General
What are Dates for Your Next Retreats?
Psilocybin Retreat, The Netherlands – March 25th – 31st 2023 – FULLY BOOKED
Psilocybin Retreat, The Netherlands – October 21st – 27th – SPACES AVAILABLE
Psilocybin Retreat, The Netherlands – December Dates TBC – SPACES AVAILABLE
Do you only work with Psilocybin or do you offer also other Psychedelics?
For Private Ceremonies we only work with Psilocybin and other transformational tools. No other psychedelics.
For retreats we work with Psilocybin as well as collaborating with an Ayahuasca Shaman, where we lead and host the preparation and integration work and she leads the ceremonies.
Can I book a life-transforming session with you without taking a psychedelic?
Absolutely. In our 1-on-1 mentorship programs we work online with people without the use of psychedelics. We used many different therapeutic practices along with de-conditioning and mindset tools deepening on the person and their intention for the program. We offer both 3 or 6 months containers which consist of 1 session per week every 3 weeks with the 4th week off for integration.
Can I book an integration session with you when I had a psychedelic experience somewhere else?
Absolutely, we are very happy to guide you to implement practical changes into your life after receiving valuable insights from psychedelics or plant medicines. We offer 3 or 6 months containers, a safe space where you have the opportunity to work with us 1 on 1. Containers consist of 1 session per week every 3 weeks with the 4th week off for integration.
Will my personal information be confidential?
We keep all personal information confidential, none of it will be shared with third parties.
What if I have to cancel my attendance?
We follow a non-refund policy however, a portion of the monies received may be applied to a later retreat/private session date within the following year. If you to change a retreat/private session date 90 days in advance, 100% of any payment
received can be applied to another retreat. If your cancellation is within 60 – 89 days before the retreat/private session date, 75% of the payment can be applied to another retreat.If your cancellation is within 26 – 59 days before the retreat/private session start date, 40% of the payment received can be applied to another retreat. 60% paid to the Retreat shall be forfeited. If your cancellation happens within 25 days of the retreat/private session, then 100% of the monies paid are forfeited.
General Questions About Psilocybin
What is Psilocybin?
Psilocybin or its derivative Psilocin are both a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in more than 180 species of hallucinogenic mushrooms and truffles all around the world.For thousands of years psilocybin mushrooms have been used in religious and shamanic ceremonies in many different cultures around the world.
Nowadays psilocybin has shown to be one of the most effective therapeutic assistants for the treatment of depression, cluster headaches, obsessive-compulsive disorders, PTSD, anxiety, as well as addiction.
What’s the dose of psilocybin truffles that I will be given?
We usually recommend the dosage recommended by the John Hopkins University used for their clinical studies. These doses are equivalent to 3-4 dried gram of Psilocybin mushrooms. On your preparation day/call we discuss this with you, ensuring you are at a place you are comfortable with as far as dosage is concerned and where you can achieve your desired experience. You are welcome to start out lower to get a taste of the experience instead of diving right in.
If you had experience with Psilocybin in the past, you are welcome to have a higher dose than the recommended dose. When it comes to dosage it can be a very individual experience and we prioritise catering to each person depending on their needs and desires. You will be able to increase your dose 1-1,5 hours
into the ceremony.We check in with you after an hour to see how you are feeling and to assess if you are in a good place or if if more is required.
At our retreats we also invite guests who are a little more nervous or whose first time it is to have a lower dose for the first ceremony to connect with the medicine and get a feel for it and then if they choose to they can have a full dose on the second ceremony day, so this can be very flexible and we are very happy to discuss this with you and also to adjust it if you feel differently on the morning of the ceremony itself
Will I certainly have a transformational experience?
We cannot promise you that you will have a life transforming experience, especially if you only come to one single Psilocybin session. We have found that about half of our clients have a life transforming experience in their second Psilocybin session and the first session can be seen more like a warm-up. Many people do have a deeply transformational experience in their very first session.
Overall, about 80 % of our clients lives are changed for the better. 60% of our clients have major transformative experiences or insights. About 10 % of our clients have challenging or very challenging experiences, though sometimes this can be where the biggest breakthroughs can occur.
If you want to make sure to have a life transformation experience, we recommend that commit to integration practices after your experience. You can do this with a therapist at home, by researching online etc, or you can book our 3 month “Reinvent Your Life” program where we guide you through the integration process, teaching you tools to use in your daily life so that you can experience the change you are seeking. This work requires your commitment and willingness to do the work. Neither us nor Psilocybin can do the work for you but we are very happy to support you with it.
