To ensure the experience of everyone is as beneficial as possible, we do not host group retreats but invite individuals to embark on a long-term, multi-stage journey with us, in which the session itself is merely one phase. During the intake phase, we conduct a thorough medical and psychological pre-screening process to ensure the safety of the experience for all candidates, as well as an introductory interview, to get to know each other and to discuss intentions and upcoming steps.
Once applications are accepted and dates arranged, the preparation phase includes the presentation of introductory educational content, baseline psychometric measurements that will be used to help evaluate the impact of the session, and the option to schedule one or more sessions with our allied psychologists, who specialise in the preparation and integration for psychedelic experiences. While these sessions are not mandatory, we do strongly encourage candidates to take the opportunity, particularly those who are approaching psychedelics from a state of significant mental distress, such as depression, anxiety, OCD or addiction. People in such states are precisely those who are most likely to encounter the most challenges during a session, and expertly guided preparation from an experienced clinician can significantly improve both the immediate experience of the session as well as the long-term outcomes. We consider it an ethical responsibility to refer candidates to appropriately qualified specialists when presented with necessities beyond the scope of our expertise.
We meet you at the apartment in Ronda around 2pm. The session begins with a preparatory discussion, during which we set and record intentions, work through doubts and fears, advise how to respond to challenging experiences, and quieten the mind with a "mindful eating" meditation. The mushrooms are served in a tea ceremony including an infusion of herbal extracts shown in several clinical trials to reduce anxiety significantly in patients awaiting surgery. This is particularly apt as a high dose psychedelic session is comparable to performing a deep surgical operation on your own mind.
The infusion is served alongside a medicinal chocolate made of ceremonial-grade raw cacao mixed with a blend of powdered herbs and medicinal mushrooms, known as adaptogens, shown to be effective in boosting neuroplasticity, enhancing focus, memory and learning, and improving mood through modulation of serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), encouraging feelings of energetic calm and euphoria in ceremonial and meditative contexts.
Bliss and tranquillity suffusing body and mind from the infusion, chocolate, and aroma-therapy is compounded by the healing hands of a professional masseuse whose corporeal alchemy releases an endorphin inundation. Expertly applied pleasurable touch, rooted in the influence of our human nature as social primates, fills the nervous system with an oxytocin ocean, just as pleasurable fragrances from the plant and bee world fill the air, the tongue, and the soul.
Beginning with the massage, and continuing for the duration of the session, a live sound meditation suffuses the sense organs of the ears with soothing harmonics from live instruments mixed with acoustic ecology recordings of natural soundscapes around the world. By the time the massage is over, the effects of the mushroom have started to announce their presence, and you are invited to lie back, relax, and attend to your interior experience for the rest of the session.
Once the effects subside, around 5 hours later, we provide opportunities for you to record the experience in writing or through audio. We close the session around 20pm and leave you in peace to rest in your room, see the sights of the city or surrounding countryside, as you prefer. Some days after the session, we provide the opportunity to record outcome measurements and send a personal aftercare email with suggestions on how to continue the journey.
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
