FAQs

Eleusinia features the most immersive and intensive psilocybin and DMT program currently on the market.  Committed to your ongoing success, Eleusinia is the ONLY retreat offering exclusive mushroom cultivation and DMT extraction classes.

To further understand how Eleusinia is different, it is important to first read our founder’s article on what she found lacking with other retreats and how she ventured to design a different kind of program.  Prioritizing the science and neurological benefits behind psychedelics, Eleusinia Retreat distinguishes itself from other retreats which exclusively focus on potential spiritual or religious enlightenment. While Eleusinia recognizes the spiritual and religious enlightenment experienced by its clients, Eleusinia’s program also focuses on neuroplasticity, brain health, pain management, and personal growth. Along with teaching techniques and approaches for managing a psychedelic trip itself, the program also empowers guests to incorporate psychedelics into their wellness routine with independence and self-sufficiency. The community atmosphere promotes learning, growth, shared discussion, and general reflection while encouraging spiritual experiences. The program’s support extends well beyond the retreat itself, providing guests with a dedicated private network for communication, questions and discussion beyond the days of the retreat itself, along with updated articles, online classes, research links, and cultivation course videos. Eleusinia’s  mission is to equip guests with the confidence, independence, and tools needed to manage their condition and goals independently, while continuing to receive support from doctors and family back home.

Mexico City is a dynamic metropolis teeming with cultural delights. While we highly recommend exploring its wonders at your leisure, our pickup and drop-off process is flawlessly convenient, requiring no exit from the airport before our driver arrives to whisk you away.

Our rendezvous point is the lobby of the Courtyard Marriott airport hotel, seamlessly connected to Terminal 1 via a skybridge. You can easily access the Courtyard Marriott without setting foot outside the airport premises.

Once assembled, our group embarks in comfort aboard a Mercedes Sprinter, cruising along the well-kept toll road linking Mexico City to Valle de Bravo. This route ensures a smooth and secure journey. Valle de Bravo itself is a favored weekend destination for Mexico City’s affluent residents, boasting lavish vacation homes and earning the moniker “The Hamptons of Mexico City.”

Nestled within our gated 100-acre estate, the retreat center provides security and modern amenities including WiFi, allowing you to stay connected with loved ones throughout your stay.

DMT is the main active ingredient present in ayahuasca. It shares a similar mechanism with psilocybin, and is present in a common traditional medicinal bark often used in skin care products in Mexico called Tepezcohuite.

The minimum age to visit Eleusinia through our standard booking process is 25 years old. Younger adult individuals may visit, but with enhanced screening and may also be asked to be accompanied by a relative. To start the screening process for an individual below 25, please email us at info@eleusiniaretreat.com.

Absolutely not. At Eleusinia, each of our 10 guestrooms is reserved for private bookings, and they all come with their own ensuite bathrooms. While you have the option to add another guest (friend, family member, partner, etc) to your room for an additional $2500, please be assured that we will never assign anyone else to share your room. We firmly believe that sharing a room with a stranger can potentially have a negative impact on your retreat experience. Unlike many other psychedelic retreats that commonly pair strangers together, we avoid this practice. For more insight on this topic, you can also listen to our podcast on the subject.

Eleusinia features a US trained and licensed nurse (RN/CCRN) on site 24 hours. 

Ensuring our guests’ confidence, we prioritize having a US licensed and trained medical professional. Their familiarity with common US medical practices and medication brands, coupled with the fact that a majority of our guests are from the US, guarantees a consultative experience aligned with our guests’ comfort and expectations.

In addition, we also contract with a local MD that is licensed in Mexico for house calls and additional support.

The quality of your retreat experience is very important to us, and we want to make sure you feel comfortable at every turn. Most other retreats bring a contracted doctor, nurse, or EMT on-site only for a few hours during their psychedelic session. Everyone on our entire team, from the medical staff to the workshop leaders, is fully integrated into the program and on-site for your entire stay. No revolving doors of rotating contractors and changing faces here, as we believe it can be detrimental to your experience.

We believe that it is just as important for our guests to have peace of mind and be well-rested throughout the whole retreat. Let’s face it, last minute questions and medical concerns rarely make themselves known within convenient hours.

At Eleusinia Retreat, we prioritize individualized care, offering a flexible dosing system to maximize the potential of each psychedelic journey. Our focus on response-based dosing, coupled with careful reassessment and support, ensures that every guest has an impactful and transformative experience.

Read more details about our dosing process in this article here.

Eleusinia Retreat prides itself on being a welcoming space for all, and not just those with certain medical conditions. While the program may have been originally designed to cater to individuals with chronic pain conditions, we believe this fact only adds to the level of care and attention we offer to our guests. Catering to individuals with medical conditions means that Eleusinia Retreat places a premium on providing a safe, secure, and accessible environment to explore the benefits of psilocybin. Whether you’re looking to address a specific medical condition or simply seeking to enhance your overall wellness, Eleusinia Retreat offers a welcoming and supportive environment to help you achieve your goals.

At Eleusinia, we know the science behind the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties of psilocybin and can coach our visitors on how to leverage them for better health as part of a long term plan.

