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“Unconditional love. An experience of nonexistence. Here’s what happened when I took 5-MeO-DMT at a luxurious retreat”
BY JOHN SEMLEY
September 20, 2021 – Written by John Semley after his visit to Jamaica for Silo Wellness’ 5-MeO-DMT retreat, this 3,000 word feature story takes a deep-dive into John’s personal retreat experience and analysis on the phenomenon of modern psychedelic tourism.
Throughout, John highlights the positives of Silo’s retreats specifically – emphasizing the knowledge, expertise, goodwill and empathy of the retreat facilitators; the benefits derived from Silo’s carefully curated set and setting; and articulating the profound ego-dissolution he experienced in his session. He underscores the perks of Silo’s retreat programming as well, noting the usefulness of the post-trip integration, guided meditation and yoga sessions in helping process the experience.
He also does a thorough examination of psychedelic tourism, exploring both its negatives and positives. He touches on psychedelic gentrification and the co-opting of Indigenous traditions, as well as the potential hazards of consuming 5-MeO. That said, he made a point to stress the retreat’s concern for safety.
Ultimately, his takeaway was extremely positive – that psychedelics offer a profound opportunity for healing. In his own words:
“If I had any big takeaway, this was it… That’s what these drugs can produce: a feeling of intrinsic dignity and wholeness that the material world, in all its cruelty, works so hard to take away. People carry so much pain: sorrow, trauma, hatred, and petty gripes. To feel it all lifted, if only for an instant, is profound — because that means it can be lifted. Healing becomes, at the very least, conceivable.”
