Q & A NOTES – Groundwork Program
Q: Is the program mostly online?
A: The Groundwork Program is designed as a hybrid online and in-person program with live meetings via ZOOM. In person meetings consist of two in-person experiential retreats in Oregon, one day of meeting a person as a cohort in your region and meeting in home groups of 3-5 people in your cohort monthly (to the degree possible based on your location).
Q: I’m not good with technology. Can I still do the program?
A: Yes! Our online programs are tailored to be rudimentary and straightforward. Someone from the team will be available to help you get started if you are having trouble.
Q: How many people are in the program? Will we all be in the experiential together?
A: Enrollment numbers vary. Regardless of numbers of applicants, students will be placed in cohorts of up to 15 people. In some instances, we may group cohorts together for the experiential part of the program.
Q: How many people will there be in each cohort?
A: We are aiming for 12-15 individuals per cohort. We aim for 3 cohorts to begin at the same time and interact during a few program elements such as guest speakers and affinity group workshops.
Q: If I’m in a middle time zone (not West coast or East coast), can I choose which cohort to be a part of?
A: Yes! It will be up to you to decide which dates work best for your life.
Q: What is a “homegroup” in the Groundwork program?
A: They are small location-based groups so there can be more in-person opportunities to do work together, particularly to engage in place-based and land- based ritual and practices. There will be options for a virtual group in the event that you aren’t located near any other participants.
Q: How lengthy should our answers be in the application forms?
A: Answer in a way that best gives us the info about you that you feel is important to share. If we need more information about an area we can follow up in the interview process to go into the questions in greater detail.
Q: Will our financial ability or where we land in tuition range determine our eligibility to be considered for the programs?
A: Applicants will be considered first and foremost on the basis of their application information and readiness for the program. Balancing the tuition composition of a cohort is considered to make the program viable, but not a prominent determining factor.
Q: Do I need to send financial documents for the tuition assessment process?
A: The forms associated with the application process will walk you through the process.
Q: What kind of work load can I expect for Groundwork?
A: Moderate / Part time. You should be able to still work, attend other classes, or otherwise tend to your life.
Q: What might the expectation of time and energy look like?
A: There are times when the curriculum and exercises will be more intellectual (generally on weekday evening sessions) and times when they will be more engaged and process oriented (generally on the scheduled Saturdays). The energetic expectation will wax and wane, in part due to material, and in part, depending on what kinds of activities energize or tax you.
Q: Is there much outside work expected, reading, research, etc…in the Groundwork program?
A: There are readings, videos, some preparation that will assist in having a fulfilling experience and getting the most out of the program. The amount of time this takes will depend on your level of engagement with the materials.
Q: Will we have a syllabus of the program? Homework? Reading lists? Etc…
A: There will be some experiential practices to be done at home, in your life, to then discuss when we meet again. Most of the activities are contained to when we are together as a group. There are a few times when there will be a recording to watch in preparation for guest facilitators joining. Additionally there will be material and resources offered for deeper learning, but it won’t be required.
Q: I’m wondering about my own capacity. How will I fit what this program asks of me into my life? How do I know if I will have capacity for what emerges in the program?
A: Being in the program is an opportunity to lean into the cohort and the facilitators who are there to support your process. There will be times when you may not have capacity. We encourage you to speak to that when it arises and know that we are here to meet you where you are at.
Q: For the retreats, will there be prep and integration practices? How many days and what will it be like, in relation to planning your time and life with regard to the retreats?
A: We won’t be asking for additional time on either end of the retreats for prep or integration, but we encourage you to carve out whatever time you need and are able to support your practice. There will also be group and individual prep and integration support. We will cover prep and integration practices in depth in the program.
Q: Will the Psychedelic Guide Apprenticeship Program start immediately after the Groundwork Program is complete?
A: Not immediately. The PGAP will begin a few months after Groundwork is complete.
Q: Will the Apprenticeship Program also be focused on group work?
A: Yes, the Apprenticeship Program will be in a group work, ceremonial format .Apprentices will be trained in both individual and group preparation and integration approaches. For those wanting to learn individual formats for psychedelic care, there will be a separate module focused on the unique intricacies of providing psychedelic care in an individual format.
Q: Will Gather Well be teaching a 1:1 format of psychedelic work or primarily group work in its Apprenticeship program?
A: Gather Well will be teaching group style format. If a student wishes to learn 1:1 skills, there will be some additional courses needed.
Q: Can I take Groundwork by itself and not to the Apprenticehip Program? Is it useful on it’s own?
