4-Day Psychedelic Retreat with Ketamine in Escondido, California

Amy Milroy, DNP, APRN (she/her) Rush University, 2018: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Johns Hopkins University, 2021: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Integrative Psychiatry Institute, October 2023: Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Provider Amy Milroy is a board-certified psychiatric and family nurse practitioner who is also a certified psychedelic-assisted therapy provider. For reasons both of nature and nurture, Amy loves to help people heal themselves. As a trauma survivor, Amy offers retreat participants the wisdom and expertise of her own healing combined with what she has learned from many patients’ healing journeys. Amy has a unique and sweeping perspective on the art and science of thriving. Years ago when she started benefiting from psychedelic medicine coupled with therapy, she changed her mind in all the best senses. When she started her career as a registered nurse, she felt demoralized when she witnessed how often the healthcare system does not make patients healthier. In moving from registered nurse to family nurse practitioner and then to psychiatric nurse practitioner, Amy kept feeling she was getting closer to her true vocation, but not yet reaching it. After having very healing experiences with psychedelics, she realized her deepest calling and dedicated her life to helping people achieve lasting transformation and wellness through psychedelic medicine. In October 2023 she will complete her certification as a psychedelic-assisted therapy provider. She and Sal launched Transcendelic so they could help people become their best, healthiest, most fulfilled selves. Amy’s patients, students, and loved ones have frequently told her she is very compassionate, wise, and open-minded. She has a talent for making people feel at home. During her career she has cared for patients of all ages in a variety of settings, including most recently providing ketamine treatment via telehealth. She is committed to equity, and a regular provider of free healthcare for those in need. Amy is grateful for her teachers: those who have traditionally used psychedelics (especially Indigenous peoples), loved ones, colleagues, therapists, authors, students, researchers, and of course her patients. She looks forward to meeting you, hearing your story, and helping you discover your highest self.

Maricel Balanza (she/her): Massage Therapist, Reiki Master, KALI Facilitator Lomi Lomi, Reiki, KALI, Ayurvedic Massage, Marma Point Therapy, Cupping, Himalayan Salt Stone Massage Maricel is a Certified Massage Therapist, Reiki Master, and Kundalini Activation Light Integration (KALI) Facilitator. She specializes in Lomi Lomi Hawaiian Massage, and loves to integrate the Hawaiian spiritual culture in her healing services. She studied at Healing Hands School of Holistic Health in Escondido, California from 2011-2012. In 2016, she studied with instructors from Hawaii at a local Sacred Lomi® retreat rooted in the lineage of Kahu Abraham Kawai’i (sometimes referred to as Temple Style Lomi, Hawaiian Temple Bodywork, or Kahuna Bodywork). She also studied under a shaman at Balanced Energies Reiki and Shamanism School in Temecula. She has been practicing massage and reiki for 11 years, and recently has felt drawn to KALI to help with her own personal evolution as well as her career. Maricel feels KALI helps her become more aligned with herself and her purpose, and strongly feels called to share this utmost, beautiful, and powerful energy with others to help them empower themselves. Maricel desires to be a conduit for healing, love, and light, and KALI gives her the opportunity to be just that. She also practices yoga, tai chi, and meditation, which she incorporates into her bodywork. Her work was featured in SD Voyager, and in 2019 and 2020 she was awarded Best Reiki Therapist in Solana Beach, where her first massage practice was located. She also had the pleasure to work and train at The Chopra Center, and is grateful to share Ayurvedic massage techniques and marma point therapy. In the beginning of 2020, she closed her practice due to the pandemic and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she passed the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam and learned other modalities from several spas that she worked for. Her credentials include cupping therapy and Himalayan salt stone massage, which she now offers in her private practice. Since early 2022, Maricel’s love for California has led her to move back closer to her family and the ocean. While working alongside Transcendelic retreats, Maricel now works privately for her own practice at several locations in the Temecula and San Diego area.

Salil Kalra, MD (he/him): Co-Founder Northwestern University, 2011: Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences (B.A.) Chicago Medical School, 2016: Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Rush University, 2019: Internal Medicine Residency University of Illinois at Chicago, 2022: Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship Sal is a physician with board certifications in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, bringing a unique wealth of medical expertise to his role on the retreats. Known for his calm, laid-back demeanor and open-mindedness, he fosters an environment of trust, compassion and authenticity, inviting others to be vulnerable as they embark on their transformative journeys. He is dedicated to guiding others towards their own paths of healing and fulfillment, offering them the opportunity to rediscover their innate resilience and inner strength. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sal faced personal struggles with burnout and disillusionment within the healthcare system, and similarly saw how it deeply affected his colleagues. He noted a disheartening reality that there exists a silent epidemic of mental health struggles endured by those who dedicate their lives to caring for others, but unfortunately are unable to address their own needs. He hopes that psychedelic medicines will alleviate some of the moral injury and cognitive dissonance in healers, as we regain the sense of purpose that initially brought us to healthcare. Moreover, his experiences in the ICU revealed the profound impact that prolonged ICU stays can have on patients. Surviving on the brink of death, these individuals often grapple with the aftermath of their traumatic experiences, leading to the emergence of post-ICU syndrome—an intricate web of physical and psychological sequelae. Patients in the ICU are usually sedated using high doses of narcotics for extended periods of time, while they undergo days to weeks of medical testing, procedures and treatment, with some still having acute awareness of their dire situation, but unable to make decisions for themselves or understand what is happening to them. Sal observed the enduring symptoms of PTSD that haunted these patients and their families long after leaving the confines of the hospital, often struggling with physical weakness, depression, chemical dependence and other psychosocial stressors as a result of critical illness. Being confined in the ICU has parallels with other suffering, and is a lens through which to view the challenges that keep people feeling trapped in other ways. Deeply inspired by the therapeutic potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy for a multitude of uses, Sal envisions a ray of hope for patients, families, healthcare workers, and others struggling with pain and darkness, offering an avenue of healing from their traumas and an alternative path towards recovery. He believes that by integrating a mind-body approach into their recovery journeys, people can traverse a path towards holistic well-being, embracing a renewed sense of vitality and emotional equilibrium.

Stacy Costopoulos Smith, M.A., LMFT (she/her): Licensed Therapist University of Iowa, 1992: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (B.A.) California School of Professional Psychology, 2018: Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (M.A., MFT) Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 2 Training, 2023 Integrative Psychiatry Institute, 2023: Fellow, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Thirty years ago, Stacy began cultivating her skills in helping people heal their deepest inner wounds when she worked as a legal and medical advocate for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault after graduating from the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Stacy’s graduate work includes a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from the California School of Professional Psychology, along with experience working with couples and individuals experiencing emotional trauma. She completed a year-long experiential certification program in psychedelic-assisted therapy through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. Stacy is grateful for her training in trauma-focused therapy approaches, because it equips her to attune to clients’ individual needs for safety in therapy sessions. Stacy welcomes conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion and strives to honor (and celebrate!) differences of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexuality, ability, socio-economic status, and other factors of identity. Stacy’s goal is to provide support and skill as people heal traumatic emotional wounds in a gentle, trusting environment. When Stacy is not providing therapy, her favorite things to do are having deep, existential conversations with her three adult children, hanging out with her granddaughter, hiking with her partner, caring for plants, knitting, walking her dogs, or sawing and soldering metals at her jeweler’s bench.