Client Stories

Our founder, Scott Holden, on The Daily Grind Podcast

S5 Episode 45: 3/5/202

“When you have a lot of compassion for yourself, it's easier to have compassion for others.“on the Daily Grind ☕️, your weekly goal-driven podcast. This episode features Kelly Johnson @kellyfastruns and special guest Scott Holden!

Scott is the founder and business owner of Mind Trek. At Mind Trek, they offer a facilitated journey through your own mind to explore yourself and find inner peace. Their Psychedelic Therapy sessions are designed to help you connect with your inner self and deal with mental health issues while in a safe, comfortable, home-like atmosphere. Our experienced, hand-picked facilitators will guide you through this journey and help you find your way.

Featuring Kelly Johnson with Special Guest Scott Holden

Audio Credit Intro: Draw The Line Mastered by Connor Christian

I had zero experience...

I had zero experience with psychedelics when I met Scott. Together, we talked through what a psilocybin journey might entail and what I hoped to gain from one. Scott made this easy: he’s a funny, compassionate, emotionally intuitive guy. I felt confident enough to go ahead and had one of the profoundest spiritual experiences of my life. I wholeheartedly recommend Scott and the powerful work he is doing with people like me.

- M.

I woke up each day just existing...

I woke up each day just existing and not living. I couldn’t remember the last time I had fun or where I could find happiness. I was about to leave my 20 year relationship because nothing made me happy. Little did I know that it was all right in front of me. My introduction to mushrooms showed me how to slow down and be more grateful. They reminded me of the importance of love and self worth.

I am definitely grateful to have met Alexis who guided me through my journey. I felt comfortable with her the first time we spoke. Both Scott and Alexis are such genuine and compassionate souls. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. We are looking forward to our next session we you!

- S.F

I first considered psilocybin therapy...

I first considered psilocybin therapy nearly two years after a disabling brain injury.  After weeks of research online, youtube videos and speaking with my traditional medical team, I was still skeptical, nervous and, truly scared, but felt that I owed it to myself to learn more.  Fortunately, I met Scott and within 20 minutes, he answered all of my questions enabling me to make the decision that was right for me.  One month later I did a full guided journey and began the best, most productive healing and self-improvement, or rather self-understanding work of my life.  My journey not only helped me become aware of so many things I couldn't even see before, but it also gave me excitement and freedom from my ego to do the really hard work of taking care of myself. 

As far as the folks at Mindtrek, they are awesome.  Scott, Alexis and the whole staff are super knowledgeable, understanding and compassionate.  Even the office is such a very comforting and safe environment allowing you to focus on the important stuff.  I am so grateful I found this place and will be continuing my personal journey with Mindtrek. 

- P.K

I first heard of using psilocybin...

I first heard of using psilocybin a couple of years ago when I watched a Netflix show called "Fantastic Fungi." After years of therapy and inner work, I still felt stuck, and that show convinced me that a psilocybin session may be just what I needed to move on with my life. When I first started looking into it, though, it was only legally available outside the U.S. However, thanks to a change in Oregon law in general and to MindTrek in particular, I was able to take that step and it has been nothing short of revelatory! In just one six-hour session, I was able to finally let go of some of the beliefs that have been holding me hostage for most of my life. I feel a new joy and an inner peace and I am so excited for my next chapter!

- J.P

Thank You, Scott & Alexis!!

THANK YOU SCOTT & ALEXIS!! After years of struggling on my own with SEVERE anxiety and depression, I decided to do some research into therapies that were ALL NATURAL. After 2 1/2 yrs of looking into different approaches, I found TONS of studies on psilocybin therapies. I then started my search in Oregon as it was the only place it is legal to do so. I found a lot of facilitator/journey centers to my surprise. After DAYS of looking through pages of places I narrowed it down to 5. I then did "interviews" with all of them. I talked with Scott in my 2nd interview and something right away gave me comfort and a feeling like this was not just a business model. After finishing talking with all 5 I could not help but feel Scott was my ONLY choice. His vast knowledge and comforting approach stuck with me through all of the calls in comparison. After a quick initial phone call I knew hands down I found the right fit for me. Scott made the whole process very easy and informative I had a lot of questions and concerns and he addressed them all many times. The decision to make this journey was quite hard and Scott understood that and took the extra time to get me through that. To say it was life changing is easy I guess, however for me and my experience it was LIFE SAVING!! I will be back to see Scott for more "work" and to continue my journey. I could not have picked a better choice and look forward to more growth and happiness. I can't help but say THANK YOU one more time to Scott.

- T.M

I consider myself extremely lucky…

I consider myself extremely lucky to have found my way through Mindtrek's doors and into the hands of Scott and Alexis. I had done a lot of research on psilocybin therapy and knew I would walk away at the end with an experience that would expand my mind. But what I didn't expect was an experience that would leave me with ideas, thoughts, and ways of living that remain with me even almost two months later.

