LGBTQ+ Psilocybin Retreat: The Unhidden Self, Portugal
LGBTQ+ Psilocybin Retreat: The Unhidden Self, Portugal
Monchique, 8550, Portugal
Up to 9 in group
Mar 13 - 17, 2027
Retreat Highlights
- The Unhidden Self is a five-day, four-night psychedelic and transpersonal retreat for LGBTQ+ people in the heart of Portugal lead by experienced certified psychotherapists, designed for healing and self-discovery.
- If you are seeking a safe, thoughtful and deeply held space for personal exploration, healing and reconnection, this is the place for you. It is created for those who want to be met in the fullness of who they are, in a space shaped by sensitivity, humility and an understanding that each person’s identity, relationships, sexuality, history and inner life are uniquely their own.
- Held by experienced psychotherapists and facilitators, the retreat brings together psychological depth, careful preparation, embodied practice, group process, ceremony and integration. The central theme is belonging: belonging in the body, in relationship, in community, and in the life that feels most truthful and alive.
- This retreat offers a rare affirming space for LGBTQ+ participants to explore intimacy, identity, desire, coming-out or not being out, spirituality, creativity, resilience and personal transformation with care, respect and clinical integrity. All participants complete a careful screening and preparation process so that the retreat can be responsibly and sensitively held.
- Syntara retreats are designed for those who feel called to work with plant medicine but seek a setting that is both respectful of its traditions and attuned to the complexities of personal transformation. We honour the lineages that have safeguarded these medicines for millennia, while also recognising that healing today often requires an approach that integrates traditional wisdom with contemporary understanding.
- Standing on the shoulders of those who have walked before us, we acknowledge that these traditions, whether shamanic, philosophical, or psychotherapeutic, are not relics of the past but living systems of knowledge that continue to shape and transform us.
About this Retreat
Tibor is a psychodynamic psychotherapist and psychedelic guide. He came to this work through his own journey of healing, and remains deeply moved by the psyche’s innate drive toward wholeness. His approach is rooted in psychodynamic theory, attachment, and trauma-informed care, offering a space for deep insight and lasting change.
A member of the Guild of Guides, Tibor has trained in psychedelic integration and harm reduction with the Psychedelic Society, Clerkenwell Health, the British Transpersonal Association, Stanislav Grof, and Gabor Maté. He co-facilitates LGBTQ retreats in the Netherlands, creating safe, affirming spaces for self-discovery and healing in community.
With a background in teaching postgraduate psychodynamic counselling, Tibor brings both clinical rigour and soulful presence to his work. He is passionate about bridging psychotherapy, research, and advocacy to support the ethical and transformative use of psychedelics in mental health.
Lilia Popgantcheva is a psychotherapist and a member of the Bulgarian Society of Psychoanalysis and Group Analysis and the British Transpersonal Association. She is an author and facilitator of retreats and psychological training programs. She is a public speaker who advocates for innovative approaches to mental health, self-awareness, and mindful social engagement.
Lilia bridges classical and transpersonal approaches, works with individuals and groups in expanded states of consciousness, using psilocybin mushrooms, spiritual and somatic methods. She is a founding member and co-president of the Bulgarian Psychedelic Association.
She is a beekeeper, kitesurfer, and student of traditional Bulgarian healers.
Details of this retreat
Our 5-day / 4-night retreat is a central part of a 3-month program.
We offer psychedelic-assisted therapy as a complete therapeutic arc: preparation, retreat, and integration process. The psychedelic experience can open insights, emotions, memories, and new perspectives. Lasting change depends on how the experience is prepared for beforehand and integrated afterwards.
PREPARATION: Preparation creates safety, clarity, and emotional readiness before the retreat.
1. Medical Screening: All participants complete our Intake Form. Further medical or psychological consultation may be required when necessary.
2. Consultation with the Team: A full one-hour online meeting with our lead facilitators to explore your hopes, fears, current situation, and personal intentions. This meeting also supports you in beginning your deeper preparation at home.
3. Pre-Retreat Guidance Handbook: A practical guide with recommendations on mindset, diet, self-care, and preparation before arrival.
