Who are you?

Here are the names of your fellow travelers for this retreat.

Many of you are rescheduled from the original October retreat that was cancelled due to Helene, and your cohort of 12 was divided into your group and those that chose to come in April. So we are a smaller, more intimate group than usual and will have extra time to spend with each of you. We're looking forward to this smaller, wintery vibe and glad you're joining!

Please hold confidentiality and don't share anyone's information outside the group. We're looking forward to everyone getting to know each other.

Jasper Van Oort, Netherlands 

Jennifer “Jaye” Preston, Winston Salem,NC

Rose Shanahan, Asheville, NC

Karen Oldham, Davidson, NC

Annie Mithoefer, Asheville, NC

Daniel Tagge, California

Josh Troop, Asheville NC

Our admin assistant, Charlotte Huggins, will be helping with logistics, billing issues, and other administrative needs. If you have any questions, you can reach Charlotte at [email protected] 

Contacts for Core Staff are:

Sandy: [email protected]; 828-545-0437

Signi: [email protected]; 828-215-9966

Meidad: [email protected]; 828-575-4065

Assisting lead staff members for this cohort will be Cindy Rhodes and Traci Carroll, and our intern staff this time will be Kara Baertsch. We look forward to you getting to know them.

Website link for the training- https://courses.livingmedicineinstitute.org/training-retreat

Link for the retreat center-https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/715897949102965338?source_impression_id=p3_1732723703_P3rTu6S5x05phM7s

Schedule: December 5-8, 2024:

Arrival will be between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Thursday, and the training will begin promptly at 4:00 p.m.  We will end on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.

On Friday and Saturday, there will be morning, afternoon and evening programming, interspersed with free time and meals.  The two experiential ketamine sessions will take place on these days, both with physician and therapist supervision.

On Friday, participants will be offered individual IM or IV Ketamine experiences. On Saturday, we will offer a group Ketamine session using self-titratable doses of IN Ketamine, depending on participants’ preferences. Both experiences will be preceded by preparation and followed by the opportunity for integration.

Location:

The training will be held at The Barn In Penrose, a retreat center near Asheville, NC. The address is 130 Akita Hills Lane Penrose, North Carolina.

Lodgings:

Private rooms are included in the retreat house, with shared bathrooms. There is a fire circle and hot tub, which you are welcome to use in the evenings as well as walkable grounds, weather permitting. 

All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), coffee and tea service, and lodging are included in the cost. Gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian options will be available.  Please alert us for more specific dietary needs.

We are excited you’ve registered and are looking forward to meeting you all soon!  

Here’s some information to get you started:

1. We will not have our usual pre-gathering zoom meeting for this one, because we will have some extra time on site and don't want most of you to have to attend twice, having already done one in September.

2. During the retreat, our focus is on creating the container for your personal experience and modeling this.  We will review the aspects of the didactics that will be relevant for your personal experience. However, we intentionally avoid traditional, lecture-style teaching in the retreat setting.  To protect that aspect of the container, we’ve put our straight didactic teaching curriculum in video format so you can view it ahead of the retreat. There will be time for questions on this content. The link to this Video Didactic Curriculum is at the top of this letter. You can view these at your leisure, and we will also be discussing some of the content when me meet virtually. The video descriptions are on the unlisted YouTube link, so you can review what topics will be covered. These videos will cover many of the "nuts and bolts" of being a KAP therapist. Please make note of any questions you have so we can be certain they get answered during our zoom meeting or on site.  

3. Two weeks before we gather, we will be requesting each of your preferences for your individual ketamine experience.  You can choose either intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM). The videos "LESSON 4" and "LESSON 5" will give you information on the differences to help you decide, so watch those soon, and we will answer any questions when we meet by zoom.

4. Tuition includes individual rooms on site, as well as all meals and coffee/tea service throughout the day. Most dietary needs can be accommodated, including vegetarian, dairy- and gluten-free options.  Let us know if you have questions about meals or have dietary restrictions. The food is plentiful, and meals are healthy, although if you have a sweet tooth or like to snack between meals, you can also supplement with your own. Chocolate donations are always appreciated:)

5. We will start gathering at 2:00 pm on Thursday and begin promptly at 4:00.  Please plan to arrive with enough time to check in and get settled.  Our days will be split roughly into morning sessions, afternoon sessions and evening sessions.  Meals and free time will be in the spaces between.  Evenings sessions will be devoted to processing of experiences and some experiential teaching points.  If you do procure other lodgings, please plan to spend time after dinner with the group.   Also, please plan to be outside for portions of the program and bring appropriate clothing and footwear.  The weather at that time is year is highly variable, so plan accordingly and check the weather when packing.  We will end by 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. 