What sparked my interest in the six-hour session I embarked on was a realization at how stagnant I had become. I had stopped working out, which was something I had made a priority for the past ten years. I had no interest in meditation anymore. I found myself faking laughs and smiles when with other people, crying every time I drank, and had no emotion about the fact that I was finally succeeding in my career. A career that requires a lot of creativity, which I also seemed to have lost.

Going into the session, my only real intention was to laugh again. During my journey with Alexis, I embarked on a seemingly long process of breaking down the tension I was holding in my body. I was physically exhausted and after a few hours and a lot of tears, I was able to let go and smile. Of course there were moments that were scary and some that were sad, but Alexis reminded me that I was safe and that she was there for me and I was able to return to the internal work. Without a good guide, I truly believe I would have been more worried about if I was safe, rather than the more important work that my body and mind was waiting for me to address.

I walked out of Mindtrek exhausted, but was unintentionally laughing and smiling when I got into my ride's car. My ride reminded me: "that's exactly what you were looking for!" I continued to laugh and be in the moment for weeks after. Something I did not expect from my journey was a complete disinterest in alcohol which still continues to this day. It wasn't intentional and wasn't something I went into my session hoping for, but I'm very happy with this outcome. Along with the laughs, smiles, and disinterest in alcohol, I was reminded in my journey that I need to take care of myself and have been back in the gym and have even picked up a new yoga routine. I started creative writing again and have found a new creativity and fun mindset to put towards my work.

I know that not everyone walks out of one session with life-altering changes, and I'm very lucky to have that outcome. I truly believe that it was the safety of being in Mindtrek's farmhouse, with an experienced and vetted guide, and safe psilocybin that made it possible for me to fully let go and work through what was behind my mind's closed doors. With my continued self-reflections, therapy, journaling, and learning, I'm able to take my experience at Mindtrek and build new foundations for myself that improve my day-to-day life.

Thank you Scott and Alexis! 

- J.S

Arriving from overseas…

Arriving from overseas with a hectic schedule (and battling jet lag), we were hoping to find a place where we could feel at home and a team that is genuinely caring. We are happy we found Mindtrek, as it exceeded our expectations. Initially, we were a bit nervous as we have never experienced psychedelics, but the home-like environment and the caring team put us at ease instantly. My wife needed extensive support after the psilocybin trip, but the whole team went above and beyond to assist us and never once rushed us. Their genuine care and reassurance were so touching, especially during those vulnerable hours after the trip. We are so grateful we met Scott, Laurissa, and Alexis and will never forget their kindness and understanding. We are hoping to continue our journey with Mindtrek in the coming months and years and will highly recommend it to anyone, especially those starting out on the psychedelic journey.

Warm regards,

- D.K

You go the same route every day…

You go the same route every day. Same thoughts same turns, same smells, familiar faces. 

Daily you experience about 50,000 thoughts and only about 8,000 of them are positive. Did you ever wander why? Heartbreaks, thwarted intentions, unfulfilled expectations, betrayals, struggles big and small of people around so close to us and some not, encased affirmations where you wake up feeling right. Those things big and small that happen to you are brushed aside. 

You have a culturally appropriate response, “I am fine” because it’s weird to respond anything else to “Hi, how are you”, even if things might not be that rosy in your life. And things, in the background, they are just stuff that I am dealing with, they don’t affect me, I am numbing them down. Numbing them down….

Every day our neighborhoods, cities, countries are starting to get filled up with more and more uncertainty, suffering and anxiety. You are separate from it all, because what can you do in that big scope, right? The homeless person high on fentanyl is obviously not your problem and there is nothing human about him as he shoots up, and screams something as you passing him by, disturbing your inner peace with his nightmares and awful smell. 

Look around, more and more people check out and are escaping to parallel reality. When was the last time that you really asked yourself why and what does it mean about the “I am fine world” that you live in. I am not calling you out to go give a hug to homeless or suffering person high of his mind outside, just pointing out how the suffering is occurring more and more around us since Covid, locally and globally and how much we trained our minds to just block the suffering out. We don’t question their suffering, they just go through it and we don’t really question ours unless we start to see a therapist with different levels of effectiveness. 

Do you see what I mean? We are trained to block suffering and to package it on the background, personally and systemically, that’s how we deal with it as humans. Did you ever ask what’s the price that we pay for it, because I promise you there is a price. Separation, different levels of anxiety, numbness, righteousness. Starts to sound familiar?

Your outlook is a construct that is build on your reactions to occurrences in your past. Notice that you have answers to all of the problems and they all have a right connotation to it. It’s that voice inside of you that just said “what problems” “what do you mean by right connotation”. Being right controls you in a most sudden way and not always for the worst, it prevents future heartbreaks, repeated mistakes and ensures your survival. That voice is Ego, and it will do anything to be heard and to be right to justify it’s existence because you simply don’t know what lies behind so Ego got to be right and stake that claim to look good and avoid looking bad. Because there is nothing like looking bad. But there is a price we pay when Ego becomes too strong, too right and too self absolved, It’s where anxiety, checking out, numbness all come from and if that’s where guided psilocybin comes in. In the comfort of caring people, many of whom have spent years in the end of life care, you make a concisions choice to finally unpack, and when you make that choice there is no turning back. We don’t really know how it works but we know that it weakens the grasp of Ego, unpacks the dark corners that controls us in the most sudden ways and get us connected to who we really are with deep compassion for others and ourselves. How did mushrooms figure out how to do it, I don’t know but I can tell with certainty that they do work and I could not have imagined doing a guided session in a practice with less adequate standards than Mindtrek. Simply Amazing people. whether it’s Scott, Alexis, or Laurissa I think of them as compassion warriors with a deep commitment to remove suffering and struggles and to make a difference in other people’s lives making us more real and more ourselves. And by the way, their collection of teas is unbelievable as well. Take my word for it, there is nothing like an amazing cups of tea after that deep journey. 

