Returning to Wholeness Retreat
An open-invitation and professionally guided psilocybin retreat, for women living with or beyond cancer.
About the Retreat
Returning to Wholeness is a four-day, all-women 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 of women, promoting openness and growth through immersion in natural surroundings and the group environment.
Applications closed May 8th.
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.
About Psilocybin
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 women 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
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Psychoeducation resources
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
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Integration resources and practices
Testimonials
"The wholeness retreat stays true to its word. I feel whole in a way I have never really felt. Different layers of myself and buried emotions arose and I felt wonderfully held by the facilitators and the whole group. My perception of my cancer disease changed from an enemy to a friend - that was very profound. I experienced a togetherness, a form of deep connection on a higher level, that I am more than thankful for. This retreat brought more joy and insights than I could have imagined.
"I feel connected to earth, to these wonderful women and to my soul in a way that I didn’t think was possible. There has been something wonderful about allowing myself to be truly seen and vulnerable. To be witnessed singing and moving my body and crying without a cloak of self-consciousness. It was liberating and empowering. "
"As soon as I arrived immersed in resplendent nature, held by the warmth and soul of the team, my defenses started to dissolve. This was a space of compassion, sisterhood, a shared journey and it opened me up and allowed me to grieve in a way that I hadn't thought was possible. Thank you for your skills and compassion - for holding a space that felt so safe, for instinctively holding me when I needed support, for the incredible group of women that I’ve had the honour of sharing this journey with."
"I feel we have collectively connected to an ancient sense of sisterhood and have brought this forwards into a positive representation of how sisterhood can be today. The retreat was so well held by the facilitators and I experienced deep connections, care, respect and acceptance within the group. I have reconnected with parts of myself that had become frozen since my cancer diagnosis and am now able to bring this aliveness, freedom of movement and strength into the woman I am today and who I am becoming."
"When I arrived I was clad in armour, terrified to unbolt any section in case I dissolved into a pool or sorrow and lost hope. After this week of sharing, camaraderie, movement, safety and experiencing the most visceral and primal release of my long-stored grief, I now feel all my armour has dissolved, leaving a quiet and serene sense of myself."
"I don’t have words to describe how differently I feel, although everything seems the same, everything has been altered. Hopefully forever. My heart has been cracked open, emotions and feelings now flow through it, no longer getting stuck. I can feel what flows freely, and I can let go."
The Team
Lauren Macdonald
Lauren is a psychiatry doctor and experienced psilocybin retreat facilitator. In her early 30s she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer - an experience that reshaped her understanding of healing and deepened her commitment to whole-person care. She later worked as a psychedelic therapist and clinical trial doctor at the Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London. Lauren’s work bridges medicine and spirit, and is grounded in compassion, presence, and a deep trust in the body’s innate wisdom.
Emily Jenkins
Emily is a movement facilitator and Founder of Move Dance Feel, an award-winning initiative offering dance to women affected by cancer. With over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of dance and health, her practice invites release, connection, expression and joy. She is a Churchill Fellow, a National Lottery and OneDance UK Award winner, a qualified yoga teacher and a grief tending guide, weaving care, creativity, and heartfelt depth into all of her offerings - particularly those involving plant medicine.
Catherine Zollman
Catherine is an integrative medicine doctor and Medical Director at Penny Brohn UK, where she has supported people affected by cancer for over 20 years. With training in oncology, integrative oncology and general practice, she brings a rare combination of clinical expertise and knowledge about holistic health, paired with warmth and curiosity. Catherine has also facilitated psychedelic retreats with the Psychedelic Health Professionals Network, and is committed to supporting healing across body, mind, and spirit.
Renée Eva
Renée is a trauma-informed psychedelic facilitator, therapeutic voice-work facilitator, ceremonialist, and musician. Over the past decade, plant medicine ceremonies and voicework have profoundly shaped her path of self-healing, deep introspection, and devoted inner work. Drawing from both shamanic traditions and Western trauma-informed therapeutic approaches, Renée holds a grounded, compassionate, and intentional space for those who feel called to journey inwards. Central to her work is the belief that our voice is our medicine, a powerful tool for expression, regulation and healing.
Floor Molenaar
Floor is an integrative psychotherapist, using a holistic approach to help people affected by cancer to regain confidence in their bodies and re-find a sense of balance. Floor's background is in healthcare; as an oncology nurse, she has over ten years of experience providing psychosocial support. Her approach is gentle, pure, and decisive.
Applications have now closed
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).
Please note, this retreat will be documented by a filmmaker to help share the importance of this work. No filming of participants will take place during the psilocybin ceremony, and participants’ privacy will be respected throughout. More information will be provided during the screening process. No filming of participants will take place during the psilocybin ceremony, and participants' privacy will be respected throughout.
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.
