Dr. Bronner’s, the California-based soap maker lauded by cereal families across the Pacific Northwest, has continued its stable alliance with psychedelic therapy by donating $50,000 to Bendable Therapy, a nonprofit psilocybin treatment center in Central Oregon.
The donation shows that Dr. Bronner’s is doubling down on its efforts despite the difficulties of its psilocybin experiment in Oregon, which was also described in WW’s cover story this week: “Service centers struggle to raise costs, and surprising supporters emerge.”
Legal psilocybin treatment began after Oregon passed Measure 109 in 2020, but it took three years to establish an accredited system. Now centers are popping up across Oregon offering retreats, group classes and guided individual sessions. Some individual sessions cost over $4,000. Multi-day courses cost over $9,000.
Dr. Bronner’s is best known for its 18-in-1 soap and jam-packed labels promoting love and peace. The company has actively promoted its commitment to drug reform and psychedelic therapy for years, and has donated more than $23 million to advocacy and research groups over the past decade and more than $2 million last year, according to its annual reports. The company also donated over $2 million to the Yes to 109 campaign in 2020.
Bendable Therapy is the latest beneficiary of the soapmaker’s generosity. The nonprofit matches clients with licensed guides at partner facilities for psilocybin treatment. The organization says it works to promote accessibility and inclusivity of medical and mental health treatments by removing economic barriers, such as the high price of a guided tour. However, Bendable says it has developed a scholarship model, endowed with $230,000, to support clients.
“Every dollar we receive helps us provide more people with access to these breakthrough therapies,” Amanda Gow, Bendable’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.
