Show Notes
Amanda Gow didn't set out to build a psilocybin service center. She set out to build a mental health clinic that uses psilocybin as a tool.
After 15 years working in trauma-focused youth services, she saw firsthand how often the people who needed mental health care the most had the fewest real options. Her answer was Bendable Therapy, a psilocybin-assisted therapy model staffed entirely by licensed mental health professionals, built around deep preparation, in-depth integration, and ongoing group support. And they're doing the research to back it up.
Bendable's IRB-approved study found depression and anxiety scores dropped by roughly half, with 70% of participants moving from significant to minimal anxiety within 30 days. Nearly half were on psychiatric medications that would have disqualified them from a traditional clinical trial. Adverse events were rare. Now they're recruiting for a new study on psilocybin for complex regional pain syndrome, with fully funded sessions and travel stipends for participants.
Sam and Amanda get into what makes the Bendable model work, what the research is actually showing, and why preparation and integration may drive outcomes more than the session itself. They also dig into the cost question honestly: not just whether psilocybin therapy is expensive, but expensive compared to what? And what would it take to get private insurers and employers into this conversation?
About the Guest Amanda Gow is a licensed mental health professional, Oregon-licensed psilocybin facilitator, and co-founder of Bendable Therapy in Bend, Oregon. She brings 15 years of experience in youth services and trauma-focused care to a model built around clinical rigor and access. Bendable is an active IRB-approved research site and runs a nonprofit to expand psilocybin services to underserved populations.
Resources Bendable Therapy Oregon Psilocybin Services Program Bendable Depression & Anxiety Study (Preprint) CRPS Study, Active Recruitment The Center for Psychedelic Policy
Sponsors Tricycle Day, the leading psychedelic newsletter Althea, the trusted guide to legal psychedelic care in Oregon and Colorado
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