Inside Vision Treks: The Mind Armys Psychedelic Retreat Takes Strangers Into The Desert – Forbes

Participants in The Mind Army's first Vision Treks psychedelic retreat hike the Eureka Sand Dunes in ... [+] Death Valley National Park.

Psychedelics are represented in the media, on the stock market, and in academic journals, but theres a tie-dye elephant in the room: theyre still illegal. An organization that believes every human should have the right to use psychedelics wants to change that.

The Mind Army is a non-profit organization working to move the needle on the legalization of psychedelics with lobbying, social pressure, and celebrity influence. With the mission of fighting for the right to pursue happiness, it is currently petitioning the Drug Enforcement Agency to deschedule ibogaine, a powerful alkaloid that has been shown to help interrupt addiction. The Mind Army believes it has been incorrectly scheduled because the plant-derived psychedelic has been proven to be non-addictive.

The organization is supported by a team of legal advisors with considerable experience in drug reform. It is taking a unique approach to rallying support for its cause: founders Zappy Zapolin, Kaia Roman, and Atom Smith are inviting influential people on curated vision trek retreats into nature.

Organized by Vision Treks, The Mind Armys three-night retreats combine the power of psychedelics with the power of nature, giving participants the opportunity to go within while spending time in some of the most stunning landscapes in the United States. The goal is to leave participants feeling more energized, focused, and aligned once they head back to realityand excited about the potential that psychedelics offer, not just for mental health, but for overall life improvement.

The group explores the Eureka Dunes, the tallest sand dunes in the United States.

We want to show that its important for people from all walks of life to spend time in nature and engage with psychedelics for the purpose of healing, even if all they can fit into their schedule is a short trip, said Zapolin about the curated trips. And in turn, the people who come on our retreats will have first-hand experience as to why these medicines should be accessible for everyone.

Attendees have the option to partake in the use of legal psychedelics and plant medicines including rap (pronounced ha-peh; a powdered shamanic snuff containing tobacco), cannabis, and oral ketamine, which is offered in a group setting after obtaining a prescription from a doctor.

This past spring with support from sponsors and the Vision Treks team, the organization took a film crew and nearly a dozen people including scientists, CEOs, founders, artists, professional athletes, and writersthis one includedfrom across North America on an inaugural three-night retreat to Californias Death Valley. Most had never met each other before.

While hiking the areas otherworldly desert landscape, connections were fostered among the unlikely group, which included engineer and creative scientist Dr. Kate Stone, PRSVR founder Margaret Williamson, Superbowl champion Taurean Nixon, HAVN chief psychedelic officer Dr. Ivan Casselman, KPure Naturals founder Karen Hoekstra, author and journalist Nicolle Hodges, The Mind Armys lead attorney Courtney Barnes, Beond founder Talia Eisenberg, martial artist Eric Ng, and creative producer Neely Shearer.

Participants slept in a large canvas teepee at the base of the Eureka Dunes.

I loved the conversations that I had. It was truly an amazing feeling to cut through the B.S. and pleasantries and have meaningful conversations with so many individuals, said Williamson, who admitted she felt a little nervous when the trip began, but headed home feeling peaceful, assured, and happy.

The group met in Los Angeles before heading to Death Valley National Park, spending two nights camping at the base of the Eureka Dunes. During several hikes, including a chilly sunrise hike to the tallest dune and an hours-long, seemingly endless trudge that circled the entirety of the dunes, participants alternated between solitary moments and sharing insights (and laughs) with others in the group.

Sitting at the bottom of that sand valley, I came to the understanding that I would have to get up and climb my way up and out, and that no matter how long I stayed in place, I would never be able to see what was on the other side of that dune unless I was willing to put in the work, said Williamson of her experience in the dunes.

A Vision Treks participant makes their way to the top of an enormous sand dune.

Backdropped by the Last Chance Mountains, the views were magnificent without the use of any mind-altering substances.

Everything rippled with life. Everything sang a song I could hear in the silence, said Hodges about her time in the desert. The dunes became naked bodies entangled and breathing as one.

The third and final night of the retreat was spent in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where the group finished the trip off with a guided ketamine meditation.

On this trip I not only found myself, freed my inner kid, released past traumas, found renewed confidence, and sparked clarity on new life, said former Denver Bronco Nixon after the trip. I also connected with my soul tribe.

Superbowl champion Taurean 'T-Nix' Nixon takes in the views of the Alabama Hills and the Sierra ... [+] Nevada mountains.

While the inaugural Vision Treks retreat took place in California and brought a group of strangers together, future trips are being planned in other states, including Oregon, where psilocybin could potentially be offered as part of the experience, and for existing groups including corporate teams and other non-profit organizations.

Vision Treks is all about getting The Mind Armys message and mission out there, said Zapolin of the initiative. We want to show as many people as possible that they have the right to go inside their own mind for answers and healing.

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Inside Vision Treks: The Mind Armys Psychedelic Retreat Takes Strangers Into The Desert - Forbes