{{Infobox organization | name = MycoMeditations | formation = 2014 | type = Psychedelic therapy retreat center | headquarters = Treasure Beach, Jamaica | leader_title = CEO | leader_name = Justin Townsend | website = {{URL|mycomeditations.com}} }}
'''MycoMeditations''' is a psilocybin-assisted wellness retreat center located in Treasure Beach, Jamaica.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/how-a-jamaican-psychedelic-mushroom-retreat-helped-me-process-my-grief-96wkls3f7?region=global%2Cglobal|title=How a Jamaican psychedelic mushroom retreat helped me process my grief|first=Decca|last=Aitkenhead|date=February 1, 2020|website=The Times}}</ref><ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://robbreport.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/mycomeditations-mushroom-retreat-jamaica-1234728054/|title=I Tripped on Mushrooms (Legally) at a Therapy Retreat in Jamaica. It May Have Changed My Life.|first=Michael|last=Verdon|date=August 7, 2022|website=Robb Report}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/americas/jamaica-magic-mushroom-retreat-women-mycomeditations-treasure-beach-montego-bay-a8319816.html|title=Wellness retreat in Jamaica helps you connect with yourself through magic mushrooms|date=April 27, 2018|website=The Independent}}</ref>
==History== MycoMeditations began in late 2014 as a small psilocybin mushroom retreat in Jamaica.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/magic-mushroom-retreat-has-struggled-with-safety-staffing-2020-6|title=People are paying $10,000 to trip on magic mushrooms at a retreat in Jamaica. But past struggles with safety and staffing show the difficulty of taking psychedelics mainstream.|first=Julia|last=Naftulin|website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite news |last1=Dunne |first1=Carey |title=Welcome to the trip of your life: the rise of underground LSD guides |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/06/lsd-guides-psychedelic-assisted-psychotherapy |work=The Guardian |date=6 December 2018}}</ref> In 2015, it was formally established in the Treasure Beach area on Jamaica’s south coast as one of the first legal psychedelic retreat centers.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Jen Rose |title=Will psychedelic mushroom vacations come to the U. S.? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/psychedelic-mushrooms-retreats-vacations-psilocybin/2021/01/07/fd7e998e-4f83-11eb-b96e-0e54447b23a1_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=7 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> Early retreats were small, with a few assistants supporting participants during psychedelic sessions.<ref name="auto"/>
By 2016, MycoMeditations began hosting psilocybin retreats full-time in Treasure Beach.<ref name="auto"/>
In the late 2010s, MycoMeditations expanded alongside growing public interest in psychedelic therapy. The 2017 release of Michael Pollan's book ''How to Change Your Mind'' and broader media coverage of the "psychedelic renaissance" prompted more people to seek legal psilocybin experiences abroad.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/i-went-to-a-high-end-psychedelic-retreat-to-address-my-anxiety/|title=I Went to a High-End Psychedelic Retreat to Address My Anxiety|first=Shayla|last=Love|date=January 29, 2020|website=Vice}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Good-trips-psychedelic-wellness-tourism|title=Good Trips: Psychedelic wellness and tourism space growing|first=Christina|last=Jelski |date=May 24, 2021 |website=Travel Weekly}}</ref> As a result, MycoMeditations attracted guests pursuing relief from depression, anxiety, trauma, or seeking spiritual exploration.<ref name="auto1"/>
By 2018–2019, it hosted regular programs and had served several hundred participants, becoming a recognized psychedelic retreat. It was noted for providing a legal setting and ''AFAR'' magazine characterized it as “widely considered the gold standard in magic mushroom retreats.”<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.afar.com/magazine/what-a-mycomeditations-magic-mushroom-retreat-is-really-like|title=At a Magic Mushroom Retreat, a Comedian Reluctantly Embraces Her "Healing Journey"|date=December 12, 2023 |first=Negin |last=Farsad |website=AFAR}}</ref>
In 2019, Justin Townsend became CEO, which helped transition MycoMeditations to a more structured approach.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2023/10/01/magic-mushroom-retreat-centers-can-offer-healing--but-their-lack-of-regulation-can-carry-risks/|title=Psychedelic retreats are becoming more popular as patients wait for FDA approval. But do they work?|first=Elizabeth|last=Hlavinka|date=October 1, 2023|website=Salon}}</ref> It adopted a Western approach informed by protocols used at Johns Hopkins University.<ref name="auto4"/> MycoMeditations also implemented a screening process for guests and ensured the presence of therapists on staff.<ref name="auto4"/><ref name="auto2"/>
Despite a suspension of operations from March to August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MycoMeditations experienced surging interest and demand once it restarted.<ref name="auto1"/> In 2022, Netflix's miniseries ''How to Change Your Mind'' was released, bringing increased interest in and visits to psychedelic retreats like MycoMeditations, which hosted at least 40 retreats in 2023.<ref name="auto3"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/9026b02a-a990-581e-9f22-f4d2c36ce080|title=Jamaica's psychedelic ambitions: healing or trippin'?|first=Alex |last=Irwin-Hunt |date=August 10, 2023|website=FDi Intelligence}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chappell |first1=Kate |last2=Ellsworth |first2=Brian |title=Psychedelic mushrooms expand Jamaica tourism beyond sunshine and reggae |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/psychedelic-mushrooms-expand-jamaica-tourism-beyond-sunshine-reggae-2022-11-24/ |access-date=23 March 2025 |work=Reuters |date=November 24, 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{official website|https://www.mycomeditations.com/}}
Category:Organisations based in Jamaica Category:Psychedelia Category:Herbalism organizations Category:Psilocybin Category:Psychoactive fungi and humans