NOTHING SHORT OF TRANSFORMATIVE
My experience at the retreat was nothing short of transformative. From the moment I arrived, I felt an incredible sense of relaxation wash over me, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the journey ahead. The beautifully orchestrated balance of ceremonies, breathwork, and meditation provided the perfect environment for deep inner contemplation.
The 1:1 mentoring that Elvire and Jarrod offered before, during, and after the retreat was invaluable, helping me navigate through moments of reflection and gain true enlightenment.
The ceremonies offered profound insights, guiding me to a greater understanding of myself and the world around me. The live music played during the ceremonies, was another element that elevated the entire experience. The music perfect with each stage of the ceremony, guiding us deeper into our journeys and amplifying the emotional and spiritual energy.
The focus on holistic nutrition complemented the spiritual work, nourishing both body and mind, and left me feeling refreshed, energized, and more connected. Every practice, especially the rebirthing breathwork, contributed to a sense of peace and clarity that I will carry with me long after the retreat.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore deeper layers of your being in a nurturing, supportive, and energizing environment, I can’t recommend this retreat enough. It was an unforgettable journey of connection — not just with myself but with the wonderful people I shared this space with. Truly a gift of relaxation, contemplation, and enlightenment.
FAY V. (Oct. 2024)
BEAUTIFUL AND REVEALING EXPERIENCE
Elvire and Jarod, created the perfect retreat. From day one one you know that this journey will be transformational. 7 days are perfect to live this beautiful experience. The set and setting is extraordinary. And thank you to Clémence for her incredible food. I strongly recommend. Thank you .
I only have gratitude for this journey. Elvire est française, la langue n’est donc plus un problème pour vous les français qui me lisez. Peace. Ahmed
I only have gratitude for this journey. Elvire est française, la langue n’est donc plus un problème pour vous les français qui me lisez. Peace. Ahmed
AHMED T. (Oct 2025)
RECOMMENDED ON THE HIGHEST LEVEL
What a sensational retreat this has been. A caring, well-crafted safe space that allowed me to relax into the programme and feel an instant connection with the facilitators and fellow participants. Everything was designed to nourish the mind, body and soul, from the blissful accommodation and beautiful food to the incredible ceremonies. Breathwork and meditation sessions were nurturing and so restorative. I have come away from this week feeling connected, cared for and healed. Recommended on the highest level.
NIKKI Z. (Oct. 2024)
LIFE CHANGING JOURNEY
Words are not going to come close to explaining just how wonderful the week long Pathways to Connection retreat was. I have been drawn to do a plant medicine retreat for quite some time but after months of research, nothing felt right for me.
I was close to giving up altogether but thankfully the universe aligned and I came across Ithaca retreats and I am eternally grateful. From the very first Zoom call with Elvire and Jarrod and throughout all the planning, everything felt exactly right. I was travelling from the other side of the world and so a little apprehensive when the retreat was approaching but the warmth and support I received in abundance made it easy.
The week far exceeded any expectation I had and was a truly magical experience. It’s hard to believe this was their first retreat together as everything was perfect and it feels like they have been doing this forever. The ceremonies were conducted with such care and all the integration aspects around it were really well thought out (breathwork, yoga, meditation, music etc). Elvire and Jarrod both have such beautiful voices and I need those songs in my life!
The venue is divine and it really made you feel at home (thank you Sander and Varsh) and their animals are adorable.
The meals were exceptional and the epitome of soul food. It was truly nourishing.
The group was also perfect, such beautiful souls who I feel like I’d known forever.
I cannot fault a single thing, aside from having to leave which was really sad.
I’m overflowing with gratitude and will definitely return for another one (if they will have me!!)
Thank you 🙏
LOUISE T. (0ct 2024)
AMAZING
I did this retreat with 14 others in April 2025 and I think it would be no exaggeration to say we all had an amazing experience. Jarrod and Elvie are extremely knowledgable in this space and went above and beyond to ensure that every participant was getting what they needed from the experience. As an added plus, the venue and cuisine were out of this world. Highly recommend!
ROXANNE L. (April 2025)
FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE
For many years, I have been on a path of healing – a path that has taken me through many dark chapters of my childhood and beyond. A year ago, I had my first profound and lasting positive experience with psilocybin in the Netherlands. This experience awakened in me the desire to go even deeper. So I decided to take part in the six-day Ithaca Retreat with Elvire and Jarrod.
Even during the preliminary discussions, I could sense how present, open and competent they both are. They approached me with genuine interest in my personal motivation and inner themes – a feeling of being seen and understood that touched me immediately.
I hoped that with the help of the medicine, the mindful setting and the loving guidance, I would be able to dive deeper – and I was not disappointed. It was a journey of transformation on all levels. The atmosphere was filled with mindfulness, energetic diversity and genuine warmth.
The guided sessions – meditation, breathwork, light yoga – flowed harmoniously into the psilocybin journeys. Elvire and Jarrod contributed significantly to the depth of the experiences with their musical diversity and palpable skill.
The culinary offerings were a feast for the senses, and the location in the midst of beautiful nature was a gift. I was particularly touched by how spiritual depth was combined with down-to-earth grounding – it is precisely this mixture that nourishes me and speaks to my heart.
I felt safe in our mixed group – supported by a sense of connection and genuine exchange, while at the same time having space for quiet and reflection. Elvire, Jarrod and the entire team were there for us at all times – supportive, warm and attentive.
Thank you from my heart for your work, your dedication and your presence.
With deep gratitude,
Lenne
Even during the preliminary discussions, I could sense how present, open and competent they both are. They approached me with genuine interest in my personal motivation and inner themes – a feeling of being seen and understood that touched me immediately.
