A Day at Our Colorado Healing Center: What Psilocybin Clients Experience From Start to Finish

Written by Joy Gribble, LCSW, NMCF, DMin, MA, Healing Center Supervisor & Therapist at Reflective Healing Center

If you’re new to psilocybin therapy in Colorado, it might be difficult to envision what a journey day actually looks like.

Are there clinicians in white coats? Or shamans playing native drums? (At RHC, the answer is neither!) How does my facilitator set up the space? Is there music? How do I take the mushrooms? What happens once I come out of the journey?

In this article, I’m going to break down what a typical psilocybin journey day with a licensed facilitator looks like at Reflective Healing Center – from setting foot in our center to the moment you go home, and beyond.

Let’s dive in.

Preparing For Psilocybin Therapy in Colorado

Before we delve into what your administration session looks like, it’s essential to note that this is not your first interaction with our team nor the first step on your overall psilocybin healing journey. Leading up to the administration day, you will have had at least one preparation session with your facilitator or therapist (though usually more) to ensure you feel ready and clear ahead of your journey.

Preparation sessions are important to be able to clarify intentions and gain tools to help you navigate the psilocybin experience, and can be held in-person at our center or virtually. Once you and your facilitator agree that you’re ready, you’ll schedule your journey day at our Fort Collins healing center.

Curious to learn more about how psilocybin could help you? Take a look at our Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy page.

Arriving at Our Fort Collins Healing Center

So, the day is finally here! We imagine you’re feeling a mix of nerves, excitement, and anticipation around what’s ahead for you.

A journey day at RHC typically begins in the morning. You arrive fasted and wearing comfortable clothing, ready to be in socks or barefoot for the rest of the day. We don’t want any clothing or shoes to be distracting or restricting during your experience.

You’ll spend some time with your facilitator to land in the space before you consume the medicine. As you settle in with one another, you’ll restate intentions, and the facilitator may offer to energetically clear and cleanse the space. We may begin some sort of ritual or “dropping in”, as long as it’s in alignment with your values. We may also construct an altar together if that would feel supportive for you.

Preparing an altar space

It’s Time to Journey: Taking the Medicine

Psilocybin mushroom medicine at Reflective Healing Center comes in the form of either a tea, a whole dried mushroom, or a capsule.

Once you take the medicine, we may lead you in a gentle meditation if you’re feeling some anxiety, and make sure you’re comfortable on a chair or couch with eyeshades on. Most clients begin with eyeshades, given that therapeutic mushroom journeys are often internal, surveying the inner landscape rather than the outer one.

Personally, I believe the best mindset to begin a journey is settling into a place of trust and curiosity, with arms outstretched and ready. I ask my clients to imagine they’re standing on a cliff, feel the powerful wind, and allow it to gently carry them away.

After an hour or so, we’ll help you decide whether you would like to take a booster dose, which would take you deeper into your journey, if that’s what’s needed.

Our role during your journey is to witness whatever comes. This may look like holding a hand during a challenging moment, offering breathing exercises during the peak of the experience, passing you tissues, scribing the profundities you share, reassuring you during an emotional purge, or placing pillows for protection if there’s a lot of movement. We are there to act as a witness, container-holder, and tether.

Interested in psilocybin therapy at Reflective Healing Center in Fort Collins? Complete our consultation form and we will be in touch

Arranging the Physical Journey Space

Before your arrival and during the session, we may change and rearrange the physical space to accommodate your needs. For example, we have clients with disabilities, clients in their 70s and 80s, neurodivergent clients, and clients with hearing and visual impairments, back problems, cancer, or terminal illness. Our goal is to create a comfortable and safe space where you can spend your day, whether that means using recliner chairs if you have limited movement, or any supportive cushions or devices that you require.

Music is another crucial component of the journey. It acts as a guide, setting the scene, accompanying you, and moving you through the space. We usually choose or build a playlist together according to your needs or desires.

Depending on the facilitator, there may be other tools or modalities that are brought into the journey space, such as a bit of movement, oracle cards, or art.  Here in the Western world, we are increasingly blending ancient medicinal practices and therapeutic modalities, and there isn’t one “right” way to do this work – it depends on the facilitator and their unique way of space-holding. We try not to appropriate the ceremonial tools of indigenous cultures and instead draw on our own relationships with therapeutic modalities and personal spiritual work.

One of our therapy rooms at Reflective Healing Center

Why Our Colorado Healing Center is Unique

While we have 20 facilitators each working in their own authentic way at RHC, most of us do not see psilocybin mushroom journeys as a solely clinical intervention. We have our own connections to the ineffable and an understanding that this is an experience that touches the mind, body, and spirit.

