Psychedelic Integration: Experiential Practice Retreat for Clinicians

Days

Hours

Mins

Psychedelic Integration: Experiential Practice Retreat for Clinicians

April 19 - April 24, 2022

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!

ScheduleTuesday, 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 Lunch2 - 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.

ABOUT THE TEACHERs

Elizabeth Nielson, PhD

Dr. Elizabeth Nielson is a co-founder of Fluence and a psychologist with a focus on developing psychedelic medicines as empirically supported treatments for PTSD, substance use problems, and mood disorders. Dr. Nielson is a therapist on FDA approved clinical trials of psilocybin-...

Leah Gooch, 500RYT

Leah Gooch teaches yoga, meditation, writing, and art in order to help individuals approach a deeper awareness of their existence. After teaching art in New York City for eight years she facilitated the creation of a mural inside of Crossroads Detention Center in Brooklyn, comple...

David Gumpel M.A

David Gumpel, Co-founder of Relationship Resources, is an Integral Master Coach and a qualified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through UMASS medical school. He completed his MA in Psychology at The New School for Social Research. David is the co-founder of�...