In life, we use different activities to distract ourselves. From art to psychedelic retreats, there are thousands of ways to connect with your mind and thus feel much better.
What is a psychedelic retreat?
Psychedelic retreats are spaces designed to get away and distance yourself from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to which we are accustomed. Likewise, psychedelic retreats are spaces designed to provide a fresh perspective and stimulate creativity with psychoactive substances.
The value of these psychedelic retreats is spiritual and creative and they seek for each person to achieve a spiritual connection at a high personal level that helps them discover aspects of themselves that they didn’t know before and didn’t imagine they had.
Although they are in the eye of the storm, psychedelic retreats have their advantages and disadvantages. They are applauded and hated by many people since, whether informed about the subject or not, they express opinions that give this type of activity a certain fame.
Therefore, today we have given ourselves the task of clarifying several mysteries about psychedelic retreats so that you are encouraged (or not) to participate in one.
Current Context Vs Common Beliefs
Before, psychedelic movement used to be associated with the hippie movement of the 1970s. The cultural movement that became popular due to the consumption of psychedelic substances “expanded the minds” of all its individuals and wow, it captured many!
Currently, many of the practices of this movement have been transferred to psychedelic retreats held in many places such as Jamaica. Substances such as LSD, DMT, and psilocybin have experienced a new era accompanied by scientific research that has removed their stigmatization and prohibition.
As time passed, between the 1970s and now, therapeutic studies were done to evaluate the potential of these substances and now we’ve much more information and how they affect each person.
What substances are used in psychedelic retreats?
Peyote, ayahuasca, and hallucinogenic mushrooms are some of the most commonly used concoctions in psychedelic retreats. Thanks to them, many people have undertaken quite interesting journeys with healing and spiritual goals. In contrast to stimulants or sedatives, psychedelic drugs induce an altered state of consciousness and help perceive, activate, or deactivate parts of the brain.
The effects, much to the regret of those who are against psychedelic retreats and their substances, are comparable to those of yoga or meditation. Over the last decade, these types of retreats have even helped mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, addictions, and post-traumatic stress.
There Are Many Ways Psychedelic Retreats Benefit You
If there is something we admire about psychedelic retreats, it’s that they’ve endless benefits. It’s incredible how they can be used to heal even spheres that you didn’t even know about yourself before. You didn’t even imagine them. Before Columbus, the spiritual retreats of pre-Columbian societies had healing, spiritual purposes, unity between groups, and introspection.
As previously stated, psychedelic retreats have effects comparable to those of yoga and meditation. Many mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, have relied on this type of activity to provide better treatment to their patients. The dynamic nature of each retreat, together with the infinite experiences that each one offers to its participants, allows everything to be great.
Psychedelic retreats have become a “Learning Window” for the brain and generate new neuronal connections through the integration and stimulation of dendrites, a part of the cell responsible for communication between them.
So… What happens in Jamaica?
The current mecca for psychedelic retreats has been Jamaica. It’s perhaps where the best retreats are made and it’s where they’ve gained the most popularity. Do people go to retreats for fun?
Well, they don’t.
They go to retreats for work… and out of curiosity. Executives from large and medium-sized companies have found an opportunity to enhance their cognitive abilities in psychedelic retreats. As we made clear in previous sections, psychedelic substances emerge on this occasion as therapeutic tools.
It’s very common to see how many “psychedelic shamans” of the 21st century advertise themselves. Great people with holistic beliefs and capable of allowing you to make a good psychedelic retreat are those that great businessmen trust.
It’s not that multimillion-dollar deals are closed at psychedelic retreats. On the contrary, this is where the possibility, or the idea, of closing or not, of new deals being created or old ones being discarded, is born.
Psychedelic retreats are conceived as “sensory experiences” that provide insights into business and allow you to differentiate the competition and upcoming scenarios compared to other factors that can only be seen during the retreat.
Likewise, these activities that allow us to connect with the mind and spirit prevail over artificial intelligence and the high number of automatic processes that have been created. That is why many people who are fed up with this type of thing choose to have a different time and make decisions away from the hustle and bustle outside.
Is everything legal?
This will depend on the State.
Each territory has its regulations and it’s very common to see how there are places where its possession and consumption are allowed or the legislation is lax. They are organized as short luxury vacations in paradisiacal places. They attract people linked to senior business management who seek to surpass their capabilities and achieve a “higher” state of consciousness.
