Join us for a safe, structured, and nourishing three-day small group retreat, for those wishing to break free from social anxiety, held in a calm and comfortable private home in Silver Lake. This will be a small group experience (no more than 5 participants) and is facilitated by the highly experienced team of Eric Pierce, LCSW and Rebecca Crane, MD, MPH.  Our intention: to provide a therapeutic and welcoming space that invites healing and allows participants to break free from anxious patterns of behavior and feeling states.

This retreat brings together a small, carefully selected group of participants and establishes a supportive therapeutic environment grounded in safety and clinical care. Within that setting, participants undergo a supervised group ketamine-assisted session designed to support cognitive flexibility and neuroplasticity. The final day is dedicated to integration — processing the insights gained over the previous two days so participants leave with practical tools for coping, emotional regulation, and sustained wellbeing.

This retreat is about gathering a small group of like-minded people and creating a space where compassion leads and healing feels possible.  On the first day we will open a therapeutic container for participants to settle in, introduce themselves, be led on a relaxing mindfulness exercise and set their intentions.  On the following day, we will guide a gentle, supported group ketamine journey — one that opens up new perspectives and helps the brain rewire toward growth. The final day is for weaving it all together: taking the insights and strength found over the past two days and turning them into something you can carry home — a framework for re-entering your life with more ease, more groundedness, and more joy.

Who is facilitating? 

Eric Pierce, LCSW and Rebecca Crane, MD, MPH, who have over 50 years of combined mental health experience with a wide variety of clinical conditions and patient populations.  You can read more about Eric and Rebecca on their websites, www.treescounseling.com and rebeccacrane.md, respectively.  

When is the retreat?

The retreat takes place on August 28, 29, 30.

Friday 7p – 9p: Forming a circle of support, mindfulness practice, and setting an intention for the weekend, snacks

Saturday 10a – 3p: Opening circle, education and safety, ketamine journey, sharing and lunch.

Sunday 12p – 3p: Lunch, closing circle, sharing, support — leaving equipped to enter social situations with confidence and clarity.

Where is the retreat?

The retreat will be held at a private residence in the heart of the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Who is this retreat for?  

This retreat is for people who feel anxious in social situations and are seeking an increased sense of calm, confidence, and clarity in the setting of a small, supportive group.  This group is, of course, LGBTQ welcoming!

Safety is our highest priority.  Because ketamine is a deep therapeutic modality, every participant is screened to ensure readiness for this group experience, and will undergo a careful medical and psychiatric screening process by Dr. Crane before being accepted.  Participants must be over the age of 18, with no uncontrolled hypertension or significant cardiac issues, no history of psychosis or schizophrenia, and not currently pregnant.  Participants taking certain medications, specifically MAOIs, may not be eligible.  This retreat is not appropriate for individuals experiencing an acute mental health crisis or unmanaged chronic psychiatric conditions.  

What is included in the retreat? 

This retreat is led by a physician with over 20 years of experience in urgent care medicine and extensive experience guiding psychedelic journeys, alongside a therapist with over 30 years of experience counseling patients from all walks of life and extensive experience guiding ketamine journeys. Together, they will facilitate group mindfulness exercises, supportive sharing circles, sound baths, and one guided ketamine medicine journey. Snacks and beverages will be provided on Friday, lunch and beverages on Saturday, and a light lunch and beverages on Sunday.

This retreat does not provide lodging for participants.  It does not provide transportation before or after sessions.  Appropriate transportation must be arranged for after the ketamine journey.  (Transportation after ketamine journey can be provided within a 10 mile radius for a small fee.)

Why a ketamine-assisted process?

Ketamine is a safe, therapeutic medicine used as a tool to help bypass rigid anxiety patterns and open pathways to joy, compassion, and authentic self-expression.  It can support the process of releasing old patterns by softening defenses, allowing access to stillness, insight, and love.  It can open the mind and heart to what lives within, especially in places that may feel distant or forgotten.  After a guided ketamine journey, many participants experience increased clarity, compassion, and an enhanced feeling of connection that supports their meaningful transformation to a calmer, more confident state.  

At the heart of this retreat are guided mindfulness practices and skillful, compassionate facilitation in a supportive small group.  These elements combine to support your innate healing intelligence to help you return to a place of calm and strength.  As we attune to our shared humanity over the course of these three days, a powerful energy unfolds and the group itself also becomes the medicine.

‍Steps to join:

Step 1: Fill out the initial application to attend this retreat. After we receive that, the next step will be to conduct a screening call over Zoom (the confirmation email will include instructions on how to book this).

Step 2: If the phone or Zoom 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.

Step 3: After paying the deposit to confirm your enrollment, you will receive an email with detailed instructions for scheduling a medical screening appointment, if needed.

Retreat Schedule

Online on Zoom

Individual Inquiry Call

Each participant will have a one-on-one call with Eric and Rebecca to ensure alignment with the retreat’s goals and readiness for the experience.

Post-Retreat Integration and Learning

A Post-retreat cohort meeting will be held on Zoom to support continued integration and application of retreat material.

In-Person

Friday:

7:00p Arrival, Welcome and Introductions, Snacks

7:30p Circle share

8:30p Mindfulness exercise

9:00p Intention Setting

9:30p  Closing: calming breathwork, soundbath

Saturday:

10:00a Arrival

10:30a Circle check-in

11:00a Safety and Comfort protocols for ketamine discussion

11:30a Ketamine Session

1:30p Lunch

2:00p Short Circle Check-in 

2:30p Closing: breathwork and soundbath

Sunday:  

12:00p Arrival, Lunch

12:30p Mindfulness exercise

1:00p Group Process

2:30p Closing soundbath and breathwork

3:00p  Adjourn

Post-retreat:

Facilitated group integration Zoom call one week post-retreat, date TBD

How much does the retreat cost?

The cost for this retreat is $750.  

Ketamine prescription: $50

For more information, or any questions or concerns, please reach out!  We would love to speak to you more about this:

Rebecca Crane: hello@rebeccacrane.md

Eric Pierce: eric@treescounseling.com