Multiple different programs and one very good question: which one is actually yours? This guide walks you through it, step by step.
Start here: have you visited us before?
This is the first fork, and it matters more than it might seem. Returning guests have access to a track built specifically for them: the Alumni Series. Everyone else starts by figuring out which of our four core series fits what they’re looking for.
If you’ve been to Eleusinia before, skip ahead to the Alumni Series section. If this is your first time, keep reading.
New to Eleusinia: what matters most to you?
Our four series exist because “psychedelic retreat” means different things to different people. Some guests want a bit of everything. Others already know exactly what they’re here for, whether that’s meditation, physical performance, or longevity. Ask yourself which of these sounds most like you:
“I want a bit of everything Eleusinia has to offer.” → The Signature Series
That covers guests who want:
- The mental reset and pattern-breaking that comes with a psychedelic experience
- The combination of psychological support, psychedelic neuroscience education, and guest autonomy Eleusinia is known for
- A real taste of Mesoamerican tradition, like the temazcal
- A hands-on introduction to mushroom cultivation
“I already have a meditation practice.” → The Meditation Series “I’m mostly interested in physical and cognitive effects.” → The Biohacking Series
The Signature Series: a bit of everything Eleusinia has to offer
This is our most comprehensive series, and it’s the right starting point for most first-time guests. It includes introductions to both psilocybin and DMT, touches on meditation practice, and touches on the biohacking angle too. Think of it as the generalist option: broad exposure across everything we do, without narrowing in on one area.
The main reason to pick one of the more specialized 8-day programs instead is that one of those specific angles (meditation, or the physical/longevity side) already has your attention and you want to go deep on it rather than wide.
Within the Signature Series, your real decision is 8-day versus 5-day.
The single biggest difference between them is the number of psychedelic sessions. More sessions means more chances to experience something, rest and reset, and then reapproach with what you learned. That might sound like the harder path, but it’s actually often the more comfortable one for someone newer to psychedelics: there’s less pressure to “get it right” in one shot when you know there’s another session coming.
Those sessions are also spaced out on a schedule with real rest days in between, not stacked back to back. That’s not just a comfort choice. Psilocybin builds tolerance quickly: run two sessions on consecutive days and the second one is working against your own physiology before it even starts. Spacing sessions out gives your body time to reset between them, so each one gets a fair shot at being a full experience rather than a diminished echo of the one before it.
The 5-day is a strong choice if your time is limited. It moves at a faster pace and delivers a complete experience in a shorter window.
The 8-day also opens up more of the schedule: a mushroom cultivation class, a Temazcal (sweat lodge) experience, and room to add extras like the Couple’s Package or excursions such as paragliding.
Choose the 8-Day Intensive if: you’re new to psychedelics and want the lower-pressure, multi-session approach, or you want the additional activities and the extra time to add on excursions.
Choose the 5-Day Discovery if: your time is limited, and you want a complete, well-rounded introduction in a shorter window.
The Meditation Series: built for guests who already know how to sit with their mind
Everyone at Eleusinia is here for the psychedelic experience. That part isn’t in question. But if you already have a meditation practice, you’re walking into that experience with something most guests don’t have: practice staying present with your own mind when it gets loud. In a six-hour psilocybin session, that’s not a small edge.
The meditation content woven into the Signature Series is built as an introduction, meant for guests who are new to the practice. If you already meditate, that entry point is a few steps behind where you already are. The Meditation Series starts from where an experienced practitioner’s mind actually is, not where a first-timer’s is, and puts you alongside other guests operating at a similar depth.
Choose the Meditation Series if: you already have some meditation practice, and you want a program, and fellow guests, that meet you there instead of introducing you to it.
The Biohacking Series: for the physical-benefits crowd
If what draws you to psychedelics is the physical side, longevity, cognitive performance, pain and body comfort, this series is built for exactly that. Like the Meditation Series, it includes the same number of dosing sessions as the 8-Day Intensive, but the educational material and activities are oriented around the physical health effects alongside the psychological ones.
There are two programs here, and the choice between them comes down to which physical outcome you care about more.
8-Day Healthy Aging focuses on the longevity and cognitive-enhancing effects of psilocybin and DMT: brain health, aging well, staying sharp.
8-Day Functional Neuroplasticity focuses on how psychedelics affect how you feel in your body: pain management and using neuroplasticity to become more physically comfortable day to day.
Choose Healthy Aging if: longevity and cognitive health are your primary interest.
Choose Functional Neuroplasticity if: you’re dealing with pain or physical discomfort and want to explore how these experiences can help with that.
Returning guests: the Alumni Series
The Alumni Series is a 7-day retreat, specially priced, built specifically for guests who’ve already done one of our other programs. These aren’t repeats of what you already experienced. They’re a continuation, with more adventurous activities like DMT paired with sensory deprivation and the chance to explore different psilocybin mushroom species.
They also tend to feel less like a retreat and more like a reunion. Many alumni guests already know each other from our online community and the weekly integration calls, even if they weren’t necessarily in the same session on their first visit, so there’s a familiarity here that first-time retreats don’t have.
There are two versions:
Alumni Only is reserved exclusively for returning guests. This is the option if you want the full reunion experience among people who’ve already done the work.
Alumni Friends & Family lets you bring someone who hasn’t been to Eleusinia before, while you both still get alumni pricing and you keep access to the alumni-only activities. Your guest follows an activity schedule similar to the Signature Series, while you follow the alumni schedule.
Choose Alumni Only if: you want to return solo (or with another alumnus) for the full alumni experience.
Choose Alumni Friends & Family if: you want to introduce someone in your life to Eleusinia without giving up your alumni pricing and activities.
Still not sure?
That’s what we’re here for. Reach out and book a call with us and we’ll help you find the right fit before you commit to a date.
2 Responses
Thank you for this. Eleusinia is a fair size investment of time, travel and dollars. And psychedelic exploration in a retreat structure is a new and tough decision for many of us. There are uncertainties to clarify. Getting the right retreat is important. There is always decision risk, but the write up above helps moving forward.
I’m glad it was helpful, Curtis!
Your experience in meditation gives you a significant advantage that the right program will help you capitalize on.