- Psilocybin Retreat
- 6 Days
- Colorado
Awaken
Six days on a 150-acre wooded property in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. Three psilocybin ceremonies, a group of up to 20, and a month of integration included after you leave. It starts with a free connection call, then you book with a deposit, then screening follows.
From
$5,995
Lodging and meals are included. The price depends on your room.
- Length
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Ceremonies
- 3 psilocybin ceremonies
- Where
- Colorado
- Group size
- Up to 20 participants
- Dates
- January 12 to 17, 2027Now accepting applications
- April 6 to 11, 2027
- July 27 to August 1, 2027
- October 12 to 17, 2027
Rooms
- Shared room (twin, full plus twin, or bunk, up to two people)$5,995
- Private room (king or queen bed)$6,995
What is Awaken
What is the Awaken retreat?
Awaken is Ceremonia's flagship psilocybin retreat: six days in Colorado, three ceremonies, a group of up to 20. It is the middle of a longer path. You prepare online for one month, spend one week on the land, then have one month of integration afterward, included. Ceremonia is a nonprofit, and the work is science-informed. It is not therapy and it is not a clinic.
Awaken is for people who are ready to do real inner work, in a small group that stays in touch afterward. It is not a festival, and it is not a solo trip. We screen every applicant, and we tell you early if now is not the time.
Who this is for
Is Awaken right for you?
- From the outside, your life works. Inside, it feels like managing instead of living.
- You have done years of therapy or practice and still feel stuck below the surface.
- You are a leader, founder or creative carrying weight no one sees.
- You want ceremony with structure: screening, preparation and people who know what they are doing.
- You are curious about plant medicine and want to do it with a group, not alone.
- You are not in crisis, but you are ready to do real work.
Who we cannot hold
We cannot hold active psychosis or a recent manic episode, acute suicidal crisis, pregnancy, lithium or an MAOI, or severe heart or liver disease. Our nurse practitioner decides each case. If you are somewhere in the middle, that is what the connection call is for. Not a fit now does not mean never. Questions about your own health go to info@ceremoniacircle.org.
Find My ArchetypeThe whole path
One month before, one week there, one month after
The retreat is one week. The change gets built in the months around it. Integration is the point, and the ceremonies are the catalyst.
Start with the free preparation courseA free connection call
Someone on our team asks why now and what you are hoping for, and answers what you ask about the medicine, the group, the medical side and the cost. This is a conversation, not screening.
Application and medical intake
Our nurse practitioner reviews every intake. If you take medication, your prescriber leads any change.
Acceptance
If we are a fit for each other, you are accepted. Your deposit was taken when you booked. If our screening finds the retreat is not safe for you, you get a full refund of everything you paid.
One month of preparation
Online, from home, before you travel. Have a Great Trip is Austin's free masterclass and preparation course.
One week at Awaken
Six days and five nights in Colorado, with three ceremonies.
One month of integration, included
The first month of Awaken at Home, in the app: a weekly 90-minute live session, a weekly 60-minute peer session, online coursework and a community.
An optional two more months
Awaken at Home runs 12 weeks in all and is $2,995 on its own. It is $1,000 off ($1,995) if you book it on the final day of the Awaken retreat. After that, the alumni community stays open for life.
The retreat arc
Six days on the land
Day 1
Arrival
Arrive from 2pm. Opening relational and somatic practices, dinner together, and an evening of breathwork.
Day 2
First ceremony
Morning movement and workshops, time to rest, then the first ceremony.
Day 3
Second ceremony
Integration circles and time to rest, then the second ceremony.
Day 4
Integration day
A full day for rest, time outside and relational workshops. No ceremony today. It is a day to take in what came up in the first two ceremonies.
Day 5
Third ceremony
The third ceremony, followed by singing and an evening integration circle.
Day 6
Closing
Closing workshops and a closing ceremony. Departures around 2pm.
What is included
Everything you need is here
Six days and five nights of lodging
Shared and private rooms. Your connection call confirms yours.
All meals
Vegan base dishes made from fresh, whole ingredients, labeled for common allergens. We collect your dietary needs before you arrive.
3 psilocybin ceremonies
With the facilitation team described in the next section.
At least one facilitator for every four participants
In a full group of 20, that means at least five.
A family nurse practitioner on site
Jo Ann Forristal is on site during the retreat, and our nurse practitioner reviews every medical intake.
One month of preparation
Online, before you travel, starting with Have a Great Trip.
One month of integration
The first month of Awaken at Home: weekly live session, weekly peer session, online coursework and a community.
Lifelong alumni community
Stay connected with your cohort and everyone who has gone before you.
Airport arrival, simple and shared
No shuttle. Participants share Ubers from Denver International Airport, and we help coordinate.
Who guides you
The people in the room
Trained, experienced facilitators lead every ceremony. Our ceremonies are legal in Colorado as a spiritual ceremony of a nonprofit church under the Natural Medicine Health Act. As a church we also rely on the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
Austin Mao is the founder of Ceremonia, a TEDxBoulder speaker and the host of the Modern Enlightenment podcast. He has personally guided 700+ people through about 2,000 sessions.
