Same Summit Costa Rica Retreat
In the Heart of the Diamante Valley
A 6-Day Plant Medicine Retreat including preparation and integration support
March 17th - 22nd, 2024
$6,450
$250 discount if paid in full.
Discounts available if purchased as a couple/pair.
Need-based scholarships available.
Retreat to the Jungle
Journey with us to the heart of the Costa Rican jungle to replenish your mind, body, and spirit.
The retreat is hosted at a legal sanctuary for plant medicine ceremonies situated on 200 private acres of lush, verdant land.
Journey work has the potential to help you meet your truest self. The part of you that sits behind emotions, thoughts, experiences, job titles, and identities. We call this the Self—and it’s from the seat of the Self that true healing and awakening can begin.
What’s Included
Thorough preparation support
Post retreat integration support
6 days and 5 nights immersed in the lush Costa Rican rainforest
1 microdose-assisted sound healing meditation
2 full ceremonies with spacious integration days in between
Luxurious “glamping” tents available for single and double occupancy
Three gourmet, farm to table meals daily, made with local and seasonal ingredients provided by a private chef
Fresh fruit and snacks available anytime between
Ground transportation to and from the airport
200 acres of private land to explore with jungle pools and waterfalls
Gorgeous open air common spaces for communing
An open-air temple (pictured) with breathtaking views of the Diamante Valley during journey days
3 expert guides offering individualized attention before, during, and after journeys
[Not included: airfare and optional add-on services such as massages]
“There are few pivotal moments in life that change our perspective so profoundly. It is no small exaggeration to say that this retreat was one of those moments for me. The intention and thoughtfulness that went into the entire experience was astounding, immediately making me feel welcome and safe in the care of our guides. The coordination from welcome through the journey to integration was held so well—planned, yet free flowing and open. I was most surprised by the power of the group dynamic. While at first I was apprehensive journeying with a group of strangers, it turned out that the group was a major part of what made the experience so magical and meaningful.”— Previous retreat guest, Nov ‘22
You are welcome here.
We are drawn to this work for different reasons:
Maybe you’ve experienced psychedelics recreationally and wonder what it would be like to work with them more intentionally.
Maybe you’re interested in what psychedelics can offer as an adjunct to individual coaching or therapy.
Maybe you are a therapist or coach who is interested in offering this work to others.
Maybe you have tried a lot of other types of therapy for PTSD, anxiety, depression or other conditions and haven’t had the results you wanted.
Maybe you’re in a really sweet place in your life and want to pounce on the opportunity to expand your creativity and connection.
Maybe you’re in a period of transition and wonder what’s next for you.
Maybe the concept of psychedelic therapy sounds intriguing but you’re not sure how it goes, what it entails, or what actually happens on a retreat.
Whether you are sure this is something you want to do, or you are just exploring options and want to learn more, you are welcome here.
Common Questions
Where does the retreat take place?
The stunning retreat center is located in Costa Rica. Guests will fly into Quepos and be transported by shuttle to the retreat site. We will have 200 private acres of lush jungle, rolling hills, and waterfalls in the Diamante Valley. Each person will have their own luxury tent, at once supremely comfortable and immersed in nature.
How long is the retreat?
The retreat is five nights and six days long, providing time to inquire, explore, journey, integrate and commune.
How many medicine journeys will there be?
Three guided journeys. On the first night we will have a microdose-assisted sound healing journey to land at the retreat, clarify intentions and bond as a group. The remaining two journeys will be full dose experiences.
Where will I stay?
Each person will have their own private luxury “glamping” tent with a comfortable pillow top bed, altar space, fresh flowers, power outlets, A/C, desk, seating, and fans.
Will there be wifi?
Yes, wifi will be available. We’ll invite you to take a break from your devices as much as possible during the retreat.
Where will the guided sessions take place?
All guided sessions will take place as a group in an architecturally stunning, open air structure with views of the surrounding jungle.
Who will the other retreat participants be?
We aim to keep groups small with a maximum of 11 participants. Good news: You’ll have an opportunity to meet each other virtually before the retreat. This is a chance for us to begin the process of getting to know and trust each other and to learn about each person’s intention for the retreat.
What does a typical retreat day look like?
On journey days we will have a light breakfast followed by an intention-setting circle. Journeys will take place from about 11am-6pm with dinner afterwards.
On non-journey days we will have breakfast then gather for our integration circle. Here we will share our experiences from the day before as we begin the process of integrating the material that arose in your experience. After lunch you will have free time to hike, rest, connect individually or schedule 1:1 time with one of the guides. Dinner will be served in the evening.
Our aim is to include plenty of unstructured time throughout the retreat, leaving room for us to co-create an experience that feels authentic to what each group needs.
