375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
August 8 - 11, 2024
About this Retreat
Jayne Gumpel, LCSW (she/her/hers) is a psychotherapist, trainer, and teacher with 30 years of experience working with couples, individuals, and groups in New York City and Woodstock, NY. Jayne is a professional clinical trainer in Psychedelic Integration Psychotherapy, is a member of the Woodstock Therapy Center’s Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) team, and has completed MDMA-assisted psychotherapy training through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Jayne describes meditation as a core life practice, is a teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and she includes mindfulness practice as a foundation of her work with clients. She is additionally trained in Imago Relationship Therapy and Gestalt Psychotherapy. Jayne is a co-founder of accessmindfulness.org, a 501c3, along with her son David. Her passion is supporting clients on their journey towards inner wisdom and healing from trauma to have more rich and satisfying lives and relationships.
David Gumpel is an Integral Master Coach and a qualified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through UMASS medical school. David is the co-founder of Access Mindfulness and a study coordinator for the MAPS sponsored MDMA-Assisted Therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder study in NYC. As a coach, David teaches mindfulness to clients in private practice and to groups in corporate settings. At Fluence, David provides Mentoring and teaches MBSR courses for Certificate Program Participants. Find him online at
ebcpathways.com.
Irina is a board certified Internal Medicine physician and LGBTQ+ health and HIV specialist whose integrative medicine practice, Contemplative Medicine, focuses at the intersection of physical illness, emotional trauma, and spirituality. Irina has supplemented her rigorous medical education with training in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with Drs. Phil Wolfson and Bessel van der Kolk, Internal Family Systems Therapy (Level 1), Core Energetics (a somatic psychotherapy modality), and over a decade of Vipassana meditation practice.
Irina grew up in the former Soviet Union in a family deeply burdened with mental illness, violence, and post-Holocaust trauma. Her own healing journey via somatic trauma therapy, Vipassana meditation, and psychedelic-assisted therapy in the US and the Peruvian Amazon opened her eyes to the complex nature of health and illness - complexity reaching far beyond her Western medical education. Irina has come to regard most illness as the body’s attempt to communicate, in an increasingly insistent voice, deep-seated imbalances within. Her clinical approach is one of deep listening and root-level healing of the body, mind, spirit, and ancestry. Irina speaks multiple languages and is passionate about bringing multi-dimensional, tailored healing to individuals, groups, and communities, with a primary focus on populations deeply impacted by systemic violence, poverty, and ancestral trauma.
Irina is an avid hiker, mushroom forager, and adventurer who splits her time between the Hudson Valley and Brooklyn.
Donna Sorgen, LMHC, LPC (she/her/hers) is a psychotherapist with over 20 years experience working with adults, children, adolescents, couples, and groups. She is the Director of the Woodstock Therapy Center and the Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) Program at WTC. She is also the Director of a new Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Certificate program. Donna has spent her career working with diverse clients in multiple settings. Donna’s current private practice includes KAP, Psychotherapy, and Psychedelic Integration Psychotherapy. In addition to KAP training Donna has completed training in MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Donna has a background in the creative arts. She was a sushi chef, caterer, and enjoys painting and gardening. Donna is inspired in her work as a psychotherapist to help us move toward individual and collective transformation.
Dan is a board-certified psychiatrist in private practice in New York City.
Dan completed his residency at MGH/McLean in Boston, where he received the Hackett Award for academic research. He subsequently completed a public psychiatry fellowship at Bellevue Hospital.
As a former English literature major who gravitates toward subjectivist and hermeneutical understandings of the mind, Dan is a “throwback” to the days when psychiatrists were versed in psychotherapeutic theory and methods, in addition to psychopharmacology. Upon discovering and training in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy since last year, Dan has been most thrilled to work with a medicine that can facilitate and enhance the psychotherapy process.
Dan recently opened a group psychiatry practice in the city called Acheron, where he trains therapists and treats patients using conventional and psychedelic psychiatry methods.
Dan lives in Park Slope with his spouse Amanda, a neuropsychology professor at Cornell Neurosurgery, and their two young sons, Jonah and Gabriel.
Details of this retreat
This is a safe, structured retreat led by a staff of licensed and highly experienced therapists and physicians in the beautiful Catskill Mountains at MENLA Retreat and Spa.
~Meet at the intersection of science and spirituality~
This retreat offers a safe, structured environment where couples can deeply explore the nuances of their relationship, including aspects of and intimacy. Participants will learn to understand each other’s needs and navigate challenges collaboratively. The retreat emphasizes cultivating an intimate bond through what we refer to as noble communication—clear and compassionate exchanges that lay the foundation for healthy relationships. By developing these communication skills, couples can enhance their connection, leading to greater joy and a deeper sense of unity.
