Who Should Not Attend a Psilocybin Retreat

Why this page exists

Screening is the first thing we do, and we would rather you knew the answer before you apply.

Beckley does not diagnose, make medical recommendations or offer treatment. We screen so that everyone in the room can take part safely.

Some psychiatric and physical conditions, some medications and a few other circumstances mean the program is not right, or not right yet. The application was written with physician, psychiatrist and psychotherapist input and asks about these with your consent. Every applicant has a suitability call with our team. It is not optional: it is where we go through your history together, answer your questions and make sure the program is a fit, for you and for the group you will sit with. When the answer is no, we say so plainly. It protects the group as much as it protects you.

This page summarises the main reasons. The full list is on Application considerations. Only you and your own doctor can decide whether taking part is safe for you.

21+minimum age
7 minto apply, confidential
1 callwith our team, for every applicant, before approval
3 monthsusually clear of SSRIs and SNRIs, with your prescriber's support

Not a fit

We are not able to accept guests who:

Circumstances

Have active substance use or addiction issues
Are actively experiencing severe trauma response symptoms
Are currently taking mood stabilisers or antipsychotic medications
Only want the retreat, without the preparation and integration around it
Are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant before their retreat dates
Are extremely physically ill or frail, or have had major surgery or a hospital stay in the last six to twelve months

Psychiatric conditions

Bipolar disorder, a family history of bipolar disorder, or a predisposition to manic episodes
Active or recent suicidal thoughts or attempts, or a recent psychiatric hospitalisation
Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, a psychotic break, or a family history of or predisposition to psychosis
Personality disorders and dissociative disorders

Physical conditions

Epilepsy or a brain tumour
A history of stroke or aneurysm
Certain cardiac issues: uncontrolled high blood pressure, a heart attack within the last year, unstable heart failure, an aortic aneurysm, or Long QT Syndrome
Cirrhosis, kidney failure at stage 4 or beyond, or insulin-dependent diabetes
A recent cancer diagnosis, or current chemotherapy or radiation
AIDS with a CD4 count below 200

Medications

Amiodarone, diltiazem, sotalol, quinidine, procainamide, dofetilide or ibutilide
The immunosuppressant mycophenolate

Why. Psilocybin can cause unpredictable rises in blood pressure and a particular irregular heart rhythm, which is why the cardiac list is firm. It also changes perception, thought and the sense of self for a few hours. For most people those effects are predictable and pass. For people with certain psychiatric conditions, or a family history of psychosis or mania, they can be prolonged or can trigger an episode. That is a risk we will not take with a guest or a group.

Case by case

May be a fit, with more care.

Depression, anxiety and PTSD

On a case by case basis we may accept guests with clinical depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD. Tell us on the application so the suitability call can take it into account. If you work with a therapist, tell them you are applying; many guests bring what came up on retreat back into that work.

SSRIs and SNRIs

Some medications, including SSRIs and SNRIs, may mean the program is not the right fit, or not yet. Apply anyway and tell us. The suitability call is where we work that out together, alongside your prescriber. These medications act on the same serotonin system as psilocybin, so taking both makes the experience harder to predict and usually less intense. Common examples: sertraline, fluoxetine, escitalopram, venlafaxine, duloxetine, vortioxetine, buspirone. Some guests are conditionally approved: they consult their prescriber, then have a second suitability call at least six weeks before the retreat. If we cannot approve after both steps, the payment is refunded in full or transferred at no charge.

Heart conditions that need clearance

We require written clearance from your primary care provider or a cardiologist if you have had a heart attack that needed open heart surgery or a bypass at any time, a heart failure diagnosis, an irregular heart rhythm including atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, or a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator. Diagnosed high blood pressure is usually workable if it is controlled on medication that you keep taking on retreat.

Proceed with care

Some conditions and medications do not rule you out but deserve a conversation with your own doctor first: aromatase inhibitors and estrogen blockers, antiretrovirals and immunosuppressants, triptans for migraine, estrogen-based contraceptives, asthma or another respiratory condition, and type 2 diabetes. Psilocybin also changes balance, perception and attention for a few hours, so if you live with a condition that affects balance, strength or vision, talk to your doctor and tell us.

Timing

Not yet is a real answer.

People at a crossroads rather than in crisis do best here. A divorce, an exit, a loss or a health scare often lowers the guard enough to do real work, and a crossroads is exactly when most of our guests come. Acute crisis is different. If you are in the middle of something you cannot yet stand outside of, the answer may be not yet, and we will say so. Some guests approve now and travel when the ground has settled. Approval never commits you to attend.

Who the program is for

People who have built a full life, and something in it has gone flat or stuck and has not shifted on its own. They want clarity about what is next, and a real reset rather than more of the same. Most of our guests are in their 40s through 70s: founders, executives, physicians, therapists, attorneys. What they share is a considered approach, and a preference for structure and science over anything that asks them to take it on faith.

How screening works

Four steps, and an honest answer at each.

Step 1

Apply

About seven minutes, online and confidential. The application asks about your history, your medications and what brings you, with your consent.

Step 2

The suitability call

Every applicant has one. We go through your history together, answer your questions and make sure the program is a fit, for you and for the group. Our team replies within three to five business days of your application.

Step 3

A clear answer

Yes, not yet, or no, said plainly. Sometimes a conditional yes: consult your prescriber, then a second call at least six weeks before the retreat.

Step 4

Choose your retreat

Approval does not commit you to attend. You choose your retreat after you are approved, in Jamaica or the Netherlands.

Before you apply

Questions people ask about fit.

I take an SSRI or SNRI. Can I still come?

Some medications, including SSRIs and SNRIs, may mean the program is not the right fit, or not yet. Apply anyway and tell us. The suitability call is where we work that out together, alongside your prescriber. What we usually ask is that guests are at least three months clear of SSRIs, SNRIs and other mood-altering medication before the retreat, with the knowledge and support of the physician who prescribed them. Guests on a very low dose may be considered case by case.

Do I need my doctor's sign-off?

Only for the heart conditions listed above, where we require written clearance from your primary care provider or a cardiologist. For everything else, we ask you to talk to your own doctor before applying if anything in your history gives you pause, and to tell us on the application.

What if I am not sure whether something applies to me?

Tell us on the application. It is confidential, it asks about these things with your consent, and the suitability call is where we work through anything uncertain together. When the answer is no, we say so plainly. It is an act of care, not a rejection.

I have been through something hard recently. Is it too soon?

A crossroads is exactly when most people come, and a big transition often lowers the guard enough to do real work. Acute crisis is different. If you are in the middle of something you cannot yet stand outside of, the answer may be not yet, and we will say so. Some guests approve now and travel when the ground has settled. Approval never commits you to attend.

Is my information confidential?

Yes. Your application and everything you tell us on the suitability call are confidential and are used only to make sure the program is a fit. We never publish a guest's name, photo or story without their written consent.

Who should not attend a psilocybin retreat.