Psilocybin Therapy, Start To Finish | Dr. JJ Pursell ~ ATTMind 210

Psilocybin Therapy, Start To Finish | Dr. JJ Pursell

Dr. JJ Pursell on psilocybin therapy, Adventures Through The Mind podcast episode 210 promo artwork

Dr. JJ Pursell is a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist who earned her doctorate in naturopathic medicine and her Masters in Chinese medicine at the National University of Naturopathic Medicine, and a graduate certificate in psychedelic research and facilitation from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She was licensed as a psilocybin facilitator in 2023 and practices in Portland under Oregon’s psilocybin services framework. She is the author of Psilocybin Therapy: Understanding How to Use Nature’s Psychedelics for Mental Health.

Most of what I make on this show assumes you already have some footing in this world. This episode deliberately doesn’t. I asked Dr. Pursell on to build something I’ve never had a single link for: a complete, beginner-friendly map of psilocybin therapy, from the first preparation conversation all the way through to integration, told from inside a working practice.

We start with what naturopathic medicine actually is and how it differs from the conventional model, because that lens shapes everything that follows. From there we work through the full arc: what psilocybin is, what “psilocybin therapy” legally means in Oregon and how little that definition actually specifies, the preparation sessions, what happens in the room on the day, why the eye shades go on, what a facilitator is and is not there to do, and why she requires every client to commit to integration work before she’ll agree to work with them at all.

Then we get into the parts that tend to get left out of the wellness marketing. We discuss what “alleviating suffering” actually means, and why it is not the same thing as feeling good; why the hardest material in a session is usually the most useful material; the healing that happens simply through being witnessed in your pain; and the risks, all of them, including the bolt response, prolonged psychosis, cardiac contraindications, HPPD, and the plain possibility of coming out the other side worse than you went in.

We close on the two questions underneath the whole conversation: how do you find a facilitator you can actually trust, and how do you know whether this is right for you, or whether now is simply the wrong time.

Enjoy!

Relevant Links

📚 Check out Dr. Pursell’s book Psilocybin Therapy: Understanding How to Use Nature’s Psychedelics for Mental Health

Visit Dr. Pursell’s website, where you can read about her practice and book a free consultation. She is happy to point people toward facilitators in their area even when she isn’t the right fit.

Follow her on Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Facebook

See below for a complete topic breakdown.

Dr. Pursell’s practice is grounded in the Oregon service-centre model, which not everyone has access to. If you’re working through a psilocybin experience outside that framework, or trying to make sense of one you’ve already had, my psychedelic integration coaching offers one-on-one, drug-positive support for exactly that.

♥ Support The Show ♥

🥰 Support ATTMind and join the community on Patreon
Donate one-time on Paypal | Tip Me on Ko-Fi | Send some cryptocurrency
Buy a book | Buy some merch

This Episode Is Sponsored By Amentara

Amentara is a credible source for legal psychoactive plants and extracts, most notably the Amanita muscaria mushroom, as well as kanna, blue lotus, and others. I’ve experimented with their Amanita muscaria microdosing supply with some genuinely interesting results, and I’ve found their kanna extract to be a good alternative to alcohol on nights out while I’m taking an extended pause from drinking.

Use the promo code ATTM22 for 22% off your first order: https://www.jameswjesso.com/amentara