Cultivating Joy: In The Face Of Grief and Loss A Mindfulness and Ketamine Retreat for All Individuals

“Grief does not change you, it reveals you.” John Green

“People who’ve had any genuine spiritual experience always know that they don’t know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They are in awe before the abyss of it all, in wonder at eternity and depth, and a Love, which is incomprehensible to the mind.” Father Richard Rohr

Fee: $2150. Scholarships and sliding scale and payment plan available

We invite you to a wholesome relationship with Joy, and to Cultivate that Joy in the presence of grief and loss.  Our human experience is layered with grief of various types: small and large, unrecognized and visible, held away and integrated.   In this 4 day Mindfulness and Ketamine Full-Hearted Retreat experience, we bring breath, love and mystical presence to these intersections within us.  

Thich Nhat Hahn, the Zen Master,  spoke of smiling with tears in the eyes.  Tears from the full awareness of the depths of sadness we see and experience, yet, holding a constant inner (and when authentic, an outer) smile honoring all that is innocent, growing, beautiful and joyful.   Joy has qualities of endurance and limitlessness.   By lingering in the space between breaths, or simply asking ourselves the question:  What Else Is Possible Here?”, we might feel the beginnings of a growing spaciousness in our heart, in those very places where we feel broken.  That spaciousness may reach out softly, naturally, to the flowers growing everywhere, the aliveness of plants we may have thought of as weeds, the sound of laughter across the street, the happiness of dry earth receiving rain…   We might bring our hands together, one holding the grief, the other the possibility of joy, gently, slowly, together in a prayer called Namaste, honoring the love and joy of the divine permeating everything. 

The structure of the retreat  is designed for individuals who are ready to step into realms of  deep connection and personal development within a group setting. Participants who have skillful means to navigate non-ordinary states of consciousness and the capacity for depth work in a group setting are invited to apply for this retreat. No experience with psychedelic medicines, or Ketamine,  is necessary for admission. All applicants will be interviewed to determine if this retreat is a good fit.

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. To experience joy in the midst of it. To fully hold our deep grief and loss in the midst of it. 

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.

Many clinicians enroll in this retreat and we will have a special cohort to meet the needs of all who wish to bring their learning into working with others.

Let The Beauty Begin~

‍‍Steps to join: Please use www.relationshipresources.info

Step 1: Fill out the initial application to attend this retreat. After we receive that, the next step will be to conduct a screening call over Zoom with our Co-Founder and Lead Facilitator, Jayne Gumpel, LCSW (the confirmation email will include instructions on how to book this). 

Step 2: If the phone or Zoom screening results in a sense that there is a good fit (mutually decided, of course) you will be asked to make a deposit of 50% of the retreat fee (please note, this does not include the cost of housing).

Step 3: After paying the deposit to confirm your enrollment, you will receive an email with detailed instructions for all your next steps, including scheduling a medical screening appointment, booking housing at Menla Retreat Center, and choosing your Pre-Retreat Preparation Group Video Call with other retreat participants. You’ll also receive a login to our Customer Portal, where you’ll find all this information and more in one place, to help you prepare for the retreat. 

Cancelation policy: Full refund of deposit, due upon admission, is refundable 45 days prior to the retreat. Balance due 45 days prior to the retreat. Once the payment is made in full you will be issued a partial credit towards another retreat. Housing must be canceled by the participant. 

Schedule

Thursday, June 19

• 3 – 6 pm Arrival and Room Check-in
• 4 – 6 pm Medical Check-in
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7 – 9 pm Formal Start of Program

Friday, June 20

• 7:15 am Meditation or Movement
• 8:15 am Morning Program and First Dosing Session: Meet the medicine
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
• 12 – 3:30 pm Free Time for Relaxation and Spa – Optional Meditation or Yoga Class
• 3:30 pm Afternoon Program
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7 – 9 pm Evening Program
• 9 pm Optional Program for Play, Bonfire, etc

Saturday, June 21

• 7:15 am Meditation or Movement
• 8:15 am Integration and Small Groups
• 10 am Dosing Session
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
• 12 – 3:30 pm Free Time for Relaxation and Spa – Optional Meditation, Movement, Creative Writing Class
• 3:30 pm Afternoon Program
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7 – 9 pm Evening Program

Sunday, June 22

• 7 – 11 am Check-out of Rooms
• 8:15 am Integration and Small Groups
• 9 am Dosing Session (a time for spa or hike if not dosing)
• 11 am Brunch all Together
• 1 pm Afternoon Program
• 3 pm Program Closes

* All participants must commit to staying until the close of the program.

*Please note that the schedule is subject to change.