CENTER OPERATIONS
OPERATIONAL FAQ
We are open for 1:1 or 1:2 private administration sessions Tuesday through Saturday of each week. Sundays are reserved for group classes. The Center is closed on Mondays except for our Microdosing class at noon. We are also closed on most major holidays.
We are located on the top floor of an older, quiet office building in a Portland suburb. Enter the building front doors with ‘4915’ above them, take the elevator to the 3rd floor and we are directly out the elevator doors. Upon entering, you will immediately notice the different energy. Our reception has a garden of plants, a cozy fireplace running, and dim lighting. Everything about our Center from the moment you enter should help you feel like you’ve entered an intentional space that is separate from the busyness of the outside world.
Check-in will require showing ID for proof of age, confirming your chosen dose (initial plus booster) and paying for that dose with cash. If you have any outstanding balance for programs or room reservations we will run that payment as well at that time, which can be paid with credit card. With the logistics out of the way, you are then welcomed to the back portion of our Center, where your facilitator will show you around, help you gather any session supplies and comforts, and build your ‘nest’ for the day.
Once you are ready, you will mix your drink with mushroom powder either in our kitchen (which has convenient bar-height tables for mixing), or you can request to make your drink in your private room. We have hot cocoa, spiced apple cider or a selection of teas. Either way, once your drink is made you may take your dose to your room and keep the door open during consumption so center staff can monitor and collect your mug once you are done.
At this point, your administration session formally begins, the door closes, and you await your beautiful journey and partnership with our Shakti mushrooms!
We ask clients to arrive around 9:30. Facilitators may arrive as early as 9am. If clients arrive early, they shouldn’t stress! We’ll place them in the Lounge until their facilitator is ready.
We close at 5pm. Since we aim to have our client dosing complete by 10am, usually clients are wrapping up their journey experiences by 4pm. We will always stay with you until it is physically safe to leave the Center.
We use almost exclusively an albino strain indigenous to India called SHAKTI. Occasionally we will have others. Shakti is a super high potency strain. Potency varies by harvest and growing conditions, but the Shakti our supplier provides regularly tests at 10-15mg psilocybin analyte per gram of mushroom. By contrast, average potency strains such as Golden Teacher & Mazatapec are typically in the 5-7mg/g range.
We serve our mushrooms in a finely ground homogenized powder, not whole. Many Oregon Service Centers serve whole dried mushrooms which clients must then process such as grinding, before they can consume. Fractal Soul prefers homogenized powder for many reasons: accuracy of potency testing, nausea reduction, and a much more convenient client experience while dosing.
Our psilocybin analyte is sold at cost (supplier wholesale + packaging + state sales tax) at $5/mg. Our packaging is in 4mg increments ranging from 4mg up to 24mg packages. These may be mixed and matched. We also have 1mg microdose capsules.
An average 24mg macrodose would be $120 (tax inclusive), just as an example. 24mg of psilocybin analyte is roughly equivalent to a 4 gram ‘average potency’ mushroom journey. Many of our first time clients find this dose to be ideal. If you are taking medications or substances which impact serotonin, you will likely need to dose higher.
Please remember to bring CASH to purchase your psilocybin. We have plenty of change but no ATM onsite. The nearest ATM is close by, two buildings away.
For clients not on blunting meds, we follow the Johns Hopkins recommendations of 20-30mg psilocybin analyte as an initial dose. Clients in general may select any dose in this range without needing special approval. We urge clients to work carefully with a professional, experienced facilitator to ensure their chosen dose is appropriate for them given their sensitivities, prior traumas, intentions, and prior experience with psychedelics. More is not better.
Clients who are on an SSRI or related medication, or who are heavy users of cannabis or alcohol, may dose 30-36mg without special Center approval.
Clients wishing to dose 40mg or above will always need approval from a Fractal Center Director, but we do support dosing up to the State legal max dose of 50mg where justified. Clients who are on two more more ‘serotonin blunting’ medications or factors will usually need to be dosed at the State max dose, but this dose is inappropriate for clients not on such blunting substances. Please have your facilitator reach out to us if you have questions around dosing.
We also support ‘booster’ or secondary dosing. Please inquire with your facilitator about this method.
Yes, of course! On the tech side we have free WiFi and bluetooth speakers in each room. You’re welcome to bring your own speaker or headphones if you wish. We offer an array of blankets including some weighted and waterproof ones, eye masks, journey candles, and some mystical and elemental pieces as well such as crystals, wood, sage, tarot and oracle cards, etc. We have air fans, frozen gel packs, and heating pads and electric blankets to help with body temperature.
We’re also known for our stock of Healing Buddies – comforting squishmallow stuffed animals that are the perfect size to hug or use as a pillow. Each room is outfitted with plenty of plugins, kleenex, a trash can and hospital-style nausea bags (though we’ve only had to use one, to date).
