Returning to Wholeness Retreat
An open-invitation and professionally guided psilocybin retreat, for people living with or beyond cancer.
About the Retreat
Returning to Wholeness is a four-day retreat for people who have been affected by cancer, whether newly diagnosed, currently in treatment, in remission, or living with cancer as a long-term condition.
Combining a legal facilitated psilocybin experience with movement, community, reflection and rest, this experience is designed to support wellbeing and provide opportunities for deep connection.
The retreat is supported throughout by a qualified and multidisciplinary team, promoting openness and growth through immersion in natural surroundings and the group environment.
24th - 27th
August, 2026
De Hoorneboeg,
Netherlands
A Collaborative Offering
This retreat is offered as a collaboration between Drug Science and the Returning to Wholeness team.
Drug Science is an independent UK organisation that provides evidence-based, politically unbiased information regarding drug policy, safety, and therapeutic potential to inform public and professional understanding.
Returning to Wholeness is an initiative designed and led by Dr Lauren Macdonald and Emily Jenkins. It has been created in response to a growing body of research, and an evidenced need for support, to explore access to psilocybin in the context of cancer-related challenges. Drawing on the value of relational, group-based retreat work, the programme brings together a select team of medics and facilitators around a shared commitment to supporting people affected by cancer through psilocybin, movement, and whole-person care.
A Space Beyond Treatment
Cancer affects every part of the human experience: body, mind, identity, relationships, and our sense of our place in the world. Even long after treatment ends, many people find themselves carrying fear, grief, uncertainty, or a sense of disconnection that is rarely spoken about.
For many people, cancer also raises deeper questions about purpose, mortality, strength, vulnerability, and how to live in the face of uncertainty. These questions can be difficult to explore alone.
This retreat is not about fixing or curing. We provide a space to slow down, reflect, and engage honestly with reality, alongside others who’ve been there too.
Who is it for?
When used in a safe setting, psilocybin has been clinically shown to significantly reduce distress in people living with cancer.
Studies have demonstrated reductions in:
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Fear of recurrence or death
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Existential distress
Landmark clinical trials at Johns Hopkins University and NYU Langone found that even a single psilocybin session, delivered with appropriate psychological support, led to meaningful and sustained improvements in mood and wellbeing for people with cancer. Many participants described the experience as among the most meaningful of their lives, supporting shifts in perspective, acceptance, and sense of connection to life.
While much early psilocybin research focused on individual therapy models, emerging studies are now exploring group-based retreat approaches, including for people living with advanced cancer and cancer-related anxiety and depression. Recent research suggests this model can be safe, well-tolerated, and associated with meaningful reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms when supported by careful preparation, skilled facilitation, and structured integration.
This programme is not a clinical trial or treatment intervention. Rather, it is informed by this growing body of research, alongside older traditions of group therapy and theories of human social psychology.
We are grounded in the latest research, while also accounting for the broader experience of life. Psilocybin is offered as part of a carefully designed package, alongside physical movement, group activities, and the opportunity to spend time alone in peaceful natural surroundings. We’re here to help anyone who wants to reframe cancer’s role in their life.
The Venue
De Hoorneboeg is a peaceful woodland retreat centre near Hilversum in the Netherlands, approximately 30 minutes from Amsterdam.
The venue offers comfortable accommodation, nourishing meals, shared and private spaces, and direct access to surrounding forest paths. The setting has been chosen to support rest, reflection, and getting to know your own mind in a calm and gently held environment.
What the Retreat Includes
All elements are completely optional. Participants are encouraged to engage at a pace that feels appropriate for their health, ability, and circumstances. Participation in the psilocybin experience is discussed carefully during screening meetings, and approached with informed consent.
A legally facilitated psilocybin experience, held with care in a safe and supported setting by experienced, trauma-informed facilitators
Inclusive movement activity, designed for all, to develop the relationship between body and mind and regulate emotions through physical presence and awareness.
Time for rest and reflection, including journaling and time to explore the surrounding natural beauty
Group conversations and opportunities to share, fostering connection, understanding, and mutual support
Creative ways of working with grief, loss, and distress, held by trained experts
Preparation support before the retreat, including online group sessions
Integration support after the retreat, including follow-up group calls
Accommodation at De Hoorneboeg, all meals and drinks during the retreat
A small group size supported by a multidisciplinary team, specialised in cancer care
Who is this retreat for?
This retreat is open to adults of all genders aged 18 and over who are living with or beyond cancer.
This includes people who are:
— Currently living with a diagnosis, with appropriate medical clearance —
— In remission and navigating life after treatment —
— Living with advanced or ongoing illness —
— Experiencing anxiety, low mood, fear of recurrence, or existential questions —
— Interested in the shared, group experiences —
No prior experience with psilocybin, retreats, or movement practices is required. Please note that due to safety protocols, we are unable to offer this retreat to people with active central nervous system metastases.
