Go Natural Jamaica centre is sited in Long Bay, Portland

Durrant Pate/Contributor

Silo Wellness, a leading global psychedelics company, is announcing the opening of its first eco-tourism micro-dosing psilocybin resort and retreat centre at Go Natural Jamaica in Long Bay, Portland.

The Oregon USA based company is a pioneer in psilocybin or magic mushrooms, which are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects and used for the treatment of mood and substance use disorders. In a press release, Silo Wellness says beyond what Silo’s cliffside beachfront resort has to offer, “participants will have optional micro-dosing nature excursions that can include a waterfall swim, harvesting supper at a permaculture jungle farm, a bamboo raft river float, Caribbean boat tour and island picnics”

Farm/field/sea-/bush-to-table traditional natural Jamaican cuisine is included. Locally sourced psilocybin mushroom micro-dosing capsules are available on site for a nominal cash purchase. 

Offerings at the psilocybin resort and retreat centre

Silo’s Labor Day retreat (September 3-6) has lodging and meals starting at US$240/night for dorm lodging to US$499.99/night for single occupancy with a three-night minimum. Double occupancy is also available. Applicants receive a one-on-one meeting with experienced client journey planning team and an evaluation for appropriateness for retreat, contraindications by Silo Wellness Ph.D. pharmacologist and co-inventor of the world’s first psilocybin nasal spray.

Qualified participants will also be provided with recommended reading materials, journaling prompts, videos regarding retreat location, logistics, and how to make the most of the process to help them put in the work to reset and reprogram their minds.

In making the announcement, Oregon attorney and Silo Wellness founder, Mike Arnold said: “We have been bombarded by cost-conscious client inquiries wanting to explore nature with the help of psilocybin. They (potential clients) are what we consider ‘psychedelic curious’. They are not looking to experiment with psychedelics for recreational purposes at a club or party. They are very intentional and mindful individuals looking to better understand themselves and their place in the universe.”

Arnold made the point that these individuals “aren’t looking for mental health therapy or a deep dive ego death. They are wanting to learn about psilocybin while learning about themselves. This is an unmet need in the psychedelic space, and Silo Wellness is well positioned to assist”.

Jamaica’s luxury Psychedelic Retreats vs. Psilocybin Micro-dosing Retreats

Silo’s “luxury” retreats have been featured in Bloomberg, Fodor’s Travel, The Evening Standard, Men’s Health and The Washington Post, among others. However, Silo Wellness never intended to enter the luxury retreats space.

“That wasn’t my vision,” Arnold explained, saying, “our mission is to put psychedelic healing into the hands of those suffering as quickly and inexpensively as possible”.

Nonetheless, the luxury model was necessary during COVID and has been very good to us and for our clients. However, it is not available to everyone due to the price point, which is a shame and also contrary to our mission.

According to the Silo Wellness founder, “the vision at our Go Natural Jamaica micro-dosing resort is to offer a lower price point with a seafront ‘luxury view’ but with more rustic accommodations. We can significantly lower the cost by making air conditioning optional, for example, or provide a dorm room with bunk beds right alongside a luxury villa on the same site”.

“This retreat isn’t necessarily imperceptible micro-doses,” stated Arnold.

“Although clients are welcome to experience psychedelics for the first time in this way. Silo’s self-titrating psilocybin protocols allow people to work their way up dosing in a controlled way to experience the sub-psychedelic effects.”

Securing additional property partnerships in Jamaica

Since the May 2022 shareholder meeting, the Silo team has been working diligently to secure additional property partnerships in Jamaica to scale up retreats in order to reduce costs and to provide additional revenue through increased inventory. This strategy would provide the opportunity for the company to negotiate longer-term staffing contracts at a lower price per retreat.

In July, Silo Wellness successfully conducted a luxury retreat in Trelawny, Jamaica, with positive feedback from participants. The company has also been working to best position itself for Oregon psilocybin by visiting rural retreat properties for potential purchase or joint venture and intends to purchase an urban retreat centre.