“We call it off-site. It is not a” retirement “because we do not retire from anything. Only nine or ten clients come, it is not something on a large scale, because confidentiality is key. Especially general directors of companies of Fortune 100 , financial directors, founders … All of them are in a pressure cooker. “
Thus begins telling Shuang Shuang, Spiritual coachthe proposal he has created with his partner Aria Stone, Doctor in Psychology. Both identified under a pseudonym, have talked in an interview with the magazine Wired on the sessions of several days that organize in the area of the Bay of San Francisco, in which Ketamine It is key to overcoming the stagnation degree in which some of these professional profiles are found.
These are a weekend meetings, understood as “Meetings outside the office” because people who have already achieved deep success in their working life go to them but are at the time of asking themselves:
What is the next horizon? Because I feel that I have already marked all the boxes.
As they relate to Wired The drivers of these meetings, their target are solitary people that must lead and cross their day to day without accompaniment. “But they come here and they see that they are not alone, that they can detach themselves from the load of being protected all the time. They just want to be people ”, Comment Shuang Shuang.
Can stuffed animals, rose petals and injections of a dissociative substance help Silicon Valley leaders out of stagnation?
These two women say yes.
Ketamine to get out of mental atoles
“Ketamine is useful to get out of negative mood”said Elon Musk in an interview last year. And he is not the only one who thinks like that. In fact, ketamine was approved decades like Surgical anesthetic And, beyond having been used for a long time as a drug for parties, it is the mental health treatment not indicated of the moment. According to the researchers, it induces a state of “trance” and “sensory isolation”, which can temporarily enhance the neuroplasticity of the brainwhich, in theory, facilitates the departure of mental atoles. However, Ketamine abuse can be deadly and its consumption remains illegal without a recipe.
According to Aria Stone in the interview with Wired, “Since ketamine can be misused, a substance abuse history in a person would make us doubt”. And it is that to select customers who come to their meetings, they are asked about their Medical and psychological historyif they currently work with a therapist or if they have participated before in a group program. “We would doubt when accepting someone with an important traumatic history, with active suicidal tendencies or with a history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, since the latter can be contraindicated with ketamine”he adds.
“We check with everyone if we have their consent, from each part of their body, to receive medicines”
During the course of three days in the facilities of what they have baptized as “Mission” -A open space with high roofs as described from Wired-, customers have two experiences with ketamine. “We check with everyone if we have their consent, from each part of their body, to receive medications. Next, our doctor and our nurse distribute the substance through intramuscular injection. ”
The weekend agenda
With the consumption of ketamine there is a 24 to 48 hours optimization windowwhich is when the brain becomes more neuroplastic, so the proposal of these two women is based on an experience of several days.
“The first is intended to settle in this radical acceptance, welcoming what comes to us with ketamine”they explain to Wired. Thus, the Opening ceremony It could include dance, movement to enter the body or simply talk among the participants about what is alive for each one. “We have a first session to establish intentions”They comment.
When people arrive, on the floor there is a circle of mattress with backjack support, a rose in each seat, candles in the center and information about everything that can be expected. “When we go to the trip, we take out the backjacks.”
Shuang Shuang and Aria Stone describe this moment as something “Pretty sweet”since people have “Small nests or beds. They are all wrapped. They have blankets, pillows and caps for the ears if the environmental music that sounds through the speakers is too high. ” In addition, they carry mask for the eyes because ketamine is a dissociative substance that leads to A natural sensation of recollection and silence. “There are even stuffed animals that some people bring for the trip.” And it is that the founders of this proposal encourage their clients to take things that are significant such as their diary, photos of loved ones or stones. “It’s like a psychedelic pajamas party for executive coaching”they hold.
“Some people bring their stuffed animals. It’s like a psychedelic pajama party for executive coaching ”
The first day the dose of ketamine offered is Psychologicalthat is, it does not become exactly a psychedelic dose but, they count, “It allows you to wobble for the kingdoms”. The next day it is already an average dose and the whole day revolves around medicine and integration.
In the meetings there are four people who attend with all their attention while people are on their Ketamine trip. “We remain in silent communication between us, holding this space, seeing what emerges.” Because In a clinical support environment, the possibility of having a bad trip decreases considerably. While they clarify that Ketamine’s bad trips exist: “Rather, there are challenging or uncomfortable trips.”
With this proposal, they have already seen More than 100 Ketamine trips to the date they have conducted their interview with Wired.
And what do they do in case of A challenging or uncomfortable trip?
“One of the ways in which he could manifest is screaming or with a lot of energy touring your body. You will leave the mat and want to run. You will think you are in a dangerous situation “they describe. So the first thing that is done is to verify that the person is in a safe position to feel careful. “We will let you take the mask. Some people need them to take them by the hand or feel like walking through the room. All these things help to return to now. ”
Finally, the third day is dedicated to integration and coaching:
- What does this mean for me?
- How have I felt?
- How can I contribute something positive about that trip to my daily life?
They are some of the questions to which it is about answering on this last day to, a week and a half later, have a Virtual Monitoring Session focused on the application of what has been learned for leadership.
The cost of these meetings is $ 2,600 for three daysadding 350 extra dollars for medical evaluation and prescription of ketamine. Meals are included, but not transport or accommodation.
As they count on Wiredits approach goes through accelerating training with psychedelics. “We provide it at the cellular level”. As a result, they say that there are many who do not want to end the experience and come to integrate their new way of being on a day -to -day basis.
In any case, ketamine and psychedelics are not a panacea and Shuang Shuang and Aria Stone are aware that their proposal cannot be useful for everyone. “You don’t have to press to do this type of therapy. Nothing happens if you are afraid or anxiety. Listen to your body and your heart “they sentence.
More info.: The Ketamine-Fueled ‘Psychedelic Slumber Parties’ That Get Tech Execs Back On Track
