Top 10 Psychedelic Retreats by Modality

[component-one]

For deeper insights into what makes up a safe and quality plant medicine retreat, check out the results from our recent plant medicine retreats survey.
‍

1. If you’d like a holistic understanding of your opportunities to improve your quality of life, take this self-diagnostic.

‍

2. If this is your first time with Ayahuasca, this short quiz will help you assess your level of mental, emotional, and spiritual readiness for this powerful and sensitive work.

‍

3. If you’d like to understand more about the nature of psychedelic healing work, human potential, and who and what you really are, watch the video below.

‍

{{btn-begin-your-journey="/utility/components"}}

‍

[component-two]
‍

What to look for in a Psychedelic retreat?

‍

Like most things in life, there are a broad variety of Ayahuasca retreat options, and a number of factors that effect the safety, quality, and cost of an ayahuasca retreat:

‍

1. Safety First: Unfortunately, many small retreat centers are not in a position to make meaningful investments into screening and safety. Even if you're fine, someone else on retreat might not be, which can affect the overall experience. Our recommendation is to choose a retreat provider that does in-depth conversational, medical, and psychological screening to protect your safety and well-being.
2. Legality: Experienced practitioners who have dedicated their lives to plant medicine typically live in locations where the work is legal, so they don't have to live in a state of uncertainty about their work Our recommendation is to travel to legal locations where you can benefit from legitimate healers who operate above the radar, so you can truly relax on retreat.
3. Size of the group: It's common for retreats to have 20, 50, even 100 people in ceremony, which can be chaotic to say the least. In such large groups you are less likely to receive a sufficient level of attention from the facilitators. Our recommendation is to choose a retreat with an intimate group, in the range of 8-15 people.
4. Length of the retreat: Shorter retreats feel rushed, do not support the cultivation of meaningful relationships, and can limit what can be achieved in time available. We recommend you spend at least a week for an ayahuasca retreat to give your mind, body, heart, and soul the attention it deserves.
5. ‍‍Comfort: We recommend you choose a retreat where you are confident that you will be physically comfortable and have your own private bedroom to decompress and integrate, especially if this is your first time. Go for the full jungle mosquito immersion another time, your future self will thank you later.
6. Alignment: Select a retreat that feels aligned with your values and allows your own subjective experience to unfold naturally. There are many different worldviews out there and having a different worldview pushed on you through the retreat may not be in your highest healing interests. This is also particularly relevant for first-timers.
7. Holistic approach: Work with an organization that takes a holistic approach to working with plant medicine, and has options to support and guide your mental and emotional evolution alongside a retreat. If a provider implies that "medicine will solve all your problems", proceed with caution.
8. ‍Service: Select a retreat that you believe can meet your individual needs. Are you being treated as a human, or as participant #22 in their fourth retreat this month? Consider whether or not they've taken the time to get to know you and understand you, or it's more of a take it or leave it retreat center.
9. Booking process: Take the time to speak with the provider before finalizing your booking. If the provider does not have a screening process in place during the booking process anyone could be sitting next to you in ceremony. Some people are not in the right place to work with this powerful plant medicine, and it is the responsibility of the organizers to ensure that only people who can handle ayahuasca are accepted onto the retreat.
10. Expertise: Find an organization that emphasizes healing, and you believe has the breadth and depth of expertise to guide your transformation. Look for facilitators and healers who have a lightness of being and a sparkle in their eyes. Healing work is all about the transmutation of energy, so you are looking for people who have the energy you aspire to. If they aren't able to keep their energy right, that tells you quite a bit about either where they are at and their capabilities.
11. Reputation: At a minimum, Google the provider, you may be surprised by what you find. If there's not much information, that is also information. A reputable retreat center will have a professional online presence with testimonials from previous retreat attendees. This is essential for you to see that they are a legitimate organization who you can trust to contain this powerful experience.
12. Volunteers: Please support ethical plant medicine work by selecting an organization that pay their team. Unfortunately, it is common practice for retreat centers to cycle through young, eager, and worn out volunteers and/or not pay healers fairly. If the people supporting your retreat aren't living their best lives , they're not going to be able to lead you to yours. Don't be shy to ask this question directly when you speak to prospective centers.

‍

[component-ten]
‍

Looking for a little more guidance for one of the most important decisions of your life? Watch this video.

‍

‍

{{btn-begin-your-journey="/utility/components"}}

‍

‍

Top 10 Psychedelic Retreats

Psychedelic retreats use psychoactive substances that produce hallucinatory effects and alter perception for greater consciousness to arise. In this altered state of consciousness, there are changes in the senses, the dimensions of time and space unravel, and the person is taken far out of this dimension of reality.

