RETREATS | EDUCATION | COMMUNITY
We offer psychedelic retreats, education and a community platform to allow deep connection with your mind, body and spirit — giving you the tools to heal, feel and flourish.
Sacred Medicine Retreats: Since 2017, we have welcomed over 450 people. Our unique retreats weave together ancient wisdom teachings from multiple spiritual traditions with modern leading-edge therapeutic methods. Our well-loved retreats open the door to learning, personal growth and spiritual awakening. Join a unique immersive program to cultivate self-awareness, access inner peace, forge lifelong realisations, rejuvenate your being, and positively impact the lives of those around you. “A truly life changing experience” - Nana, M. D., Norway
Community and Education: Virtual platform for growth, connection, psychedelic preparation and integration. Expert facilitators host live digital ceremonies, bodywork and guided meditations. Plus The Awaken Podcast featuring inspiring discussions with over 30 thought leaders.
Gain a Fresh Perspective
Our retreats are designed to inspire you to live your life to the fullest and embrace your authenticity within.
Are you seeking more in your life? Would you like to discover how to improve your lifestyle, mindset or relationships?
We prioritize a mental, physical, emotional and energetic safe and expertly-held environment in nature, therefore our retreats also take place in a legal or decriminalized setting in the Dutch and Portuguese countryside. If you’re looking to understand yourself at a deeper level and make positive changes in your life, our transformational retreats can help you do just that. In fact, past participants often tell us that their retreat changed their lives in a deeply profound way.
After a five day stay at one of our personal growth retreats, you will be able to embrace yourself wholeheartedly with newfound resilience and clarity for your next steps in life. We create and facilitate life-changing processes that set you on the path to improve the health and wellbeing of your body, mind, heart and spirit.
Weaving Ancient and Contemporary Wisdom
Since 2017, AWAKEN THE MEDICINE WITHIN has welcomed over 450 people. Our unique retreats weave together ancient wisdom teachings from multiple spiritual traditions with modern leading-edge therapeutic methods. The experienced team of expert facilitators apply psycho-spiritual approaches not only in our retreats but also in our virtual programs, preparation and integration course, and community platform. Whether you are taking your first step as a beginner into this realm, or you are well-travelled on this path of self-awareness, we offer a doorway for all levels of experience and desires.
Are you ready to experience an expertly-held psychedelic retreat in an intimate group container?
Signature Retreat Programs
We offer three unique retreat programs, each creating a possibility for you to take a deep dive inside yourself.
All our five-day retreats feature sacred ritualistic experiences: Two psychedelic ceremonies, a cacao ceremony, plant baths, a breathwork session, embodiment and somatic practices, healthy vegetarian food, personal coaching, sharing circles, guided meditations, musical sound healing, nature connection and psychedelic integration.
We invite you to choose a program that you intuitively feel will best support you to move forward in this fascinating process of self-discovery and personal development. If you would like clarity on selecting a program, you can always explore the options on your discovery call. See our retreat programs and dates below.
THREE UNIQUE RETREAT PROGRAMS
Creative Source of All That Is - Bufo Alvarius 5-MeO-DMT
For deep expansion, oneness and exploration. A breakthrough 5-day transformational retreat wherein traumas can be released, behaviours can be reformed and your sense of identity and purpose can be refined.
Towards Wholeness for Women - Truffle Retreat
For women seeking release of the past, clarity and alignment with their intuition. This unique program incorporating traditional ceremonial approaches and therapeutic practices. The immersive will unfold with Rituals and Practices such as; Sacred Song, Therapeutic Breathwork, Rapéh Ceremony, Somatic Practices, Personal Coaching, Shamanic Journeying, and Two Psilocybin ceremonies.
Regenerative Stewardship - Truffle Retreat
For expanding your self-leadership. Designed for everybody, experienced or beginners, the journey is one of a kind psilocybin retreat designed to help you become a new kind of leader. Created with input from psychedelic researchers, it brings together cutting-edge concepts on organisational change while holding a deeply rooted ceremony & ritual informed by ancestral ways, with the use of psilocybin in a legal setting.