I hoped that with the help of the medicine, the mindful setting and the loving guidance, I would be able to dive deeper – and I was not disappointed. It was a journey of transformation on all levels. The atmosphere was filled with mindfulness, energetic diversity and genuine warmth.
The guided sessions – meditation, breathwork, light yoga – flowed harmoniously into the psilocybin journeys. Elvire and Jarrod contributed significantly to the depth of the experiences with their musical diversity and palpable skill.
The culinary offerings were a feast for the senses, and the location in the midst of beautiful nature was a gift. I was particularly touched by how spiritual depth was combined with down-to-earth grounding – it is precisely this mixture that nourishes me and speaks to my heart.
I felt safe in our mixed group – supported by a sense of connection and genuine exchange, while at the same time having space for quiet and reflection. Elvire, Jarrod and the entire team were there for us at all times – supportive, warm and attentive.
Thank you from my heart for your work, your dedication and your presence.
With deep gratitude,
Lenne
LENNE S. (April 2025, Aug 2025)
WORDS CAN’T CAPTURE THE EXPERIENCE
Me, attending a psychedelic retreat?!
If you had told me this a year ago, I would never have believed you. Neither would my friends.
As the daughter of an alcoholic parent, I’ve always avoided anything that altered my perception—alcohol, drugs… Yet in 2025, life brought Ithaca Retreats onto my path.
I wasn’t “lost.” At 35, I was already on a journey of deep healing. I didn’t experience a major trauma, but I grew up in a loving yet dysfunctional family marked by alcoholism, body neglect, parental rejection, performance pressure, divorce, infertility, disability, eating disorders, and anxiety attacks.
After eight years of psychoanalysis, with my scientific mindset and natural skepticism, I discovered Ithaca through a call with Elvire. She immediately inspired seriousness and trust. I shared my situation, and decided to trust life for putting this experience in front of me.
And so I joined my first psychedelic retreat. Words can’t capture the experience—it was powerful on many levels. I understood. My body and mind absorbed a new perception, a new way of knowing. Not through the mental approach I was used to, but through a shift happening at physical, energetic, and spiritual levels—opening the door to psychological change.
This first retreat shook me deeply afterwards. Back home, I realized how essential integration is, along with the support of loved ones or professionals to keep embodying the change.
I didn’t think I would return so soon. Yet once again, life presented me with the opportunity, and it felt like the obvious next step. Together with Elvire, we worked more deeply in advance, with preparation sessions.
Then came my second retreat—and the progress was incredible, from the very first day. My life is shifting, and I feel freer and freer. The entire Ithaca team is attentive at every moment, the groups supportive and caring, and the collective energy itself feels healing.
On this path of healing and elevation, the encounters, the ceremonies, the places—all feel magical. Through Ithaca, I realized that the journey inward is beautiful in itself, and that it is an inseparable part of my healing and inner peace.
I truly wish everyone could experience, at least once in their lifetime, the beauty of what unfolds within during such a retreat—whether with Ithaca or elsewhere.
I wholeheartedly recommend Ithaca Retreats to the curious and the courageous, to anyone committed to a path of healing and self-elevation.
Here, there are no gurus—only guides, helping us reconnect with our own innate power to heal, free from dependency on anyone or anything.
C. S. (April 2025, Aug 2025)
THERE THE WORK IS DONE
When I booked with Elvire I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew and I didn’t.
I had been in the wellness world for years, both as a participant and a healer to others, along with working in different companies offering healing retreats to people. I know this world, inside and out.
Needless to say, I had done a lot of work on myself throughout this time and had gone a long way. Despite that, the past year or so, I had hit a plateau. I was avoiding my sessions, stopped therapy and put a pause on my own healing, focusing more on other aspects of life and there’s nothing wrong with that. Nonetheless, the stagnation had started to get to me, and I noticed that slowly and steadily it led to suppression of stuff that really affected me.
I needed a push, and the retreat and ceremony gave that to me. A beautiful combination that forced me to look at myself deeply. Was it easy? No. Was it needed? Yes. Did I go there because I needed a push? Also yes ☺️ Lots happened. Pain was purged, doors were opened and realizations were made. A big mirror, reflecting back everything. The light and the darkness, the good and the bad. And that’s amazing.
We’re so obsessed with the “love and light” aspect of healing, that we completely neglect what healing modalities were really made for. To help us look and accept the shadows of our psyche, the ones we’re carrying with us either we want to or not. The only way out is through. Through those dark thoughts, corridors and locked doors hiding within us.
The doors were opened, it was dark and stinky but dang it, light needed to enter through those locked doors and that is what we did. That is where my gratitude lies.
The group was amazing, each woman was different in age, education, experience lifestyle, thoughts and feelings, but all connected through the common thread of sisterhood. And I just know each and every group will have that. As a healer I know it. Your vibe attracts your tribe.
Elvire is the wild woman that dances between the spectrum. She knows the science, the tools and rules. She knows the songs, the rituals, the spirit of the medicine. She dances alongside it, in her life and in her ceremonies. This is not a show, it’s her life. She knows her shit, she walks the talk.
IF you’re looking for a container where you can get real, raw and connected this is your place. If you’re looking for a show, a place where you can go to do a ceremony in-and-out and talk “love and light” jargon with other new age “spiritual” people maybe this is not the place for you, and that’s okay.
There the work is done. And if you’re not ready for that, that’s fine. When you are ready Elvire will be there to do the real stuff with you.
Thank you Elvie and Becca (the fairy in training and service) for this kickass experience. Thank you for your service, your organization, your space, your vision, and those goosebump worthy chanting voices and drums that carried us through this journey. Love you ❤️
Zoe M. (Aug 2025)