Moods and thoughts change as new neural pathways are forged, and many people are able to heal from life long mental illness because of this shift in cognition. 

From healing depression and anxiety, to fighting opium addictions and alcoholism, alternative medicines like ayahuasca and psilocybin have a huge capacity to heal.

There is also opportunity for spiritual ascension and breakthroughs in these higher states of consciousness. Many psychedelics induce mystical experiences that shatter boundaries and separation, bringing us into universal love and oneness. 

Whether you are a first time seeker, or a psychonaut, experienced or inexperienced, the retreat you choose is going to determine the quality of your ceremony. The conditions of the retreat center and the support team matter greatly so it is in your best interest to choose with care. 

Keep in mind that the centers on this list are chosen as the top ten, because they put proper attention onto safety and care. All good retreat centers will have a proper medical and personal assessment to make sure psychedelics are a good fit for you.

This is the prerequisite for embarking on your journey to spiritual discovery. Many of these centers also prioritize preparation and integration work so the lessons from the medicine can be woven into your daily life. Good retreat centers will have a focus on safety and healing work outside of ceremony.

Below are the top ten psychedelic retreats to consider choosing. 

‍

1. Behold Retreats (5 MeO DMT)‍

For those who want a safe container and a psychedelic retreat that is not as taxing on the body as ayahuasca, then 5 MeO DMT is a great choice. Often referred to as the God Molecule, this thirty minute trip brings you straight to the fifth dimension of existence.  Studies done by John Hopkins University, prove that  5 MeO DMT in a ceremonial setting had fast acting improvements to participants anxiety and depression. 

Because of its recent popularity, finding a high quality retreat for this psychedelic is very difficult. Many ceremonies are underground and done illegally. Behold Retreats holds these ceremonies in an idyllic natural place in Portugal where it is legal, and the ceremony under the guidance of a professional healer with many years of experience holding space. Group sizes are small, less than ten people to provide appropriate dedication and attention from the facilitator and helpers.

Apart from intentional ceremonies in a beautiful location, Behold Retreats spends weeks facilitating deeper healing with coaching, emotional guidance, and tools for integration. The team consists of expert doctors, therapists, healers, and coaches to provide you with a well rounded experience.

Private retreats are also available for those who want to do deeper work and have the retreat tailor fit to their particular needs, from activities to dosage. Whether you choose a private or group retreat, change is inevitable. Everything you have is already inside you, the retreat is merely a tool to unearth your inherent greatness and power. 

‍

{{CTA-Upcoming-Retreats="/utility/components"}}

‍

2. Soltara Healing Center (Ayahuasca)

Though ayahuasca ceremonies have a longer duration than 5 MeO DMT and are more physically taxing, mama ayahuasca is a phenomenal tool for healing and releasing. During the six hour plant medicine journey there is purging, acting as both a physical and psychological release from the toxins kept inside the body mind complex.

Ayahuasca and other psychedelics go to the root of the problem, unlike many other modern therapies that bandaid emotional pain with prescription drugs or therapy. Though this can be helpful, ayahuasca goes deeper because it works with the subconscious mind, healing the energetic, emotional, and spiritual bodies.

At Soltara, the aim is to use an ayahuasca retreat to put the body and mind back in balance, allowing blocked stagnant energy to flow, and harmony to restore itself. The medicine experience itself is transformative, and the healing modalities help to reinforce the beauty of the inner shift. 

Soltara has creative therapies available, including poetry therapy, movement therapy, and music therapy. Breath work and meditation are quite common in most retreat centers, so taking an artistic expressive approach is a great novel way to process emotions.

 3. Behold Retreats Portugal (Ayahuasca)

Join us for a retreat at our exquisite healing facilities in the picturesque landscape of southern Portugal. Immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the comforts of our facility, where our dedicated staff ensures a serene and supportive environment.

Experience the expertise of our experienced retreat facilitators and medicine guides in intimate group settings. We prioritize your well-being in all aspects – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

Each day of the retreat, you will have the opportunity to start your day with yoga and meditation, fostering presence and connection. Additionally, our on-site somatic therapists offer optional healing modalities such as massage and bodywork to enhance your journey.

