The piece follows Martha Stem, a grandmother from Florida in her early 70s, who came to Confluence in the summer of 2025 after decades of compartmentalized trauma finally broke open. She'd tried therapy. She'd been on antidepressants for twenty years. After losing a close friend to suicide in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, she was ready to try something different.

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.

Her story is the emotional heart of the article. But 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, because this work isn't a cure-all and we've never claimed it is.

What CNN captured well is what makes a structured, regulated retreat different from other options: the preparation, the safety screening, the time spent in community, and the integration work that continues after you go home. The journey itself gets all the attention — but what you do with the experience afterward is equally important, and a lot less glamorous. The article also features Myles Katz, founder of Confluence Retreats, whose own path into this work — and the thinking behind how Confluence is built — is part of the story.

Oregon's regulatory framework exists for good reasons. We're proud to operate within it, and to have been part of shaping it. Confluence was built as a mission-focused nonprofit — informed directly by the lessons of an earlier, over-financed venture in this space — and that structure shapes everything about how we operate.

The article is behind CNN's paywall, available to read in full for $6.99.

Read the full article on CNN here.

If this resonates with you

We work with people across the full spectrum — from those navigating real suffering to those who are functioning well but sense there's more. If you're curious where psilocybin might fit in that picture, we're here for that too. Please click the button below to schedule a free Exploration Call with one of our licensed facilitators.