OUR RETREAT OFFERINGS
∞ DIVINE MEDICINE - Whether you know it or not, this Bufo Alvarius 5-MeO-DMT Initiation is about connecting to your deeper self and becoming aware of what it is to live a conscious loving life. It doesn’t mean that you have to live a completely different life, but this experience can Awaken you to aspects of your reality that were previously hidden. In sacred ceremony, the 5-MeO-DMT from Toad venom from the Sonoran Desert can awaken and inform you of the total knowledge available within you. Amongst those who have partaken in this initiation there is often reference to a total reset. This is most significantly a holistic reset that allows for a deep release of destructive emotional & mental patterns, as well as an influx of life force that is both inspirational & transformative. The medicine experience is a blessing, one that increases a sense of peace, personal integrity, and a bigger capacity for love and acceptance. It is also one of the most intense, rewarding, and otherworldly experiences you can have.Therefore, the approach to this medicine is a synergy of the best of two worlds, one where wisdom tradition is honoured and the other where counselling and integration are an intricate part of the total experience.
∞ EARTH MEDICINE - In our Towards Wholeness (Women Only) & Regenerative Stewardship retreats you can connect with Spirit of Psilocybin. Psilocybin is the Entheogen that we can work with during our 5-day set-up. Psilocybin is the substance found in magic Mushrooms and Truffles that have show to support your on going growth and healing. Their impact on culture has literally spanned human history. From the earliest cave paintings, shamanic traditions to modern religion, these fungi have helped to shape parts of our consciousness. Magic mushrooms and Psilocybin Truffles are non-toxic and have even been found to encourage neurogenesis (the growth of new brain cells.) We are inviting you to an opportunity to expose you to the wonders of this medicine as an assistant to your life journey and as a tool for the exploration of your Soul, Body, and Mind.
∞ RAPÉH MEDICINE - Pronounced “ha-peh” or “rapay”, Rapéh is a fine, ground-up shamanic snuff. It contains Nicotiana Rustica, a type of tobacco also known as mapacho. It’s different from the tobacco used in cigarettes, which is Nicotiana Tabacum. Although it contains tobacco, there is no smoking of Rapéh. Instead, it’s administered into your nose. The snuff contains other medicinal and sacred plants, including parts from tree bark, leaves, seeds, and various plants. Rapéh is the perfect medicine to use to still your mind. In just one blow it helps you to go out of your head, into your heart and connects you with your soul. Because tobacco-based rapéh contains nicotine, it increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates the release of several neurotransmitters that heightens alertness and uplifts your mood. The indigenous people believe that rapéh can increase your focus, presence, and intuition, spiritually opening up your body and mind to higher communication and holistic thinking.
∞ COCOA MEDICINE - We work with the spirit of Sacred Cacao is all our retreat programs, it is a key process during our retreat integration sessions. This medicine is one of the most powerful, gentle facilitators, teachers and guides on the planet. Cacao opens the heart and allows for a deeper, authentic love-based connection with yourself, others, the world and all of life. You will experience a Cacao ceremony that is specifically designed for psychedelic sharing and integration work. This journey is specifically focused to help you find clarity, and process some of the more confusing aspects of your experiences. Cacao is the perfect medicine to dive deep and integrate, while remaining fully conscious and aware.
∞ BREATH MEDICINE - We bring breathwork such as Transformational, Holotropic or Circular Breathing, in all our program, and this is a very deep therapeutic technique, in which one through accelerated and deepened breathing with an open mouth while lying down can reach access to his subconsciousness as well as enter into higher states of consciousness. During a breath session all levels of our being are addressed. On the physical and mental level it is a deep cleansing process. Emotions and body sensations can arise that are associated with unprocessed experiences and old traumas, which are stored in the muscles and in the cell consciousness and can be integrated and cured through the breathing. On a spiritual level one can open oneself to a transpersonal experience, perceive oneself as a spiritual being and receive deep insights into its human potential.
