Part 3: The role of the female participant and the importance of female participation
In the third- of our four-part blog series, ‘Understanding the attitudes, experiences, and needs of women who attend psychedelic retreats,’ we explore how the gender make-up of the retreat group influences the experiences of its female participants. We will consider how women’s experiences may differ in single- versus mixed-sex retreat environments from a psychosocial perspective.
As discussed in Part 1 and Part 2, a key theme that emerged from our pilot survey (‘Understanding the attitudes, experiences, and needs of women who attend psychedelic retreats’), conducted in collaboration with Beckley Retreats, was the importance of single-sex retreat offerings. Respondents consistently rated having the option of a women-only retreat as more important in the Post-Retreat Survey compared to in the Pre-Retreat Survey. Of all the questions assessing attitudes around the importance of female involvement, this question (the only question assessing attitudes around the importance of single-sex involvement) saw the greatest increase in importance ratings from Pre- to Post-Retreat, with a rise of 36.33%. This suggests that women with no prior retreat experience (all of our respondents were psychedelic-retreat-naive) did not initially consider having a women-only option important, but that the retreat experience consolidated the importance of this option. One respondent emphasised, ‘For me, I would ONLY attend an all-women’s retreat. Men being there at all is a dealbreaker for me’.
Our Survey, now live on our website and open to women who plan to attend any psychedelic retreat program, aims to gain further insight into the experiences of women within the psychedelic retreat setting. Amongst other objectives, we hope that findings from our Survey will guide the development of retreat offerings specifically designed around women’s needs in these spaces.
Pilot survey responses reveal that women need and want retreat offerings that are necessarily exclusive. In Blog 2, we explored this through the lens of safety, suggesting that, for women who attend psychedelic retreats, single-sex retreat offerings may enable a sense of safety premised on their shared experiences as women. In turn, this sense of safety may enable women to benefit more fully from their psychedelic experiences. Now, we will explore women’s want and need for single-sex retreat offerings from a psychosocial perspective, paying particular attention to research which has investigated the social dimension of psychedelic use and its relevance to the retreat setting.
The social dimension of psychedelic use in the retreat setting
Most contemporary psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy research uses individual rather than group therapy approaches, with one or two therapists and one participant in each session (1). However, in naturalistic settings, such as in recreational (2) and traditional (3) settings, psychedelics are typically consumed collectively. This raises important questions about the psychosocial dimensions of psychedelic use that have been overlooked in contemporary research (1).
The retreat setting is an ideal setting in which to probe how collective psychedelic use may differ from individual psychedelic use because the acute psychedelic experience necessarily occurs within a group context (i.e., unlike in the individual psychedelic-assisted therapy setting) (1).
In recognition of the psychosocial processes at play in the retreat setting, a study by Kettner et al. (2021) introduced and psychometrically validated the Communitas Scale (COMS) - the first quantitative measure of communitas (i.e., acute relational experiences of perceived togetherness and shared humanity) specifically adapted to psychedelic group experiences (1). In this observational survey, participants (n = 886; 43.8% female) were asked to complete the COMS at multiple timepoints before and after their planned psychedelic ceremony. Results showed that communitas during the ceremony was significantly and positively correlated with psychological wellbeing (r = 0.22), social connectedness (r = 0.25), and other salient psychosocial outcomes four weeks post-ceremony (1). Importantly, however, Kettner et al. (2021) also found that female gender was significantly negatively associated with in-ceremony communitas (β = -0.17, p < 0.01). In other words, there was an inverse relationship between female gender and experiences of perceived togetherness and shared humanity (experiences which were shown to significantly and positively correlate with positive long-term outcomes). Further research is required to investigate this negative association; however, it is conceivable that awareness of female-specific risks in the retreat setting (see Blog 2) may contribute.
Moreover, multiple regression analyses revealed that the positive long-term outcomes of in-ceremony communitas were fully mediated by overall communitas (i.e., communitas experienced in relation to the retreat overall), highlighting the importance of intersubjective experience outside of the psychedelic ceremony itself (1). Analyses also revealed a mediating role of self-disclosure, i.e., how deeply and honestly people shared personally salient material with the group, in extending communitas beyond the acute psychedelic state (1). Interestingly, the authors suggest that the use of social devices to facilitate emotional disclosure (e.g., sharing circles) contributed to positive outcomes for psychedelic retreat participants following collective psychedelic experiences (1). Whilst this was the case in the sample studied, our conversation with psychedelic retreat facilitator, Mary Bonett reminded us of some important sex-specific considerations in relation to sharing circles:
“I know plenty of women [clients] who don’t even talk about their menstrual cycle with their male partners, so imagine them speaking about this in a mixed-sex retreat space, it’s going to be potentially even more challenging.”
“So we can do really deep work really quickly in women-only spaces. The first sharing circle of a women-only retreat - the fact of landing and being in a shared space with other women - is medicine in and of itself.”
The study by Kettner et al. (2021) expands on current models that view intra-subjective experience as the major psychological mechanism for achieving positive outcomes from psychedelic use. Their findings suggest that intersubjective experience - 'experiencing with others’ - may further enhance the positive effects of psychedelic use (1). Now, research is needed to further investigate how the intersubjective experience and psychedelic use outcomes are influenced by gender.
Effects of gender dynamics on intersubjective experience
In spite of significant research gaps on gender dynamics in group psychedelic-assisted therapy settings, recent observational research provides preliminary insight into how the intersubjective experience and psychedelic use outcomes may be influenced by gender dynamics. Yalom’s (2020) eleven therapeutic factors of group therapy provide a useful framework for understanding key themes that emerge from this observational research (4). One factor - ‘Corrective recapitulation of the primary family group’ (i.e., group resemblance of one’s primary family group with authority figures, siblings, strong emotions, intimacy, etc.) - seems to be particularly important in terms of sex and gender dynamics in retreat settings.
