How It Works
How Psilocybin Therapy Works, Step by Step
Consultation, screening, preparation, the session, integration. What happens at each step, how long it takes, and what it costs.
Psilocybin therapy with Ayeterra runs in five stages: a free consultation, screening under Oregon’s rules, preparation with your facilitator (more than the one session Oregon requires), a supervised session at a licensed service center, and integration afterward. The whole arc usually takes two to six weeks, one facilitator is with you the entire way, and every price on the site includes all five stages.
From Ayeterra’s Oregon-licensed facilitators. Last updated September 16, 2026.
What happens at the free consultation?
A fifteen-minute conversation, by phone or video, with a licensed facilitator. No script, no pitch.
What we ask you
- What is bringing you to this, in whatever words you have for it
- Which format you are drawn to, or whether you want help choosing
- Where you are, and when you are thinking about
- Anything in your history you already know matters: medications, mental health, past experiences
What you should ask us
- Who would my facilitator be, and can I meet them first? (Yes.)
- What is the all-in cost for my situation?
- Is this the right time, or should I wait?
- What happens if it gets hard?
You leave with a straight read on fit, a suggested facilitator and format, and an exact price in writing. Or with “not yet,” and a reason, if that is the honest answer.
How does screening work?
Oregon requires it, and it is where safety gets decided. It is a form and a conversation, not a test you pass or fail.
What screening looks at
- The standardized Oregon client information form (OAR 333-333-5050)
- Medical and mental health history, current medications, support at home
- Whether a client support person should be in the room with you
- Your transportation plan for after the session
Oregon’s hard stops
- Three exclusions: lithium in the last 30 days, a diagnosis of active psychosis ever, and current thoughts of harming yourself or others
- Other answers may mean “not yet” or “with a support person,” and your facilitator will tell you which
- The full criteria, medication notes, and Oregon’s own safety data: safety and screening
If a medication or something in your history has you wondering, bring it to the consultation. That is what it is for, and it costs nothing to ask.
Ask on a free consultationWhat does preparation involve?
Oregon requires one preparation session. Ayeterra’s facilitators do more, because readiness is most of what makes a session go well. Your first preparation session must happen at least 24 hours and no more than 90 days before the session.
- Informed consent and your client bill of rights, explained, not just signed
- Your dose planned together, within Oregon’s limits, based on your history, your intentions, and the format
- The fees, refund policy, and cancellation terms in writing before any payment (OAR 333-333-5000)
- Your transportation plan and, if needed, your support person
- Intentions: what you are bringing, and what you would like to leave with
- A few practices you can lean on if the session gets big: breath, a phrase, a posture
- What a session is like hour by hour, so nothing on the day is a surprise
- Direct email or text with your facilitator between now and the session for anything that comes up
- A light day. Eat normally until the evening; your facilitator will tell you when to stop
- No alcohol or cannabis, and any medication questions settled well before now
- Sleep, a walk, and nothing new
The full preparation guide covers the timeline, the practices, and what to bring.
Read the preparation guide →What happens on session day?
A guided session is quieter than you expect. A comfortable room at a licensed service center, eyeshades and music if you want them, and a licensed facilitator whose only job is you.
- Check-in with your facilitator; the service center confirms ID and paperwork
- A few minutes to settle: water, the room, the plan for the day, any last questions
- The psilocybin is bought at the center and taken there: the actual mushroom, lab-tested, from an Oregon-licensed grower
- Onset is usually 20 to 60 minutes; you will feel it coming before it is fully here
- Your facilitator stays present the entire time, watching, listening, and not directing
- Hard moments happen; they pass, and you are not alone for any of them
- Supportive touch only if you consented to it in writing beforehand; a hand, a shoulder, nothing more
- The last hour or two is quiet. Water, maybe food, a few words if you have them
- Your ride takes you home when your facilitator agrees you are ready
- Most people are tired, tender, and unusually clear that evening
How long it lasts is set by Oregon rule and depends on the dose: at least four hours for 10 to 25 mg, five hours for 25 to 35 mg, six hours for 35 to 50 mg (OAR 333-333-5250). Low-dose sessions are one to two hours. Most people stay a little longer than the minimum.
You know the shape of it now
The consultation is free and confidential, and it is where the shape becomes a plan. Fifteen minutes, your questions, and a clear answer on whether now is the time.
Book a free consultation Or call 503-713-5644 · Adults 21+What happens after the session?
This is where the experience turns into change, and it is your own work with support beside it.
The first 72 hours
- Your facilitator checks in within 72 hours, as Oregon requires
- Rest, water, and nothing big on the calendar for a day or two
- Write while it is fresh; the details go fast
The weeks after
- An integration session with your facilitator, included in every price
- With your consent, coordination with a therapist you already see
- Small, repeatable changes over grand ones; what you can still be doing in a month
The full integration guide covers 48 hours, one week, one month, and a year out.
