perspectives.
Neuroplasticity
Psilocybin increases the brain's ability to form new connections. This neurological openness makes the therapeutic process significantly more effective — allowing change that was previously out of reach.
Serotonin Receptors
By binding to 5-HT2A receptors, psilocybin creates a temporary but profound shift in how different brain regions communicate — increasing integration across systems that rarely interact under normal conditions.
Emotional Processing
The brain's increased flexibility allows emotions that have been stored or suppressed to surface and be processed — often with compassion and clarity rather than overwhelm.
04 – RESEARCH FINDINGS
What the science
consistently shows.
Psilocybin therapy has been studied at Johns Hopkins, NYU, Yale, and Imperial College London. The research consistently demonstrates significant and lasting reductions in symptoms — often after just one or two sessions.
Depression
Studies demonstrate rapid and long-lasting reductions in depressive symptoms — even in people who have not responded to traditional treatments. Many participants experience meaningful improvements after just one or two sessions.
Johns Hopkins · NYU · Imperial College London
Anxiety & End-of-Life Distress
Psilocybin has been shown to reduce anxiety and increase peace, acceptance, and quality of life for months after treatment in patients facing terminal illness.
NYU · Johns Hopkins
Addiction & Substance Use
Early trials show psilocybin can help individuals overcome tobacco, alcohol, and other dependencies by creating powerful insights and increasing motivation for change.
Johns Hopkins · NYU
Well-Being & Life Satisfaction
Participants frequently report lasting improvements in emotional resilience, sense of meaning, self-compassion, and connectedness well beyond the session.
Multiple institutions
Although research is ongoing, psilocybin is consistently associated with deep, lasting psychological benefits — particularly when combined with skilled therapeutic support.
05 – SET & SETTING
Why the container matters completely
Two factors strongly influence the quality and safety of a psilocybin experience. Understanding both helps explain why therapeutic psilocybin produces outcomes so different from unguided use.
Your mindset — intentions, emotional state, and expectations going in
SET
In psychedelic-assisted therapy, set is cultivated intentionally during preparation sessions. We work with you to clarify your intentions, address fears or hesitations, and build the emotional readiness that allows the experience to be as meaningful and safe as possible.
The environment — the physical space and the people who support you throughout
SETTING
Our sessions take place in a physically safe, comforting environment with calm, non-judgmental support throughout. The setting is intentionally designed to help you feel secure enough to explore your inner landscape fully — and to return from it grounded.
A physically safe, comforting environment specifically designed for this work
A grounded emotional atmosphere — calm, unhurried, and non-directive
Present, non-judgmental therapeutic support throughout the entire experience
Intention-setting that gives the journey meaning and direction before it begins
06 – INTEGRATION
Where transformation
takes root.
The session opens a doorway. Integration is where you walk through it — and decide what to build on the other side.
01
Reflect on what emerged
Emotions, insights, imagery, and symbols from the experience are revisited carefully — with curiosity rather than judgment. The therapist's role is not to interpret for you, but to help you hear what arose. This is where meaning begins to form.
02
Understanding the patterns
We work together to understand how the experience connects to your relationships, history, and the patterns you came to heal — making insights actionable rather than abstract.
03
Translate into action
Insights are translated into concrete emotional, relational, and behavioral change — building sustainable habits and practices that anchor the healing.
04
Build lasting change
The neurological openness created by psilocybin is a window. Integration is how you use it — establishing new patterns before that window closes.
Integration turns a powerful experience into lasting healing. It is not optional — it is the clinical work that determines the outcome.
In-person · Centennial, CO
Telehealth · Available statewide
1–3 sessions, often more
08 – THE TYPICAL PROCESS
What a psychedelic-assisted
therapy journey looks like.
Three phases, each with a specific clinical purpose. None can be skipped without compromising the safety and effectiveness of the work.
PHASE ONE
Preparation
1–3 Sessions · In-person & Telehealth
You build trust with your therapist, clarify your intentions, and ensure the therapy is a good fit. This phase creates the foundation of emotional safety that makes everything that follows possible.
Intake assessment and clinical screening
Intention-setting and goal clarification
Nervous system stabilization and grounding tools
PHASE TWO
The Session
6–8 Hours · In-person Only · Centennial, CO
You are guided through the journey in a comfortable therapeutic space. Your therapist stays present throughout the entire session — providing support, grounding, and care whenever needed.
Emotional release and deep processing
Imagery, memories, and symbolic insights
Breakthroughs in long-standing patterns
PHASE THREE
Integration
1–3+ Sessions · In-person & Telehealth
You revisit the experience with your therapist, discuss what emerged, and connect insights to your life. This phase is essential for long-term growth — and where the most meaningful shifts occur.
Making meaning of what emerged
Connecting insights to life and relationships
Building sustainable habits and practices