I believe this is part of what makes our healing center unique: we make space for the transpersonal, the spiritual, and that which does not fit into a Western, clinical understanding of the human experience. Our goal is to facilitate an immersion that brings you across a threshold into a vastness of yourself, a magnificent piece of the universe.

Your Mushroom Journey Ends, and Integration Begins

Once you emerge from your mushroom experience, we provide a gentle transition and welcome you back with some light inquiry, a drink, and a snack. This moment can feel surreal, and be full of emotion – whether gratitude, awe, confusion, or simply a feeling of rawness after what you experienced.

We ensure you have a safe way to get home after you’ve fully landed and feel ready to leave. Once you have completed your follow up integration session, we encourage you to continue on to do integration sessions with your facilitator or therapist or attend our group integration circles, either online or in-person at our center.

In this vulnerable aftermath, it’s imperative to give yourself space. If you return to work and thrust yourself back into your hectic life, insights and changes don’t have time to breathe. Both space and time are necessary. Sit in the fecundity of the quiet. Allow yourself to be held by the natural world.

I always advise my clients to pay attention to what is coming up. Different parts of your brain are being activated. Old traumas can find resolution, things that aren’t serving you can be highlighted, gratitude can bubble up, frustration can build, new narratives can whisper in your ear. These can be subtle, and they are mostly gifted to those who are looking for them.

Finally, it can be tremendously supportive to cultivate opportunities through supplemental experiences. This can be a sound bath, a group meditation, a hike, a float tank, massage or energy work, ritual, immersing yourself in live music, conscious eating, good rest, or anything that allows you to continue to drop in and unfold further. It can be a simple practice of clasping your hands together in gratitude at the beginning and end of each day. Don’t fall back asleep. 

Start Your Psilocybin Therapy Journey in Colorado

If a psilocybin mushroom journey day at our Colorado healing center sounds like something you’re interested in, we’d love to talk to you. Our team of therapists and facilitators are ready to support and guide you on your path of healing through psilocybin therapy.

Fill out our consultation form today and we will reach out to you to schedule a screening call.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Frequently Asked Questions: Psychedelic Therapy in Colorado

What happens during a psilocybin therapy session in Colorado?

During a regulated psilocybin therapy session in Colorado, you consume psilocybin at a licensed Colorado healing center under the continuous supervision of a licensed facilitator. You’ll typically spend much of the experience resting in a comfortable setting, often with eyeshades and music, while your facilitator provides calm, non-directive support. Beforehand, you’ll complete preparation and safety screening; afterward, you’ll attend an integration session to begin processing the experience and applying any insights to your life.

Is psilocybin therapy legal in Colorado?

Yes. Colorado allows adults aged 21 and older to access regulated psilocybin services through licensed healing centers and facilitators. The state also permits certain personal-use activities involving psilocybin, but selling psilocybin outside the regulated system remains prohibited. Psilocybin is still illegal under federal law, so it cannot legally be transported across state lines.

Who might benefit from psilocybin therapy?

Psilocybin therapy may appeal to adults seeking support with depression, anxiety, trauma, end-of-life anxiety, grief, major life transitions, or patterns that have been difficult to shift through conventional approaches alone. Others pursue psychedelic therapy in Colorado for personal growth, greater self-understanding, or a renewed sense of meaning and connection. Psilocybin is not appropriate for everyone, however, and a qualified provider should carefully assess your physical health, mental health history, medications, goals, and support needs before determining whether you are a suitable candidate.

How do I find psilocybin therapy near me?

When searching for “psilocybin therapy near me,” look for a licensed Colorado healing center that works with state-licensed facilitators and provides preparation, administration, and integration support. Ask about the facilitator’s training and experience, the center’s safety procedures, the total cost of care, and whether the approach feels aligned with your needs. If you are looking for psilocybin therapy in Fort Collins, Reflective Healing Center offers a structured, supportive process that includes thoughtful preparation and post-session integration, and the option for ongoing psychotherapy if needed.

How long does a psilocybin therapy session last?

At our Colorado healing center, a psilocybin administration session generally lasts five to seven hours. The exact duration depends on factors such as the dose, your individual response, and when your facilitator determines that you can safely conclude the session. Plan to reserve the entire day, arrange for someone to drive you home, and give yourself time to rest afterward. The wider process also includes preparation before the administration day and at least one integration session afterward.