∞ SACRED SOUND MEDICINE - In the realm of healing techniques, sound work inhabits a curious space: It has been used for thousands of years—think of overtone chanting from Central Asia, for example—yet, it’s also one the frontiers of modern neuroscience. In shamanic traditions, perhaps the original form of energetic medicine, the commondenominator is drumming, chanting or singing. Often, the shaman has received the gift of shamanic chants, or songs through meditations, dreams or encounters with powerful animals and spirits. There are many forms of sound and song being a part of this setting, Ikaro and Soulsong are important pillars to your healing journey with us.
∞ EMBODIMENT MEDICINE - To help open your body to explore, integrate and express the masculine and feminine aspects of yourself, we use Yoga, and/or Qigong in all our programs. You are going to explore the areas of the body beyond the rigidity of daily movement and through this depth can create new pathways for energy (prana) to move through us and helps to release tension and memory from the body.
∞ BEYOND THE ‘’ME’’ – Depending on the individual needs of our group, our retreat may go way beyond our program and individual ideas. We invite you to be fully present and with an open heart.
∞ INTEGRATION - Integration refers to the process of assimilating the mind, body, and spirit after an entheogenic and psychedelic experience for the purpose of wellbeing and growth. This process involves extracting meaning from your experience and applying any downloads or insights you receive into your life. We see integration as a continue weaving of life. We offer a 5-week online program, with resources, group calls and more to support the integration process of your expansion journey.
These are a very powerful (spiritual) experience and is not for everyone. To ensure a high quality and boutique experience we limit the sizes of our groups from 12 participants in our psilocybin retreats and a max of 8 in our 5-MeO-DMT retreats. We also hold firm standard for dietary, drug and lifestyle protocols prior and post retreat.
BESPOKE RETREATS
Tailor-made AWAKEN THE MEDICINE WITHIN retreats are a bespoke experience, the ultimate in a private retreat where you can have your comforts and have a deep transformative space with friends, family and/or kindred spirits, infused with ritual, ceremony and holistic healing practices. With many years experience of running our signature retreats, the team can confidently tailor the itinerary to suit the needs, learning, commitment, growth and desires of your group.
- Benefits of a tailored experience:
- A retreat at a time when you want it
- A tailored amount for ceremonie, and activities
- Be surrounded by those special to you
- If you have a leadership group that wants to deep dive together in a private and boutique experience.
- Our bespoke experience investment depends on amount of days, and group size, please email us for inquiries.
Our Partners In Shine
As contributors to the educational process, Third Wave’s mission is to share trusted, research-based content that helps you feel safe, supported, and empowered as you follow your path towards personal transformation. Their vision is to help co-create a global movement that embraces psychedelic use as a way to heal ourselves and our world.They are playing their part by building a cohesive platform that meets individual needs, offers guided support, enables integrated experiences, and fosters meaningful connections across our global ecosystem. Find us on the directory here.
Indigenous medicines and their cultures are at risk of being destroyed, lost, and forgotten – along with the traditional knowledge embedded within them.With the growing popularity of ayahuasca, iboga, toad, and other sacred medicines, it’s important that we respect and honor the traditional knowledge holders of these medicines. If we want to avoid sacred plant medicine getting turned into yet another extractive industry, we need to engage in best practices now. How do you do that??
Grow Medicine — an easy-to-use mobile platform that allows you to make a donation to Indigenous-led initiatives that support Indigenous medicine and biocultural conservation. A donation through Grow Medicine supports the ecosystems and communities that have crucial relationships with these medicines upon which they rely for resilience, spiritual health, and cultural survival.Join us in solidarity-based support so we can ensure the original stewards of these medicines are uplifted, honored, and supported in the search for collective healing. We donate directly to Grow Medicine a percentage from each of our retreat participants.
The Awaken Podcast
Curious about topics around sacred plant medicines, psychedelics, wisdom traditions, ascension, and day to day personal development practice. Listen to The Awaken Podcast with our founder Natasja Pelgrom.
In each episode, Natasja and her guests dive deep into the exploration of consciousness. You will hear heart-opening conversations and inspiring interviews with leaders from all over the world.
