You’ve finally worked up the courage to take a leap toward deep healing and transformation—something for your heart, your body, your soul. You’ve decided to explore a psychedelic retreat. But once you start looking, you’re hit with a barrage of options: different countries, dosing levels, one journey or four, guides with various backgrounds. Suddenly your screen is cluttered, your brain is spinning, and you’re overwhelmed.
What’s a woman to do?
Choosing the right psychedelic retreat doesn’t have to feel like decoding a secret language. Below, we walk you through the key factors to consider when selecting a retreat, so you can find the one that’s safe, aligned, and truly supportive of your healing journey.
1. Who’s Facilitating Your Journey?
The most important factor in any psychedelic retreat is the people guiding you through it. A psychedelic experience can open emotional doors that have been sealed for decades. You want to know: Who’s going to be there when that happens?
Are the facilitators trained mental health professionals, or simply people with personal experience using psychedelics? While lived experience is valuable, trained therapists bring trauma-informed care, professional ethics, and the skills to hold space for a range of emotional and psychological reactions. This is especially important if you have a history of trauma, anxiety, or depression.
At Wellness and Wisdom Journeys, both of us—Heather and Monica—are licensed mental health counselors with over 40 years of combined clinical experience. We specialize in supporting women through motherhood, midlife, trauma recovery, career transitions, and life after divorce or empty nest. As two of the first certified psychedelic-assisted therapists in the U.S., we’re trained not only in guiding journeys but in understanding the deep emotional work that follows.
2. What Kind of Dose Is Right for You?
Not all psychedelic retreats are the same when it comes to dosing. Here’s a breakdown:
- Microdose: Sub-perceptual, supports mood, creativity, and daily functioning.
- Low–Moderate Dose: Emotional openness, mild perception changes, deep introspection.
- Macrodose: Trauma processing, ego dissolution, mystical experiences.
- Heroic Dose (5g+): Intense transformation, ego death, emotional catharsis.
Most of the research supporting psychedelic therapy—for depression, anxiety, and trauma—uses moderate to macrodoses in carefully supported settings. For example, a study published by JAMA Psychiatry from Johns Hopkins showed that over half of participants achieved remission from major depression after just two supported psilocybin journeys.
At Wellness and Wisdom Journeys, we’ve found that one profound moderate to macro journey is both powerful and manageable for most women. Unlike some retreats that offer multiple journeys in quick succession, we believe in quality over quantity. Our guests often say that one journey gave them plenty of material to work with and that anything more would have been too physically or emotionally overwhelming.
3. Set and Setting Matter—A Lot
In the world of psychedelics, “set and setting” refers to your mindset and the environment in which the experience takes place. These factors shape your entire journey.
Ask yourself:
- Will you be in a shared room with others journeying at the same time?
- Is the space private and calm?
- Is there easy access to a bathroom?
- Do you know what to expect emotionally and physically?
At Wellness and Wisdom Journeys, each woman journeys in her own safe, comfortable space, away from the distractions or emotional spillover of others. We understand that women are often natural empaths, and being around others in an altered state can affect their own process. That’s why we create peaceful individual settings, with group sharing before and after the journey—when the connection and community can be truly healing.
4. Why Women-Only Retreats Make a Difference
When we designed our retreats, we asked: What do women really need to feel safe, supported, and open to transformation?
Time and time again, our guests tell us that being surrounded by other women creates a calm, sacred, and judgment-free container where they can truly let go. Our retreats are curated by women, for women, with all guests thoughtfully screened and supported. This level of care and intentionality allows women to dive deeper into their healing without the subtle (or not-so-subtle) gender dynamics that can affect vulnerability.
5. Don’t Forget About Integration
The journey doesn’t end when the effects wear off—that’s actually when the real work begins.
Integration is the process of making meaning from your psychedelic experience and applying its insights to your daily life. Without it, even the most profound moments can fade into confusion or frustration. Our retreats include dedicated integration sessions during the retreat, and a follow-up session two weeks later to help anchor your insights and create meaningful changes.
6. Extra Support: Somatic Practices & Ceremony
A truly transformative retreat offers more than just the medicine. We incorporate somatic practices like breathwork, movement, sound healing, and rituals rooted in indigenous and nature-based wisdom. These elements help you process emotions, reconnect to your body, and deepen the healing experience beyond the mind.
7. So, Is This the Right Retreat for You?
Choosing a psychedelic retreat is more than just picking a pretty location—it’s choosing how you want to be supported in one of the most vulnerable, powerful experiences of your life. Make sure you trust your guides, understand the dosing philosophy, feel safe in the environment, and have the integration support you’ll need afterward.
If you’re curious about our upcoming women’s retreats and want to learn more, we’d love to talk with you. Whether you join us or not, we hope this guide helps you step into your next chapter with clarity, courage, and confidence. Reach out to info@wellnessandwisdomjourneys.com to schedule a discovery call. We look forward to hearing from you!