With the technological rise in the last few decades we forgot what is a true destruction really is and are now on the brink of a WW3. We need to get present now more than ever and it starts from a deep self reflection and taking responsibility where we can for the type of life we want to live going forward. I had a friend who passed who always used to ask her friend “ how do you eat the elephant” and the answer to that silly and slightly disturbing question is very simple “one small piece at a time” There is a hope, a hope that outdated labels would be reconsidered and that we give a chance to something that been with us since our dawn of African primate ancestors and probably responsible for us evolving from primates back then. At this point in time, in our giant metamorphosis we have to evolve. Evolve with small small steps, working on ourselves, widening the scope, with perspective on things that really matter, compassion and honest deep dive to the darkest pockets of your inner self with intention to weaken the grip of ego and to really connect with yourself. Why? Because Truth will set you free, just like it did me.

- D.

Before this experience…

Before this experience, I struggled with addiction for over a decade. First, however, I must say that this experience is not what helped me quit my addiction. Rather, I was finally able to quit only after changing my environment and removing myself from unhealthy social circles—Not easy. That being said, I'm sure this therapy would be beneficial in overcoming addiction because it is that powerful. 

A little background on myself: Since leaving home at 18, I have moved from one place to another, bouncing from one bad job to another and searching for my path in life. I would take college courses here and there with the dream of someday getting my degree (in what? I never really knew that either). But depression, anxiety, and addiction were everyday obstacles holding me back from achieving anything of that magnitude because, despite years of therapy, I still had unresolved symptoms of past trauma.

At the beginning of this year (2024), I achieved one year of sobriety for the first time in my life. It was (and still is) an amazing feeling, but I was still feeling lost and unsure of my path and where I belong in the world. Which isn’t a great feeling when you’ve been around the sun over 30 times. This brought me to seek out an alternative therapy that I had previously heard great things about, and I found Mindtrek.

My experience at Mindtrek was one of profound positivity, which set the course for the transformation I was seeking. I followed their pre-journey suggestions of meditation and focusing inward and journaled to note the answers I would seek, my fears, excitement, motivations, and anything else. Having a plan really helps, especially if the journey takes an unexpected turn or loses direction. I also told myself to try and keep an open heart/mind throughout to get the most I could out of this journey. 

Alexis was my guide, and I later met Scott and Lauri—absolutely some of the kindest and most positive people you’ll ever meet! The vibe and setting they’ve created at Mindtrek are peaceful and serene, allowing you to let go of your worries and just let the psilocybin do its thing.

The main takeaway I would like to provide for others is that although this is a wonderful and magical experience, it is not a magic solution that will solve all of your problems unless you/the client actually want change and are willing to put forth some effort - much like overcoming addiction. Our minds can be scary places, and this experience can make you aware of that if you go in unprepared and unfocused. But if you put in the effort to look inward and face your demons, so to speak, the reward is absolutely life-changing. This experience taught me that although we all have skeletons in our closets, it is impossible to find peace of mind until you are willing to reflect on yourself and confront the things in your mind that hold you back from being the best version of yourself.

I would like to continue to treat myself to this experience for years to come because it feels like several years of therapy packed into just 4 to 5 hours. I truly hope this type of guided therapy becomes more prevalent because it is, in my opinion, the most transformative therapy out there. I understand why some people may dismiss psilocybin as just another recreational drug. However, in a therapeutic setting, it is a natural medicine that can help people in the most profound ways. I highly recommend Mindtrek to anyone in need of guidance and self-love. It may not be cheap, but neither are years of therapy and anti-depressants!

- S.W

Such compassionate care…

Such compassionate care for a cluster headache sufferer! Scott and Alexis are amazing. For years, I've suffered from cluster headaches. Psilocybin has emerged as an effective treatment for this incredibly painful disease. However, the benefits come from repeated low-doses. Most facilities aren't set up for that and, as excited as I was to finally be able to try this treatment after it was legalized in Oregon, the cost was prohibitive at all the places I found. Until I found Mindtrek. I'm so appreciative for Scott and Alexis taking the time and making the effort to figure out how we could make a treatment plan that would work for me. They have so much compassion and genuine interest in helping me. They are truly wonderful, wonderful people and they've set up such a sweet, comfortable space. In the spring, I did three low-dose sessions over three weeks and it made a big difference with my symptoms. I'm looking forward to coming back soon before my next cluster starts.

- E.G.