Psychedelic Integration: Experiential Training 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.

Schedule

Tuesday, November 17th

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

Wednesday, November 18th

• 7 – 8am Morning Yoga
• 7:15 – 8am Meditation and Inquiry
• 8 – 9am Breakfast
• 9:30am – 12pm Morning Session
  • Take your seat
  • Mediation – why am I here (intention)
  • Brief writing about that
  • Seeds of Noble listening
  • 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 – 1:30pm Lunch
• 2 – 3:30pm Optional Activities
  • (See list below)
• 4 – 5:30pm Afternoon Session: Mindfulness of body and breath
  • Walking meditation
  • Mountain Meditation
• 6 – 7pm Dinner
• 7:15 – 8:30pm Evening Program Part One: Values Card Sort in Partners
• 8:30 – 9pm Eventing Program Part Two: Introduction to the group mural

Thursday, November 19th

• 7 – 8am Yoga- Michele
• 7 – 8 Mural
• 7:15 – 8am Meditation and Inquiry
• 8 – 9am Breakfast
• 9:30am – 12pm Morning Session
  • Take your seat
  • Noble Communication: reflecting, validating, empathy
  • Practice in triads – Explain the roles – developing role of observer
  • Morning close (thank yourself) and off to lunch.
• 12:30 – 1:30pm Lunch
• 2 – 3:30pm Optional Activities
  • See list below
• 4 – 5:30pm Afternoon Session
  • State to trait: What is mindfulness and how do we relate it to psychedelic integration?
  • Practice noble listening with any ASC experience.
  • Group discussion How does noble listening facilitate ASC integration?
• 6 – 7pm Dinner
• 7:15 – 8:30pm Evening Program Part One
  • Ingmar talk about psychedelic integration, Buddhism, psychoanalysis, etc
• 8:30 – 9pm Evening Program Part Two
  • Instruction for tomorrow, Raisin exercise, Silent day (including mindful eating)

Friday, November 20th  (Silent until evening meal)

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

Saturday, November 21st

• 7 – 8am Yoga – Selena
• 7 – 8am Mural
• 7:15 – 8am Meditation and Inquiry
• 8 – 9am Breakfast
• 9:30am – 12pm Morning Session
  • Take your seat
  • Guided visualization revisiting values and how those are working out for you.
  • Contribute to a group mural in a way that reflects that
  • Morning close (thank yourself) and off to lunch.
• 12:30 – 1:30pm Lunch
• 2 – 3:30pm Optional Activities
  • See list below

• 4 – 5:30pm Afternoon Session: Mindfulness of body and breath
  • Walking meditation
  • Mountain Meditation
• 6 – 7pm Dinner
• 7:15 – 9:00pm Evening Celebration with Music and group sharing.

Sunday, November 22nd

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

Optional Afternoon Activities:

• • Sitting meditation with inquiry
  • Walking meditation
  • Guided hike
  • Outdoor time on one’s own
  • Spa (Massage/Sauna)
  • Restorative Yoga
  • Individual Meetings
  • Prepare for your group sharing
  • Mural Time (From Thursday forward)

*Please note that this schedule is subject to change.