Perspective(s)
PSYCHEDELIC TRAINING RETREATS
Who We Are
We're a team of licensed therapists, ACT trainers, and psychedelic researchers with a deep passion for and experience with preparing, guiding, and integrating psychedelic experiences in both group and individual settings. We are committed to promoting an ACT-informed approach to psychedelic-assisted therapy in the service of our guiding values: Openness, Self Transcendence, Safeness, & Light-heartedness. Our role in these retreats is to act as “Setters” – those responsible for fostering a setting conducive to deep individual and group work. We are there throughout to help guide and support participants while they are in the role of sitter and doser. We also facilitate all preparation and integration sessions to help ensure that participants are able to make the most of their experience.
Our Approach
Ours is a pragmatic stance towards psychedelic science. We aim to create retreats that are practical and accessible for people wanting to learn to guide others in their use of psychedelics, deepen their practice of psychedelic harm reduction and integration therapy, or simply be more equipped to better support and understand clients who want to talk about their own psychedelic experiences in therapy.
We acknowledge and have deep respect the long tradition of psychedelics in indigenous communities worldwide and recognize the wisdom in spiritual and non-science-based approaches to these medicines. While we honor these perspectives and the rich cultural heritage surrounding the use of plant medicines, we seek to understand and apply a science-based approach to psychedelic medicines.
Our particular approach is one that is grounded in our best understanding of the science of how people thrive as well as how people overcome psychological struggles. Much of our psychological work is guided by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Contextual Behavioral Science. We integrate our knowledge of psychological science with a growing research base of psychedelic science and psychedelic-assisted therapy to inform how we prepare people for retreats, facilitate retreats, and conduct integration.
Our Guiding Principles
There are four guiding principles that have informed the design and implementation of our retreats. These principles were developed through a combination of experience and a review of the empirical literature on what variables most reliably predict positive outcomes in psychedelic-assisted therapy and retreat contexts.
Openness
Approaching whatever arises, including the challenging stuff with a posture of openness, curiosity, and trust in the unfolding present. In the language of ACT, we might also call this acceptance or willingness.
Self Transcendence
We seek to help people connect with being a part of something larger than our own limited self-conceptualizations. Transcending our limited self-stories allows us to appreciate both what is different among us and what is shared.
Safeness
Growth best occurs in a larger context of psychological and physical safety. This includes forming a sense of connection and belonging in the group, while also ensuring appropriate and effective interpersonal boundaries.
Light-heartnedness
While we believe in the importance of creating a sense of sacredness and seriousness, we also value play, laughter, and light-heartedness. We need lightness to blend the “deep” with play, pleasure, joy, and connection. We think of this as going on an adventure together
Meet Our Team - The "Setters"
Our retreats are designed and overseen by our "Setters" – experienced ACT psychedelic-assisted therapists and researchers, most of whom are actively involved in psychedelic-assisted therapy research trials.
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
By embracing and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, we strive to create a more holistic, effective, and transformative experience for all who participate in our programs. This commitment is intrinsic to our guiding principles, particularly "Safeness" and "Self Transcendence." We believe that by creating a truly inclusive environment, we enhance the sense of safety that is crucial for growth and self-exploration. Moreover, our focus on self-transcendence naturally extends to recognizing and celebrating our inter-connectedness across all dimensions of human diversity, while still acknowledging our differences. We are committed to making our services and retreats as accessible as possible and actively work to reduce barriers that might exclude people from traditionally underrepresented or marginalized communities. This includes considerations of financial accessibility, physical accommodations, and culturally sensitive practices. Toward this end, we offer scholarships to people who cannot otherwise attend our retreats and encourage people to ask about those when they apply.