If you choose to go to a group retreat, there are a lot of options out there. I’d like to talk about one pair of options, having to do with the level of interactions with the other participants during the journey.
Type 1 – Individual mats
In this setup, each person lies on their own mat, often with eyeshades. The participants are encouraged to “go within” with the medicine and have a private experience in the presence of others. The participants do not interact with each other during the journey. The people facilitating the journey are available if a problem comes up, but the participants are not supposed to get involved in each other’s journeys.
Type 2 – Interactive
Some retreats allow for a more interactive experience. There are no individual mats, although someone may claim a spot and stay there for most of their journey if they choose. Participants can move around, usually with certain ground rules set in advance. Many participants will talk with each other, help each other process feelings, physically interact within certain guidelines, or simply witness each other. There is the opportunity to go between both private introspection and interaction, if one so chooses. A safely held retreat will have significant discussions in advance of how to handle interaction, touch, and movement around the property.
Both Type 1 and Type 2 retreats typically circle together after the journey to discuss their experiences. If it is a one-day journey, the sharing circle happens quite soon after the medicine winds down. If it is a multi-day retreat, then the circle is often during the morning after the journey.
Comparisons
Some people want a deep internal experience, and find the group setting to be a comforting place to do that. Others prefer the interactive type because of the new ways that people can relate to each other while in altered states. I have sometimes thought “If I’m going to a group retreat and stay to myself on a mat with eyeshades on, I might as well stay home and do a solo journey.” But it isn’t so binary. Going deep within, in the same space and time with others, has a vibe that is quite different from going it alone at home. Also, the sharing before and after the medicine can add a lot to the experience.
Journeying in a more freeform environment, especially with a heart-opener medicine as a lead-in, can be a lovely social and bonding experience. It can feel like finding comfort and good will with a tribe of seekers, in deep conversations while you are in an open and creative state. It can also be difficult if feelings of anxiety, shyness, trauma, or shame come up, but remembering that you are not alone and that there are people there to listen and help can be very comforting. In other words, being in the presence of someone having difficulty and giving it permission to be okay, or being a person who is having difficulty and feeling that okayness, can be beautiful and healing.
I was quite tense about attending my first open-format group medicine retreat. I feared that my psychological dirty laundry would be exposed for all to see and mess up the experience for everyone. Talking with the retreat leader before helped me understand that many people feel that way the first time, and furthermore, often difficult things DO come up, and it works out fine. Once something is surfaced, then the participant has an opportunity to do further work with it for learning and healing.
In general, I really love group journeys. I’m glad to have experimented with different facilitators and different formats. I’ve learned a lot from all of them, even the ones that weren’t very enjoyable. Don’t be shy about asking questions of a potential retreat leader so that you can enter into the experience feeling safe to explore!