The Happy Therapist Experience: Psychedelic Retreats for Inner Transformations
IN RECENT YEARS, traditional approaches to addressing mental health and addiction issues have evolved to embrace alternative therapies that utilize the transformative power of our inner selves, nature and ancient healing practices. Among these emerging therapies, psychedelic retreats have gained significant interest as a modality. Retreats are short-term inpatient treatment programs that provide a deepened wellness experience while focusing on personal growth, healing and self-discovery. Psychedelic retreats also include structured, immersive experiences where participants engage in guided sessions with psychedelic substances to facilitate a deeper personal transformation.
While pursuing skills and training that help me provide modern treatment approaches using legal psychedelics, I couldn’t help but notice the growing demand for healing retreats. My psychedelic treatment program at the Center of Inner Transformations has provided in-office, in-home and group treatment modalities for many years, while I referred my clients out for inpatient treatment programs. The requests and demands for me to create a retreat-style inpatient program piqued my interest in acquiring various psychedelic retreat experiences, both personal and experiential. By allowing myself to feel vulnerable with professionals who I vetted my trust, I allowed myself to be me, not The Happy Therapist, or the psychotherapist, but Sonia Singh, the first-generation Punjabi-American woman with an openness about her past of battling and overcoming mental health struggles.
My journey led me to meet Dr. Berenice Blyzet, a psychedelic facilitator and psychedelic retreat curator, working for Dr. Magalie Brewer, a seasoned psychiatric treatment veteran, who invited me to my most poignant psychedelic treatment experience at “Healing Escapes” in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. This legal psilocybin-assisted treatment program offered me a unique personalized treatment experience that included pre- and post-assessment screening and assessment, a 1:1 treatment provider-to-client ratio, a private luxury accommodation for me to have a private dosing session, personalized wellness and mind-body therapies, various integrative therapy groups, nutritional chef-inspired meals, an island nature excursion, harm reduction counseling, and a psychedelic facilitator sitting in on my “high-dose” of psilocybin mushroom session for support and to process my mystical experience. They also offer experiential training and education retreats for clinicians seeking to incorporate psilocybin-assisted therapy in their practices.
The Rise of Psychedelic Retreats
Psychedelic retreats are short-term, immersive programs where participants engage in guided sessions with psychedelic substances like psilocybin (the active compound in magic mushrooms), ayahuasca or LSD. Rooted in indigenous traditions and bolstered by contemporary scientific research, psychedelic retreats offer a holistic approach to mental health and personal growth.
Experiential retreats for healers and clinicians are immersive workshops designed to enhance personal and professional growth through hands-on, transformative experiences. These retreats often focus on deepening self-awareness, refining therapeutic skills and fostering a supportive community among participants, ultimately enriching their practice and personal well-being.
Experiential retreats provide both the benefit of learning and training, while reversing roles and supporting self-care and self-actualization needs. At Healing Escapes, I became inspired by the owner’s intention to offer experiential retreat healing experiences influenced by her own healing experiences. I realized that most mental health professionals could benefit from experiential experiences because these activities promote deep self-awareness and personal insight, which are crucial for effective therapy. Engaging in immersive, hands-on practices helps clinicians understand and manage their own emotional responses, build empathy and enhance their ability to connect with and support their clients.
Dr. Brewer’s understanding that integrating psychedelics promotes mental health and spiritual growth helped her create her psychedelic retreat program as an extension of her “Gold Standard” traditional outpatient mental health clinic in Maryland of 20 years. Integrating this type of therapeutic framework helps participants achieve spiritual experiences that address mental health concerns and emerge powerful new insights and grounded paradigms to carry forward in their daily lives.
The Future of Psychedelic Healing
Healing retreats can offer a safe and nurturing environment for exploration while participants embark on a journey that includes preparatory sessions, guided psychedelic experiences and integration workshops. Under the watchful eyes of trained facilitators and healthcare professionals, participants journey inwards, confronting past traumas, unresolved emotions and suppressed memories, complemented by activities to engage the mind, body and spirit.
Participants, despite their diverse backgrounds, could deepen connections and a sense of community through their shared vulnerability and openness, which is crucial for the integration of the experience into daily life.
My experience has not only deepened my understanding of myself, but also inspired me to extend my practice with new partnerships and collaborations with experienced therapists, shamans and wellness practitioners. Inspired by my healing experiences, I aimed to create spaces where individuals can safely explore their consciousness, heal from within and rediscover their true selves.
When considering psychedelic retreats, both providers and patients should take into account several key factors. Retreats often require different staffing than in-office treatments, including needing professionals skilled not only in administering psychedelics but also in holding space for extended, intensive experiences. These individuals are called “Psychedelic facilitators” and usually hold, at minimum, a master’s degree or higher in an applied mental health field.
The location or “Set and Setting” is fundamental to the safe and effective use of psychedelics, particularly in a retreat setting. “Set” refers to the mindset of the individual, encompassing their mental state, emotional well-being and intentions going into the experience. “Setting” involves the physical and social environment where the psychedelic experience takes place. When choosing a retreat space, it’s crucial that the setting is carefully curated to promote safety, comfort and a sense of security.
Retreats can be particularly beneficial for patients at a crossroads in their healing journey or those seeking a deeper, immersive experience after initial therapeutic groundwork has been laid. However, they may not be suitable for individuals in the early stages of treatment or those with unresolved trauma that needs a more controlled and gradual approach.
In my new role, I am excited to offer psychedelic retreats as a powerful pathway to achieving personal transformation and a groundbreaking shift in how we approach mental health and wellness. The journey of self-discovery and healing is one of the most important endeavors we can undertake. The transformative power of my experiences offers a blueprint for how psychedelics can be safely and effectively integrated into therapeutic settings. As we continue to explore the frontiers of consciousness and healing, I hope that more individuals will have the opportunity to experience the profound benefits of psychedelic retreats.