Why are you called “Same Summit?”
We believe in spiritual inclusivity, respecting the many paths to spirituality, personal growth and self actualization. As the saying goes, “Many paths, same summit.” This name supports the value we place on honoring your unique path, however it is traveled.
Sample Schedule
Journey Day
8am - Light breakfast
9am - Intention setting circle
11am - Journey
6pm - Closing circle
7pm - Dinner
Integration Day
8am - Breakfast
9am - Integration circle
12pm - Lunch
1pm - Hike, rest, connect, swim in the waterfall
7pm - Dinner
The Advantages of Group Retreats
It’s normal to wonder if you will feel vulnerable going through your own process with so many witnesses. It’s also normal to wonder how other people’s process will affect your experience.
The short answer is: it’s okay to be affected by other people’s process and it’s okay for other people to be affected by yours. It’s actually a big part of the magic. After guiding hundreds of journeys we firmly believe in the advantages of group journeys in a retreat setting.
Listen to Clare and Nick describe the benefits of psychedelics in group settings on a podcast here.
Here are our top 4 reasons that we prefer small group work to 1:1 sessions:
You are on a retreat! Big material can surface when working with psychedelic medicines. Having retreat time carved out to contemplate, write and rest while away from work and family responsibilities affords you the space to fully absorb what your psychedelic experience has to offer. Plus, letting someone else cook, clean and do dishes is therapeutic on its own!
The power of community. Because being fully seen by others can be vulnerable and intimidating it’s natural to think that you’d want to do this work in private. What we’ve seen, however, is that opening yourself to others also opens you to the healing power of compassion. Whatever you are going through, there is bound to be someone in the group who is touched by your experience. Equally, you are bound to be emotionally moved by what someone else is going through. The power of this type of naturally-occurring compassion is deeply healing and difficult to replicate when working privately with a guide/therapist.
Allowing the journey to evolve. While some journeys can feel “complete” afterwards, many do not. Sometimes an initial journey is simply irritating or confusing. With 1:1 journeys you might leave the experience with an incomplete impression of what this type of work is capable of. Our time guiding at the retreat center in Jamaica—and in our California-based retreats—have shown us, again and again, that journeys have the potential to evolve. Sometimes it takes a difficult experience to “open the gates” before a second or third journey brings the experience into focus or a sense of completion.
The importance of integration. So much of the healing work with psychedelic medicines happens after the experience. Some experiences are so complex, deep and moving that they can be difficult to explain to your family or peers. Without proper integration support you may feel isolated or lonely. When you are part of a group retreat people intimately understand what you went through and you have a built-in cohort that stays in contact after the retreat is over. This provides not only emotional support but also accountability for the actions you are choosing going forward.
Our Philosophies
No Pushy Spirituality
We believe in creating an environment that doesn’t push our (or anyone else's) spiritual beliefs on you. We like to think of the space we create as a blank canvas where you can bring–or develop–your own connection to the sacred. While we may offer perspectives or wisdom that has been passed to us from our teachers, our highest priority is to trust your own inner healing intelligence. If something we offer doesn’t resonate, we encourage you to trust your intuition and let it go.
While we value and respect indigenous ceremonial approaches we are not trained in this lineage and don’t want to falsely appropriate these practices. Our approach focuses on presence, relational trust, psycho-therapeutic education and somatic (body-based) processing.
Allowing, not Guiding
We think the term “guide” is a bit of a misnomer. Instead of giving direction or telling you where to go, our aim is to create an environment where you are able to trust your own process. In this way, we allow you to follow your own inner healing intelligence.
In short, both journeyer and guide are in the same process—trusting and following whatever arises. We promise expert guidance for how to best approach your journey, a safe container for the journey itself, and a supportive process to integrate your experience afterwards.
During the journey we create an environment that defers to your inner guidance, trusting completely that whatever arises is there for a reason. In this way, our job is to support and allow your process to unfold, not to guide it in a particular direction. That said, if you ever need support during your journey we will absolutely be there to accompany you through it. We are also there to write down anything you’d like to capture, manage the music, and make sure you are completely safe throughout the experience.
The Darkness and the Light
While this is deep work we are undertaking, we believe that it doesn’t all have to be heavy.
We believe in creating a safe space to welcome uncomfortable and challenging emotions while not forgetting to also make room for joy, fun, play and laughter. Pain is welcome and pleasure is okay too!
Emphasis on Safety and Trust
Surrendering to a psychedelic experience requires a deep sense of trust in your guides. We truly believe that you are in the best of hands for this journey.