The Journey Before, During, and After
1. Initial Screening
Participants complete an application form followed by a one-to-one screening call to assess safety and readiness and discuss medical considerations and your support system.
2. Preparation
Participants are supported through:
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One full-group video call
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One smaller pod call with three to four participants
3. In-Person Retreat
24th–27th August 2026 in De Hoorneboeg, Netherlands. Each day offers activities that support individual and group connection, reflection and wellbeing.
4. Post-Retreat Integration
Support continues through:
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One full-group integration call
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One smaller pod call for continued reflection and support
The Team
Lauren Macdonald
Dr Lauren Macdonald is an experienced psychedelic therapist, educator, and retreat facilitator. She has worked as a clinical trial doctor and psychedelic therapist at the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, and facilitates psilocybin retreats and training internationally. Drawing on both her medical training and lived experience, her work is grounded in psycho-spiritual care, bridging science and the sacred.
In her early 30s, she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer, an experience that expanded her understanding of holistic health across mind, body, heart, and spirit. Her work is largely group-based, with a focus on the relational aspects of healing and the role of shared human experience in supporting people to reconnect with themselves, with each other, and with the wider world.
Emily Jenkins
Emily Jenkins is a facilitator with an embedded social wellbeing practice. For over 15 years she's worked at the intersection of creativity and health, and is Founder of Move Dance Feel - an award-winning company for people affected by cancer. She's also a Churchill Fellow, a yoga teacher, and a grief-tending guide.
Her work is relational, fostering depth of connection through movement, breath, and authenticity - with ourselves, with others, with life. When working in psychedelic spaces, she champions presence and embodiment practices.
Catherine Zollman
Dr Catherine Zollman is an integrative medicine doctor who has worked as Medical Director at Penny Brohn UK, where she has offered holistic support to people affected by cancer for over 20 years.
With training in oncology, integrative oncology, general practice and group facilitation, and her own lived experience of breast cancer, Catherine brings personal and clinical experience alongside a holistic understanding of health, healing, and meaning. She has also facilitated psychedelic retreats with the Psychedelic Health Professionals Network and is part of University of Exeter's research facilitation team focussing on Psychedelic Group Experiences and Communities of Practice.
Duncan Still
Dr Duncan Still is a former General Practitioner and clinician at Penny Brohn UK, specialising in integrative, whole-person cancer care.
He is the founder and Academic Director for PsyEdu, an education platform providing in-depth training in ethical psychedelic practice, adopting a hybrid approach to psychedelic practice, combining the best of western medical understandings of psychedelic science together with ancient wisdom and 'technologies' of indigenous practice. Duncan is also an experienced psilocybin retreat facilitator, with a longstanding interest in the role of expanded states of consciousness in psychological and spiritual care. He has a particular interest and training in the healing properties of nature and the value of nature-based practices for human health.
How to Apply
Through this collaboration, Drug Science is generously supporting the retreat, allowing it to be offered free of charge to participants. This includes accommodation, meals, facilitation, and all preparation and integration support. Participants are asked to cover: travel to and from the Netherlands and the cost of psilocybin truffles (approximately €40). This retreat may be documented by a filmmaker to help share the impact of this work. Further details will be confirmed soon. No filming of participants will take place during the psilocybin ceremony, and participants' privacy will be respected throughout.
We expect there to be more demand than available places, so we encourage early expressions of interest. The application process is intentionally detailed, as this kind of experience is not suitable for everyone. We invite you to take your time with it, and to share openly about your current circumstances.
As our facilitation team will be holding other retreats in April and May 2026, we will begin responding to applicants in early May. At that stage, selected applicants will be invited into a 30 minute Zoom conversation to explore suitability and answer any questions. If you're chosen for the retreat, you'll be required to pay a £100 deposit ahead of time, to be returned just before the retreat.
If you have specific questions before applying, you are very welcome to reach out to: anna.hogarth@drugscience.org.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
This retreat is open to adults of all genders with any type of cancer, at any stage. No prior experience with movement or psychedelics is required.
Yes. Psilocybin-containing truffles are legal and regulated in the Netherlands and are used within a supported and ethical framework.
The psilocybin experience is a central part of the retreat. As places are limited, participants are expected to intend to take part. This is discussed carefully during screening.
Safety is prioritised. All participants complete a detailed health questionnaire and take part in a screening call. Some medical or psychological conditions may not be compatible and suitability is assessed individually.
Preparation and integration are central to the retreat. Support is provided before arrival, throughout the psilocybin experience, and afterwards through structured integration practices and follow-up calls.
De Hoorneboeg is a calm woodland retreat centre near Hilversum, around 30 minutes from Amsterdam. Accommodation is comfortable and the setting offers ample space for rest and reflection.
No. While the retreat may be experienced as therapeutic, it is not a medical or clinical intervention. Participants should consult their own healthcare providers.
Movement supports grounding, embodiment, emotional regulation, and integration. Activities are designed to be joyful and accessible to all, and are programmed before and after the psilocybin experience.