Read the integration guide →How long does the whole process take?
Usually two to six weeks from consultation to session. Screening and readiness set the pace, not the calendar.
| Stage | Typical timing | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Free consultation | 15 minutes, within a few days of reaching out | Phone or video |
| Screening | Alongside the first preparation session | With your facilitator |
| Preparation | Two to four weeks; at least 24 hours before the session by rule | With your facilitator, scheduled around travel if you are coming in |
| The session | One day; four to six hours for a full dose | A licensed service center in Portland or Ashland |
| Integration | A check-in within 72 hours, an integration session in the weeks after | With your facilitator |
What does it cost?
Between $75 for a low-dose group and about $2,100 to $2,300 all-in for a private one-on-one, with retreats from $3,000. Every price is published, including the psilocybin, and every one includes all five stages.
Price should never be the reason someone does not have a session. Sliding-scale access is real and handled on the consultation, with no forms and no proof of hardship.
Every price includes preparation beyond Oregon’s one required session, the session room, and integration support.
See every price and what it includes →Which format is right for you?
Four ways in. The consultation is where we help you choose, and the recommendation is not always the obvious one: someone who has only ever done solo work may be pointed to a group, and someone who has only done groups may be pointed to a private session. They are different experiences, not the same one at two prices, and more dose is not better.
One-on-one session
- Suits someone carrying something specific who wants the day shaped around it
- The deepest dose range, planned with your facilitator
Group session
- Suits someone who finds a few other people steadying, and who wants a full dose at a third of the cost
- The group is the benefit, not a discount
Low-dose introduction
- Suits someone new, nervous, or simply curious
- For some people this is the right amount, not a compromise
Multi-day retreat
- Suits someone traveling in who wants the days around the session held too
- Three or five nights, four to six people
Questions people ask about the process
How many preparation sessions will I have?
More than the one Oregon requires. How many more depends on you: someone who has done this before and knows what they are bringing needs less; someone new to it, or carrying a lot, needs more. Your facilitator sets it with you, and there is no extra charge for needing more.
Can I meet my facilitator before I commit?
Yes. Oregon’s rules give you the right to approve and meet any facilitator before they provide services, and Ayeterra makes that a normal part of the process. If it does not feel right, say so before preparation begins.
I am coming from out of state. How does preparation work?
Ask on the consultation. Oregon requires at least one preparation session with your facilitator between 24 hours and 90 days before the session, and the team schedules around travel so preparation and the session fit into one trip. Many clients fly into Portland or Medford.
Can I drive myself home?
No. A transportation plan is part of screening, and your facilitator will not release you to drive. A friend, family member, or rideshare is fine.
What if I want to stop partway through?
You can decline a second dose at any point, and you can ask your facilitator for anything you need. What you cannot do is leave the service center before the minimum session time has passed; that is Oregon’s rule, for your safety, and your facilitator will stay with you through it.
Is there a second dose?
There can be, if you consented to it in preparation and bought it before the first dose, as Oregon requires. Whether to take it is decided with your facilitator on the day, after the first dose has had time to land.
What if I am not ready yet?
Then the consultation will say so, and you will not be pushed. Readiness is real, and a session held too early is worse than one held later. The door stays open.
Start with the conversation
Free, confidential, and no commitment. You will leave knowing your facilitator, your format, your price, and whether now is the time.
Book a free consultation Or call 503-713-5644 · Adults 21+OAR 333-333-5000, Preparation Session Requirements: timing (at least 24 hours and no more than 90 days before an administration session), private sessions, client information form, fee documentation before payment, consent to group sessions and supportive touch, right to approve and meet any facilitator.
OAR 333-333-5050 (Client Information Form), 333-333-4520 (Client Bill of Rights), 333-333-5120 (Facilitator Conduct, including the non-directive approach), 333-333-5240 (Second dose), 333-333-5250 (Duration of Administration Session). Oregon Health Authority.
Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Psilocybin Services. Access Psilocybin Services: eligibility criteria including lithium, active psychosis, and ideation of harm; 72-hour follow-up. oregon.gov/oha/ph/preventionwellness/pages/psilocybin-access-psilocybin-services.aspx
OAR 333-333-2015 (Psilocybe cubensis only) and OHA product testing requirements.
Ayeterra provides legal psilocybin facilitation in Oregon through facilitators licensed by the State of Oregon, under Oregon’s regulated psilocybin program. These services are not medical care, psychotherapy, or a substitute for diagnosis or treatment by a licensed medical or mental health professional, and anything we share is general education, not medical advice. Psilocybin is not right for everyone: participation is limited to adults 21 and over and involves screening. We do not promise specific outcomes, and experiences vary. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988. Psilocybin services are not a substitute for crisis care or treatment.
Last updated September 16, 2026