I’m on antidepressants. Can I still come?
We kindly ask our participants to taper off the SSRI under supervision of a licensed medical professional. You must be off SSRI at least 2 weeks before the planned psilocybin session so adequate timing to taper off needs to be allowed also
What are the interactions between Psilocybin and Medicine? What medicine can I not use at the same time?
Please do not use or consume the following:
1. Tricyclic antidepressants or lithium, SSRIs, SNRI, haloperidol, or MAOIs (some
of these increase psychedelic effects, some of them reduce effects). If you decide to taper off on your own accord, please make sure to always do this under supervision of a licensed medical professional.
2. 5-HTP, St John’s Wort or any other supplements that “may affect serotonergic
function”
3. Cannabis, Alcohol or dronabinol for at least 72 h before a session.
4. Ritonavir/Indinavir
Tricyclic antidepressants include:
• Amineptine (Survector, Maneon)
• Amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep)
• Amitriptylinoxide (Amioxid, Ambivalon, Equilibrin)
• Amoxapine (Asendin)
• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Desipramine (Norpramin, Pertofrane)
• Dibenzepin (Noveril, Victoril)
• Dimetacrine (Istonil)
• Dosulepin (Prothiaden)
• Doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan)
• Imipramine (Tofranil)
• Lofepramine (Lomont, Gamanil)
• Maprotiline (Ludiomil)
• Melitracen (Dixeran, Melixeran, Trausabun)
• Mianserin (Tolvon)
• Mirtazapine (Remeron)
• Nitroxazepine (Sintamil)
• Nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl)
• Noxiptiline (Agedal, Elronon, Nogedal)
• Opipramol (Insidon)
• Pipofezine (Azafen/Azaphen)
• Protriptyline (Vivactil)
• Setiptiline (Tecipul)
• Tianeptine (Stablon, Coaxil)
• Trimipramine (Surmontil)
TCAs and TeCAs work in a similar way to SNRIs, by boosting the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. However they also activate a wide range of additional receptors, and also block some ion channels, creating dangerous side effect.
Lithium is often given as a mediator in combination with TCAs. Numerous reports suggest that Lithium, when mixed with psychedelics, can cause fatal seizures or heart attacks. Do not mix psilocybin and Lithium.
SSRI medication include:
• Citalopram (Celexa, Cipramil)
• Escitalopram (Lexapro, Cipralex)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox, Faverin)
• Paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat)
• Sertraline (Zoloft, Lustral)
SSRIs work by preventing the clearance of excess serotonin from the brain, meaning that serotonin levels are temporarily boosted. While in rare cases, it has been hypothesized that this can lead to serotonin syndrome.
SNRI medication include:
• Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq, Khedezla)
• Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
• Levomilnacipran (Fetzima)
• Milnacipran (Ixel, Savella)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
MAOIs are most commonly found in the prescription anti-depressants:
• Nardil (phenelzine
• Parnate (tranylcypromine)
• Marplan (isocarboxazid)
• Eldepryl (l-deprenyl)
• Aurorex or Manerix (moclobemide).
Check with your doctor if you are not sure whether your prescription medication is an MAOI.
Research recommends against using cannabis or marijuana with psilocybin.
There are some other medications which may interfere with psilocybin:
1. anti-convulsants or anti-epileptic medications such as Neurontin(gabapentin) and Topamax(topiramate). The exact mechanism by which topiramate works, for example, is still unknown, so it is impossible to even guess whether or not it will interfere with psilocybin.
2. medications which are either synthetic analogs of certain hormones or which regulate hormone production: Prednisone and Synthroid, for example. There is no direct evidence to suggest that these drugs will interact with psilocybin, but hormones have a very complex and inter-related effect on numerous body systems. We have seen a few reports suggesting that thyroid levels play a part in cluster headaches
3. * tranquilizers and mood-altering medications such as Xanax, Valium, Prozac and Wellbutrin.
4. Ondansetron (Zofran) and Compazine(prochlorperazine)
5. Imitrex (and associated triptans):
In relation to migraine headaches based upon many reports, triptans are one of the most likely medications to block the clusterbusting effects of psychedelics. We recommend to avoid them both before, during and after, beginning psychedelic treatments for cluster headaches.
• sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®) injections
• sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®) tablets
• zolmitriptan (Zomig®) tablets
• sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®) nasal spray
• naratriptan (Amerge®, Naramig®) tablets
• rizatriptan (Maxalt®) tablets and rizatriptan orally dissolvable
(Maxalt-MLT®) tablets
• zolmitriptan orally dissolvable (Zomig-ZMT®) tablets
• almotriptan (Axert®) tablets
• frovatriptan (Frova®) tablets
• eletriptan (Relpax®) tablets
Private Psilocybin Sessions
Where do the private sessions take place?
We work in Maastricht and Amsterdam in The Netherlands, where Psilocybin is legal in the form of truffles. We offer private, partner and group ceremonies. We also travel to places where these substances are legal by request.
A Private Psilocybin Therapy Session includes a 40 minute preparation session via Zoom or Skype to get to know you, discuss your dosage, answer your questions and help you to get clear on your intention. You will have your own private trauma integration facilitator present with you a the full day which lasts approx 6-7 hours to assist you on your journey within.
The journey itself can be anything from 4-6 hours.We come to your temporary accommodation in Maastricht, South of The Netherlands or Amsterdam. We recommend choosing a comfortable, cosy and private space on Airbnb, and can offer a suggestion for this if you wish. We did provide a ceremony room in the past but we have found that it is more beneficial for our clients to be in their own space as they will not have to travel when the session is complete.
You will still feel quiet sensitive after the 5-7 hour session and a walk through the city often feels overwhelming, plus this is an incredibly valuable time for reflection and stillness, so we come to you
How do these sessions work?
Both Private and Group Ceremonies are scheduled during day time and last 6-7 hours. We ask you not to plan anything afterwards but just to be with yourself fully for the rest of the day until you go to sleep, or have a supportive friend or partner with you. When we arrive at your place, we will speak about how you feel and address any last concerns that you have and when you are ready you will take in the Psilocybin truffles.
After consuming the truffles it will take from 30 to 60 minutes for the effects to start. In some rare cases it can take up to 2 hours. The effects will last from 4 to 6 hours. We will stay with you for the entire session, guiding you through the experience. We will help you to stay present with your intention. If however, during the experience your feel like you want a moment of privacy this is of course provided and we would move to another room within safety for brief periods.
We open our ceremonies with a meditation and take you through a process to help bring you towards your intention. We work energetically to cleanse the energies while you are journeying. We also assist you when an emotion or trauma arises, something you maybe re-experiencing from childhood, your more recent past or indeed currently and provide the missing experience (meaning whatever was missing in the situation to help you to deal with the emotions at the time). We are skilled and experienced in both parts-work and shamanic soul retrieval. We guide you through challenges during the experience (if needed,).
We are a physical aid and are there when you come out of your experience as a
source of support and care and someone for your to share your experience and insights with which is an important part of integration. After your Psilocybin Experience you can choose to have optional or even several integration sessions (in person or online) on the following day and/or in the days/weeks following your Psilocybin experience. 1 Integration session is recommended per psilocybin
therapy session.
How to prepare for your experience?
There is no special diet needed to participate in a Psilocybin Therapy Session, however we do recommend vegan food prior to the session to cleanse your body energetically. We ask you to come to the ceremony with an empty but not starving stomach (no food 2 hours before the session starts). And if possible avoid coffee or caffeinated tea and beverages on the morning of the experience. Alcohol is best avoided for at least 3 days before the experience.
If you don’t already have a meditation practice beginning one can, while not essential can be very helpful within the experience. Prior to you coming to The Netherlands, we will have a 40 minute online call together, where we get to know each other a little and answer any questions you may have. We will advise you on diet etc, essential precautions, legalities, possible side effects and how to best minimise and deal with them. We will prepare you emotionally and mentally on what to expect, connect you to your intention, ultimately preparing you to get the most out of your trip.
We will help you to create a powerful but short intention that you can easily remember while journeying into other dimensions which will serve as an anchor during your experience. Together we will decide what dose you will take depending on the intensity you wish for the experience as well as your sensitivity level.
What happens during an integration session?
Integration sessions take place after a ceremony you have experienced with us. During our Integration Session we will provide a safe space for you to share the insights received on your journey. Each integration session is different as it is very much catered to what you specifically need that day. We tune into what this is for you and work from there.
If you are open to it, there will be opportunities to reveal the layers of your behavioural patterns, coping mechanisms and conditionings of your early life experience. We might use a modality called parts-work to speak to different inner aspects that may have surfaced during the ceremony or we may use other modalities such as inner child work to help you come to a place of integration within.
We may find that you simply need to talk and share you experience to a present and empathetic listener. Or we can help you to create an action plan, guiding you on how to take steps forward based on what you learned within your experience so that you can embody and live out the insights that the journey gave you.