4. Silo Wellness (Psilocybin)

On the ocean of Jamaica and guided by Rastafarian expert facilitators, you can do psilocybin in a safe and beautiful setting. Where luxury meets the natural beauty of the Jamaican landscape, a villa is perched above the vastness of the ocean. Founder Mike Arnold says  “I learned firsthand that mushrooms can work if you do. They taught me that I had a choice of what I have to think about. That I was no longer at the mercy of non stop negative thoughts and anxieties.”

With this step into personal empowerment through working on himself, the vision expanded outward. Psilocybin works when you do. This is why integration is so important and why good retreat centers will always allocate time and energy to it. The work does not end after the ceremony, it is a continuous process. Silo Wellness understands this, and supports you on your journey in psychedelic therapy. 

 5. Wasiwaska Retreat (Ayahuasca)‍

This center began as a space for education, known as the Research Center for the study of Psychointegrator Plants, Visionary Art and Consciousness. 

Wasiwake knows that the environment & setting impact the atmosphere of the ceremony. The location's retreat rests in a pure natural beauty on a hill in Southern Brazil overlooking the ocean. The retreat is nestled within the forest and tucked into a garden. From this garden, nourishing dishes are made. 

The vegetables in the garden are in accordance with your ayahuasca diet. For knowledge on spiritual practices you can explore their library holding thousands of books for your knowledge before the ayahuasca retreat. You will have the chance to explore their 4000 book library in your spare time. Grab a hammock, and sink in. 

Apart from the beauty of the space, their team is well orchestrated. They have an impressive advisory board, consisting of doctors, neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists. You are guaranteed to be in safe hands during your psychedelic experience.

‍

6. Synthesis (Psilocybin)‍

Thirty minutes outside of Amsterdam are three to five day long psilocybin retreats. The retreat is on a rural plot of land with access to sauna, gardens, and workshops. Some of the sessions include yoga and breath work. 

The psilocybin is ingested through a tea based truffle ceremony. Synthesis had collected data from their clients in participation with Imperial College London. From their research, common effects post ceremony include an increased sense of well being, a positive mood, and less stress. There is also a greater increase in overall connection, of 118% and 54% of respondents said they had a mystical experience. Studies prove that psilocybin is a great tool for increasing mental wellbeing. 
‍

7. Coração Medicina (Psilocybin)

This retreat center has a focus on solely psilocybin, while many others have commitment to a variety of plant medicines. The healing modality is solely mushrooms paired with other healing techniques such as Kambo, to purify the mind and body before the ceremony. Retreats last seven days which allow time for time to reflect with sharing circles and support. 

Group sizes are small at a maximum of ten people and there are four leaders to support you during your journey. In a quiet  rural setting outside of the city of Lisbon, nature’s touch is available and there is the opportunity to come back to harmony and inner balance. 

8. APL Journeys (Ayahuasca)

In the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, is one of APL Journey's international retreat centers to host the plant medicine ceremony of mama aya. This is a luxury retreat through and through. Stays are in a beautiful suite with an outdoor shower and a jungle pool so you are connected to nature. 

Across a span of six days are three plant medicine ceremonies with ayahuasca, including a temazcal herbal sauna, a kambo ceremony, medicinal baths, breath work, yoga sessions, and daily shamanic rituals.

The ayahuasca retreat is guided by a shipibo shaman from Peru or Ecuador of South America, with additional facilitators certified by the Red Cross to ensure safety. There are also educational seminars regarding Amazonian Curanderismo and Ayahuasca healing traditions. With a devotion to being of service, 15% of profits are donated to local communities in Peru, where the plant medicine is sourced from.

‍

9. Behold Retreats Costa Rica (Psilocybin)

If you're feeling the call to work with the sacred magic mushroom, join us in Costa Rica for opportunity to partake in a small group psilocybin retreat in an environment built on safety, sovereignty, integrity, and trust.

We keep our psilocybin retreats intimate (never more than 8 people) because we're passionate about offering our guests the most focused, personalized, and effective healing experience possible. We believe that receiving sacred plant medicine in a small group of thoroughly-vetted guests (or even 1 on 1) can be the difference between just another psychedelic experience, or your life's turning point.

‍

Still need some help choosing a retreat?

We would be honored to guide you in choosing the best retreat for your needs. Behold Retreats coordinates expertly guided retreats with highly experienced facilitators.

Reach out to us to set up a complimentary discovery call and we can point you in the right direction.

‍

{{CTA-Upcoming-Retreats="/utility/components"}}

‍
5-MeO-DMT in Tepoztlan, Mexico

Ayahuasca in Costa Rica

Psilocybin in the Netherlands