Confluence Retreats

During my journey, I received some important insights into things holding me back, and am working through those now. The time, care and thought that Myles puts into his retreats is amazing and I believe makes an enormous difference to the experience. Having someone to talk to before and after the journey was important to me, and much more helpful than being on my own after the journey. The walks in nature added a wonderful dimension to the retreat and was a great time for reflecting. The accommodations for a single person doing a retreat were perfect - my own "cabin" with a separate entrance from the rest of the Bed & Breakfast, it was serene and private. I can't recommend Confluence Retreats highly enough!

At the ripe old age of 71, I retired from my job as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and decided I want to be a Psychedelic Assisted Therapist, enrolling in a course to become certified. There was, however, a minor glitch - I had never had a psychedelic experience! I was determined I wanted to find a place to do it legally and with full support during, pre- and post-.

Fortunately, I stumbled on Myles Katz and Confluence Retreats. He was very patient and helpful as I asked my million questions before making my decision. When I committed, Myles and his colleagues, particularly a licensed therapist named Jules, thoroughly prepared us in advance of arriving at the venue. Once there, we continued to prepare, which included breathwork sessions, which were incredible, group circles, yoga, walks in our beautiful setting, and communal meals with the MOST amazing food.

There were 2 actual psilocybin journeys, which I was very happy for. To be completely honest, the journeys themselves were not what I had envisioned, but something much quieter and less visual. On the second journey I struggled with nausea and needed to go into a room away from the others. Jules stayed with me providing support and comfort, never too much or too little, and never did I feel like I was being a bother for requiring additional attention. When I returned to the group, I must admit that although I had a journey that was unexpected, the fact that I had done it made me feel proud, and just a little badass 😆. What was clear as a result is that I have more work to do to prepare for my next journey, and when that time comes, I will most definitely reach out to Myles and Confluence!

Twenty years ago I had a wonderful, life-changing near death experience. A few years later I stumbled upon Michael Pollan’s book and I looked forward to the day I could legally schedule a mushroom journey that would give me another glimpse of what I felt in that NDE.

Fast forward to the recent hurricane in western North Carolina where I lost everything and suffered severe debilitating PTSD. I desperately needed help and flew to Oregon in November where I joined the other seven members of my Confluence group. We all had our own reasons for being there and we each had different experiences with our subsequent mushroom journeys. My journey was difficult but it stopped my symptoms and allowed me to function in daily life.

I chose to come to Confluence because they genuinely cared about why I wanted to be there. From the initial call, they were centered on me, what I wanted and how a journey could benefit me. I felt stuck in my own head, drowning in unhappiness and unable to find my joy. While I was there, I found the joy that had been buried inside of me for far too long. I found inner strength that I wasn't even sure was there. I also found that doing a journey like this in a group setting was beneficial for me, it was amazing to have people to talk to who had been there with me, understood what I was talking about and right there with me while I shared. Having preparation and integration onsite was invaluable with the two journey process as each journey was beneficial for different reasons and I can't imagine having to navigate integration alone. I found a community while I was there and still talk to many of the amazing people in my group.

I lost my wife of 32 years nearly three years ago. Although I have progressed well through the grief process, I had changed. I no longer was the same person. I had a lot of anxiety built up and was very insecure in many ways. I decided to give psilocybin a try. I honestly stumbled upon Confluence by a simple Google search. I’m so glad I found them! These were the most transformative 5 days of my life. Through the preparation process suggested by Myles and Jules, I was absolutely ready for the experience. The entire retreat was great. The venue was beautiful nestled into the hillside of beautiful mountains. So much nicer than being in a town or city. We did great breath work sessions and meditation on the days we weren’t doing the mushrooms. The food was phenomenal! All fresh and expertly prepared. For me though, the mushrooms were the stars of the experience. We had mushroom journeys on Thursday and Saturday. I received exactly what I wanted and what I needed. On the long journey on Saturday I felt as if I was told “Chris, it’s your time to be happy”. Not only that but I realized I can be happy on my own. I don’t need anyone else to make me happy. I hadn’t felt this way in years(if ever)and I truly believe the mushrooms are responsible for the new me. It’s been over a month since my experience and I am in a better place in my life. The journeys were life changing for me. The small group dynamic was wonderful. Everyone felt like family by the end of the retreat; participants, facilitators, everyone! I can’t imagine having the mushroom journey and going back to a lonely hotel room afterwards. I don’t think I would have gotten as much from the experience. The support received post retreat has been outstanding. They really want you to continue the integration process and they help guide you through this with supportive Zoom calls. These are done with the entire participant group and individually. I’m so grateful to the entire Confluence and Omnia teams. They are awesome people. I felt safe and secure in the container they provided.