We also offer complementary packaged food and drink, which varies by day but will always include bottled waters, seltzers and juices. Facilitators are encouraged to discuss dietary restrictions with clients, or let them bring their own packaged & sealed food and beverage. We have a fridge, freezer, microwave, toaster oven and electric kettle in our nourishment lounge. As a reminder, Staff and facilitators cannot prepare any food or drink for clients. Clients may prepare food and drink themselves! No homemade food is allowed onsite per OHA regulation.
We have five 1:1 Administration Areas and an Integration Lounge which may also be booked for a 1:1 or 1:2 Administration Session, so six total. We do not host group sessions in the large group area at the same time as 1:1’s.
Each of our five 1:1 Rooms has its own theme and pics may be seen on our website or Center Guide PDF: Garden (Earth), Galaxy (Air), Shadow (Fire), Fountain (Water) and Rainbow (Life & Love).
We have had clients with mysophobia (germ OCD), misophonia (extreme sensitivity to sound), prone to migraines with light or scents, and other special requests. For clients fitting into these categories, we would encourage you to have your facilitator work with us to book your administration session on date that does not have many (or any) other bookings. Typically, Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday are our lighter days, while Friday and Saturday often have three to five clients onsite in addition to their facilitators and one or two Center Staff.
Clients who need to guarantee a completely private experience with no other clients or facilitators onsite (just the legally required Center staff) may rent out the Center for the cost of three rooms ($1500 total). If a client does this, we will close off the other two rooms and Lounge for the day, thus preventing anyone else from booking it. This guarantees they will have a private experience custom catered to their unique needs.
Other privacy and sound accommodations include requesting to arrive a bit early, mix your drink in the privacy of your room vs our kitchen, bring noise canceling headphones, and/or book your journey for a week day vs weekend. Your facilitator can ask what days are light at our Center, if you have flexibility. Short-term bookings will have more predictability of ‘busyness’ than bookings made further out.
OREGON LEGAL RULES FAQ
You must be age 21 or older to access psilocybin services in Oregon.
Yes – the state of Oregon does not allow us to serve clients psilocybin if they
– Have taken Lithium in the past 30 days
– Have ever been diagnosed or treated for active psychosis
– Are currently having thoughts of causing harm to themselves or others
Please work with your facilitator for other medical and mental health contraindications.
OHA defines ‘minimum session durations’ based on the amount of total psilocybin consumed, including any secondary doses. For macrodose therapeutic experiences, this ranges from 4 to 6 hours.
Our Service Center cannot physically prevent a client from leaving before their minimum session duration has passed. However, if they do choose to leave early, they will be required to sign an early release waiver. In collaboration with their facilitator, our Center Staff will also make a decision as to whether the client poses a threat to the safety of themselves or others. If it is determined that this is the case, we are legally required to contact both emergency services, and Oregon Health Authority.
We provide a wide range of hanging out options at our service center. Our kitchen and Lounge are great places to be if you are ready to leave your private journey room. Your safety is our top concern and we strongly encourage all clients to remain onsite for both their minimum session duration time, AND the amount of time required for them to feel safe and comfortable in leaving our Center.
Facilitators are not allowed to approve a client operating any motor vehicle after their administration session. During preparation, you will be required to complete a transportation plan describing how to plan to access safe transportation after your journey. Typically this is calling an Uber/Lyft/Taxi, or having someone pick you up. If you are staying close by, you may choose to walk back to your lodging.
If a client fails to follow their transportation plan, and/or gets in a motor vehicle to drive after their session and we believe they are unsafe, the facilitator and/or service center are required to call emergency services and notify OHA.
We recommend that clients view their psilocybin session as similar to a minor surgery protocol and have transportation lined up to drive them to safe lodging afterward.
No, psilocybin product cannot be taken home or taken offsite regardless the dosage amount. The same rules apply for 1mg as for 50mg psilocybin analyte. This means microdoses must be consumed onsite. The minimum session duration per OHA for any microdose under 2.5mg is one hour for the first visit and 30 minutes for subsequent visits.
However, microdoses will typically peak at the same time that macrodoses do – around the 1.5 to 2 hour mark – and so we recommend having safe transportation and a relaxed schedule for the remainder of the day after your first microdose, until you understand your appropriate baseline dose.
Yes, we know! 🙂 Almost all of the forms are required by OHA, except for our Operating Policy and New Client Intake form. The good news is that if you have any repeat services at Fractal Soul within one year (another macrodose session, a microdose, a group ceremony etc) the forms do not need to be redone.
They only take about an hour to get through. Be as detailed or not detailed as you like.
