· A story, in his own words
My journey with psilocybin-assisted therapy and alcohol recovery
Months of sobriety, then relapse, again and again. One person's account of the guided psilocybin work that helped open a door, in his own words.
This is one person's story, in his own words. He worked with Maureen Lennon-Schafer, LCSW, of Presence of Mind Therapy, in her guided psilocybin practice, and he wrote this about what changed. We have printed it as he wrote it.
Like so many others struggling with alcohol addiction, I found myself achieving three, six, even nine months of sobriety while working a strong recovery program, only to relapse again and again, each time seemingly worse than the last.
Something was still missing. I couldn't quite get over that fence. I simply didn't know what I didn't know.
My experience with guided psilocybin therapy with Maureen at Presence of Mind opened my soul to a level of self-awareness, surrender, and spiritual connection I hadn't known was possible. It became a truly transformational experience, awakening a connection with my own innate intelligence that I hadn't even realized was available to me.
Since that experience, I've continued working a strong recovery program, maintained long-term sobriety, and found a deeper sense of peace, purpose, and the ability to help others.
For me, psilocybin didn't replace the work of recovery. It helped open a door I hadn't been able to find on my own.
About Maureen and Presence of Mind
Maureen Lennon-Schafer is a licensed clinical social worker, licensed in New Jersey and Colorado, and the founder of Presence of Mind Therapy, with more than eighteen years in practice and offices in Mountainside, Summit and Metuchen, New Jersey. Her clinical work centers on trauma, grief and Internal Family Systems, and she is certified in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in New Jersey.
In Colorado she is a Licensed Natural Medicine Facilitator of psilocybin, trained through Fluence. Psilocybin services there are legal only inside the state's regulated natural medicine program, for adults 21 and over, after a screening conversation. Her small guided retreats in Colorado begin with that conversation, and so does everything else she does: what you are carrying, what you hope for, and whether the work is right for you.
Ed's last line is the one we would underline. Maureen says it plainly to the people she works with: there are no magic cures or guarantees, and the path is often not a straight one. The work of recovery stays the work. Sometimes something helps open the door to it.
This is one person's experience. It is not medical advice and not a promise of any result. If you are in recovery, talk with your own clinician and your support network before changing anything. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
Calm you can book.
Build your retreat