Confluence In the Media
From CNN's reporting to the Carhart-Harris Lab at UCSF to a decade of podcast interviews — a single place to find what's been said, written, and studied about our work.
TEAM FEATURED IN:
Featured story
CNN follows a grandmother's journey at Confluence.
“She called her retreat experience “the beginning of a transformation.”
The piece follows Martha Stem, a grandmother from Florida in her early 70s, who came to Confluence in the summer of 2025. More than six months later, she describes herself as at peace — traveling again, setting boundaries, starting her mornings with her dogs and a cup of coffee instead of doomscrolling.
The piece also goes broader — researchers, regulators, policymakers, and participants across a range of experiences, some profound, some disappointing. That range feels honest to us.
Research & press releases
Announcements
We contribute participant data and operational lessons to peer-reviewed researchers studying psilocybin in real-world settings.
Jan 14, 2026
Carhart-Harris Lab at UCSF and Confluence Retreats collaborate on naturalistic psilocybin research.
Confluence will contribute participant data to the CHL Global Psychedelic Survey, examining how preparation, set & setting, and group support shape outcomes within Oregon's regulated framework.
Mar 28, 2026
CNN: Inside America's first legal psilocybin retreats.
CNN's investigation features Confluence founder Myles Katz and a participant whose story anchors the piece — alongside researchers and regulators across the field.
Forthcoming, 2026
Featured in Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris' forthcoming book, How Psychedelics Work.
Myles Katz contributes perspectives from Oregon's first-in-the-nation regulatory system to the book's examination of emerging psychedelic policy models.
“Oregon’s regulated psilocybin services framework presents a unique opportunity to study psychedelic experiences (…). This collaboration [with Confluence] allows us to learn from community-based use in a careful, systematic way that can meaningfully inform the field.”
— Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, neuroscientist and Director of the Carhart-Harris Lab at UCSF
Podcast appearances
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What Makes a Psilocybin Retreat Truly Healing? A Facilitator's Perspective
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From Illicit to Licensed (Mushrooms Go Legal)
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Myles Katz: Legal Psilocybin Access in Oregon
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Safely Using Psychedelic to Reset for Deeper Self-Awareness
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Legal Psychedelic Assisted Therapy & Childhood Trauma
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Psilocybin Therapy: From Functioning to Flourishing with Myles Katz
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Myles Katz on Psilocybin, Psychedelics & Ancient healing with Confluence retreats
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The Transformational Trip: Psychedelic-Assisted Healing w/ Myles Katz
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The Inside Story of Synthesis: Lessons of a Pioneering Legal Psilocybin Retreat
Myles’ Personal Writing
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3 Things to Know as Psychedelic Access Approaches a Tipping Point
As the psychedelic movement makes huge strides with Denver successfully decriminalizing psilocybin-containing mushrooms, here are 3 things you should know about these transformative fungi and the path to integrating them into modern society.
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How 250 People Transformed Their Minds with Safe, Legal, and Professionally-Guided Psychedelic Experiences
One year in, Synthesis has guided 250 people through legal, medically-supervised psilocybin retreats outside Amsterdam. Early research with Imperial College London shows lasting gains in connectedness and wellbeing weeks after guests return home. Here's what we've learned — and what comes next.