Answering Your Strangest Questions about Nine Perfect Strangers
I'm a little late to the Nine Perfect Strangers party, but I finally finished the series and can answer all the questions I've been getting about psychedelic healing on the show. Let me know if I missed your question because I've answered some weird ones below.
Do retreat centers like in Nine Perfect Strangers exist?
Yes and no. Psychedelics are illegal in the US and so it is very difficult to run a retreat center focused on psychedelic healing domestically.
Although some cities, Washington DC, & Oregon have decriminalized some psychedelics, practitioners can still be busted by the federal government and have no clear way to file taxes.
The American War on Drugs means that you’re more likely to find the retreat center from Nine Perfect Strangers in Costa Rica, Portugal, the Netherlands, or Mexico. If you choose to leave the country for healing, look for programs that are owned by natives of that country and employ local healers.
If you’re considering a program led by Americans in a foreign country ask some questions first...
Who own’s the retreat center?
How much are the local practitioners compensated?
Where do profits from the program go?
How many years have you been hosting in this community?
How many guests do you usually host and how many are coming to this session?
For the time being, American practitioners operate in the shadows. Typically they will rent a VRBO or retreat center to hold one-off retreats. American psychedelic leaders cannot be “caught” owning a retreat center because of Civil Asset Forfeiture.
What is Civil Asset Forfeiture?
(Answered by https://drugpolicy.org/issues/asset-forfeiture-reform)
Civil asset forfeiture allows the government to seize cash, cars, real estate, or other property suspected of being connected to criminal activity, even if the owner is never arrested for a crime. In a staggering 80% of civil asset forfeitures, criminal charges are never filed against property owners.
Civil asset forfeiture was rarely used prior to the war on drugs. However, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 authorized the government to seize drugs and drug equipment. As the war on drugs intensified, Congress expanded the range of property subject to forfeiture. Cash, bank accounts, jewelry, cars, boats, airplanes, businesses, houses and land all became fair game.
Can someone die at a Psychedelic Retreat? What about the goat? 🐐
I’ve never had anyone die during a retreat but we have birthed a baby ;). Although psychedelics are safer than alcohol and most prescription drugs, there is some risk. Be completely honest with your practitioner about your health and EVERYTHING you’re taking. Some factors that can particularly affect your safety on psychedelics are if you are taking SSRIs or opiates, have a heart or lung condition, or history with bipolar.
Before you sign up, ask if the staff has medical training and how long it takes to get to a hospital. Do not stop taking your prescribed medication while on retreat unless advised by your doctor AND your psychedelic practitioner. Most medications require titrating down and you don’t want to stop suddenly.
I have never had anyone kill a goat (or any animal) during a retreat. We have broken 3 chairs during a rage session though. Typically folks become more sensitive to living things while on psychedelics. I’ve had guests cry over insects drowning accidentally in the pool.
Will someone dose me on psychedelics without telling me?
Unlikely. This is the only premise of Nine Perfect Strangers that I can’t find anyone practicing in real life. Although there have been rumors of putting LSD in the water supply since LSD was discovered, it’s never happened. Everyone I know chooses to work intentionally with psychedelics. Dosing people without their consent is unethical.
Are the staff at retreat centers fucking each other?
Often yes. I’ve found the bisexuality and polyamory in Nine Perfect Strangers is very common in the psychedelic world. For folks that are constantly looking into the future with psychedelics…it doesn’t look like a one man married to one woman for the rest of their life kinda world. I wouldn’t expect your psychedelic staff to practice Christian heterosexual monogamy.
I think it’s perfectly ethical for staff members to fuck each other (with consent and power balance). What you want to avoid is events where the practitioners fuck the guests (unless the retreat is built specifically for that). There are a small number of shitty practitioners that insist that fucking them is part of the healing process. Sex can be an incredibly healing and beautiful gift. However, feeling pressure to fuck someone while you are altered on psychedelics is not OK. If you are interested in fucking anyone while “high”, wait until you’re sober to explore that.
Will I fall in love with someone on retreat?
Yes. My experience during retreats is I often fall in love with myself first. Investing in myself during a retreat reminds me of how much I love myself. Next I tend to fall into deeper love with my partners if they happen to be retreating with me. Lastly, I fall into love with every single person on the retreat. So know that feeling the love is 100% expected.
Finding your soul mate while you’re patching up your own soul is complicated. A lot of the singles that meet during a retreat don’t date for too long afterwards. So if you feel deep swelling love during a retreat, enjoy it! Don’t skip working on yourself to try and get busy with someone else. Focus on your own journey and if that person really is your dream boat, they’ll be waiting at the dock after your retreat.
Can doing psychedelics heal ___________ ?
Studying psychedelics has been largely illegal for the last 50 years so we have few scientific studies but tons of personal healing stories. John Hopkins has released studies showing that magic mushrooms (psilocybin) can be healing for anxiety, depression, addiction, and PTSD. MDMA is in Phase 3 clinical trials to be re-introduced as a therapeutic drug. MDMA was used for marriage counseling until 1985, when the US government listed it as a Schedule 1 drug with no therapeutic benefit.