Jim MacPhee, a consultant who retired as chief operating officer of Walt Disney World in 2021, says psilocybin helps him be a better leader. Figures such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Sergey Brin have confirmed taking microdoses of ketamine, LSD, or psilocybin to improve their performance. They claim to have reoriented their business model after participating in one of the personal discovery retreats.
Even so, this does not mean that to be a good businessman you must consume substances of this type since only then will you achieve success. It’s a personal decision that each person makes based on their beliefs and their own experience.
How Psychedelic Retreats Work
Attending a psychedelic retreat is very simple. The organizers communicate with the participants through platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, and others so that they always keep those who want to be part of the experience informed.
The dynamics are very simple. Each person joins a program that lasts a day or a week. Typically, each psychedelic retreat event offers 5 or 7 days. Each program includes a stage of:
- Preparation: Where the activities of the psychedelic retreat consist of as well as the rules of coexistence.
- Psychedelic experience: Sometimes divided by seasons and there are several ways to experience each activity. It’s the most exciting part.
Among the most important activities are group trips, meditations accompanied by psychedelic substances, and dances or songs typical of the community in which you are. Some retreats require the use of specific clothing or colors that facilitate the development of the activities. All this makes the experience much better.
- Integration: It’s a phase that begins while in the psychedelic retreat but continues in subsequent months. It consists of being part of the community or making some companions in the retreat.
Although some participants recall moments of terror, pain, and searing clarity, many agree that drugs can trigger a real change in behavior or mental outlook after periods of stagnation.
The retreats don’t focus on the recreational use of psychedelic drugs but on their therapeutic potential to help people overcome challenges and achieve significant inner growth. Experts warn that caution and responsibility are crucial, given the intensity of psychedelic experiences and the serious risks associated. We have to be cautious.
Costs and Effectiveness
Psychedelic retreats have been around for quite some time. Currently, tourist centers have been creating programs that offer the experience to their guests with a medical basis and timely supervision to avoid accidents.
Still, measuring the effectiveness of these specialized psychedelic retreat centers is a bit confusing. It’s not like you can go to research work or a laboratory.
ONE Retreats has received excellent ratings from its participants who have received psilocybin-assisted therapy. Many confirmed that traveling to a new place and getting to know themselves there allowed them to improve in many aspects of their lives.
At this same center, psychedelic experiences usually cost between about $3,000 and $8,000. However, there are several types and some are more accessible.
Do they really work?
This answer is very subjective. Each person has a different experience that may be good… or not. The way each person perceives it’s different. Some are going to heal some deep pain in their soul and live an experience full of sadness facing their sorrows, but there are those who are going to connect with their lost joy and manage to find it in the midst of euphoria.
Depending on what each person experiences, their perception of the psychedelic retreat will be. The most important thing is that the goals are achieved and the expectations of why you want to go to this retreat are met.
If what you are looking for is something that tells you that it must be yes or yes because otherwise, you will lose the best experience of your life, then go to another article.
Psychedelic retreats are exclusive sensory experiences that individualize each person despite being carried out in a group. So the decision to go there must be purely personal and free of external influences.
The controversies surrounding Psychedelic Retreats
There are entire groups that consider that psychedelic retreats and tourist centers that offer these types of experiences are surrounded by an illegal plot that should be stopped as quickly as possible. As previously mentioned, depending on where you are, psychedelic retreats may or may not be legal.
You can check this information by reviewing the laws online, in person, or by consulting with your legal advisor in the country or state where you are.
There tends to be stigmas and bad concepts around the people who attend these activities, which makes those who enjoy the retreats feel very bad. In this way, commotion can often arise among participants who attended the retreat with many doubts that the activities didn’t meet their expectations.
Conclusion
You must decide for yourself. Psychedelic retreats are one of the most important moments in the lives of people who dare to experience them. They are capable of marking a before and after in everyone’s life so that they can define the new personality of that individual.
What do we recommend?
Read and consult all available material until you feel comfortable. This will allow you to create your criteria on the subject and be able to decide wisely for yourself. Psychedelic retreats are an experience that must be lived at least once, whether to heal or to find a new purpose.
Although they are very popular now, they’ve always existed. From ancient civilizations to current communities that have adopted psychedelic retreats as part of their daily lives.
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