Both of your guides studied the art and science of high-dose psychedelic therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). We have been extensively trained in MDMA, ketamine, and psilocybin mushroom therapy. We have also received training in the art of psychedelic group work at a highly regarded retreat center in Jamaica (where psilocybin mushrooms are legal). Between us we are a trauma informed therapist and a registered nurse with 10 years of ER experience. We have truly seen it all. You can feel safe knowing that we can handle whatever arises.
Beyond our credentials, and perhaps most importantly, we both care deeply for people. We are endlessly fascinated by the journey of being human. We will be honored, and humbled, to be a part of your story in such a meaningful way. We absolutely love what we do and do not take the responsibility of you putting your trust in us lightly.
Inclusivity and Privilege in this work
Our deep commitment as guides is to create a safe space that extends well beyond factors of race, class, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical ability. We acknowledge the interplay of our humanness in group dynamics and the ways that psychic material and trauma may activate each of us differently. We welcome these individual differences and seek to orient towards deeper compassion and remembering of our shared humanity.
As cisgendered white guides, we will not be perfect, but we seek to accept the discomfort that may arise as we learn and make mistakes.
In addition to our effort to be spiritually inclusive and culturally non-appropriative in this work we also acknowledge the inherent power of being in a leadership position and accept all the responsibility that comes with it.
As part of honoring our commitment to inclusivity we offer 1 financial scholarship for BIPOC individuals and 1 scholarship for any person unable to afford this work for any reason. Please apply here.
Meet Your Guides
Clare Johnson (Co-Lead)
Clare is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 10+ years of experience owning and operating a successful private practice in Mill Valley, CA working with individuals, couples, and families. She also holds a certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies where she met Nick Baker.
Read more about Clare.
Nick Baker (Co-Lead)
Nick is a Registered Nurse with 10+ years of experience working in an Emergency Room. He is also a trained Life Coach through the internationally-recognized Coach Training Institute and psychedelic guide with a certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Read more about Nick.
Nadia Last (Retreat Assistant)
Nadia is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. She obtained her Masters in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She also hosts a podcast called The Current.
Read more about Nadia.
Watch the video below to learn about what to expect
Hear it in our own words
We understand that making a decision to join a retreat link this requires great trust in your guides. Here is a podcast where you can hear more from Clare and Nick about their background and guiding approach to see if we feel like a good fit for you.
Want to hear more?
This podcast covers details specific to the Costa Rica retreat and why we’re so excited to be able to offer this work in such a special location.
Investment Details
$6,450 (excluding airfare)
$250 discount if paid in full.
$2,450 deposit to reserve your space.
Remaining balance to be paid on or before February 15th, 2024.
Come as a couple or bring a friend and save $500 off each reservation.
Payments made via Venmo, personal check, or Credit card.
(Credit card payments incur a 3% fee)
Cancellation Policy
Same Summit does not offer refunds of any kind for the retreat deposit. Refunds for the balance payments vary depending on timing. Should you need to cancel with more than 30 days until the retreat date, you will be refunded 100% of the total amount (less deposit). Should you need to cancel within 30 days of the retreat date, 50% of the total amount (less deposit) will be refunded. Finally, under no circumstance will there be any refunds given for cancellation requests made within 14 days of the retreat date.
Exceptions cannot be made for any reason, including weather, injury/illness/death, COVID-19 or personal emergencies. We do not offer refunds or credit for a guest who fails to attend, arrives late, or leaves early. Naturally, no one books with the intention of canceling or postponing their retreat, but unexpected things do happen, so please consider purchasing “cancel for any reason” travel insurance.
If Same Summit must cancel a booked retreat date for any reason, you may transfer your full retreat payment to another retreat, or you may request a refund of your payment amount (less the deposit which can be applied to another retreat) to your original payment method. Same Summit is not responsible for your expenses incurred in preparation for any canceled retreat, such as airline tickets, loss of work, and/or other costs associated with preparing for your trip.
I’m interested! What are the next steps?
Fill out an application to join the retreat. The application is thorough and will take about 20 minutes to complete.
Once your application is received we’ll reach out to you via text to schedule a 30 minute introduction call. During this call we’ll get to know each other better and you’ll have a chance to ask any questions you still have.
Payment. Once your deposit is received your spot will be saved and the journey will begin! At this point we will send you a welcome document with all you need to prepare.
Space is limited to 11 participants.
In the words of a recent retreat participant:
“Warm, artful, skilled, alive, fun, wise, and graceful, with an ideal balance of head in the clouds (psychedelic) and feet on the ground (professional). You three were masterful. The weekend was restorative and enlivening. You're artful in your facilitation.”
Thank you.
Blessings on your journey wherever you go!
