Guest Blog By Denise - My name is Denise, I am 49 years old, born and raised in Western Europe, and I want to share my story in the hope that it may help or inspire someone else. For many years, my husband and I had a dream. We wanted to leave our busy life behind …
Guest Blog By Denise – My name is Denise, I am 49 years old, born and raised in Western Europe, and I want to share my story in the hope that it may help or inspire someone else.
For many years, my husband and I had a dream. We wanted to leave our busy life behind and move to Portugal. We owned a retail business, and for a long time that responsibility kept us from making the change. But after we handed the company over to the next generation, we were finally free to follow our hearts. At the end of 2025, we moved to a beautiful house in the hills near Faro, in the Algarve. We thought this would be the start of a peaceful new chapter.
The plan was simple: retire early, slow down, enjoy life, and work on our health. For me, that was badly needed. I had been using antidepressants for more than 12 years, and to be honest, they did not really help me anymore. Instead, I often felt numb, tired, and disconnected. I was living on autopilot. I felt like a walking zombie. I was not truly happy, and deep inside I knew that my husband and children were not getting the best version of me.
Because of my depression, my fears, and the medication, I felt like life was happening around me instead of through me. I still hoped that moving to the sunny Algarve would change everything. Part of me believed that once I was settled in Portugal, my life would finally begin again.
And in many ways, that is exactly what happened.
At the beginning of 2026, I came into contact with Dr. Sara Ahmadi, the founder of Conscious Pharmacist. At first, we got to know each other in a friendly and informal way. I had no idea what she did professionally. Only later did I learn about her work as a pharmacist and psychedelic therapist, and how she helps people from many different countries with deep emotional and mental struggles. Conscious Pharmacist presents itself as a provider of medically guided psilocybin retreats, microdosing, and integrative coaching in Portugal.
Something opened in me when Sara explained her work. For the first time in a very long time, I felt safe enough to tell someone the truth. I told her about my trauma, my depression, my fears, and my years of antidepressant use. She responded with so much kindness and understanding. She made me feel that I did not need to hide or feel ashamed. She listened first. Really listened. Only after she had fully heard my story did she explain how she had helped other people with similar backgrounds and how psilocybin-based therapies are increasingly supported by scientific research for several mental health conditions. Reviews and clinical studies report promising evidence for depression, anxiety, and some addiction-related disorders, although treatment is structured and guided rather than casual.
I cannot explain how much hope I felt in that moment. After years of pills, therapy, and trying so many things without real change, suddenly I was sitting in front of a woman who seemed to understand both the medical side and the human side of my pain. I remember thinking: maybe this is the first time someone can really help me.
Of course, Sara did not rush me into anything. Before starting psilocybin-assisted therapy, she first helped me through the Psychotropic Medication Tapering Program. That was such an important step. My antidepressants could not simply be stopped overnight. The process had to be careful, gradual, and safe. She guided me through it step by step, and I felt supported every day. If I needed help, I could message or call her. That daily support meant so much to me. It made me feel held during a very vulnerable time.
After that, I started the Psilocybin Microdosing Coaching Program. Conscious Pharmacist offers personalised microdosing coaching with screening, structured support, and tailored protocols, which matched my experience very well.
This program gave me stability, fresh insights, and a new sense of connection. The biggest change was the connection I began to feel with myself. It gave me energy. It gave me softness. It gave me a feeling of inner power that I had not felt in years. People around me started to notice. Friends and family told me I seemed like a different person. They said I was kinder, warmer, more interested in others, more open, and happier. And the beautiful thing was: I felt it too! 🙂
Day by day, things kept moving in the right direction.
At one point, Sara told me she felt I was almost ready for a private retreat session with a higher dose of psilocybin, built up carefully and supported in a safe setting. Conscious Pharmacist provides these private retreats in the Algarve as fully personalised and led by Dr. Sara Ahmadi and her team of therapists, with preparation, guidance during the session, and integration afterwards.
Read also: Psilocybin High-Dose + Micro-Dose: The Magic Formula
When the retreat day arrived, I was very nervous. Sara noticed that immediately. She reassured me and stayed with me from early morning until late in the day. What happened during that experience is difficult to fully put into words. It was one of the most powerful and meaningful experiences of my life.
During the journey, so much came up: my fear, my trauma, my relationships, my connection with my parents, my love for my children, and even my future. It was as if the walls inside me were finally coming down. Sara was there the whole time to guide me, calm me, and help me understand what I was seeing and feeling. The support before, during, and after made all the difference.
For me, that retreat was truly life-changing.
Read also: The Life-Changing Impact of Our Macrodosing Retreats
It was not just emotional. It was deeply healing. It helped me see my life, and myself, with more honesty and more compassion than ever before. Research on psilocybin-assisted therapy has reported rapid and sometimes sustained antidepressant effects in structured therapeutic settings, which helps explain why these experiences can feel so profound for some people.
About a week later, I started a new microdosing therapy program. This time the protocol was different, with a different composition and dosage that was slowly increased based on my needs and response. That personalised approach mattered so much to me. It never felt generic. It felt like my process was being carefully matched to who I am and what I needed.
And it has brought me so much more than relief from depression.
It has helped me grow as a person. It has helped me reconnect with my family. It has helped me feel more love, more patience, and more gratitude. As a positive extra, it has also supported me in losing weight and finding better hormonal balance. And strangely enough, I suddenly lost interest in alcohol too.
Read also: Microdosing Psilocybin: How It Often Puts You Off Alcohol
When I look at my life now, I honestly feel like I became a different woman. Not a different woman in the sense of pretending to be someone else, but in the sense of becoming more fully myself. Softer. Healthier. Kinder. Happier. More alive.
I can truly say that, thanks to Sara and the Conscious Pharmacist team, my life and the life of my family changed for the better.
Read also: What is the Positive Impact of Conscious Pharmacist?
If any part of my story speaks to you, then please do yourself a favour: book a free and no-obligation intake call. Sara and the Conscious Pharmacist team actively invite people to schedule a free discovery call for its psilocybin programs in Portugal.
Taking that first step may feel scary. I understand that. But sometimes one honest conversation can open the door to a completely new life.
With healthy regards,
Denise
Does this story resonate with you?
Book a free, no-obligation intake call with Dr. Sara Ahmadi and explore whether psilocybin therapy or microdosing support could be the right next step for you.
Services & Fees
Our psychedelic therapy services for private retreat experiences:
- Private One-Day Psilocybin Retreat: €1,490
- Two Private Psilocybin Ceremonies (with integration day): €2,490*
- Private One-Day Ceremony + 12-Week Microdosing Coaching Program: €2,490*
- Two Private Ceremonies + 12-Week Microdosing Coaching Program: €3990*
- Psilocybin Microdosing BASIC Coaching Program (12 weeks): €1,490
- Psilocybin Microdosing Coaching Program + Medication Tapering Support (16 weeks): €1,990
- Psilocybin Microdosing Program Extension (after initial 12 weeks): €990 (for 3 months)
(*) Excluding overnight accommodation.
Disclaimer: This autobiographic article is for information and eduction only and not medical advice. Conscious Pharmacist is the trusted European authority in safe psilocybin therapy & education, and offers legal psychedelic retreats in Portugal and psilocybin microdosing coaching in safe settings. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before considering psilocybin.