A: Yes! Groundwork is intended to be a stand-alone program for personal and professional development. It is for anyone who wants to be in rigorous practice with others in workshop & retreat style learning program. It is meant to offer you a felt sense of both your longing and capacity for guidework, and to increase that capacity.
Q: How does it differ from other programs being offered?
A: In a number of ways: It is experiential. There is a group-work emphasis. We use psilocyben containtaining mushrooms, in jurisdictions where it is legal to do so. (You will not recieve training in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy). We emphasize non-clinical, Indigenous informed practices. The Apprenticeship Model (Groundwork + Apprenticeship Program) requires 2+ years of time, longer than most training programs. The programs are backed by an ethics infrastrucure. Supervision and mentorship are provided along the way and after you “graduate” the program. We use an income-based tuition model so no one is turned away for lack of resources.
Q: How will I be able to use the certification being offered if I become a guide through Gather Well?
A: Our goal is to align with the standard and regulations so that as policy changes with regard to legalization, we are in compliance. For example our apprenticeship program has been designed to adhere with the Oregon State requirements.
Q: Is Gather Well teaching from an Indigenous lineage?
A: Gather Well is informed by a specific lineage (Mazatec), but we won’t be “teaching” the practices from it. We will be teaching the principles; such as connection to place, land, ancestors, and one’s helping foster a deeper connection to one’s own specific lineage.
Q: How will GW hold lineage, Indigenous practices and appropriation?
A: GW is taking the approach of not transmitting specific lineage practices from the Indigenous lineage that inform our work, but rather will help translate the principles we have learned from the cultures that inform our practices (primarily from the Mazatec people). For example, the principles of conducting earth honoring rituals or making offerings to land before you receive. We will be encouraging you to both find your own authentic practices and tap into the lineages that are in your own history and ancestry through family or your wisdom lineages and contextualizing those practices to what land you live on. Should you choose to continue study with Gather Well as an apprentice and feel called to learn more directly with Mazatec healers we can support you in the cultivation of a rational and reciprocal relationship with them in Mexico.
Q: Does Gather Well engage in reciprocity?
A: Yes, there is a fund set up that is fed by a percentage of the program’s profits as well as a relationship with a specific family in the region from which our lineage of practice is rooted.
Q: How will GW work with ruptures between students and staff, between staff and staff and between staff and students. How does GW handle conflict?
A: We have a few levels of support 1) Our facilitators have demonstrated skill in navigating relational ruptures. 2) We have a dedicated Care Team for attending to situations in which a facilitator is involved in the rupture or the facilitator needs help in attending to a rupture 3) If the rupture involves an ethical issue our Ethics Committee and grievance reporting protocols are activated to step in. The program itself welcomes participants to bump up against their edges while supported in a carefully crafted container. We are interested in the spaces where conflict can occur. This is practice ground for people interested in guiding or who are already guiding, to orient around how to handle tension points, work with our nervous systems, and grow our capacity to be with complexity, as this is an integral aspect of guiding others in psychedelic work.
Q: How does GW plan to engage in teaching around touch?
A: In Gather Well’s approach to psychedelic care we consider interventions (touch is an intervention) deeply, what they mean, where they are coming from, what the intention is behind it and if it is appropriate for the client. Touch is a powerful healing tool when engaged in an expanded state of consciousness. It is essential it is practiced with consent and within the scope of the guide’s training. In the Groundwork program we will not be teaching specific touch techniques, but will explore what touch means to each of us and what our culture says about touch. In our Apprenticeship Program we will address the topic of touch in-depth, the potential for healing and the potential for harm and how to engage it as an intervention responsibly.
Q: How does GW work with people who get excited about this work and then jump quickly to wanting to be healers or shamans?
A: We love this question. We formed the Groundwork program in part to address this very question. For the vast majority of people, the call to become a psychedelic guide comes from good intentions. We know many people get excited about helping others after experiencing psychedelics. With how much responsibility and clarity of purpose the role calls for, we believe one’s own unconscious material needs to be considered as it is likely to shape their ability to help another person. In Groundwork we slow the process down, supporting people in deeply investigating their motivations, edges, and strengths as they pursue the role of guiding. We want Gather Well guides to know the caves and canyons of their own inner landscape really well before they decide they are ready to hold space for someone else’s healing. We work with what arises, we keep each other accountable with compassion and in community, we show up for difficult conversations that may arise in this realm.
Q: Where can I find a guide?
A: There are service centers in Oregon conducting regulated use. A quick online search can help you locate those.
See Groundwork Program for more information and to apply.
We encourage all individuals entering the program to read this blog Gather Well Psychedelics: Progress update, Ethics Initiatives & A Personal Reflection for some context on the history and evolution of Gather Well Psychedelics.