The Awaken Podcast also provides a series called “Women in Psychedelics”. This podcast series does an amazing job of telling the stories of fascinating women who are currently making an impact within the psychedelic and plant healing movement.
Get ready to, crack your brain, open your heart, and be positively entertained!
Join our Sacred Membership portal!
Awaken The Medicine Within Membership and Community is here to support you in living a sovereign life. As a member, each month you will have access to meditations, teachings, rituals, healing tools, and workbooks, to help you remember your purpose, feel centered and live an aligned life.
Also included is an invitation to attend a monthly live circle with Natasja and access to the supportive community of people who are devoted to building a new paradigm. You'll also the first to hear about new courses, collaborations, and sacred medicine immersions!
PRAISE
See what these folks have to say about Awaken The Medicine Within retreats!
It’s been nearly 11 months since I attended a one of ATMW’s transformative retreats, and I still feel the impact in my life every day. Natasja has created and crafted such a beautiful experience – bridging many traditions and types of wisdom, along with assembling an incredible team. At a time when the “shroom boom” will certainly lead to some fly-by-night retreat operators, it’s incredibly reassuring that there are deeply experienced and ethical practitioners like Natasja and her team. I give it full-hearted five start review. GO! - 2022 Retreat
I attended the ATWM Regenerative Stewardship retreat in November 2022. It’s hard put into words this whole experience which was both professional and rational yet also deeply heartfelt and spiritual. Natasja, Ali, Henk, Karen and the team were so supportive and caring. I felt very safe and therefore able to work through some difficult and challenging issues in a truly deep, meaningful and it feels like, long lasting way. A month later I’m still feeling very peaceful inside, all my relationships have improved, I’ve made some wonderful new friends and connections. And my work, which was already successful, seems to have gone up a gear and I’m getting even better feedback than usual. I know that in order to maintain this level of being will take focus and dedication. But I now know it’s really possible to do that and I have the tools to keep it going. If you are open to this kind of work I cannot recommend ATMW more highly as a place growth and development. - 2022 Retreat
' Life changing, life changing, life changing! I have worked with Natasja and her team twice now, and I cannot say enough about the profound impact of her work, with both immediate and long term, tangible benefits. The setting was quiet, beautiful and idyllic for our retreat. The work to prepare ourselves for our journey through intentions, journaling, group discussions, yoga, and sound and breath work felt almost as powerful as the medicine itself. Natasja and her team are incredibly talented and well prepared, and it is highly likely that you will both laugh heartily and shed a beautiful tear or two (or three!) throughout your stay. The food was excellent and nourishing as well. Just be prepared! The lack of caffeine is real! I can’t say enough about how truly beautiful, spiritual, professional and maternal Natasja and her team are – just the best.' - 2020 Retreat
My experience with Awaken the Medicine Within was spectacular. The facilitators were excellent and the ceremonies were well-architected and amazing to participate in. I felt safe and taken care of from the moment we arrived. The retreat center is located in gorgeous natural surroundings and I made some wonderful connections with the other participants who attended. I highly recommend Natasja and her team to anyone who is interested in incorporating a Psylocibin experience into their lives. - 2022 Retreat
I attended the Towards Wholeness retreat and it was incredible! The themes that brought me to this retreat went beyond the mind. I could logically reason the changes I was searching for but couldn't access them in a way that actually made a difference in experience. Through the powerful container, held by a whole team, I experienced shifts that have given me the ability to relate differently to the themes alive for me. For me, this is priceless. - Women Only Retreat 2022
I am so grateful for the safe and loving space created by Natasja and the group of healers. I felt I had support at each step in my journey. Natasja's abilities to listen, understand and to react appropriately to one's needs are truly amazing. Also, the entire group of healers are so compassionate and non-judgmental, they showed genuine care. I was impressed with the level of detail everything is taking care of. There was much more than the medicine itself that was really helpful in the healing. The preparation of intentions, the connection that we build with the whole group, the tabacco ceremony, the cacao & breathwork, the laughter, the beautiful house and surroundings, the openness, the shared humanity and the toolbox of resources. I didn’t know this would turn out to be so valuable for me. The 5 week journey showed me new perspectives, it revealed what I have to work on, what I value the most and it set a base on which I can continue my healing and on which I can grow the medicine within. - Women Only Retreat - 2022
