Our programs tend to be good fit for people who are looking for:

• A path toward personal growth and emotional release (this is not simply a retreat weekend — our program is built around preparation beforehand and integration afterward, which is central to keeping you safe and getting the most out of the experience).

• A stronger sense of connection — to themselves, to nature, and to a sense of purpose

• Better, healthier relationships

• A chance to explore mystical or non-ordinary states of consciousness

• Renewed creative energy

No two experiences are alike. Some people have effects that are mainly physical or bodily, others have effects that are mainly emotional, or mystical in nature — and most people experience some blend of these. We're not able to promise what kind of experience you'll have, or whether a particular type of effect will occur at all.

There are also certain conditions that can make participation riskier, and we do our best to identify and screen for these ahead of time. As a general rule, we recommend against joining a retreat if you've had a serious medical event or a surgery requiring hospitalization within the past six months to a year.

There are some individuals we're not able to welcome into our programs, including those who:

• Are currently struggling with substance use or addiction

• Are currently in the midst of severe trauma-response symptoms

• Are presently taking certain psychiatric medications, including mood stabilizers or antipsychotics (*see the note on the final page regarding SSRIs/SNRIs)

• Are only interested in the retreat portion itself, without engaging in the preparation and integration process

We're also unable to include people who have certain psychiatric diagnoses or histories, among them: bipolar disorder, a family history of bipolar disorder or a tendency toward manic episodes, current or recent thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts, a recent psychiatric hospitalization, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder or a history of psychotic breaks, personality disorders, dissociative disorders, a family history of psychosis, or a personal predisposition toward psychosis.

Entheogens can alter perception in ways that include hallucinations and illusions, shifts in thought content such as unusual beliefs or delusions, and changes to one's sense of self such as derealization and depersonalization — all of which can raise the risk of a psychotic episode. For the majority of people, these effects are predictable in intensity and fade fairly quickly. But for people with certain psychiatric backgrounds, these experiences can be more intense or longer-lasting, and for anyone with a family history of psychosis or mania, substances like cannabis and psilocybin can potentially set off a manic or psychotic episode.

Depending on the individual circumstances, we may be able to accept participants who have clinical depression, an anxiety disorder, or PTSD.

Physical health conditions

Certain physical health conditions also rule out participation. We cannot include anyone who has been diagnosed with, or has a history of:

• Neurological conditions such as epilepsy

• A brain tumor

• A prior stroke or aneurysm

• Certain heart conditions (including, but not limited to, uncontrolled high blood pressure)

• A heart attack within the past year

• Unstable heart failure; aortic aneurysm; or a specific rhythm disorder known as Long QT Syndrome

• Liver disease such as cirrhosis

• Kidney disease, including stage 4 chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease

• Any type of insulin-dependent diabetes

• A recent cancer diagnosis

• AIDS with a CD4 count under 200

We also cannot accommodate guests who are:

• Pregnant, or who are planning to become pregnant on or before the retreat dates

• Severely physically unwell or frail

Medications and treatments

We're unable to admit anyone currently taking the following medications or undergoing the following treatments:

• Amiodarone

• Diltiazem

• Sotalol

• Quinidine

• Procainamide

• Dofetilide

• Ibutilide

• Mycophenolate (an immunosuppressant)

• Chemotherapy or radiation therapy

Heart conditions and stroke history

If you have a diagnosed heart condition, we strongly encourage you to consult a healthcare provider you trust before considering our program. Because certain medicines can cause unpredictable blood pressure spikes and a specific type of irregular heartbeat, we're not able to admit people with certain cardiac issues — specifically uncontrolled high blood pressure, a heart attack within the last year, unstable heart failure, an aortic aneurysm, or Long QT Syndrome.

We also cannot accept anyone with a history of stroke of any kind. For those with diagnosed high blood pressure, the ceremonies are generally considered safe as long as the condition is well controlled with medication and that medication continues to be taken throughout the retreat.

Medical clearance from a primary care provider or cardiologist is required before joining our retreats for anyone who has: had a heart attack that required open-heart surgery or a CABG procedure, at any point in the past; a diagnosis of heart failure; a diagnosis of an irregular heart rhythm such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia, or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; or a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). We ask that you have your provider assess the risks of participating in a sacred plant medicine ceremony, and if you're cleared to participate, that you follow any precautions they recommend.

Other conditions — proceed with caution

Some medical and psychiatric conditions, medications, and treatments don't outright prevent participation but may still increase the risks involved without making participation clearly unsafe. The following conditions, medications, or treatments won't disqualify you, but we strongly encourage anyone affected to talk with a trusted healthcare provider about the potential risks and to understand that they're taking part at their own risk:

• Aromatase inhibitors and estrogen blockers, often used in breast cancer treatment, may interact with the medicine.

• Antiretroviral medications for HIV, as well as immunosuppressants used for autoimmune conditions or after an organ transplant, have numerous drug interactions — participation should be discussed with your prescribing provider.

• If you experience severe migraines or use triptans as a rescue medication, please talk with your neurologist or primary care provider before participating.

• Estrogen-based oral contraceptives are metabolized by the liver in a similar way to psilocybin, and how the two interact isn't well understood.

• If you have asthma or another respiratory condition, make sure you have a plan in place in case anxiety or breathwork triggers an acute episode.

• People with type 2 diabetes should take precautions against low blood sugar episodes that could arise during the ceremonies.

Prescription antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, etc.)

A wide range of people — from those managing depression and anxiety to those dealing with chronic pain — are drawn to our programs, and many of them rely on serotonin-based medications such as SSRIs or SNRIs to maintain their day-to-day functioning and quality of life. It's worth noting that our programs are not medical treatment and aren't designed to address the underlying conditions these medications were prescribed for.

We aim to make medicine ceremonies accessible to as many people as possible while still maintaining a group environment that works well for everyone. Guests on a very low SSRI/SNRI dose may be considered on an individual basis, but as a general policy, we ask that participants — working with their prescribing physician — be free of all SSRIs/SNRIs (and other mood-altering substances) for at least three months before joining, and that they complete and pass our suitability screening. That screening exists to support healthy group dynamics, not to serve as a diagnostic tool.

Guests aged 65 and over

We don't discriminate on the basis of age. That said, psychoactive plants carry a general risk of falls or injury, and that risk can be greater for people with age-related conditions like arthritis or osteoporosis. They may also cause temporary dissociation, distorted sense of time and space, reduced attention, and shifts in perception, mood, and anxiety. If you have any balance issues, physical weakness or injury, or vision impairment, please consult a medical professional about safety before deciding to participate.