7. Travel logistics-  For those of you flying, you can fly into AVL airport or GSP (Greenville).  If you fly into AVL, please let us know if you would like to be connected to others to plan ride shares.  There is no need for a rental car during the retreat, unless you get additional lodging that is farther away.  

8. There is wifi on site and there will be time to connect to the “outside world.” However, if possible we encourage you to leave work and work related correspondence behind, so that you can fully focus on your personal experience.  Your phone will be turned off during the afternoons of Friday and Saturday and potentially (ideally) through the evening. Please make sure anyone who needs to know is aware you will likely not be reachable until the following day. If any loved ones need to reach you for an emergency, you can give them the staff's cell numbers, listed above.

9. For the group experience, we will be sitting and lying on the floor in the sanctuary, spread a bit apart. If you plan to drive, please bring cushions or a yoga or camping mat- or whatever you need to be comfortable sitting or lying down on the floor for parts of the day. If you are flying (or forget😊), we will have extras available, and there are also some back jack floor chairs.  Bring a blanket or coat to put over yourself. Pillows are good to have, but these should be available for everyone in the lodging rooms if you don’t want to bring your own. You will be wearing eyeshades at times, provided by us. Please bring a water bottle and layered clothing, as you may find the temperature of the room a bit cold or warm at times during the day. We also suggest you wear comfortable clothing like sweats, leggings, etc., particularly for the medicine sessions.  Also, if you are uncomfortable sitting on the floor, consider bringing a low camp/folding chair. There are full sized chairs available, but it’s preferable to stay within the group’s seated circle for parts of the gathering. Basically, you will be setting up what we call your “nest” in your part of the room, so bring what will help you feel personally comfortable.

10. As these are Covid times: We are not expecting everyone to wear masks for this particular kind of work. Thus, there is some level of potential risk inherent in our gathering.  If you want to wear a mask, you certainly can. But be aware others may not. Please respect that if you have been careless about your exposures in the weeks before we meet, you may be risking others. We ask that each of us be particularly careful, so we can caretake each other as much as we can. Also note that by choosing to attend, you are acknowledging and accepting the potential risk inherent in gathering indoors without masks. 

11.  Medical Monitoring: There will be an Emergency Medicine trained physician on site during all ketamine experientials. For your retreat, Dr. Meidad Goldman will be attending, assisted by Dr. Ann Lentini. Your medical history will be reviewed ahead of time, and vital signs taken on site on Friday and throughout, as indicated. If you would like to discuss any medical concerns with Meidad prior to retreat, you may request a half hour video consultation through his practice at:

https://www.conciergemedicineandpsychiatry.com/contacts-and-scheduling/

You will be receiving a separate email with an invitation to the patient portal for our medical practice, so we can begin the required medical screening paperwork. Please complete that as soon as possible, so we can contact you with any individual medical needs.

You will be sent a medical screening form, and your medication lists will be reviewed. Unless you hear from us otherwise, all of your routine medications and supplements can be taken as usual throughout the 4 days, so bring these with you as you normally would.  The same goes for caffeine, and we suggest you do not drink more or less than is typical for you to avoid any caffeine- related agitation or withdrawal headaches. We are often asked about sleep medications. Almost all sleep aids are fine to take after ketamine, and you’re welcome to pull us aside and confirm if you have questions about taking something. Please do return the medical form to us in a timely manner. If you have a medical condition or medication that needs further discussion, our medical staff will contact you individually.

12. There is some ceremony involved “behind the scenes” in our process as guides. You won’t be asked to participate in this, and it’s perfectly ok if you don’t believe in or relate to this part. But we do suggest that you bring some small items that are meaningful to you from home. These will be placed on a cloth on the floor Saturday and ideally will relate to whatever intention you have for the day’s experience. Or... they may be just things you find beautiful. You will not be asked to discuss them, so this part is totally personal to you. 

What to bring:

• Camping mattress or something similar for the floor
• Blanket
• Pillow (optional)
• Layered, comfortable clothing
• Water bottle
• Journal and pen 
• Several meaningful personal items (per above)
• Your overnight bag with what you’ll need to spend the night, including medications and supplements
• Warm clothing for being outdoors, including in evening
• Sturdy shoes for walking outdoors
• Flashlight or headlamp
• Umbrella

For fun:

To get a sense of our setting, here are some slideshows from prior retreats:)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOn-H1r5dmcfEL0t-ASLUAhlcTSxFzcV6

See you soon!