At our retreat, we prioritize your comfort and aim to create an environment that is conducive to a positive psilocybin experience. While some individuals may choose to take psilocybin alone and have a smooth experience, others may face challenges and require additional support. At the retreat, we are ready with rescue medications if needed.

It’s not uncommon for individuals to feel isolated in their decision to seek a psilocybin experience, especially if their family and friends don’t understand or support their choice. Even those who do support the decision may not have the necessary experience or knowledge to provide the kind of support that’s needed. This is where our retreat can make a difference.

Our team is experienced in facilitating psilocybin experiences and understands the importance of a supportive environment and container. We strive to create a comfortable and safe space where you can explore your inner self and feel supported every step of the way. 

We believe that an orchestrated and supported experience with psilocybin can set the tone for future experiences, even if they are done alone. Each experience sets the tone for the experiences to follow, and we help you start on a positive and productive note.

We have also designed our program to be a good choice for those looking to recover from a difficult past psychedelic experience and return to more productive experiences.

You can see the daily schedule here.

The closest airports are Mexico City (Mex) and Toluca (TLC). Mexico City is the best choice for flights arriving from outside of Mexico while Toluca may be the best choice for local flights.

If flying in on the start day of the retreat, please choose a flight that arrives before 11:00am.

Yes. Our private transport that is included in the retreat cost picks up everyone from the Airport Courtyard Marriott located in Mexico City on the start date of the retreat. The Airport Courtyard Marriott is connected to the airport via a sky-bridge located in Terminal 1. If you happen to land in Terminal 2, a train to Terminal 1 is available. If pre-selected pick-up times are not feasible, we also offer private transportation at an additional cost.  

No, due to safety concerns, we do not offer access to ayahuasca ceremonies. You can read more about this here.

Psychedelic substances are often taken under less-than-ideal circumstances. Parties, music festivals, etc. Unfortunately, this can lead to an abundance of “scary” stories about bad trips, which can be a deterrent for those who are curious about exploring the potential benefits of these substances.

At Eleusinia, we create a different kind of environment for individuals seeking a psychedelic experience. Our tranquil and beautiful surroundings, along with the company of trained and experienced staff fosters a safe and supportive environment for exploration.

We understand that even with the best intentions, discomfort can arise during a psychedelic experience. That’s why we monitor our guests closely and have on-hand rescue medication should we deem it necessary in circumstances where we believe the discomfort is unduly hindering a person’s ability to benefit or even return to a psychedelic experience. 

Additionally, we offer virtual reality (VR) with meditation apps as a tool to help individuals redirect their experience into a more comfortable direction. 

Our approach to psychedelic exploration and use is focused on creating a safe and supportive environment that maximizes the potential benefits while minimizing the risks. We believe that with the right setting, guidance, and tools, a psychedelic experience can be remarkably useful for change. 

Ingesting psilocybin may cause nausea in some individuals who are particularly sensitive. This is because psilocybin affects the same serotonin receptors that control the body’s nausea response. However, there are ways to mitigate this effect, such as taking anti-nausea medication. At Eleusinia we employ various techniques, including medication to mitigate and/or circumvent the possibility of nausea. 

We categorize conflicts based on two criteria: (1) whether they present a safety concern and (2) whether they affect the quality of the psychedelic experience. You can read more about common interactions in this article. It is recommended that guests discuss their medication list with their healthcare provider for their personal safety and wellbeing. We are happy to point out specific interactions we are familiar with, but your healthcare provider should be the ultimate authority and source on these matters.

Psilocybin is generally known as an extremely safe substance. It is less toxic than alcohol by several orders of magnitude, though it does have rather dramatic effects on perception and consciousness. Oftentimes, the blocking effects of some medications can be counteracted with dosing adjustments, so please fill out your medication questionnaire as soon as possible after booking so we can discuss a plan for you.

However, mixing psilocybin with some medications can create a dangerous combination. Lithium is the single most notable medication that should not be mixed with psilocybin. If used in conjunction with lithium, psilocybin could cause serious complications such as seizures or even heart failure.

Another possible complication you may have heard about is a condition called serotonin syndrome. Psilocybin alone or even in conjunction with most antidepressants has next to a zero chance of causing serotonin syndrome.

However, when taken in combination with an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor), a class of medication often used as an antidepressant, that risk is slightly elevated. We do not believe in taking even these slight risks and therefore request our guests to avoid any MAOIs. In fact, you might have read in one of our other articles that this retreat does not promote the use of ayahuasca, despite its common use in other retreats, because all ayahuasca brews contain a natural MAOI.

With respect to item # 2 above, the medications that could affect the quality of a psychedelic experience are a much larger category. SSRIs and SNRIs are all classes of medications that work on serotonin receptors. They are often prescribed as antidepressants or nerve pain medication. Many people report a muted psychedelic experience if they take psilocybin while taking these medications or within a short period of having tapered off of them. This muted/dulling effect is especially pronounced if they have taken SSRIs and/or SNRIs for an extended period of time.

