Our Approach
Clinical rigor meets heart-centered integration.
A 12-week protocol designed for lasting transformation.
The Gathering Groups Model
We facilitate Gathering Groups retreats — a transformational, structured twelve-week group program including a two-night psilocybin mushroom retreat designed to maximize well-being through education, preparation, and integration.
This model uniquely incorporates western, science-backed theories while remaining rooted in Indigenous and land-based teachings. It is designed to support and maximize connection, resilience, and personal growth.
Gathering Groups are extended medical eligible (BC groups).
The 12-Week Arc
WEEK 1: WELCOME & ORIENTATION
Meet your group. Establish group agreements. Begin building trust and safety in the container. Introduction to the 12-week arc.
WEEKS 2–3: SOMATIC FOUNDATIONS
Breathwork, mindfulness, and embodiment practices. Learn to notice and regulate your nervous system. Begin developing a felt sense of safety in your body.
WEEKS 4–5: SELF-INQUIRY & INTENTION
Self-compassion practices and Internal Family Systems (IFS) exploration. Identify patterns, protections, and longings. Begin clarifying your intention for ceremony.
WEEKS 6–7: DEEPENING & PREPARATION
Intentional movement and deeper embodiment work. Practical preparation for the retreat — what to expect, what to bring, how to care for yourself. The group bond deepens.
WEEK 8: TWO-NIGHT SACRED PLANT RETREAT
Day 1 (Evening): Arrive at 6:30 PM. Check into your room. Structured preparation circle. Time to unplug, journal, socialize, and tend to yourself.
Day 2 (Full Day): Ceremony begins early morning and continues into the afternoon. Light meal and reflection time. Evening integration circle. Rest, connection, nourishment, fire, hot tub.
Day 3 (Morning): Breakfast. Group departs in the morning.
The retreat is supported by Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC), Registered Social Workers (RSW), and professionally trained facilitators in a safe, held environment.
WEEKS 9–10: EARLY INTEGRATION
Return to your online group. Begin making sense of what emerged during ceremony. Share experiences in a safe, confidential container. Start anchoring insights into daily life.
WEEKS 11–12: DEEP INTEGRATION & COMPLETION
Consolidate learnings. Explore how your relationship to yourself, others, and life has shifted. Closing circle. Transition into the Gathering alumni community for lifetime integration support.
What We Draw On
Our weekly sessions weave together multiple evidence-based and experiential modalities.
- Breathwork — Conscious breathing practices for nervous system regulation
- Mindfulness — Present-moment awareness and non-judgmental observation
- Self-Compassion — Practices rooted in Kristin Neff’s research on self-kindness, common humanity, and mindful awareness
- Intentional Movement — Gentle, body-led movement to release held tension
- Embodiment Work — Somatic practices that reconnect you to felt experience
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) — A compassionate framework for understanding and working with different parts of yourself
Safety Is Non-Negotiable
- ✦ Every group includes at least one Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
- ✦ Groups are co-facilitated by Registered Social Workers (RSW) and professionally trained facilitators
- ✦ All facilitators have completed their own Gathering Group journey
- ✦ Maximum 8 participants per group — no exceptions
- ✦ Clinically-informed screening process before acceptance
- ✦ Trauma-informed, somatic-first approach throughout
- ✦ Confidential, consent-based group agreements
Grounded in Research
Our work builds on pioneering research from Roots to Thrive, a Canadian nonprofit healthcare organization that developed a multi-week, group-based therapy model paired with medicine-assisted treatment. Their studies demonstrated promising outcomes, with a majority of participants experiencing significant reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms following a structured process of group preparation, medicine sessions, and integration.
Inspired by this work, the Gathering Groups model has been developed and adapted specifically for psilocybin-assisted experiences. Gathering Groups is now partnering with the University of Exeter in the UK to formally study this model and explore how structured community processes may enhance therapeutic outcomes.
What Participants May Experience
MENTAL HEALTH
Reduction in symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, C-PTSD, OCD, and substance use challenges.
PHYSICAL HEALTH
Support navigating chronic pain and certain chronic conditions, including cluster headaches.
OVERALL WELLBEING
Mood improvements, increased focus and motivation, deeper sense of meaning and connection, and a changed relationship to self and others.
COMMUNITY
Lifetime access to the Gathering alumni integration community — because healing doesn’t end when the 12 weeks are over.
Ready to Begin?
Apply now to join an upcoming cohort. Our simple four-step process:
- Submit your application
- Complete the intake form
- Attend an introductory call
- Join your group
Apply Now