Experiential Learning Opportunities
Fieldwork in Indigenous and Cultural Healing Practices
Students will observe and participate in ceremonial practices involving sacred plant medicines and non-ordinary states of consciousness.
Modern psychedelic research is confirming age-old Indigenous knowledge about the centrality of spirituality in the healing process: human flourishing rests upon bio-psychosocial and transpersonal/spiritual dimensions.
Our program is committed to promoting research on the role of spirituality in healing, and to advancing Indigenous ways of knowing by introducing students to traditional holistic systems of healing, and inculcating in them a knowledge of, and respect for, traditional plant medicines. The most direct and effective way to achieve this goal is by offering students short term (8-10 days) fieldwork opportunities among traditional healers and/ or entheogenic religious communities where the spiritual and communal dimensions of healing are centre stage.
Students will have the opportunity to learn from traditional healers (shamans, curanderos, madrihnas, etc.), observe the ritual and ceremonial bases of healing, and examine the uses of non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) in the process of healing and spiritual growth. We have established fieldwork opportunities among indigenous and traditional healers in Canada and internationally and are adding more.
Fieldwork in Coastal Rain Forest of South America
Raw Ayahuasca Immersive Program
Experience Indigenous plant medicine through traditional Native Ceremonies with a Licensed Medical Professional in a safe environment using Raw Ayahuasca. This experience qualifies for PSY 6442 at uOttawa and for the Experiential Elective for the MAPS Certificate Program.
In South America, various traditions use ayahuasca and other sacred plants to address a wide range of problems. These ailments are usually simultaneously understood holistically — as physical, mental, and spiritual issues. These three aspects of life are typically intertwined in the traditional healing processes. These time-honoured medicines are available with our expert medical partners at Nina Wasi in Ecuador and Colombia, South America.
Dr. Johnathan Flores is an Integrative Medicine physician who combines ancestral knowledge with clinical practice. He also holds the title of Traditional Healer and Physician, with a postgraduate specialization in Medical Homeopathy. Born in the United States, Dr. Flores is of Colombian descent and can trace his lineage back to three distinct Indigenous groups in Colombia and Ecuador. His family has many healers, and he is proud to carry on the healing tradition. Dr. Flores obtained his MD in Ecuador, where he is licensed as a General Medical Practitioner, and his certification in Homeopathy at the University of Bogotá, Colombia. In addition, he has extensively studied Chinese medicine and martial arts, and has trained for over sixteen years in traditional Amazonian medicine. He uses Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Psilocybin Mushrooms, and several other medicinal plants in his practice, depending on the needs of the client.
Why Raw Ayahuasca?
This ancient recipe has been used since time immemorial by the isolated communities of the Amazonian Putumayo. The elders apply it to train their healers in the art of shamanism, to heal the body, and to awaken consciousness.
Until recently, this recipe was kept hidden. The exclusive means of preparation allows the user to access the sacred space of visions without suffering the physical ravages of diarrhea and vomiting generated by the cooked Ayahuasca recipe; this allows for deeper understanding and awakening without additional physical struggles or distractions.
Dr. Flores prides himself on the highest ethical and professional standards of care. To serve a diversity of clients, he is fluent in Spanish and English and conversant in German. This 7-day group retreat is competitively priced at $5200 USD, but for those preferring an individual experience, please contact Nina Wasi directly for private program costs. This retreat date is reserved for graduate students only.
Pre-Retreat education and preparation:
- Advance Online Group Meetings / Q&A
- Nutritional Preparation + Detox Guidebook
- Journaling + Preparation exercises
Immersion program:
- 7 Days of lodging
- 3 Gourmet meals a day
- 2 Raw ayahuasca ceremonies
- 1 Rapé circle
- 2 Integration sharing circles
- 1 Local tour into the rainforest
uOttawa students registering for PSY 6442 for the Winter can attend the retreat during the Reading Break (February 16-22). Register now as space is limited.
Fieldwork in Montreal
Ayahuasca at Céu do Montréal Santo Daime Church
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic plant medicine indigenous to South America, is extensively utilized in various syncretic churches across North America. It serves as the sacrament of the Santo Daime, a spiritual tradition with origins in Brazil, that combines elements of Christianity, Indigenous Amazonian beliefs, and African spiritual practices. Since 1999, the Santo Daime community has had a church in Montreal known as Céu do Montréal, where they hold weekly gatherings serving ayahuasca with the goal of facilitating spiritual growth, personal insight, and healing. Ayahuasca is consumed as a tea in a communal setting with over 20 participants, overseen by the spiritual leader ("madrinha"), and trained facilitators. In Canada, Ayahuasca is legal for Santo Daime practitioners under the umbrella of religious freedom.
The directors of the uOttawa psychedelic programs have established a longstanding working relationship with Céu do Montréal founder, Rev. Dr. Jessica Rochester, who is a spiritual care provider and practicing psychotherapist. She will oversee student experiences to ensure there is significant attention and supervision maintained throughout the experience.
