Psychedelic retreat

A psychedelic retreat is a guided, multi-day program with a set or semi-set itinerary hosted by one or more facilitators where psychoactive substances or processes are administered to guests to improve their mental well-being. The program includes learning and lifestyle workshops on topics such as meditation and healthy eating. These retreats may include an overnight stay, ranging from just one night to one month or more, with meals, a variety of healing modalities, and other activities. A retreat may own its own facility or rent a space to provide suitable accommodation.

Psychedelic retreats are typically led by experienced facilitators who have gone through their own psychoactive-centered journey for self-improvement and learned how to administer the substances from veteran practitioners. Most commonly, these retreats include the administration of a dose of a psychoactive compound derived from natural sources, such as Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Psilocybin (the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms’), or ibogaine, provided by a seasoned practitioner; they may alternatively administer a dose of a synthetic compound, such as LSD or MDMA, or create a psychoactive experience without using a psychoactive substance, as in a Cacao ceremony or a darkness retreat.

Psychedelic retreats can be found in more than a dozen countries, principally in places like the Netherlands and Jamaica, where many psychedelic substances are either legal or decriminalized. They also operate in jurisdictions where they are not legal, either explicitly in violation of these laws, or through exemptions to these laws, in the case of medical or research facilities, or as a ‘church’ that has received an exemption on religious grounds from the United States federal government.

At a retreat, guests often engage in a wide variety of activities in addition to the consumption of psychedelics. These activities are meant to draw on the insights the guest might have collected from their psychedelic experience so that they can be understood, and the learnings can be applied consciously to their daily lives. Many attendees of psychedelic retreats say that Michael Pollan’s 2018 book, How to Change Your Mind, which explores the science of psychedelics in treating mental illness, was the objective proof they required to confirm their decision to attend the retreat.

Types

Emerging research is demonstrating that many psychoactive substances appear to affect brain chemistry in similar ways. The hallucinatory experience caused by moderate to heavy doses of a variety of substances may work somewhat differently depending on the substance, but all have the ability to transform thinking, addictive impulses, general happiness, and potentially even physical changes. However, different substances provide a qualitatively different experience. Psilocybin, the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms,’ generally creates a mild hallucinatory experience, with pleasant audio and visual distortions and good feelings. Ibogaine, the active ingredient in the Iboga root, sourced primarily from Western Africa, is known to produce a much more difficult experience for its consumer and can be physically dangerous if not administered appropriately.

Retreats offer a range of experiences, with accommodation settings along with additional services, to a shared or dormitory-styled accommodation in the practitioner’s private home. The number of guests attending a retreat for a particular session of treatment can range anywhere from a one-on-one, entirely customized program of care to group ceremonies attended by upwards of 30 people to resort-style experiences with multiple groups of guests running through programming concurrently.

Some practitioners are trained by Western medical disciplines, carrying degrees in therapy, medicine, nursing, and the like, whereas some learn how to administer the substances or processes based on training received from other practitioners. It is also common for practitioners to have received training from their ancestry, with indigenous practices governing ayahuasca, ibogaine, and psilocybin having been practiced and optimized over centuries.

Retreats may also be found in a variety of different settings. Guests can choose to visit a retreat with access to a local beach; surrounded by nature deep in a tropical jungle; in a private home; or at a rented convention facility at the center of an urban area. The comfort of the guest during the retreat is considered to be very important, as their response to the treatments may be better or worse (in terms of its effects and the nature of their experience) depending on how aligned they are to the ‘set and setting’ of the retreat itself. There are currently multiple marketplaces that offer full retreat packages along with additional services.

Benefits of Receiving Psychedelic Therapy at a Retreat

There are several specific mental health disorders that psychedelic therapy, delivered in any setting, may help treat, including greatly alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety, notably in scenarios where these afflictions are resistant to other treatments. Additionally, these experiences can sometimes uncover suppressed trauma, enabling the consumer to address their trauma with less anguish. Similarly, compounds like ibogaine enable a consumer to overcome severe addictions that have otherwise been left unresolved by any other treatment.

Receiving psychedelic therapy in a retreat setting may amplify the experience for several reasons. A retreat setting allows a guest to work directly with an integration therapist throughout the day, aiding them in the process and coaching them through it for days or weeks. Different compounds have different styles and results in the treatment of specific afflictions and different levels of intensity.

Typical experience

A credible retreat center often has medical screening and an application process to help make sure that the consumer is mentally and medically prepared. There will be a strong emphasis on emotional and psychological integration after the experience.

Retreat ceremonies are typically conducted by a Shaman who has been trained by indigenous people regarding the proper preparation and administration of the psychoactive compound. Typically, shamans are supported by therapists, medical practitioners, and other support staff. Every ceremony is an experience unique to the individual, and all those present may experience a completely different set of feelings, emotions, and bodily reactions. At the end of the retreat, people are encouraged to reflect on their experiences.

Locations

Psychedelic tourism is gaining popularity in many countries that allow the substances to be administered, either due to their decriminalized, unregulated, or fully legal status. Countries like Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Jamaica   all feature at least 50 psychedelic retreats of one kind or another.  

One Retreats is a retreat center located in Negril, Jamaica which is operated by Jamaican company Rose Hill which asserts itself as world's largest legal producer of psilocybin mushrooms.

The Buena Vida Psilocybin Retreats, founded in 2019 by Amanda Schendela near Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, is a collective of five to seven-day psychedelic retreats.

A publicly traded company, Silo Wellness, operates in Jamaica’s Montego Bay resort area. In addition to their psilocybin retreats guided by Rastafarians, where magic mushrooms are legal, they also sell functional mushrooms on-site and operate group ketamine retreats in Oregon.

Risks

Attending a psychedelic retreat is not without risk. The substances used in these retreats can, in rare circumstances, lead to negative and lasting impacts on individuals. In 2020, a 29-year-old British woman went to Peru for an ayahuasca retreat and developed mental health issues upon returning home, which later may have contributed to her committing suicide.

There have also been examples of sexual assault, violence, and petty crimes. In 2015, a Canadian tourist stabbed to death a fellow participant at a psychedelic retreat in the Amazon, after being attacked while under the influence of ayahuasca. In 2023, a shaman and another tourist were killed in a double murder at a different retreat. Robberies have also been reported in psychedelic retreat settings, as have sexual assaults. Psychedelic experiences produce immense physical and emotional vulnerability, and some women have claimed that they were molested by shamans while under the influence of a substance.