4. Two Group Introduction Meetings: In the weeks before the retreat, we hold two online meetings with facilitators and participants to build trust, orientation, and a sense of community before arrival.
THE RETREAT: The retreat takes place in a peaceful, secluded setting in Portugal, chosen for its natural beauty and connection to nature. Each day offers a balance of support, reflection, embodiment, rest, and connection.
- Mindfulness and Embodiment Practices: Breathwork, movement, meditation, sharing and grounding practices.
- Guided Plant Medicine Sessions: Carefully facilitated experiences held in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment.
- Integration Circles: Group reflections and creative practices to help process insights, emotions, and experiences.
- Healthy, Nourishing Meals: A fully vegan diet to support physical and mental well-being (and a swimming pool).
INTEGRATION: Integration helps transform psychedelic insights into real and lasting change in everyday life.
1. Two Group Integration Sessions: These online meetings take place in the two weeks after the retreat with all participants and our lead facilitators.
2. Integration Handbook: Recommendations on individual integration practices, techniques, and lifestyle support.
3. One-on-One Integration Sessions: Optional individual integration sessions are available for an additional fee.
WHY THE FULL PROCESS MATTERS: The retreat may open the door. Preparation helps you enter consciously and integration helps you bring the experience into life.
Our work is not simply a retreat. It is a carefully held therapeutic program supporting transformation before, during, and after the psychedelic experience.
We offer psychedelic-assisted therapy as a complete therapeutic arc: preparation, retreat, and integration process. The psychedelic experience can open insights, emotions, memories, and new perspectives. Lasting change depends on how the experience is prepared for beforehand and integrated afterwards.
PREPARATION: Preparation creates safety, clarity, and emotional readiness before the retreat.
1. Medical Screening: All participants complete our Intake Form. Further medical or psychological consultation may be required when necessary.
2. Consultation with the Team: A full one-hour online meeting with our lead facilitators to explore your hopes, fears, current situation, and personal intentions. This meeting also supports you in beginning your deeper preparation at home.
3. Pre-Retreat Guidance Handbook: A practical guide with recommendations on mindset, diet, self-care, and preparation before arrival.
4. Two Group Introduction Meetings: In the weeks before the retreat, we hold two online meetings with facilitators and participants to build trust, orientation, and a sense of community before arrival.
THE RETREAT: The retreat takes place in a peaceful, secluded setting in Portugal, chosen for its natural beauty and connection to nature. Each day offers a balance of support, reflection, embodiment, rest, and connection.
- Mindfulness and Embodiment Practices: Breathwork, movement, meditation, sharing and grounding practices.
- Guided Plant Medicine Sessions: Carefully facilitated experiences held in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment.
- Integration Circles: Group reflections and creative practices to help process insights, emotions, and experiences.
- Healthy, Nourishing Meals: A fully vegan diet to support physical and mental well-being (and a swimming pool).
INTEGRATION: Integration helps transform psychedelic insights into real and lasting change in everyday life.
1. Two Group Integration Sessions: These online meetings take place in the two weeks after the retreat with all participants and our lead facilitators.
2. Integration Handbook: Recommendations on individual integration practices, techniques, and lifestyle support.
3. One-on-One Integration Sessions: Optional individual integration sessions are available for an additional fee.
WHY THE FULL PROCESS MATTERS: The retreat may open the door. Preparation helps you enter consciously and integration helps you bring the experience into life.
Our work is not simply a retreat. It is a carefully held therapeutic program supporting transformation before, during, and after the psychedelic experience.
Schedule
Breathwork
Cacao ceremony
Rose tea ceremony
Sound bath
Dance meditation 5 rhythms
1-1 preparation sessions
1-1 integration sessions
Daily movement sessions
Art therapy
Plant medicine guided ceremony
Our offerings explained:
Guided Plant Medicine Session: Carefully facilitated experiences in a safe, nurturing environment.
Integration Circles: Group reflections to help process insights and emotions.
Mindfulness & Embodiment Practices: Breathwork, movement, and meditation to enhance grounding and emotional integration.