For example, Orozco and Harris (2022) draw on ethnographic research at a psilocybin retreat centre in Jamaica to examine how individual and collective experiences of altered states of consciousness via psilocybin inform the healing process (5). In their article, they describe how the mixed-sex retreat group dynamic influences the experiences of Naomi, one of the female retreat participants, during her acute psychedelic experience:
As the session unfolded, the interactions between the men became more apparent. Their conversations started to get loud, laughter broke out, and they began to move around. It became a very playful experience for the men in the group, which was irritating to the women. Naomi [...] positioned herself away from the men in the group. Yet, in the distance, she could hear them laughing and was bothered by this. She did not understand how they could be happy when she was in so much pain. Their laughter and ‘horseplay,’ as she called it, made her angry [...] She decided to move to her room to get away from the laughter with the help of one of the female facilitators (5).
Here, Orozco and Harris (2022) describe how Noami’s acute relational experiences of perceived togetherness and shared humanity were negatively influenced by the men in her retreat group (5). Note that this anecdote is also illustrative of the finding by Kettner et al. (2021), that female gender was significantly negatively associated with experiences of communitas within group retreat settings. However, Orozco and Harris (2022) then describe how ‘Corrective recapitulation of the primary family group’ came into play, allowing Naomi to retrospectively redefine her acute experiences:
Initially, Naomi was disappointed that half of the guests in the group were men and wished that they would go away. By the end of the retreat, she realised how important it was for them to have been there as the feelings of anger that they had caused in her actually served as the catalyst necessary for her to release painful emotions relating to her past (5).
Similarly, ‘Corrective recapitulation of the primary family group’ is also at play in observational research by Rose (2022) (6). However, in this scenario, sex and gender dynamics operate in such a way that Annie, a participant in a mixed-sex retreat group, appreciated the presence of men in her retreat group during the acute psychedelic experience (6):
So it was kind of like, I finally got to be around men that were kind and caring and supportive of me, and weren’t trying to hit on me or be inappropriate with me. [...] So it was kind of eye opening in that regard too - just seeing myself differently and seeing how they, the men in the group, were viewing me and treating me (6).
Annie’s story highlights the potential benefits of a mixed-sex environment for some individuals (6). This is consistent with Mary Bonett’s reflection that, 'There’s a lot to be said about having mixed gender spaces in terms of healing around relationships with the opposite sex as well.’
Are women-only retreats the answer?
So, are women-only retreat offerings the answer? Early research on the importance of the intersubjective experience in group therapy settings - explored here - has found conflicting results in relation to the benefits of mixed- versus single-sex environments. Whilst research by Orozco and Harris (2022) and Rose (2022) suggests that the efficacy of psychedelic therapy can be enhanced by mixed-sex intersubjective dynamics, the study by Kettner et al. (2021) suggested that women were less likely to experience communitas and therefore also less likely to experience long-term improvements in salient psychosocial outcomes. Further research is needed to remedy the significant gaps in our understanding of the social dimensions of psychedelic use; specifically, our understanding of the impacts of gender dynamics on outcomes in group psychedelic-assisted therapy settings. This research should then inform evidence-based benefit-maximisation protocols for group psychedelic use in the retreat setting.
As part of our commitment to conducting research to help provide women with safer, more inclusive, and empowering psychedelic experiences, we are signposting retreat programs we know to be comprehensive in their approach and delivery of such programs.
We are happy to share a special offer from one of our trusted partners, Beckley Retreats. Beckley is the world's only psychedelic retreats provider backed by 25 years of scientific research (building on psychedelic pioneer Amanda Feilding's legacy) and an ecosystem of expertise. Their comprehensive 11-week program includes 4 weeks of preparation and 6 weeks of integration (go-at-your-own pace) with fully legal 5-night retreats in Jamaica and the Netherlands. Beckley offers Women's programs and a Sanctuary for Black Women in addition to their mixed gender Signature program. Visit their website here to view their full program details, their comprehensive guide to choosing a psychedelic retreat centre, and their "what type of psychedelic retreat goer are you?" quiz. Use code BRAP500 at checkout for $500 off your first retreat!
References
Kettner, H., Rosas, F. E., Timmermann, C., Kärtner, L., Carhart-Harris, R. L., & Roseman, L. (2021). Psychedelic Communitas: Intersubjective Experience During Psychedelic Group Sessions Predicts Enduring Changes in Psychological Wellbeing and Social Connectedness. Frontiers in pharmacology, 12, 623985. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.623985
Papadimitropoulos P. (2009). Psychedelic Trance: ritual, belief and transcendental experience in modern raves. Durham Anthropol. J. 16 (2), 67–74.
Dupuis, D. (2021). Psychedelics as Tools for Belief Transmission. Set, Setting, Suggestibility, and Persuasion in the Ritual Use of Hallucinogens. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 730031. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.730031
Yalom, I., & Leszcz, M. (2020). The theory and the practice of group psychotherapy.
Orozco, M., & Harris, S. (2022). Psilocybin and the meaning response: Exploring the healing process in a retreat setting in Jamaica. Anthropology of Consciousness, 0.0, 1-31.
Rose, J. R. (2022). Turn on, tune in, and heal together: Culture, interaction rituals, and collective self-transformation in psychedelic-assisted group therapy with individuals with treatment-resistant mental distress [Doctorate thesis, York University].