Bendable Therapy and Osmind to Present Landmark Real-World Evidence on Legal Psilocybin Services in the United States
The emerging field of psychedelic medicine is about to reach a new milestone. Bendable Therapy, a provider of psychedelic-assisted services in Oregon, and Osmind, a healthcare technology and research company focused on mental health, announced that they will present the first real-world outcomes study of legal psilocybin services in the United States. The presentation is scheduled for Psych Congress 2025, one of the largest and most influential conferences in psychiatry and behavioral health, taking place September 19–20 in San Diego, California.
This study is significant because it represents the first systematic collection and analysis of outcomes data from Oregon’s regulated psilocybin program, which was created through Measure 109—the landmark 2020 ballot initiative that made Oregon the first state in the U.S. to legalize supervised adult use of psilocybin. While Oregon’s program has already served thousands of participants since its launch in 2021, virtually no systematic data has been collected on how these services are being used, who is accessing them, and what impact they are having on mental health outcomes.
The Bendable Therapy and Osmind research initiative fills this critical evidence gap and offers important insights into the safety, effectiveness, and therapeutic potential of psilocybin services when delivered in a legal, regulated environment.
A Pivotal Moment for Psychedelic Research
“This represents a pivotal moment for psychedelic research and policy,” said Amanda Gow, Executive Director at Bendable Therapy.
According to Gow, the lack of real-world evidence has been a major blind spot in the growing movement to expand access to psychedelics. While psilocybin and other psychedelics have been studied in controlled clinical trials—with promising results for conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder—such trials often exclude patients with comorbidities, diverse demographic backgrounds, or more severe illness.
By contrast, Oregon’s supervised model under Measure 109 has opened the door to a wider population of individuals, many of whom would not meet eligibility criteria for traditional trials. Collecting data from these participants provides a rare window into how psilocybin performs in real-world settings, where mental health needs are more complex and diverse.
“Through Bendable Therapy and Osmind, we have systematically collected and analyzed data from our participants, providing the first evidence of how psilocybin services perform in a real-world setting,” Gow added. “Our findings offer important insights into the safety and therapeutic potential of Oregon’s regulated model, informing other states as they consider similar programs.”
Filling a Critical Evidence Gap
The timing of this research could not be more important. Across the United States, momentum is growing for psychedelic reform and medical adoption. Several states—including Colorado and California—are exploring psilocybin access programs or expanded research frameworks. Meanwhile, multiple biopharmaceutical companies are advancing psilocybin-based therapies through clinical development, aiming for eventual FDA approval.
Despite this activity, policymakers, clinicians, and payers have had little to no real-world data to guide decisions. This study helps fill that void by documenting:
- Who is accessing psilocybin services under Oregon’s supervised program
- What conditions participants report when seeking psilocybin therapy
- How participants respond in terms of mental health outcomes, well-being, and safety
- What motivates individuals to pursue these services
By laying this foundation, the study enables researchers, regulators, and healthcare systems to better understand where psilocybin fits into the broader landscape of mental health care.
Insights Into Populations and Conditions
One of the most important contributions of the study is the demographic and clinical information it provides. The research team collected detailed data on participants’ mental health histories, including conditions such as depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders.
This data is crucial because it reveals not only the conditions most commonly targeted by psilocybin services, but also the diversity of participants in terms of age, socioeconomic status, and health background. Such insights can help clarify whether psilocybin services are reaching underserved populations or primarily attracting early adopters with higher resources and awareness.
“These findings lay the foundation for future research to advance our understanding of psilocybin therapy, including its underlying mechanisms, individual response patterns, and long-term outcomes,” Gow said. “That evidence base is critical to integrating psilocybin responsibly into the healthcare system.”
From Clinical Trials to Real-World Evidence
Jimmy Qian, President and Co-founder of Osmind, emphasized that while clinical trials have already demonstrated psilocybin’s therapeutic potential, real-world evidence is an essential next step.
“While clinical trials have shown psilocybin’s therapeutic potential, this study provides the first naturalistic evidence from legal real-world settings within the U.S.,” Qian said. “It is critical that we learn from what is happening around us. This is an important opportunity to generate as much real-world evidence as possible so that psychedelics, if and when FDA-approved, can be responsibly and efficiently integrated into the U.S. healthcare system.”
Osmind, which provides electronic health record (EHR) and research infrastructure for mental health providers, has been at the forefront of advancing data-driven approaches to emerging treatments. The company’s mission is to ensure that innovative therapies—including psychedelics, once approved—are introduced in a way that maximizes safety, equity, and clinical benefit.
“At Osmind, our goal is to use data, technology, and research to help as many people as possible benefit from innovative FDA-approved treatments,” Qian added.
Study Design and Methodology
The study, which received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, collected multiple forms of data from participants:
- Demographic information including age, gender, and background
- Mental health histories detailing prior diagnoses and treatments
- Validated clinical scales such as PHQ-8 (for depression), GAD-7 (for anxiety), and WHO-5 (for well-being)
- Psychedelic-specific measures to assess the subjective experience and integration of psilocybin sessions
- Open-ended reflections that provide qualitative insight into participants’ motivations and outcomes
The study protocol was co-developed by Bendable Therapy and Osmind in collaboration with Robin Carhart-Harris, one of the world’s leading psychedelic researchers. Carhart-Harris, who serves as the Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor in Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, has published extensively on the neuroscience of psychedelics and their therapeutic potential.
The project was also supported in part by The Jurvetson Foundation, reflecting philanthropic interest in advancing evidence-based psychedelic medicine.
Upcoming Presentations at Psych Congress 2025
The findings will be shared in two scientific posters at Psych Congress 2025:
- “Real-world Evidence from Facilitated Psilocybin Sessions within Oregon’s Legal Framework: Demographics, Engagement, and Motivations”
- “Real-world Outcomes of Facilitated Psilocybin Sessions under Oregon’s Legal Framework”
Authors on the posters include Jennie Davis, Amanda Gow, and Ryan Reid of Bendable Therapy; Emily Shih, Jimmy J. Qian, L. Alison McInnes, and William M. Sauve of Osmind; and Robin Carhart-Harris of UCSF.
Beyond the posters, the research team is also preparing multiple manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, ensuring that the data will reach the broader scientific and clinical community.
Implications for the Future of Psychedelic Medicine
The implications of this study extend beyond Oregon. As other states weigh the creation of psilocybin programs and as the FDA evaluates psychedelic therapies for approval, having robust real-world data is critical. Evidence of safety, effectiveness, and participant experiences can help shape:
- Clinical guidelines for how psilocybin should be administered
- Policy frameworks for regulating psychedelic services
- Insurance and reimbursement decisions once FDA approval is achieved
- Public understanding of the role psychedelics may play in mental health care
Ultimately, this research underscores the importance of balancing innovation with responsibility. By generating real-world evidence alongside ongoing clinical trials, Bendable Therapy and Osmind are helping build a knowledge base that could allow psychedelics to enter the healthcare system in a safe, effective, and equitable way.
