All About Plant Medicine Retreats
By Neil Kirwan
Accessing the world of Ayahuasca through ceremony is arguably easier today than it ever has been. There are now people serving medicine in most countries around the world, often under grey or extremely risky legal circumstances.
It’s an amazing thing that people have easier access to these incredible plants, and yet it can also easily lead to abuse and or disrespect. It’s possible to finish work and drive straight to a ceremony or vice versa, go to a ceremony, and then leave for work the next morning. Not always a bad thing, however, it does leave things open to a lack of due care and attention. Especially considering the intense experiences and energetically expansive work that takes place in these ceremonies.
Giving our healing the necessary time and care it deserves can mean we instead choose to attend a plant medicine retreat in a country where plant medicines are legally protected or safer to work with.
Not only are we showing a deeper level of commitment to the plants and ourselves, but we are also likely to find higher levels of care and more experienced facilitators and Ayahuasqueros in the retreat setting.
Healing Together
Retreats often give us a much higher level of spaciousness, and many include multiple ceremonies that allow us to deepen our work and levels of trust with plant medicines. These containers will often have higher numbers of skilled staff working, and most will be held deep in nature, where the connection feels much better.
By including sharing circles and therapies that support the integration required following a plant medicine ceremony, retreats can offer a multi-faceted and more transformative experience. Maybe not necessarily regarding the intensity of the ceremony but certainly regarding how much the work we do is integrated.
They’re often much better for our nervous systems too. By leaving the stresses of daily life far behind, we are able to sink into the space of medicine work more fluidly. Having more time to ourselves also gives our nervous system the time to regulate itself and tune into nature more acutely. Learn more about healing our nervous systems in my blog, How Plant Medicines Heal Stored Trauma in Our Nervous System.
There’s certainly a magic that occurs within the group dynamic of a plant medicine retreat. As you share each other’s journey and vulnerability, there’s a loving support network that spreads like mycelium, feeding courage into participants as they dance with their shadows and wounds.
As you spend more and more time together, so too does the bond of trust grow between ceremony leaders and participants, allowing you to surrender further in ceremony.
You’re Worth It
It can often be a big commitment, both financially and time-wise, to embark on a plant medicine retreat in a foreign country. It’s a huge investment in yourself, one that I rarely, if ever, see people regret. You may encounter many doubts and insecurities before even booking, and that’s ok.
Making this commitment is a profound honoring of yourself and the plants simultaneously—everything pointing to greater depth and an opportunity to access life-changing healing.
I’ve been fortunate enough to witness the magic of plant medicine retreats time and time again. It never gets old. When choosing the retreat you attend, there are some important questions that you can ask the organizers.
Here are 10 examples of important questions to ask retreat organizers:
What kind of accommodation is available?
What preparation is required of me?
Who will be leading the ceremonies?
What training and experience do they have?
What is the ratio of facilitators to participants?
What kind of support can I expect to receive following the retreat?
What’s included in the retreat price, what’s covered, and what’s extra?
How many people will be attending?
Where is the retreat located?
What safety protocols do you have in place?
This is by no means a definitive list but covers many of the important considerations to make when booking a plant medicine retreat. Organizers should be more than happy to provide the following information over email.
It can often be helpful to arrange a call with the organizers before you book, so you can be certain it’s the right fit for you.
Unlocking the Power of Surrender
All these steps can go a long way to alleviating feelings of anxiety that you may have before a retreat. Preparing yourself with as much information as possible helps to regulate your nervous system. We plumb the depths of the unknown in every ceremony, and so giving ourselves at least some sense of security as to what to expect within the retreat space can be extremely helpful.
At The Plant Medicine People, this means a lot to us, and we always go above and beyond to ensure people feel safe and cared for before, during, and after the retreat. It means we can surrender more deeply to the medicine and hear what lessons she wants to gift us. When we surrender, when we don’t try to control, we can experience the deepest healing our souls are capable of.
About the Author
Neil Kirwan has many years of experience behind and in front of the altar, apprenticing with Ayahuasca in the Shipibo-Conibo and Huni Kuin traditions. He has completed multiple Master Plant Dietas, including work with the potent, transformative Noya Rao tree. Neil is a trauma-informed, highly compassionate shamanic coach and guide, with an expertise in helping folks prepare for and integrate challenging Plant Medicine ceremonies, as well as leading Master Plant Dietas with dreamy, psychically connected Mugwort.