This trip was something of a way of treating myself to a safe space to explore something I've always been interested in. I got so much more from it than I expected and would highly recommend to (almost) anyone. Natasja and her team are phenomenal facilitators, and create a container where you can find yourself and truly grow. I am forever grateful that I had the chance to do this. - 2021 Retreat
ATMW holds the ability to beautifully bridge science and traditions in a grounded, supporting and caring container. A truly life changing experience that I highly recommend to anyone who seeks healing and personal growth. 2021 Retreat
The ATMW retreat is, in a word, transformational. After having participated in other plant medicine retreats in the past, I was astounded and humbled by the depth of Natasja and Lorraine's expertise and loving care. It was so easy to put my trust in them; their wisdom, intuition and commitment allows for the cultivation of community and a container in which it feels safe to finally let go of that which is holding you back. Because of this retreat, I am experiencing the shifts I need to bring me closer toward wholeness. The gifts I have received in return for taking the leap of faith to join this journey are only beginning to unfold, and I am forever grateful. 2021 Retreat
"In the current rushed and saturated psychedelic space, ATMW is that rare thing: a container that honors tradition without ever being performative; honest and direct but never transactional; grounded in humanity but open to the mystery. An experience guided by a deep understanding of the spirit of the medicine, wisdom, and love." 2021 Retreat
" The ATMW retreat with Natasja was absolutely magical. It was beautiful to experience the power of psychedelic medicine being led by a medicine woman that combines incredibly deep ancestral knowledge with yet a modern approach that blends also the latest science on this. I can’t recommend this retreat enough." 2021 Retreat
"I highly recommend Natasja‘s ATMW retreats and would put my hand on the fire for them. She takes a lot of time to set intentions with the clients, has the talent to creat incrediby beautiful settings and puts so much detail in all aspects. At the Awaken Medicine Retreat they use various modalities such as yoga / qigong, cacao ceremonies, breathwork and soundhealing to create a wellrounded experience for healing, growth, inspiration and transformation. Natasja is an exceptional guide and I always felt safe and in good hands. I had a lifechanging and magical experience. With Natasja‘s warm and positive charisma, she is also able to build a wonderful team around herself, which, for example cook the most delicious dishes and prepares vacation spots where you feel home." 2019 Retreat
"Natasja and her team were absolutely amazing! I totally enjoyed every minute of the retreat and I would love to come again and again! Everything was beyond great: atmosphere, schedule, guidance, food, place, setting – absolutely perfect!! I had the most incredible and profound trips and I am very grateful that they made the setting and the experience so I was feeling comfortable, safe, protected, professionally guided and navigated. I truly could trust them and dive in freely into the unknown , it was as if they knew exactly what I need to have the best possible experience. Very personalized approach to every participant makes her retreats truly unique and deep. Another amazing experience I had on the course “Yinomai”, and on private session – it was very transformational as well. Love you ,Natasja, and love what you do! So much looking forward to the next time!" 2020 Retreat
"Life changing, life changing, life changing! I have worked with Natasja and her team twice now, and I cannot say enough about the profound impact of her work, with both immediate and long term, tangible benefits. The setting was quiet, beautiful and idyllic for our retreat. The work to prepare ourselves for our journey through intentions, journaling, group discussions, yoga, and sound and breath work felt almost as powerful as the medicine itself. Natasja and her team are incredibly talented and well prepared, and it is highly likely that you will both laugh heartily and shed a beautiful tear or two (or three!) throughout your stay. The food was excellent and nourishing as well. Just be prepared! The lack of caffeine is real! I can’t say enough about how truly beautiful, spiritual, professional and maternal Natasja and her team are – just the best." 2020 Retreat
"Awaken the Medicine Within Retreat led by Natasja was honestly the most transformational and life change experience I have ever been a part of. She creates an environment of safety, security, and curiosity so that it’s very easy to let go of your ego and go deep within yourself to truly start the journey of who you really are." 2019 Retreat
“Natasja Pelgrom is a remarkably gifted and skilled guide and healer. On a basic human level, she is sensitive and intuitive and seems to have an ability to listen and understand people that’s pretty rare these days. She brings ancient wisdom and traditions to the ceremonies and workshops she holds. She has a powerful presence during the ceremony yet holds the space with a gentle, non-judgmental, friendly and down to earth attitude.
