Psychedelic Therapy for Depression in Colorado
Break Free from Treatment-Resistant Depression with Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
If you've tried multiple antidepressants, years of therapy, or other treatments without finding lasting relief, you're not alone. Psilocybin therapy offers hope where conventional treatments have fallen short — with research showing that 70-75% of participants experience significant improvement, and many achieve complete remission from depression.
How Psilocybin Creates Lasting Change
Unlike antidepressants that must be taken daily to, psilocybin induces neuroplastic changes that persist long after the medicine leaves your system.
1. Neuroplasticity and Brain Reorganization: Psilocybin promotes the growth of new neural connections (neurogenesis) and increases communication between brain regions that have become disconnected in depression. This rewiring helps break rigid, negative thought patterns.
2. Default Mode Network Reset: Depression involves an overactive default mode network — the brain's "rumination center." Psilocybin temporarily disrupts these ingrained patterns, allowing healthier patterns to emerge.
3. Emotional Breakthrough and Processing: The expanded state of consciousness facilitates access to and processing of difficult emotions, traumatic memories, and core beliefs that underlie depression. This creates authentic healing rather than symptom suppression.
4. Increased Psychological Flexibility: Research shows psilocybin increases psychological flexibility, which directly correlates with reduced depression symptoms. You become better able to adapt to life's challenges rather than defaulting to depressive responses.
5. Restored Meaning and Connection: Many people describe reconnecting with a sense of meaning, purpose, and connection to others and the world — elements often lost in depression.
Conventional Depression Treatment Often Isn't Enough
Traditional approaches to depression frequently leave people struggling:
SSRIs and SNRIs require daily use, take 6-8 weeks to work, and cause side effects like sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and emotional blunting
Medication changes involve months of trial-and-error while symptoms persist
Talk therapy alone provides valuable support but may not create the neuroplastic changes needed for lasting transformation
Years of treatment with partial relief instead of complete recovery
The Research Is Remarkable
Clinical trials demonstrate breakthrough results for depression:
Treatment-Resistant Depression: Finally, Hope
If you've tried 2 or more antidepressants without adequate relief, you may have treatment-resistant depression (TRD).
Psilocybin therapy has shown particular promise for TRD:
Studies specifically targeting treatment-resistant depression demonstrated rapid and sustained antidepressant effects.
Symptoms improved quickly and continued to be significant for 6 months after just two psilocybin therapy sessions.
Veterans with severe TRD showed significant sustained reductions in depression up to 12 months after a single dose.
Get Started
Psilocybin therapy takes a fundamentally different approach — targeting the root causes of depression to create rapid, lasting change.
Psychedelic Therapy for Depression FAQ
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Psilocybin therapy shows equal or superior effectiveness with faster onset and fewer side effects. In a head-to-head trial, psilocybin achieved a 70% response rate and 57% remission rate, compared to 48% response and 28% remission for escitalopram (Lexapro). Importantly, psilocybin works in 1-2 sessions versus 6-8 weeks for SSRIs, and doesn't cause sexual dysfunction, weight gain, or emotional blunting. A meta-analysis confirmed psilocybin's superiority over established psychotherapy alone for treating depression.
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Research shows lasting effects. In a 12-month follow-up study, 75% of participants maintained treatment response and 58% sustained full remission a full year after treatment. For some individuals, depression symptoms begin returning after 6-9 months, suggesting periodic "booster" sessions may be beneficial.
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Most people experience significant benefit from 1-2 medicine sessions combined with preparation and integration therapy. In the landmark Johns Hopkins study, participants received two sessions: the first at 20mg/70kg and the second at 30mg/70kg, three weeks apart. Depression scores dropped by more than 60% after just the first session. At Kykeon Wellness, we often work with these same clinically indicated doses.
