Christian Psychedelic Training Retreat: An Invitation
Join us November 13th -16th in Asheville
Experience in-person the intersection of Christianity and Psychedelic Psychotherapy.
Learn what this work can be by immersing yourself in it- in a safely held, Christian container.
Learn More About MetanoiaIs this for you?
Are you a chaplain, therapist, spiritual counselor, or clergy person interested in the complex and rich intersection of Christian spirituality, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP), and mental health treatment?
This retreat offers a unique space to learn by actually doing, offering you an opportunity to experience two professionally supported ketamine experiences as part of a confidential group of like-minded peers.
No psychedelic experience is required, and any sessions you choose to participate in will be titrated to your individual comfort level. Our goal is to support you in your exploration, at your own pace, in a Christian context.
Overview
Join us for a 3-night, 4-day gathering in a natural setting, far from the concerns of the world, as we gather to discuss our faith and the role psychedelic journeys can potentially play in our prayer lives or healing, and as we support you during your own psychedelic ketamine experiences.
We will accept a cohort of 10-12 participants. Confidentiality is assured, and private rooms and meals are included.
Intention
As we move from Autumn to Winter on the Sanctuary land, we hope to turn inward together and examine ourselves, our relationships to God, and our work in the world of psychedelic therapy.
The learning focus of the gathering includes nature connection, set and setting exploration, discussion of preparation and integration, and other directly relevant aspects of your own psychedelic experiences.
You will then be invited to experience the psychedelic altered state itself, using clinically-proven doses of legal ketamine, with medical monitoring.
We intentionally give you access to the didactic teaching well before you arrive, to view ahead of time at your own pace, so that you can immerse yourself in your personal experience once you are on-site.
On the Training Experience
Beyond merely observing or discussing therapeutic practice, this retreat is crafted as a deeply immersive training environment. Participants not only witness but are guided through best practices for administering ketamine-assisted experiences—including preparation, safe dosing protocols (IV, IM, or self-administered nasal), and post-session integration. Under expert supervision from experienced clinicians and spiritual leaders, you will refine integration techniques and learn structured frameworks for supporting psychedelic encounters within a Christian therapeutic context. This “learning by doing” model ensures that participants emerge not just informed, but truly skilled in safely and thoughtfully implementing psychedelic-assisted interventions in their own pastoral or clinical work.
Two Ketamine Experiences
We provide a safe context for you to experience psychedelic doses of Ketamine with different routes of administration.
For your individual session, you will be able to choose between intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) administration, a choice that is rarely available in training settings. You will also experience a group intranasal (IN) session, which allows the option to self-titrate your dose, increasing or decreasing during your session, according to your personal preference.
Sessions are supervised by experienced physicians, clergy and therapists, and integration is taught and modeled in a group format.
Why is this so needed?
The emerging psychedelic medicine field is doing healing work for suffering clients. But for many Christians, psychedelic treatments feel very foreign. And for many psychedelic therapists, Christian beliefs are equally un-relatable. We need to hear from actual experts on what is called for to really care for this population. We need a useful framework for approaching this work- one that is systematic and understandable.
Metanoia's goal is to move towards cultural competence when it comes to treating Christians, so we can learn how to fit this into actual psychedelic therapy practice. Without it, we cannot serve the spiritual or psychological needs of Christian clients. Without it, we may inadvertently do harm.
November 13th-16th,
2025
$2,500
Asheville, NC
Orientation Zoom Call November 3rd at 5:00 pm Pacific/ 8:00 pm EST
Who should not attend:
Please note that this kind of experiential psychedelic retreat can be an intense experience and can open you to upsetting or challenging inner experiences and emotions. Our team has held many similar retreats and have expertise in supporting you should this occur. But it's important to understand clearly that this is not a group therapy program, and we are not serving as any participant's personal clergy person or therapist.
Therefore, we require all participants to have access to a personal therapist, so that we can be assured that you will have ongoing therapeutic support should you need to integrate challenging psychedelic experiences.
Please take the responsibility seriously of authentically checking in with yourself and with God about your readiness for this experience. It may not be the right time for you if you have a lot of upsetting events happening in your life or are struggling or feeling fragile in your own mental health.
If you choose to come, you are agreeing that:
1. You have checked in with yourself deeply and feel you are in an emotionally stable state to enter this experience.
2. You have a therapist or similar support person who can assist you if any challenging emotional or psychological experiences emerge following this retreat.
If you have any questions about this, don't hesitate to speak with the team member who invited you, so that we can help you assess yourself individually. And thank you for your honesty and authenticity with this vulnerable but critical part of the admissions process. We honor your stepping into this conversation.
This gathering is also not a fit for you, if you are deeply afraid of having a psychedelic experience for any reason. Being nervous is completely normal. But if you associate the idea of psychedelic altered states with spiritual danger, this may not be a fit for you at this time. Our team appreciates psychedelic altered states as prayerful and devotional, deepening and enriching our faith lives. But this may not be true for everyone. If this experience is not in alignment with what you feel God wants for you, we respect that choice and honor that you are standing in your integrity with your decision.
Do I have to identify as Christian to participate?
No, this is not required. Many therapists, for example, are interested in learning how to advocate with integrity for their Christian clients, even if they don't identify as Christian themselves. It is important, however, to respect Christian faith and tradition and be comfortable in an environment of Christian prayer and practices to participate.
HOW TO REGISTER:
SCHEDULE AND LOGISTICS:
TRAINING LOCATION:
MEALS AND LODGING:
STAFF TEAM
John 10:10...
