Elena hails from Mexico City and has meandered through different continents in the pursuit of knowledge in different fields. Today, she spends most of her working time growing a plant-dye garden and thinking of joyful ways to engage children and adults in outdoor learning and nature-connection. She also works with Siddiq in the lab growing the mushrooms utilized in the sessions. She is fascinated by self-directed learning and fostering autonomy in everyday life.When she isn't working, she pursues long hikes as a form of self-guided therapy and loves foraging for food, medicine, and crafts.
She has extensive personal experience working with psychedelics and brings an earthy comforting feminine energy, appreciated by many, to our sessions.
Siddiq, founding director of the association, grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. He has been exploring the intersections of nature connection, meditation, and psychedelic medicine for the last 15 years.
He is a scholarship winner of the Somatic Plant Medicine Integration certification and and Trauma-informed Plant Medicine Masterclass offered by Atira Tan. As signatory of the North Star ethics pledge for psychedelic practitioners, he is guided by integrity and sincerity as foundational principles in his work.
His approach to psychedelic assisted therapy is grounded in an ongoing intensive study of the latest clinical research from the leading universities in the world. Influenced by the pioneering work of Dr Gabor Mate and Dr Basel van der Kolk in uncovering the somatic dimensions of trauma, his toolkit is based in psychosomatic therapy and incorporates elements of Dr Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing, Dr David Bercelli's Trauma Release Exercises, emotional release exercises from the Reichian tradition of body-based psychoanalysis, and breathwork-based methods of nervous-system autoregulation.
He has spent months on intensive silent retreat, focusing particularly on nature-based practices of embodied contemplation such as pilgrimage and wilderness rites of passage. He has developed relationships with many species of fungi, building bioreactors and countless compost piles to produce inoculum for feeding soil fertility, foraging for wild edible and medicinal mushrooms, fermenting food and drink with wild and cultivated aerobic and anaerobic fungi, and setting up a laboratory for cloning and growing wild and cultivated species for mycoprotien, mycogardening, and mycotherapy. He has grown intimate with the life-cycles of mushrooms, from spores to mycelium to fruit. His investigation of psychedelic fungi has led him to study the ethnomycological traditions of the world, from modern curanderos to precolonial Native Americans, Siberian shamans, ancient Greek Mysteries, all the way back to the ceremonial practices of our paleolithic ancestors.
Details of this retreat
We are a nonprofit association offering legal, individual 1:1 psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions with magic mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis) to those in need. We are graduates of Somatic Plant Medicine Integration certification and have completed professional training in the Trauma-informed Plant Medicine Masterclass offered by Atira Tan. We are signatories of the North Star ethics pledge for psychedelic practitioners, guided by integrity and sincerity as foundational principles in our work.
Based on the standard protocol for clinical practice developed by Johns Hopkins University, Imperial College London, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and others, our sessions are conducted individually, in comfortable, quiet, cosy indoor environments, close to nature, with one or more monitors present at all times to offer non-intrusive, non-directive care and support. We invite individuals to embark on a long-term, multi-stage journey with us, in which the session itself is merely one phase.
Our approach is grounded in psychosomatic therapy and incorporates elements of Dr Peter Levine´s Somatic Experiencing, Dr David Bercelli´s Trauma Release Exercises, emotional release exercises from the Reichian tradition of body-based psychoanalysis, and breathwork-based methods of nervous-system autoregulation.
Schedule
To ensure the experience of everyone is as beneficial as possible, we do not host group retreats but invite individuals to embark on a long-term, multi-stage journey with us, in which the session itself is merely one phase. During the intake phase, we conduct a thorough medical and psychological pre-screening process to ensure the safety of the experience for all candidates.
Once applications are accepted and dates arranged, the preparation phase includes the presentation of introductory educational content, and an introductory video interview to get to know each other and to discuss intentions and upcoming steps.
We meet you at the site around 11am. The session begins with a preparatory discussion, during which we set and record intentions, work through doubts and fears, advise how to respond to challenging experiences, and quieten the mind with a "mindful eating" meditation. The mushrooms are served in a tea ceremony including an infusion of herbal extracts shown in several clinical trials to reduce anxiety significantly in patients awaiting surgery. This is particularly apt as a high dose psychedelic session is comparable to performing a deep surgical operation on your own mind.
Once the effects subside, around 5 hours later, we provide opportunities for you to record the experience in writing or through audio. We close the session around 6pm.
