Taylor Cathcart, a former EMT, is among the first in Oregon to complete the training for therapeutic use of the psychedelic mushroom

By Debora Gordon for Ashland.news

In 2020, Oregon became the first U.S. state to legalize psilocybin for personal use for those over age 21. More than half of Oregon’s voters voted in favor of legalizing it. In Ashland, licensed psilocybin facilitator and local barista Taylor Cathcart works with Omnia Group Ashland, which was one of the first in the state to provide this certification, which Cathcart was able to complete on a fast-track program of about three months.

Cathcart was born and raised in Medford, later moving to Southern California, and returning to Ashland about 3-1/2 years ago. Prior to becoming a psilocybin facilitator he was an emergency medical technician for about a year in multiple cities in Southern California, while initially studying psychology and pursuing a medical degree. He later chose not to complete it.

“I changed my degree three or four times before the pandemic, and with the pandemic I decided to take a step back,” he said.

He had completed the training and licensure for EMT at the EMS Institute, in 2015, as well as having worked as a Parkour and athletics coach for about 10 years. “I did work as a stunt man for a portion of that time as well, but was not SAG-AFTRA affiliated.”

Trained in Ashland

In 2023, he attended the Entheogen Institute in Ashland to obtain psilocybin facilitation licensure. The Entheogen Institute’s vision, as described on its website says, “Psilocybin therapy with a trained facilitator is changing the world by helping people transform their lives in ways they never imagined possible. We envision a world where psilocybin therapy is legal everywhere, and access to culturally diverse, competent and compassionate facilitators are within an arm’s reach.” 

Cathcart was among the first few dozen facilitators to become licensed in Oregon, and nationwide.

“Oregon is the leader in psilocybin facilitator work,” he said, “because of the certifications and the licensures, not just for the facilitators, but also for the service centers and for some of the other instructors to get the ability to give licensure out. It took about six months to get to fruition.”

Cathcart described his training as “a fast-track program, about three months. He describes his program as “quite intensive.”

He described his personal experience with psilocybin, which he started using about four years ago, as “a modality of healing,” and not necessarily a recreational use.

“Initially, my focus was the anxiety and depression I was experiencing during that time. A big component of my practice as a facilitator is being very forthright with the things I have experienced in my life, because it allows me to get to a place where I can understand where my clientele has been or what they may be experiencing. It’s always been with the practice of focusing on mental health.”

Experiencing interconnectedness

Speaking of his personal experience, Cathcart said, “For me, it was the first time I had experienced the concept of interconnectedness. This is a prevalent theme in psychedelia in general, but in particular with psilocybin. It is the concept of what some people call oceanic boundlessness, a Freudian term which is that there is more awareness than our perception of self. There is the world around us; you have your own very unique world that you are experiencing as all the people going about their own lives, whether they’re working or whether they’re having their own day off — people driving by, the trees, the air moving around us, the Earth and then the universe. There are different stages of interconnectedness. But the concept for me is the same, that we are all connected in some form or way or modality of connectedness. Internal family systems or parts work; one of the biggest things I incorporate and physical forms of movement and therapy within that, finding what works for my clients, finding what resonates with them.

“There’s a beautiful quote that ‘pain demands to be felt,’ and the more that we ignore it and the more we push it away, and this includes in intergenerational situations, the more that we put the onus on somebody else to bear and process that pain; but ultimately it demands to be felt. There’s power in being able to own what needs to be felt.

“There’s a common theme that people describe that six hours of mushroom therapy can equate to six years of actual therapy. I have seen, with my clients as well, that it can compress some very important and necessary themes that can take a very long time to process into a smaller duration of one to two journeys — the preparation, the administration and the integration afterwards. And, in terms of depression and anxiety, we’re learning that the positive effects can last over a year at this point and will likely continue to showcase in longer duration of time.”

Part of a longer healing process

Psilocybin may be just the start of a healing process, he said, if patients “begin their own mindfulness practices or begin their own healing journey from that point forward.

“So much of what we do is focused on intention. It’s a very key part of what we do as facilitators, asking, ‘Why are you stepping into a journey like this? Are you looking to address some of the anxiety that is happening in your life? Are you looking to process a difficult chapter in your life, or trauma or death? Are you looking to process your own mortality?’ For example, cancer patients, patients with terminal diagnoses, there is a lot of research to show that there is significant increases in their quality of life afterwards.”

Noting that “psilocybin is not a silver bullet,” Cathcart cited Maria Sabina, a Mazatec shaman and poet, who said, “You are the medicine.” 

The psilocybin therapy process includes an initial consultation and screening procedure, choosing a facilitator and customizing the experience in the way that best supports the client, which include prescreening to identify red and yellow flags. The therapy is not recommended for people who have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or certain other mental health concerns.

Concerns that are sometimes a target of psilocybin therapy include addiction treatment, reducing the use of opiates, alcohol or marijuana, for example. The therapy may help those seeking to foster interconnectedness or step away from negative patterns. 

Cathcart said that “the price is very high, starting at $900 and can range up to $2,500. I personally offer discounts to first responders and others. I’m hoping that the process of beginning psychedelic therapy will be covered by insurance.”

The work brings sense of purpose. “I have found connection to people, I found healing within myself and, for many of my clients. I act as a sponsor and see where they’re at, having the opportunity to discuss, to see palpable changes.”

Debora Gordon is a writer, artist, educator and nonviolence activist who recently moved to Ashland from Oakland, California. Email her at [email protected].