There is nothing but water in the holy pools.
I know, I have been swimming in them.
All the gods sculpted of wood or ivory can’t say a word.
I know, I have been crying out to them.
The Sacred Books of the East are nothing but words.
I looked through their covers one day sideways.
What Kabir talks of is only what he has lived through.
If you have not lived through something, it is not true.
-Kabir (trans. Robert Bly)
There is a reason that I read this poem to my students this week. Kabir’s words offer a profound yet simple lesson, one that is tragically easy to bypass in our age of online psychedelic certifications and fly-by-night life coaches.
Kabir says this: The only truth we can even remotely begin to claim is a product of our own experience. Without direct experience, we have no ground to stand on, no depth, no truth.
Especially in the realm of psychedelic healing, direct experience is the best teacher of them all. Here’s one thing I will say with conviction: there is no better teacher of psychedelic healing than the medicines themselves.
Yet many people entering this field don’t seem to know where to turn to find this experience in a way that will truly serve their growth, or that feels authentic or deep enough.
So I’ve decided to host a retreat for psychedelic healers this August, in order to provide a space for those interested in going deeper into this work, and discovering how a depth psychological and mythopoetic perspective can aid them in navigating these liminal wilds of the soul. Full details are below.
I’ve been offering psychedelic education since 2020, when my dear friend Daniel Shankin of Tam Integration asked me to speak at the Psilocybin Summit (shoutout to Daniel’s Substack). In 2022 I began working as an educator and lecturer with Inner Trek, the leading psilocybin training program in Oregon. To date, I’ve had the honor of teaching nearly 300 people how to be a legal, licensed psilocybin facilitator in my home state.
When I think about the potential ripples of that impact, like the amount of clients that these students may go on to help during their careers, or the number of life changing, and potentially life-saving experiences these clients might have, and the implications of these experiences for their friends and families and future generations, I am stunned.
I am also struck by the weight of this responsibility. I am usually speaking in front of a room full of people or on Zoom. I’ve taught about everything from indigenous healing traditions to IFS therapy to integration. I hope my students come away from our time together feeling inspired, reflective, and maybe even a little change.
But there is one thing that I repeat to my students again and again during these talks: the map is not the territory.
I could talk for years to someone about the psychedelic experience and how to facilitate such a thing, but without direct knowledge of the experience itself, it’s empty. I am under no illusions about this.
Without occasionally drumming up the courage to wrap our knuckles on the cold doors of the underworld, without truly navigating the labyrinth of liminality, without being willing to enter “the cave we fear to enter,” in the words of Joseph Campbell, my words are meaningless.
I won't go on about the epidemic of charlatans and hacks that permeate the psychedelic ecosystem, self-proclaimed “shamans,” or about *the crisis of leadership and elders in the psychedelic field*, which I’ve written about before. That’s not my point here.
My point is that the mark of a trustworthy and skilled facilitator is someone who has been there and seen things. Someone who knows the territory, not just the map. Someone who has earned their authority, not just claimed it in a way that looks disturbingly similar to the way Indigenous lands and territories were claimed in this country just 200 years ago.
And the only way to get there is to take your own medicine.
Somehow, this question routinely comes up in certain clinical corners of the psychedelic world: “do psychedelic facilitators and therapists need to have psychedelic experience?”
The very nature of the question reveals that it is likely being asked by people so removed from the practice of psychedelic healing, so divorced from the teary-eyed, trembling reality of this work, that their idea of “health” is something they derive from spreadsheets and questionnaires rather than the deep psyche and the living earth itself.
These are the same kind of people who would rather prescribe medication than do talk therapy, who place more value upon their clinical methodologies than the quality of their presence, who offer every last morsel of humanity to the devouring god of rationality. materialism, and data.
I think we’ve all had enough of that.
I've said it before and I’ll say it again: psychedelics are not about improving mental health.
Right now, there are not a lot of avenues for new facilitators to find experience, and to refine their craft. Whether a result of legal prohibition, financial costs, or simply not knowing who to ask, many of the students I’ve worked with simply don’t know where to turn.
Yes, many psychedelic training programs offer practicum opportunities where students have the chance to have a single dose of psilocybin or ketamine, and facilitate a single session. One session. Let that sink in for a minute.
I don’t know about you, but this is a problem that I feel compelled to help solve. This retreat is one way I can do that.
Still with me? Here’s the quick and dirty:
August 22, 23, 24, 25
2 group medicine ceremonies
Daily integration circles
Mythopoetic and depth psychological education
Hiking trails and nature
Private, boutique retreat center located less than an hour from Portland, Oregon
Local, organic, nourishing food sourced from regenerative farms, prepared with love
18 people max
$2450 before June 21st, $2650 after June 21st
Reserve your space with $1000 deposit
Deposit is refundable if someone is able to take your place minus a $150 fee
This retreat is for people who:
Are current or aspiring psychedelic facilitators or are curious about stepping on to this path
Crave a supportive community around this work
Long for a deeper, mythopoetic perspective on psychedelic work
Want to go a layer deeper in themselves, their craft, and the mysteries of the psyche
Can risk some potential instability in their lives
This retreat is not for people who:
Are struggling with acute psychological issues
Have never taken psychedelic medicines
Do not have a strong support system (family, friends, housing, income)
Have a history of psychosis or psychiatric hospitalizations
Have an untreated history of trauma or abuse
Are uncomfortable being vulnerable or speaking in groups
The cost of the retreat is comparable to what you’ll pay for two sessions at a licensed service center here in Oregon, and is a much cheaper option than working with me 1:1. Still, I know this is a big commitment in many regards. Here’s what I’ll say: if you’re serious about this work, then nothing is more important than your own growth, learning, and connection with yourself. My hope is that you’ll leave having received all these things and so much more.
If you’re interested, send me an email at depthmedicine@gmail.com, or message me directly on Substack here:
That said, maybe this is too much for you at this moment. That’s ok- there will be more opportunities. For now, you can pre-order my book here and see what speaks to you.
One last thing: I hate selling things. I’m not in the business of trying to convince anyone of anything. The last thing I want to be is another pushy person marketing their thing. So, if any of this has come off that way, I ask for your forgiveness. I am learning.
My intention here is to offer a safe, unique, sacred, and transformative space for people looking to deeply connect to the medicine, the mystery, and with each other.
All I hope to do is create a space where we can get quiet enough for the medicine to speak for itself, and where the wisdom of cedar trees and dragonflies can find a home somewhere in the roost of our minds and hearts.
In Psychedelic Service,
Simon
This one lands, brother. God grant me the confidence of a 30-year-old life coach.