The Shift Retreat
What makes The Shift Retreat unique?
We are one of the three first Psychedelic Retreat organisers in the Netherlands to start retreats in 2018 and have successfully led hundreds of people through psychedelic journeys. We are trained Trauma Integration Practitioners which means we can go deep into the core root of peoples struggles and aid them in resolving these issues. Many people don’t realise that trauma is actually what is affecting their current state of dissatisfaction with life as we tend to think trauma is some big deep experience that has happened to others but not to us, when in reality we are all affected by childhood trauma regardless of how happy a childhood we had. Psychedelics bring us into a prime state where these core wounds are more easily accessible. Our experience in this field allows us to help those who work with us to find resolve to their unresolved trauma which is playing out in their lives in all kind of ways, from unhealthy relationship patterns, loneliness, addiction, eating disorders to PTSD, depression, OCD etc and just general unhappiness or unfulfilment in life. The merging of Psilocybin with our style of Trauma Integration Therapy is what really excites us most as it can bring about profound awareness and change. We specialise in small groups with a maximum of 8-10 participants. This allows us to create more intimacy between the participants and gives each individual a lot of time to express themselves, share during the integration days. And also to receive more support. A small group makes it easier to show vulnerability too. Our Retreat is longer than most others, which allows us to go very deep. We specialise in the integration process of the psychedelic experience and dedicate 3 full days to integration exercises. We teach a lot of self-therapeutic tools to our participants so that the integration process can continue when they return home and their process of self-awareness and understanding can flourish. We are female facilitators, so our ceremonies include a lot of feminine qualities, one of those being that they are very nurturing.
How many facilitators will be at your retreat?
Our groups are between 8 and 10 participants. When 8 participants, there are 2 trained therapists present as well as a helper. When there are 10 participants there is one extra trained therapists present. The guest to facilitator ratio is 2,5. It is also possible to do a private retreat with us in Maastricht on request.
Do exclude any guests for medical conditions/medicine they're taking?
We do not accept participants that are prone to psychosis, have schizophrenia, have a bipolar or borderline diagnosis. We do not accept anyone who is currently taking SSRI (participants need to be at least 2 weeks off the SSRI medicine).
How do facilitators manage difficult psychedelic experiences?
As trauma integration facilitators we assist our participants when they go through a difficult experience, by supporting them through their challenge with emotional support, breathwork and guidance.
What methods do you use to get participants to be in a proper mindset for the psilocybin experience?
Our participants have access to an online course 6 weeks prior to the retreat experience in which they learn how to mentally and emotionally prepare for this experience. At the retreat itself, we dedicate a full day to preparation for the experience. We answer every participants question, explain all the challenges a Psilocybin experience can bring and how to navigate a challenging experience and help participants to set their intention. Something thats very important to us is to create a trusting environment amongst the participants. We do this using intimacy building exercises. Each participant also has an online call with us prior to arrival at the retreat which gives them the opportunity to have their questions answered and where we give them advice on how to prepare both physically and emotionally.
How are the integration days structured?
Our integration days are mainly done in group settings, but during certain exercises participants will have the chance to get some one-on-one time as well. We have sharing circles, intimacy and bonding exercises, body movement exercises and teach self-therapy tools for participants to be able to continue the integration process at home. The integration program is catered to each group specifically and what the participants are going through in their lives and have gone through in the journeys and what we feel will serve them best, so it’s always different.
How frequently do you have retreats?
We organise group retreats 3-4 times per year, but we work with clients in a private setting all year round.
How to arrive at the venue?
Guests arrange their own transport. There is a 2h direct train from Amsterdam airport and a 1h train connection from Dusseldorf airport to the nearest town. From there our guests share a taxi (20 min ride) to reach the venue. We connect our guests prior to the retreat if they wish, so that they can arrange to meet and travel together from the airport if they like.
What is the typical age of people attending The Shift Retreat?
Our age group is usually very diverse. Our youngest participant so far was 21 years old and our oldest was 75.
Whats included in the price?
The week includes 2 x Psilocybin Ceremonies, 2x Microdosing Psilocybin experiences, 2 Full Days of Integration Therapy, 6 Days of Deep Emotional Support, Vegan or Vegetarian Food cooked by our private chef and Luxury Accommodation and of course some Fun! We also include a 45min private online follow up session 10-14 days after the end of the retreat.
Whats not included?
Transportation costs to arrive at the venue.