I have been amazed how she can hold each person story and be aware of what they need to work on at any moment, always knowing when we need guidance and when we need to work thru what comes up alone. Her work before and after each ceremony is equally important and she has helped me enormously both with preparation and integration. I am also impressed with how quickly and precisely she can get to the root of whatever is disturbing someone to help them identify it and work thru it.
What I like best is that despite her considerable gifts and skills she does not have a “spiritual ego” or fall into the trap of becoming a sort of guru or hold herself at a remove from clients, rather she reminds us that we are all human and have human frailties and with that she puts us at ease and allows us to explore both our vulnerabilities and strengths.” 2018 Retreat
''I’m eternally grateful for the wonderful Otac medicine s and the loving support, guidance, intuition and care of Natasja. This sacred medicine has completely transformed my life in 6 months and empowered me to resolve deep unconscious layers in my bodies that have been affecting me on a day to day basis. The medicine enables you to become aware of your personal challenges (programs, beliefs etc.) at the heart of the core and helps you to transform from the inside out. It awakens your own power and strength, catalyzing your growth and helping you to remember who you truly are.'' 2018 Retreat
“Natasja's face spins into the maelstrom of purple geometric patterns. I lie back and in an instant it dawns on me how truly amazing life and all of creation is. We are part of an eternal loving and gentle spirit and I have been given this gift of life to cherish. The pain and pleasure are both there to define one another, and it is all perfect. I have that feeling when you wake from a nightmare and your realize it was just a bad dream and in fact it is all okay, just very intense. I begin to laugh uncontrollably, how silly I was not to have grasped it before.
Around me I hear the song of angles. The sounds are passing through me like a comb combing through thick unwashed knotted hair. The sound is passing through my body, combing out the spiritual knots that have been there for so long. I can now release this sadness I have stored inside of me. I have been spiritually blind all my life and all I needed was to open up my eyes and the beauty was way beyond my imagination. This is my second ceremony with Natasja and it has opened up something in me that I subconsciously knew was missing. I had become trapped in way of living where I was not taking pleasure from the beauty all around me, and instead feeling like everything I did was because I had to do it, rather than because I get to do it. Working with Natasja has allowed me to break free and start on a new journey, and it is an exciting one." 2019 Retreat
"Natasja helped free me from issues that were rooted as deep in my psyche as issues can be. During an hour and a half private Alignment session she cleared dysfunctional patterns and beliefs that’d I’d been carrying since childhood (and been working on resolving with very limited success for more than 15 years). Her heart is large, but she also doesn’t mess around. She has a diverse and unusual toolkit and powerful natural gifts, which together make an incredibly effective combination. She sees right to the heart of things, even things you yourself cannot see (or aren’t willing to look at). For anyone in the messy, difficult, amazing process of transforming who needs a helping hand, good news — the universe has sent you a powerful ally. Are you ready? ” 2017 Retreat
Disclaimer
The facilitators are no doctors and therefore we do not give health or medical related advice or counsel directly to a potential participant. All information provided by potential participants is considered completely private and confidential and held in confidence by us when doing an intake. We use these sacred medicines in a ceremonial context and do not distribute or provide advice related to obtaining substances. The use and application of these medicines are at the attendee's decision, responsibility and risk. We reserve the right to use our discretion to refuse anyone that we deem to be unfit for these experiences.
Co-Create Inspirit, is doing business as AWAKEN THE MEDICINE WITHIN 2022©
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