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Yes — psilocybin shows particular promise for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Studies specifically targeting people who hadn't responded to 2+ antidepressants found rapid and sustained benefits. One TRD study showed symptoms improved quickly after two psilocybin sessions and remained significant for 6 months. Veterans with severe TRD experienced sustained reductions for up to 12 months after a single dose.
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SSRIs and SNRIs can reduce psilocybin's effectiveness but don't create dangerous interactions. Many studies have safely administered psilocybin to participants on antidepressants, sometimes using higher doses to compensate. We may recommend a supervised taper period in collaboration with your prescriber before treatment to optimize effectiveness. The potential benefit: psilocybin may help you successfully discontinue antidepressants that were only partially working. We'll create a safe, personalized plan during your consultation.
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Currently, psilocybin therapy is not covered by insurance as it's classified as a natural medicine service rather than a prescription pharmaceutical. However, the total cost of treatment is than 1 year of ongoing medication and weekly therapy. We offer payment plans and cost-effective group options to improve accessibility.
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Psilocybin therapy has shown promise for reducing suicidal ideation in research contexts. However, if you're currently experiencing active suicidal thoughts with a plan and intent, we'll work with you to establish immediate safety first through appropriate resources and crisis support. Once stable, psilocybin therapy may be an option.
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Challenging experiences can be therapeutically valuable when properly supported. Depression often involves confronting difficult emotions, memories, or beliefs — and the psilocybin experience provides a safe container for this work. Your facilitator will be present throughout to provide guidance. Research shows that when conducted in supportive settings with preparation, serious adverse events are extremely rare. Participants often rate their experiences as among the most meaningful of their lives, even when they include challenging moments.
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Psilocybin therapy uses full therapeutic doses (20-30mg) in structured sessions, not microdosing. The research showing 70%+ response rates used full doses that induce profound altered states of consciousness. These experiences create neuroplastic changes and psychological insights that microdosing typically doesn't provide. While microdosing may offer subtle benefits, the breakthroughs seen in clinical trials require a full therapeutic dose.
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Yes — research shows psilocybin therapy effectively treats co-occurring depression and anxiety. Many studies included participants with both conditions and found improvements in both domains. In fact, anxiety and depression often have overlapping root causes (rigid thinking, disconnection, unprocessed trauma), which psilocybin therapy addresses simultaneously. About 60% of people with major depression also have anxiety, making this combination very common.
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The session lasts 7 hours in a comfortable, living-room-like setting. You'll lie on a couch with eyeshades and headphones playing carefully selected music. Your facilitator sits nearby throughout the entire experience, checking in regularly but primarily letting you journey inward. The psilocybin effects typically begin within 30-45 minutes, peak around 2-3 hours, and gradually diminish. Many people report visual imagery, emotional release, profound insights, feelings of connection, and encounters with meaningful personal content. The experience is unique for everyone and no two sessions are 100% alike.
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You may be a good candidate if: (1) You have major depressive disorder or treatment-resistant depression, (2) You've tried at least one conventional treatment without full relief, (3) You're open to non-ordinary states of consciousness, (4) You're committed to the full preparation and integration process, and (5) You don't have contraindications like personal/family history of psychosis. The best way to determine candidacy is through a consultation where we review your history, current symptoms, and treatment goals.
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Aghajanian, S., Shafiee, A., Parvizi Omran, S., et al. (2024). Psilocybin for major depressive disorder: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Journal of Psychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811241287542
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, M., Day, C. M., et al. (2018). Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: Six-month follow-up. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 235, 399-408.
Carhart-Harris, R., Giribaldi, B., Watts, R., et al. (2021). Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(15), 1402-1411.
Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., May, D. G., et al. (2021). Effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(5), 481-489.
Gukasyan, N., Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., et al. (2022). Efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted treatment for major depressive disorder: Prospective 12-month follow-up. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 36(2), 151-158.
Palhano-Fontes, F., Barreto, D., Onias, H., et al. (2018). Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. Psychological Medicine, 49, 655-663.