Healthy, Nourishing Meals: A fully vegan diet designed to support physical and mental well-being.
Cacao ceremony
Rose tea ceremony
Sound bath
Dance meditation 5 rhythms
1-1 preparation sessions
1-1 integration sessions
Daily movement sessions
Art therapy
Plant medicine guided ceremony
Our offerings explained:
Guided Plant Medicine Session: Carefully facilitated experiences in a safe, nurturing environment.
Integration Circles: Group reflections to help process insights and emotions.
Mindfulness & Embodiment Practices: Breathwork, movement, and meditation to enhance grounding and emotional integration.
Healthy, Nourishing Meals: A fully vegan diet designed to support physical and mental well-being.
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Syntara Retreats, Monchique, 8550, Portugal
Directions
Location and Travel
Address
Poio de Medronhal8550-233 MonchiquePortugal
By Plane
The nearest Airport is Faro (FAO) which is about a 65 minutes’ drive by car. The other but further option would be Lisbon (LIS). (2,5 h drive) From Lisbon there is a good connection by train or bus to Portimao. From there it’s about 25 Minutes to the house. We organise transfer for participants from Faro airport.
Car Rental
There are several good offers to rent a car from Faro airport. Next to the classical ones like Europcar, Hertz, SIXT and Avis, there also good local providers. Most of the international car rental suppliers operating at Faro airport have their own counters inside the terminal and car pick-up / return parks outside.
Address
Poio de Medronhal8550-233 MonchiquePortugal
By Plane
The nearest Airport is Faro (FAO) which is about a 65 minutes’ drive by car. The other but further option would be Lisbon (LIS). (2,5 h drive) From Lisbon there is a good connection by train or bus to Portimao. From there it’s about 25 Minutes to the house. We organise transfer for participants from Faro airport.
Car Rental
There are several good offers to rent a car from Faro airport. Next to the classical ones like Europcar, Hertz, SIXT and Avis, there also good local providers. Most of the international car rental suppliers operating at Faro airport have their own counters inside the terminal and car pick-up / return parks outside.
Accommodation
Our accommodation blends rustic charm with modern comforts. The fully renovated retreat house features eight beautifully designed double rooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom. The interiors are minimalist yet elegant, with natural materials and warm tones, creating a calming and restorative space. There are two room categories, with slight variations in size, view, or private terrace, ensuring each guest has a space tailored to their comfort. Beyond the private rooms, the retreat house offers a cozy living room for relaxation and an outdoor patio with a communal dining area, where we gather to share meals and moments of connection.
Program single en-suite room
Program double en-suite room
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Nestled on the slopes of Picota Mountain in Monchique, our retreat venue is a sanctuary of peace, offering breathtaking views, tranquil landscapes, and unforgettable sunrises and sunsets. Located in the heart of the Algarve’s natural beauty, the retreat is surrounded by scenic walking trails, inviting you to reconnect with nature and yourself.
Spanning over 6 hectares, the property provides ample space for solitude, where everyone can find their own quiet corner to relax.
Spanning over 6 hectares, the property provides ample space for solitude, where everyone can find their own quiet corner to relax.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
What's Included
- The Single booking option provides a private en-suite room, offering you a tranquil and personal space to rest, reflect, and integrate your experience. The Double booking option provides a shared room with one other, en-suite, sharing between couples, friends or future friends .
- BEFORE
- Screening
- One 1-1 preparation session
- Two group preparation sessions
- Detailed handbook for preparation and guidance
- DURING
- Daily guided sessions of up to 8 hours group and individual practices
- Private en-suite accommodation
- Daily brunch and dinner (vegan, extraordinary, locally sourced)
- Healthy snacks and herbal teas (unlimited)
- AFTER
- One 1-1 Integration session to support your journey after the retreat
- Two group integration sessions
- Handbook with integration practices
What's Not Included
- Transport to and from the retreat
Similar retreats
Plant Medicine
EXPANDED Consciousness: 5-day Psilocybin Retreat, Portugal
5 Days Package
From €2,270
/
You might also like
/