Here’s the most basic way I understand how psychedelic healing takes place:
Disease is a result of dis-ease in my life. Something out of alignment, something stuck that needs to be cleared away, something caused by over consuming, or something caused by lack of care/love/attention.
Psychedelics allow me to release my story and get curious with the energy underneath the story. If I haven’t been listening to my body or my soul, they tend to get louder on psychedelics. This helps me locate what’s stuck energetically/what thoughts I’m looping.
As I witness what’s actually present, I can release it. I can change my mind. I can forgive myself and others. I can remember what’s it’s like to be in total joy. I can focus healing attention on any part of myself. I can set intentions for taking excellent care of myself.
Often an accident or an illness is an opportunity to realize where I haven’t been taking care of myself and make changes. For example, I was overweight/obese for all of my 20s. I used psychedelics to rewire how I was relating to food and lost 50 pounds.
In this way, psychedelics don’t directly heal anything, but they support you in making healing choices and creating healing thoughts (which can heal anything). After I burned out as an overweight workaholic CEO, I chose a weekly day off with LSD to heal. There was nothing specifically healing about LSD except that it supported me in healing my own mind and body.
What if I’m interested in psychedelic healing but afraid of doing psychedelics?
Healing retreats offer a range of healing activities, which are potent on their own. Here are some healing techniques used on Nine Perfect Strangers that you don’t have to go anywhere exotic to try for yourself.
Take time away from your phone & screens. This can look like scheduling a day off of screens once a week or hiking where there’s no phone signal on your lunch break. Even not keeping your phone next to your bed will decrease your screen time (get an old fashion alarm clock).
Move and Stretch. Your body needs movement and stretching to work well for the rest of your life.
Meditate. A meditation practice will support you in intense experiences throughout your life (whether or not they include psychedelics). A 10-day silent meditation retreat is very psychedelic for me even while sober.
Make yourself the best breakfast for you. Everyone’s body & tastebuds are different. Figure out a first meal of the day that fuels you. American breakfast options are probably the worst for you in the world.
Go to a healing session. This could be massage, acupuncture, reiki, or another type of therapy. If you’re short on cash, look for a community acupuncture center near you for $25-$50 sessions. Another hack is to find a friend who has finished training recently and will trade you sessions.
Can I fix my entire life in a 10 day retreat?
Obviously no. However I have seen many people use a 10 day retreat as a turning point in their lives. Typically “the work” begins the moment you finalize your plans to attend a retreat. Your subconscious begins preparing for the experience and I’ve had things shift in my life before even starting the retreat.
During a retreat, I’ve experienced people change the most deeply held beliefs about themselves in an instant. Change doesn’t take any time at all. Realizing that you want to change and getting ready to make that change is what takes time. Being consistent about the change you made when you go back to your previous life is the hardest.
Any psychedelic practitioner worth their salt will tell you that healing yourself requires more work outside of the retreat than in it. This isn’t a "take a pill and forget your problems” solution. This is a "take a pill and remember all your problems so you can work through them over the rest of your life" solution.
Where can I find a retreat center like Tranquillum in Nine Perfect Strangers?
Asking friends for a recommendation is a good first step. After that start searching the internet and social media. Retreat centers in countries with less drug enforcement are usually more public about which plant medicines they will be using. Retreats in the United States might not talk about any specific psychedelics in writing.
Can I contact the dead using psychedelics?
I believe that psychedelics can help people “talk” to the soul of someone they lost. You’ll notice in the series that the “ghost” tells them that he can only tell them things they already know. To me this means they are interacting with their memory of the dead person and not with the actual soul.
If I’m Queer or Transgender, what should I know before looking for a psychedelic healing retreat?
From my personal experiences, and stories I’ve received from transgendered friends, the psychedelic retreat scene is usually queer friendly but still learning how to support transgender people. As a pansexual straight-presenting woman I’ve experienced sexism from male practitioners.
My transgender friends have had mixed results working with straight practitioners. Ask if there is anyone else on the retreat team who has lived through similar experiences as your own when trying to decide if this retreat will work for you.
If I’m BIPOC, what should I know before booking a psychedelic healing retreat?
The psychedelic retreat world is largely white, even in countries like Costa Rica and Mexico. My BIPOC friends recommend choosing a BIPOC-led retreat whenever possible. Simply put, a white practitioner isn’t going to know how to sit with racial traumatic stress. At the worst end of the scale, I’ve met white practitioners who believe racism isn’t really a problem.
I’m sure there are some awesomely aware white practitioners out there but I honestly can’t name one I would have lead a BIPOC group. If you’re going to work on releasing trauma as a BIPOC person, I’m pretty sure race is going to come up, and that’s really hard in a mostly white room to explore.
Questions & Answers I missed in the comments please!
If you want to hear more from me about psychedelics, check out this podcast episode I did with The Banana Jane.
Pic of me by 10baretoes Studios.
