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Dr. Bronner’s, the California-based soap company hailed by granola families across the Pacific Northwest, has continued its steady alliance with psychedelic therapy and given $50,000 to Bendable Therapy, a nonprofit psilocybin treatment center operating in Central Oregon.
The donation shows that Dr. Bronner’s is doubling down on the Oregon experiment with psilocybin despite its troubles, as outlined in WW’s cover story this week: Service centers are struggling to make it, costs are high, and surprising backers are showing up.
Legal psilocybin treatment started after Oregon passed Measure 109 in 2020, but it took three years to configure an accredited system. Now centers are popping up across Oregon, offering retreats, cohort classes and guided individual sessions. Some singular sessions tote a price tag of over $4,000. Multiple-day classes are going for upwards of $9,000.
Dr. Bronner’s is best known for its 18-in-1 soap and jam-packed labels that espouse love and peace. The company has been actively promoting its commitment to drug reform and psychedelic therapy for years, donating more than $23 million to advocacy and research groups within the past decade and more than $2 million in the past year, according to its annual reports. The company also donated more than $2 million to the Yes to 109 campaign in 2020.
Bendable Therapy is the latest beneficiary of the soap company’s largesse. The nonprofit pairs clients with licensed guides at partner facilities for psilocybin treatment. The organization states it advocates for accessibility and inclusivity of medical and mental health treatment through the removal of economic barriers, such as the hefty prices of a guided trip. But Bendable says it has pioneered a scholarship model that has been awarded $230,000 to help support clients.
“Every dollar we receive allows us to help more people access these breakthrough therapies,” Amanda Gow, executive director of Bendable, said in a statement.