We keep at least one facilitator for every four participants, so no one is left alone with a hard moment. Jo Ann Forristal is also a family nurse practitioner, and she is on site during the retreat.
Ceremonia has run 60+ retreats and welcomed 400+ alumni.
Safety and screening
Every person is screened before they are accepted
Psilocybin is not right for everyone, and our screening is not a formality. It starts with a free connection call. Then you apply and complete a medical intake, and our nurse practitioner reviews every one. If you take medication, your prescriber leads any change. Never stop or change a medication on your own; tapering often takes one to two months.
If our screening finds the retreat is not safe for you, you get a full refund of everything you paid, with no fees. When someone is not a fit, we say so clearly and, where we can, point toward what would serve them better.
The science
What the research says, and what it does not
Two trials published in 2021 are often cited. In a small waitlist-controlled trial in adults with major depressive disorder, about 71% met response criteria at week 4 (Davis et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2021). In a trial that compared psilocybin with the antidepressant escitalopram, there was no significant difference on the primary outcome (Carhart-Harris et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2021). Both studied a medical condition, with psychological support built in. Neither studied retreats.
Ceremonia is not a clinical program. We do not diagnose or treat any condition, and we do not claim clinical outcomes. We do read the research closely, and it shapes how we prepare people, how we screen them and how we support them afterward.
Mechanism
How psilocybin works in the brain
A simplified view of what the research suggests. Some of it has been measured only in small studies.
5-HT2A binding
In the body, psilocybin converts to psilocin, which acts on serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptors.
Default mode network
Brain imaging during the psilocybin experience shows changes in the default mode network, a set of regions tied to self-referential thought (Carhart-Harris et al., PNAS, 2012).
About three weeks later
In patients with depression, fMRI measured increased global brain integration about three weeks after psilocybin therapy (Daws et al., Nature Medicine, 2022).
Integration
This is the part we can build: a month of preparation, a month of integration and a community around the week. What lasts depends on what you do with it.
Illustrative only; outcomes vary from person to person. See the research library for primary sources.
Investment
What it costs
from $5,995
per participant. Shared rooms (up to two people) are $5,995 and private rooms are $6,995. Includes lodging, all meals, facilitation, one month of preparation, one month of integration and the alumni community.
Upcoming cohorts: January 12 to 17, April 6 to 11, July 27 to August 1, and October 12 to 17, 2027. Your connection call confirms which date fits.
A deposit holds your spot when you book. If our screening finds the retreat is not safe for you, you get a full refund of everything you paid. Deposit, payment plan and cancellation terms are the same for every program, and they are laid out on the pricing page. Need-based scholarships are available. Ask on your connection call.
What participants say
From the people who went
Real alumni, in their own words. Tap any card with a play badge to watch their story.
“I just finished my journey with Ceremonia, and I have the deepest gratitude for everybody that's part of the ceremonia team. Austin and Chuchu are fantastic group leaders.”
Carolina Herdozia “My overall experience at Ceremonia was profound, impactful, while being held with so much love and care.”
Magdalena Rodriguez “My experience at Ceremonia was beyond what I could ever comprehend. It was one of the most important journeys that I've ever taken in my adult life. Austin and Chuchu created such an intentioned and well-thought out journey.”
Daniel Yuan “Overall the experience here at Ceremonia was very magical. I didn't know what to expect coming in, but it blew any expectations I as I head out the water.”
Adrian Lozano “Ceremonia was an unbelievable experience that I couldn't have imagined how it would have gone. I had no real idea of what my experience was going to be like. I was honestly completely in the dark every day, and yet, that's exactly what I needed. I needed to be surprised.”
Michael Bruner “The Ceremonia experience was something that I really couldn't expect. The way that Austin, Chuchu and the rest of the facilitators made me feel so safe, both within my body, and in the physical environment was truly unparalleled with any other experience I’ve had in my life.”
Max Levy
Related reading
Keep reading
- What is psilocybin
Plant medicine reference page on psilocybin's history, chemistry and ceremonial use.
- Psilocybin for depression: the research
The clinical trials, with exact citations and honest limits.
- Psilocybin for anxiety: the research
The anxiety-related studies, with citations and limits.
- Neuroplasticity and ceremony
What has been measured after psilocybin, in mice and in people, and what has not.
- Ayahuasca, compared
How ayahuasca's pharmacology differs from psilocybin.
- Medications and Awaken
What mixes badly with this work, and how our nurse practitioner reviews your intake.
- Awaken at Home
The 12-week program that holds your month of integration.
- Compare Awaken and Heal
The two journeys side by side, chosen by fit.
- Have a Great Trip
Austin's free preparation course.
Begin
Ready to find out if Awaken is right for you?
Start with four minutes. Find My Archetype is a short reflection, not a diagnosis, and it does not decide whether a retreat fits. If you already know, book a connection call and someone on our team will talk it through with you. If our screening finds the retreat is not safe for you, you get a full refund of everything you paid. When you are ready, we are here.
Awaken is a spiritual practice of our church. It is not part of Colorado's regulated natural medicine program. Your contribution supports spiritual guidance, harm reduction support during ceremony, and retreat amenities. Plant medicine is never sold.