El Gastor is 1hr 40min from Malaga and 1hr1 5mins from Seville by car. For public transport, there is the option to arrive via taxi (the fastest option), rideshare (Blabla car), bus, or train (the most scenic, comfortable and slow option). Should you request it, we can arrange an airport pickup with a taxi which you may pay directly to the driver.
Accommodation
Reservation Fee for a session in El Gastor excludes accomodation
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Our settings are natural, private locations surrounded by the picturesque beauty of rural Spain.
Meals
Not provided
What's Included
Introductory discovery call
Full medical and psychological prescreening to ensure safety of applicants
Educational content to assist with preparation
Private 1:1 psychedelic session
Snacks during session
Educational content to assist with integration
Access to voluntary participation in scientific research
What's Not Included
Travel to and from site
Meals
Accomodation
Customer Reviews
4.91 out of 5.0 average rating
5.0
Verified
A Grounded and Compassionate Guide
Siddiq is a truly gifted facilitator. His calm, grounded presence immediately put me at ease, and I felt completely safe in his care. He has a natural ability to hold space with deep respect and sensitivity, guiding without ever imposing. In moments when I needed reassurance, his words were gentle yet powerful, helping me trust myself and the process. Siddiq radiates wisdom and kindness, and I left feeling not only supported but profoundly seen.
5.0
Verified
A Transformational Experience Beyond Words
Attending this mushroom retreat has been one of the most powerful and life-changing experiences of my life. From the moment I arrived, I felt deeply welcomed, held, and safe. The facilitators are not only incredibly knowledgeable but also profoundly compassionate human beings. They created a sacred space that allowed me to fully surrender and trust the process, knowing I was in caring and capable hands.
The ceremonies themselves were beautifully guided—deeply intentional, respectful, and filled with reverence for the medicine. I experienced profound insights, emotional release, and a sense of connection that I have been longing for. The way the team combined traditional wisdom with modern therapeutic approaches felt seamless and authentic, honoring both the spiritual and the psychological dimensions of healing.
What really stood out was the integration support. It wasn’t just about the journey during ceremony; it was about weaving the lessons into daily life. Through sharing circles, gentle guidance, and heartfelt connection, I left not only with clarity and healing but also with practical tools to carry forward.
The setting was breathtaking—peaceful, natural, and nourishing in every sense. The food, the accommodation, the attention to detail—all contributed to an environment where I could truly focus inward and allow the medicine to work its magic.
I cannot recommend this retreat enough for anyone seeking deep healing, self-discovery, or spiritual connection. It is a rare gift to find such integrity, care, and wisdom held together in one place. I leave with a heart full of gratitude, a renewed sense of purpose, and the feeling that I’ve come home to myself.
5.0
Verified
Best retreat ever
This was everything I hoped it would be and more!
5.0
Verified
Difficult but very valuable experience
It was my first experience with mushroom and I am overall very happy with the session. Good preparation, organization and overall profesionalism. The session was handled very well by Malwina and I would definitely recommend her. I had a challenging but valuable experience. Thank you!
5.0
Verified
One of the most amazing healing experiences of my life!
I never thought I would one day try psychedelics. I don’t even smoke or drink alcohol.
But after experiencing burnout from work and feeling deeply unfulfilled in my personal life, I couldn’t get back on my feet.
I tried everything to reclaim a meaningful life and make progress on my goals: therapy, spiritual retreats... Things started to improve somewhat after attending some family constellation workshops, but nothing truly transformational.
Until one day I thought: What if it’s something biological?
After hearing about and witnessing the changes in someone who had taken mushrooms, I was blown away by their progress. I decided to try them myself, in a safe and legal way, with someone who spoke my language.
Communication with Siddiq was excellent and professional. And I can’t find enough words to thank my facilitator, Elena. She’s a wonderful person, deeply empathetic and talented. Her love for nature and her genuine desire to help others made my experience incredibly safe and effective.
As a bonus, her adorable little dog Cosmo accompanies you during the journey.
A few days after my two sessions, I started noticing positive changes in my personality: my excessive fear in risky situations vanished , it was the first time in my life I’d ever felt that. My appetite regulated itself, and cravings disappeared. The integration process continues, in a positive direction, and I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who wants to reclaim their life.
Forever grateful.
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Payments made through Retreat Guru do not include the cost of: plant medicine, psychedelics or similar products.
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$430.00
Reservation Fee for a session in El Gastor excludes accomodation