Psychedelic Integration: Experiential Practice Retreat for Clinicians

This 5-day experiential retreat is designed for therapists who practice psychedelic integration or psychedelic-assisted therapy, or are training to do so. Experiential training is a component of training in which therapists experience the transformative process of the given modality themselves, and apply their insights to their own lives and to their professional work with others. Experiential training is a key training experience for therapists who wish to engage with clients who have used psychedelics or facilitate psychedelic experiences. At this retreat, contemplative practices will be used to practice accessing and integrating non-ordinary states of consciousness in the same way one would approach psychedelic experiences.

At Menla, we will be in the natural surroundings of the Catskill Mountains, a comfortable and safe haven to convene and practice engaging with and integrating non-ordinary states of consciousness into the larger fabric of our lives as we would assist our clients in doing. Together we will cultivate and practice working with non-drug contemplative practices using similar methods to those we use with psychedelic medicines. Writing, music, and creative expression are on the agenda in order to explore and extend our personal understanding of integration of non-ordinary states.

The retreat space facilitates our focus on self-care, healthy meals, and learning together. We will learn and practice the skills and process of Noble Communication and effective inquiry skills. Each day will offer morning yoga and meditation and time to enjoy the natural surroundings. There will be a day of silence for cultivating reflection and insight. The merging of Eastern contemplative practices with Western psychotherapeutic modalities will be considered during evening talks and discussions. Participants will be invited to look deeply at how a variety of contemplative practices relate to psychedelic integration work, and can be used in conjunction psychedelics or on their own to benefit the integration process. Note: This program does not teach psychedelic-assisted therapy, does not include the administration of any psychedelic compound, and does not suggest or support the self-administration of any psychedelic compound during the retreat. This program does not offer continuing education credit, but is part of the certificate program in psychedelic integration psychotherapy offered by Fluence.

Use this link to register!

Schedule

Tuesday, April 19th

• 3 – 6 pm Arrival & Check in
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:30 – 9 pm Program Opening Session
  • Welcome
  • Introductions of our team
  • Who is in the room?
  • Agenda and housekeeping
  • Expectations for the week
  • Brief meditation and good night

Wednesday, April 20th

• 7 – 8 am Morning Yoga
• 7:15 – 8am Meditation and Inquiry
• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Session
  • Take your seat
  • Mediation – why am I here (intention)
  • Brief writing about meditation
  • Seeds of Noble listening and practice
  • Inquiry – introducing what is inquiry and why we do it (not a solutions oriented practice,
    continuation of meditation)
  • Morning close (thank yourself) and off to lunch.
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
  2 – 3:30 pm Optional Activities
  • (See list below)
• 4 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Session: Mindfulness of body beginning Values Card Sort
  • Body Scan Meditation
  • Values Card Sort Part 1
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:15 – 8:30 pm Evening Program: Values Card Sort Part 2
• 8:30 – 9 pm Evening Program Part Two: Visual Art Practice

Thursday, April 21st

• 7 – 8 am Yoga
• 7 – 8 am Visual Art
• 7:15 – 8 am Meditation and Inquiry
• 8 – 9am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Session
  • Take your seat
  • Ethics of Touch through Listening Hands Practice
  • Noble Communication: reflecting, validating, empathy
  • Morning close (thank yourself) and off to lunch.
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
• 2 – 3:30 pm Optional Activities
  • See list below
• 4 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Session
  • State to trait: What is mindfulness and how do we relate it to psychedelic integration?
  • Discussion & Q&A
  • Movement and/or Restorative Yoga
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:15 – 8:30 pm Evening Program Part One
  • Mindfulness of the sensory experience
• 8:30 – 9 pm Evening Program Part Two
  • Instruction for tomorrow: Day of silence including mindful eating.

Friday, April 22nd (Silent until evening meal)

• 7 – 8 am Yoga
• 7 – 8 am Visual Art
• 7:15 – 8 am Meditation and Inquiry
• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Session
  • Take your seat
  • Body Scan
  • Walking Meditation
  • Self-Compassion Meditation
  • Walking Meditation
  • Mindfulness of breath and sensory experience
  • Morning close (thank yourself) and reminder about mindful eating
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch (Silent)
• 2 – 3:30 pm Optional Activities
  • See list below
• 4 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Session
  • Open awareness (introducing mindfulness of sound, emotions, thoughts)
  • Triads for breaking silence and practice listening using Noble Listening
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:15 – 8 pm Evening Program Part One
  • Small group inquiry – Reflecting on today’s experience
• 8:15 – 9:15 pm Evening Program Part Two
  • Sound Meditation

Saturday, April 23rd

• 7 – 8 am Yoga
• 7 – 8 am Mural
• 7:15 – 8 am Meditation and Inquiry
• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Session
  • Take your seat
  • Small Group Inquiry Sessions
  • Full Group Discussion
  • Morning close (thank yourself) and off to lunch.
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
• 2 – 3:30 pm Optional Activities
  • See list below
• 4 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Session: Mindfulness of body and breath
  • Brief Meditation together and Visual Art project assembly
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:15 – 9 pm Evening Celebration with Music and Group Sharing – Bonfire if Available

Sunday, April 24th

• 7 – 11 am Check-out of Rooms
• 7 – 8 am Yoga
• 7 – 8 am Visual Art
• 7:15 – 8 am Meditation and Inquiry
• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Session
  • Take your seat
  • Moving on from here – integrating this into the larger scope of your life
  • Noble listening practice with talking about your experience of the retreat
  • Closing Circle: Soup with Yarn
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch and Departures

Optional Afternoon Activities:

• Sitting meditation with inquiry
• Walking meditation
• Guided hike (Book with Menla’s Front Desk)
• Outdoor time on one’s own
• Spa (Massage/Sauna)
• Restorative Yoga
• Individual Meetings
• Prepare for your group sharing
• Visual Art project time

*Please note that this schedule is subject to change.