Eleusinia Retreat is a retreat designed to teach visitors how to incorporate psilocybin into a long term wellness plan. We don’t advocate for placing too much pressure on yourself for a singular psilocybin experience. This is a process, and the goal of the retreat is to learn to use these tools in an effective manner. For some it can take up to two months for your response to psilocybin to mimic the general population after completely transitioning off some of these medications. As a result, it is important to adjust expectations and not dwell on what you believe the experience “should be like” or “is like for others”.

Part of your intake process will be discussing your current medication list with us. Use of any medication that works on the serotonin system during the retreat is discouraged, since it could potentially contribute to uncomfortable symptoms or affect the quality of the psychedelic experience (ie. dulling effect). Many sleep aids, nerve pain medications, mood stabilizers, and antidepressants work on the serotonin system, so be sure to be thorough when the subject comes up for discussion.

This class covers everything the hobbyist would need to know to produce a variety of medicinal or gourmet mushrooms. Using a simple, mess-free technique with all legal and easy-to-source materials, we give you the skills you would need to efficiently cultivate mushrooms.

In addition to the class, we also provide 6 months of free access to our support network where you can ask questions about cultivation and share your progress.

This class covers a basic technique to extract DMT using legal and easy-to-source materials. 

To put it bluntly, it’s because our guests count on us. A trip to Eleusinia is more than just a vacation, and continued treatment is vital for many of our guests visiting with serious conditions. We do not want to leave them hanging after they experience temporary improvement at the retreat, so we designed the program to give all the tools necessary to make the most of continued therapeutic use.

At Eleusinia, we proudly embrace a program tailored to celebrate the comfort and individuality of every participant, including those who value a more introverted experience. Our unique approach eliminates formal group discussions, ensuring that all integration sessions are conducted one on one. Engaging in group interactions is centered around natural mealtime conversations, fostering a relaxed atmosphere where no one ever feels pressured to speak in front of a group. During the psilocybin sessions, participants are allowed to explore the garden, interact with support staff, or settle into their own cozy garden nooks for a deeply personal exploration. Additionally, our DMT sessions are conducted one on one, making for a very private and personalized experience. Benefiting from our exclusively private room bookings, guests can effortlessly retreat to their rooms without concerns about disruptions from roommates. This affords them the opportunity to recharge their social batteries in a serene and inviting environment without any worries.

Eleusinia is a retreat that provides a unique opportunity for individuals seeking to explore the benefits of psilocybin. While many of our guests are managing neurological conditions that cause them pain, and our retreat is capable of meeting their specific needs, our retreat is also designed to cater to a broader audience. Our goal is to provide a relaxing and rejuvenating experience in some of the most beautiful parts of the world while offering guests the opportunity to explore the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin.

Although pain relief is one of the many benefits of psilocybin, it is by no means the only one. We believe that psilocybin can provide a reset and a fresh perspective for those seeking a wellness retreat. Psilocybin has been shown to be effective in treating depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD, among other conditions. At Eleusinia, we encourage individuals who are looking for a unique and transformative experience to explore our program, regardless of their current health status.

Our retreat format is designed to educate guests on the benefits of psilocybin and how to use it in a safe and effective manner. Our team of experienced professionals is dedicated to providing guidance and support throughout the retreat. In addition to the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin and DMT experienced at the retreat, our program provides guests with the opportunity to learn mushroom cultivation and DMT extraction techniques.

Though not ideal, we can make arrangements for visitors with non-participating caretakers. We just ask that nonparticipants leave the facility and self-isolate during the days there are psychedelic sessions to avoid interaction with participants while in that delicate state.

While a single psilocybin experience may offer temporary relief for chronic pain during the retreat, significant and lasting impact often necessitates multiple sessions. Recognizing this, our program is designed with mushroom cultivation and DMT extraction courses, enabling guests to independently pursue a comprehensive treatment plan.

Mushroom consumption is legally tolerated in the areas where we hold the retreats strictly in a traditional religious ceremonial context.

At Eleusinia, all traditional medicines are presented by our traditional Oaxacan curandera in accordance with the requirements of Article 195 bis of the Federal Penal Code regarding the traditional religious application of psilocybin-containing fungi and DMT.

At Eleusinia retreat we have crafted a vegetarian menu with authentic flavors of Mexico. You can read more about our menu here.

At Eleusinia, we pride ourselves on creating an intimate and personalized experience for our guests. Our retreat villa boasts ten cozy and well-appointed bedrooms and is situated on 100 acres of lush forest.

Additionally, we limit our group sizes to a maximum of 14 people, allowing for focused attention and a more personalized experience. This small group size enables our guests to receive individualized support and guidance from our experienced team, who are dedicated to helping each guest achieve their wellness goals. By keeping our groups small, we can tailor our program to meet the unique needs and preferences of each individual, ensuring a truly transformative and unforgettable experience for all.

The menu at Eleusinia is vegetarian, plant-based with eggs and dairy, so it is generally kosher compatible. If a meal time falls on Shabbat, we can arrange to serve food prepared ahead of time. Likewise, if a departure time falls on Shabbat, we can arrange for the observant guests to stay an extra night to avoid travel during those hours.

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