Cultivating Joy: A Ketamine-assisted Mindfulness Retreat for Professionals

Welcome to Cultivating Joy ~ A Ketamine Assisted Mindfulness Retreat for professionals looking to cultivate and deepen their practice with groups through experiential education.

This is a safe, structured retreat led by a staff of licensed and highly experienced therapists and physicians in the beautiful Catskill Mountains at MENLA Retreat and Spa.

~Meet at the intersection of science and spirituality~

Participation in this retreat begins with an  application to attend

This four-day retreat is designed for licensed professionals. The program design focuses on supporting the personal wellbeing of clinicians, particularly those dealing with burnout, experiencing Zoom fatigue, depression. feeling isolated, and having limited time for self-care practices. Through reflective evening discussions this retreat will support the embodiment of holding space in groups and retreats. An effective method of learning group facilitation is to participate in a group as a member and then reflect on the experience from a practitioner’s perspective.

This promises to be a transformative, loving, safe and dynamic experience in a community with awesome humans and nature. If you are committed to the practice of sharing the fullness of your being, locating your best self, your enthusiasm & vitality, your spirit, your trust, your openness, above all, your presence~ this may be a weekend experience for you. Join this retreat if you have a deep desire to share yourself in this way, with yourself, with fellow retreat members, with your family, friends, and with the world.

Those interested in a comprehensive and deep dive into mindfulness and wellness work in small groups and residential retreats using ketamine (and future legal psychedelics), are encouraged to apply. This program includes an abundance of resources and aligns with our mission to ease suffering by creating space for joy in community with others. Working with psychedelics demands a high level of skill, humility and self awareness. MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction), creative writing, guided meditations and visualizations, Noble Communication, poetry, movement, wellness-enhancing practices, and storytelling are core components of this program. Rohini is excited to share ayurvedic practices; Saundra shares her WILD 5 program…..all of us will fill your plate with love, wisdom and practice knowledge. All participants in this program will receive an e-manual with timelines, resources, and other important material you may find useful to integrate group work into your practice post-retreat. The program, which extends beyond the June dates via zoom, will cover the nuts and bolts of both building a group practice and curating a safe and effective residential retreat experience.

Combining Ketamine with mindfulness and meditation practices can be a jump start to a more conscious and purposeful life. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a world renowned author, speaker, and mindfulness teacher, likes to say “there is more right with you, than wrong with you”.  At our retreats we use guided practices to bring individuals home to their inner intelligence. Regardless of what is unfolding  moment to moment, we each have the innate capacity and inner wisdom to choose to be present and to practice compassion and kindness with ourselves and with each other.

We take great care in the enrollment process. Safety is our top priority while making sure every individual that will attend has the capacity to be in a group setting and to experience Ketamine in a safe and constructive manner. This retreat is not a residential treatment setting and is not meant for people suffering from an acute mental health crises, and it is not for those with chronic and persistent psychiatric conditions.

Included in the tuition.

Group Zoom Preparation Meeting – 90 minutes

(MBSR) Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction 8 week class. Mindfulness education through experiential and didactic learning. Optional.

WILD 5 – A Proven Path to Wellness a 30-day evidenced-based wellness program developed by Saundra Jain and Rakesh Jain that integrates exercise, mindfulness, sleep, social connectedness, nutrition, and positive psychology practices. Self paced.

Post Retreat: Included in the tuition. We will meet three times as a cohort on zoom for continued integration and application of material. An on-going, no fee,  peer group will be supported and encouraged.

Steps to join:

Step 1: Apply to the retreat.

Applicants will have a screening call to determine if this is the right retreat for you. You will be asked to fill out the application form before the interview.  If the screening call determines that the retreat is appropriate, you will be invited to attend and provided a payment link to make a deposit. Instructions for reserving housing with Menla will also be shared.

Step 2: Complete the medical interview.

Applicants will be assigned to a medical doctor on staff for a medical interview. This is essential and may involve speaking with your psychotherapist or prescribing medical professional.  Following this, you may be approved for the prescription of ketamine lozenges.

Step 3: Preparation with retreat staff.

You will be assigned to a staff member for a 60 minute group preparation session on Zoom. The preparation session is included in the tuition. This meeting is an important part of the process and introduces you to the retreat in detail. The staff member assigned for this session will be sitting with you during the dosings.  It is possible that this session will result in a decision that the retreat is not a good fit.

Step 4: Complete retreat documentation.

You will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement that addresses our request to hold the names/identities of other participants as confidential.  We also provide an informed consent document which we will ask you to read carefully and sign.