Introducing Natura Care Programs
A unique spiritual care immersion and integration program dedicated to addressing addiction in all its forms
Today I’m beyond excited to unveil a program I’ve been helping develop for nearly two years: Natura Care Programs (NCP).
NCP is a unique spiritual care immersion and integration program dedicated to addressing addiction in all its forms.
NCP offers a longitudinal program that integrates entheogenic plant sacrament ceremonies with a social model for recovery, nature immersion, and instruction in contemplative practice. It fuses time-tested practices with modern best practices, providing an online learning platform, a curriculum in process-oriented recovery, and an intensive retreat experience with a deliberate focus on integration.
(If you are new to entheogens like ayahuasca—or in recovery yourself—I recommend reading my comprehensive essay Addiction & Ayahuasca as a starting point.)
As someone whose own recovery rapidly accelerated and benefited from the responsible engagement of ayahuasca, this project organically bloomed through my existing relationships in the space. Turns out, the Silicon Valley skill set I thought I left behind in building and scaling organizations is still quite useful.
My co-founders are Celina De Leon and Todd Youngs. Celina is the founder of Circle of Sacred Nature Church, has 20+ years of experience with ayahuasca, is a Stanford graduate, a mother of three kids, and she has a Masters in Divinity from the Graduate Theological Union—SKSM. Todd is the founder of Recovery Nexus—a non-profit recovery organization whose Board of Directors I recently joined. Todd is also a pioneer in the use of psychedelics within a 12 Step recovery context and, I believe it’s safe to say, somewhat of a legend in the addiction + spiritual guidance space. Both Celina and Todd have been deeply impactful personal mentors of mine. I’m now honored to call them colleagues.
NCP is a non-profit program running through Recovery Nexus, supported by Circle of Sacred Nature Church.
A cutting-edge, innovative approach to addiction
This is not a traditional addiction treatment program. As far as we know, NCP is the first of its kind. It includes individual + group counseling sessions, expert instruction in contemplative practice, an online educational curriculum, a two-week retreat immersion at the majestic Posada Natura (our sister organization), and a six-week individually tailored integration program.
For those with greater need and curiosity, we offer the option to join a post-program recovery residence outside of Seattle (Recovery Nexus). Participants also have the opportunity to join a two-week nature immersion integration program at Posada Natura. For those who are ready to return to their lives, we will work closely with you to create a dynamically resourced and personalized re-entry.
Addiction is a complex condition of body, mind, human relations, and spirit. We believe modern addiction exists on a spectrum fueled by substances, screens, and compulsive behaviors—including process addictions like eating disorders, pornography, and gambling.
Leading research suggests that it’s not just the psychedelic that can produce lasting transformation—it’s the paradigm-shifting mystical experience, aided by psychedelic intervention. As such, we have designed NCP as a spiritual care program rooted in nature-based and indigenous wisdom. Our lineage can be traced to several indigenous communities in South America, including the Kamënstá community in Colombia, a lineage we have direct ties to (long-time readers might remember when I fundraised for them in the past).
NCP is geared toward anyone with 30-days of sobriety (shorter lengths accepted on a case-by-case basis) or anyone in recovery looking to deepen their connection to Self.
Our intention is to create a cohort of individuals dedicated to healing, building community, and witnessing the full spectrum of the human experience laid bare. Moreover, we believe that this type of entheogenic work rooted in interdisciplinary contemplative teaching will provide members with a Trojan horse for a redefined relationship with mother nature and planetary well-being.
A high degree of trust
One of the reasons I’m most excited about this program is because of the team we have behind us. We have an advisory board stacked with medical doctors, addiction psychiatrists, psychedelic-assisted therapy researchers, and contemplative social scientists. Our highly trained facilitators bring to the table decades of experience in their respective lineages.
We also have generous donor support from psychedelic organizations and leaders in the field, including Project New Day, a non-profit dedicated to addiction and psychedelics, and Paul Stamets, the legendary mycologist whom I’ve written about before—if you haven’t already, you should check out his Netflix documentary Fantastic Fungi.
Intensive screening process
Entheogenic work is not for everyone, and it’s especially not for everyone battling addiction. This type of approach has its risks—ones that we take extremely seriously. We have an intensive screening/application process, including the ASI-MV and a spiritual care and life review assessment. Our commitment is to provide a safe, loving container for self-discovery and change.
Commitment to access & diversity ... scholarships!
As you may or may not know, this type of ceremonial retreat work can be expensive. (Not to even mention the cost of more traditional addiction programs.) We want addicts from all walks of life to be able to embark on this transformative journey. Thanks to the support of generous donors like Project New Day and Paul Stamets, we are pleased to offer scholarships for this program. The goal is to provide varying levels of financial aid to 50% of our Cohort 1 slots.
Scholarships will be prioritized for BIPOC individuals, veterans, and those from underrepresented communities, though all interested parties are warmly encouraged to apply for financial aid.
Spread the word
Our first cohort launches on July 1st, 2022, and we will be accepting applicants on a rolling basis. We have limited admissions, so please encourage folks to apply soon. If you or anyone you know might benefit from this innovative approach, please consider sharing this or the NCP website with them.
Introducing Natura Care Programs
Wow, Alex, this is really exciting! I wish you much success.
It’s awesome that you are part of this initiative. In general. for people of all ages & even those without addiction issues, immersion in nature is a therapeutic “reset” and has HUGE benefits. There is a growing worldwide movement in early childhood in which time spent in nature has replaced more conventional environments such as “Forest” kindergartens in Europe, esp. in Germany and the Scandinavian countries. I hear this is happening in Southeast Asia as well. Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods” discusses how the advent of play stations and electronic entertainment for children beginning in the 90’s has interfered with optimal child development and advocates for the unstructured time in nature. I realize this may sound like I’m going off on a tangent but humans become primed for many dysfunctional behaviors when they’re cut off from their connection to the earth…. The best time to foster that connection is in childhood.