Ayahuasca is generally safe and non-addictive, and anyone receiving ayahuasca is medically cleared by church staff before being allowed to participate, along with trained church members present for the duration of the experience.
The Céu do Montréal, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Spiritual Care and University of Ottawa Psychedelic & Consciousness & Studies Graduate Program, are offering a 3-day event in the Spring of 2025.
Event details:
- April 25, 2025: First Santo Daime Work, gather at 4:00 pm, Work opens at 5:00 pm, finishes approximately 11 -12 pm. Post Work meal provided.
- April 26, 2025: Second Santo Daime Work, gather at 4:00 pm, Work opens at 5:00 pm, finishes approximately 11 -12 pm. Post Work meal provided.
- April 27, 2025, CASC/uOttawa group in person meeting, with Rev Dr Jessica Rochester and Dr Stephen Stotland, for sharing, questions, integration guidelines. 1:00 – _4:00 pm. Light snacks provided.
- Approximately two weeks after the event, CASC/uOttawa Group Zoom meeting with Rev Dr Jessica Rochester and Dr Stephen Stotland, integration guidelines, sharing, questions.
Cost is $700 CAD per participant, not including accommodations (cost TBD). This includes all events as listed above and modest compensation for the senior team and those with added responsibilities. Applications to attend must be received with a $300 CAD deposit required to reserve a place.
uOttawa students registering for PSY 6442 for the Winter can attend the retreat from April 25-27. Each participant will receive a Certificate of Participation. Register now as space is limited.
Fieldwork in Jamaica
Psilocybin-Assisted Retreat in Jamaica
One Retreat is a prominent psychedelic retreat center situated in the resort town of Negril, Jamaica. It stands as one of Jamaica's premier centers due to the numerous wellness retreats it offers, and its involvement with psilocybin research, that includes academic partners in the USA and Canada (e.g., Johns Hopkins University, Guelph University). The retreat has garnered attention for its involvement in provision of psychedelic-assisted therapy for Navy SEAL veterans dealing with PTSD. Drs. Williams and Vallely have been working closely with program directors to craft a program uniquely suited to our students' needs, and recently returned from a site visit of this facility in Jamaica. Anyone receiving psilocybin mushrooms would first be medically cleared by a licenced medical provider, with a medical personal present for the duration of the psilocybin experience.
The cost of this is retreat is currently $3900 USD.
The retreat includes:
- 2x Psilocybin Experiences (Full Deep Dive Ceromony)
- All Meals Included (3 meals/day)
- 2x Excursion with transport
- Accomodations
- 1x Pre-Retreat Group Online Session
- 1x Pre-Retreat 1-on-1 Online Session
- 1x Post-Retreat Group Sessions
- 2 x Airport Transfers
For uOttawa students interested in registering for PSY 6442 and attending this retreat, stay turned for more details!
Fieldwork in Ottawa
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
For over half a century, ketamine has been used as a medication to facilitate relaxation, manage pain in humans and animals, and induce non-ordinary state of consciousnesses. It is commonly used in medical settings as an anesthetic for both children and adults, administered by a licensed medical doctor or other prescriber. Due to its safety and low potential for addiction, when used under medical supervision it has a low risk profile. Psychedelic doses are much smaller than the amounts commonly used for anesthesia, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a widespread modality in both Canada and the USA.
The Behavioural Wellness Clinic in Ottawa is now offering ketamine-assisted therapy to MA program students for training purposes, provided they have a qualifying indication. Anyone receiving ketamine would first be medically cleared by a licenced medical provider. Participants would also receive preparatory and follow-up sessions with a registered psychotherapist, trained in delivering psychedelic psychotherapy, with oversight by Dr. Monnica Williams, board certified Ontario registered psychologist. All dosing sessions include two therapists.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy aims to facilitate a deeper level of self-awareness and healing by temporarily creating a non-ordinary state of consciousness. Costs start at $3,750 CAD, which includes consultation, assessment, medical evaluation, preparation session, one KAP dosing session, and integration session.
Fieldwork in Various Locations
Holotropic Breathwork
Holotropic Breathwork is a therapeutic breathing practice developed by psychiatrists Stanislav and Christina Grof in the 1970s. It is designed to help individuals achieve a state of heightened self-awareness and emotional release through controlled, accelerated breathing. During a typical session, participants breathe deeply and rapidly in a supportive and supervised environment, often accompanied by evocative music and facilitated by trained professionals. This intense breathing is believed to induce altered states of consciousness, similar to those experienced during certain types of meditation or psychedelic experiences, allowing participants to explore their inner thoughts and emotions in a profound way. Holotropic Breathwork is used as a tool for personal growth, emotional healing, and spiritual insight.
Holotropic Breathwork occurs at various sites around the world, and this experience at approved sites can meet program fieldwork requirements for students who are unable to partake of psychedelic substances. The costs of group sessions range from approximately $400-$1400.