Ketamine is utilized here as a tool to explore profound existential realms, facilitating open and loving communication about and intimate needs. energy, seen as a core aspect of our being, when unblocked, enhances not only our intimacy but also our overall health and happiness. Ketamine-assisted sessions are designed to open mental, emotional, and physical channels, allowing participants to connect with these aspects in a clear, insightful, and accepting way. The retreat also integrates mindfulness and meditation, crucial for regulating emotions and thoughts and fostering the ability to face each moment with balance and grace.
The program is designed to deepen personal and interpersonal connections within a group setting of like-minded couples. Structured, meaningful conversations and guided practices help explore pleasure and intimacy in this nurturing environment. No prior experience with psychedelic medicines or ketamine is required, and all participants begin with a screening call to ensure the retreat is a suitable fit.
The combination of ketamine with mindfulness and meditation offers a profound journey into a more conscious and purposeful life. These practices aim to reconnect participants with themselves, enhancing safety, resilience, and vitality in their lives. With an innate capacity for presence, compassion, and recognition of joy's healing power, the retreat emphasizes safety and preparedness for all participants to engage meaningfully with the group and the experiences offered.
Please note: This retreat is not a short-term residential treatment and is unsuitable for anyone experiencing an acute mental health crisis or those with severe, persistent psychiatric conditions.
Steps to Join:
Step 1. Fill out the initial registration form, and we will contact you for a phone or zoom screening call. This 15 minute screening call is designed to determine if this retreat is a good fit for you, to answer questions you might have, and so forth.
Step 2. If the phone or Zzoom screening results in a sense that there is a good fit (mutually decided, of course) you will be asked to make a deposit of 50% of the retreat fee (not room and board).
Step 3. After a successful screening you will be assigned to one of the physicians attending the retreat for a medical interview. This interview is 60 minutes. There is a $500 fee for this couples' medical interview paid directly to the medical provider. This fee includes the cost of prescribing the ketamine to you, which is done on an individual basis. This medical assessment is essential and may include our speaking with your psychotherapist or prescribing psycho-pharmacologist.
Step 4. After your deposit is received, a zoom preparation session will follow with one of the group facilitators. The purpose of the preparation session is for us to get to know you better and provide education to you regarding the retreat. We will assign the session after receiving your deposit.
Step 5. When the steps above are completed, you will need to reserve your room accommodations (private or semi-private room) and board (delicious vegetarian and vegan meals) via Frontdesk@MENLA.org. You will be provided a code to register.
Step 6. You will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement that delineates our request that you hold the names/identities of other participants as confidential. There will also be an Informed Consent document which we ask you to read carefully and sign. This process (Informed Consent) describes risks inherent in participation in retreats such as this one. Additionally we will be requiring you to sign a standard indemnity release form, which is required by Menla's guidelines.
Fees
Cost: $2150 per person (plus choice of housing), 50% deposit upon enrollment
50% balance due by June 1, 2024
Payment plans and limited scholarships available upon request.
This fee does NOT include housing. Prices range from $250 to $400 a night including delicious vegetarian meals.
- After being accepted, housing is paid directly to Menla. We will provide you with the password to register for your choice of room.
Organizer/faculty contact details
Jayne Gumpel, LCSW
Jayne's Email Address
Jayne's Phone Number
Relationship Resources LLC
914 924 1509 (C)
15 Pine Grove St, Woodstock, New York 12498 (O)
Schedule
Thursday, August 8
3 - 6 pm Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7 pm Formal Program Begins
Friday, August 9
7:15 am Meditation NO BREAKFAST
8:15 am Morning Program and First Dosing Session: Meet the medicine
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 3:30 pm Break for Relaxation and Spa: Optional Meditation or Yoga Class
3:30 pm Afternoon Program
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7 - 9 pm Evening Program
9 pm Optional Program For Play, Bonfire, ETC.
Saturday, August 10
7:15 am Meditation/Yoga NO BREAKFAST
8:15 am Integration and Small Groups
10 am Dosing Session
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch
1:30 - 3:30 pm Break for Relaxation and Spa: Optional Meditation, Movement or Creative Writing Class
3 pm Afternoon Program
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7 pm Evening Event
Sunday, August 11
7 - 11 am Room Check-out
7:15 am Meditation
8:15 am Integration and Small Groups
10 am Optional Dosing Session
10 am Free Time for Relaxation & Spa if Not Dosing
12 - 1 pm Lunch All Together
1 pm Afternoon Program
3 pm Program Closes
* All participants must commit to staying until the close of the program.
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time.
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