Press Release:

Confluence Retreats — the top rated legal psilocybin retreat in the US — featured in CNN as Oregon surpasses 15,000 clients served and federal policy catches up

ASHLAND, OR, UNITED STATES, April 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On April 18, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at accelerating federal research into psychedelic treatments, calling them "life-changing" for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression. While ibogaine received the most specific attention and a $50 million federal investment, the order broadly covers psychedelic drugs including psilocybin — which already holds FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for treatment-resistant depression — marking a significant shift in federal posture toward the entire category of naturally-occurring medicines.

For the estimated 15,000 people who have already received legal psilocybin services in Oregon, that conversation is not new. Oregon launched the nation's first regulated psilocybin services framework in 2023. Colorado followed with its own legal structure shortly after. Together, these states represent the most mature real-world evidence base available to the policymakers and researchers now turning their attention to psychedelics at the federal level.

Just weeks before the executive order, CNN published an in-depth feature examining what legal psychedelic therapy actually looks like in practice — and Oregon's Confluence Retreats was at the center of it. The March 28 piece followed real participants through their experiences and drew on perspectives from Confluence founder Myles Katz to explore what this work means for people who have tried everything else.

At the center of the story is Martha Stem, a retired grandmother from Tampa, Florida, who came to Confluence in July 2025 carrying decades of accumulated trauma. Her retreat included two psilocybin journeys, each preceded by breathwork and intention-setting with facilitators. The first was heavy — five and a half hours of processing grief and guilt around the loss of a close loved one. The second, two days later, was lighter and more expansive; she found herself revisiting the carefree feelings of childhood and was visited by her late grandmother, who told her she was proud of her. Six months later, Stem is medication-free, recently back from her first vacation since her loss — hiking glaciers in Iceland. She described her retreat as "the beginning of a transformation" — and the Iceland trip, she said, was proof of it. "I'm at peace," she said.

For Katz, stories like Martha's are emblematic of what he has seen across hundreds of participants: "The research is validating what many of us have witnessed firsthand, and federal policy is beginning to reflect that," said Katz. "In Oregon, though, the question of whether this is safe and legal has already been answered. The work now is making sure people know that access exists — and that who you do it with matters enormously."

Confluence has operated within Oregon's framework since December 2023 and is the most highly rated and most-reviewed licensed psilocybin retreat program in the United States. As a nonprofit, it was built around the principles of psychological safety, small-group intimacy, and broad accessibility — including scholarship options for those who need them.

A typical Confluence retreat spans five days for a group of up to eight participants in a forested cabin setting near Ashland, Oregon. The experience begins before arrival — with individual and group preparation calls, assigned reading, and intention-setting work with licensed facilitators. Two psilocybin sessions take place at a state-licensed service center, with integration days in between. Breathwork, meditation, journaling, nature time, and group processing are woven throughout. After the retreat, participants engage in a structured set of integration calls to help apply insights to their daily lives.

That same commitment to depth and rigor extends beyond the retreat itself. Earlier this year, Confluence announced a research collaboration with the Carhart-Harris Lab at the University of California, San Francisco, contributing participant data to the CHL Global Psychedelic Survey — a large-scale study examining how psilocybin experiences unfold in real-world, regulated settings. Full details: confluenceretreats.org/press/carhart-harris-lab-psilocybin-research.

As the federal conversation around psychedelic policy accelerates, Confluence founder Myles Katz — who served on the board of the Oregon Psilocybin Training Alliance and contributed to the committees that shaped Oregon's regulatory framework — is available to media seeking informed, practitioner-level perspective on legal psilocybin services and what existing state models can offer the national conversation.

About Confluence Retreats

Confluence Retreats is a nonprofit psilocybin retreat provider based in Ashland, Oregon. Founded on the principles of psychological safety, small-group intimacy, and accessibility, Confluence supports up to eight participants per retreat with licensed facilitators, extensive preparation and integration, and nature-based settings that foster reflection and connection. Since its founding in December 2023, it has become the most highly rated and most-reviewed licensed psilocybin retreat program in the United States. The five-day group retreat is $6,400 per person, all-inclusive, with one to two programs offered per month and private programs available by arrangement.

More information: confluenceretreats.org

CNN feature: She tried therapy and medication, but this grandmother says psilocybin is what changed her life. She’s not alone

Research partnership: Carhart-Harris Lab and Confluence Retreats Collaborate to Study Psychedelic Mushroom Experiences in Oregon’s Licensed Framework

Media Contact: Myles Katz, Founder — available for interview myles@confluenceretreats.org