Retreat policies

Safety-First Screening Protocol

Retreat attendance is contingent on screening. While meditation’s benefits to mental health are well-documented and can be profound, it may also surface difficult emotions or experiences. For some people, these experiences can last hours, days, or longer. We discuss this topic in detail in this blog post.

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Our Commitment to Safety

We recognize the trust that retreat participants are placing in us, and we take our responsibility for each attendee’s safety and well-being seriously. As part of this responsibility, it is important to be explicit about how we can and cannot support participants on retreat.

Important Note: We do not provide medical support on our retreats.

We are comfortable referring participants to mental health professionals if desired, but the team may not always include a psychotherapist or clinical psychologist.

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Screening Process

We require all attendees to:

1. Share information about their mental health histories during the retreat sign-up process.
2. Participate in a pre-retreat call, if deemed necessary.

This information helps us provide the appropriate level of support.
‍Attendees who don't provide this information will not be able to join us on retreat.

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Exclusion Criteria

We believe the risks may be greater for individuals with a history of recent or unmanaged mental health issues. We are following criteria inspired by Imperial College London’s exclusion criteria for psychedelic research, which includes:

1. Current dependence to alcohol or illicit substances
2. Lifetime history of or current psychotic disorder/mania (schizophrenia, bipolar, drug-induced psychosis)
3. One or more immediate (1st degree) family members with a current or previously diagnosed psychotic disorder
4. History of suicide attempt that required hospitalization or presence of suicide/serious self-harm risk
5. Current use of psychotropic medication (e.g., antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, etc.), but excluding psychotropic antidepressants and ADHD medications used as prescribed.
6. Diagnosed borderline personality disorder/complex PTSD
7. Diagnosed eating disorder with active purging
8. Diagnosed dementia

Note on Antidepressants: We’ve had people join us successfully in the past while on antidepressants. We’ll reach out to discuss if we cannot support you in this case.

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Questions?

If you have any questions about how this policy might apply to your particular situation, we're happy to discuss it with you. Please reach out to us at retreats@jhourney.io.

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Flexible Cancellation Policy

Online Retreats

• 21+ days prior to start date: 100% refund
• 8–20 days prior to start date: 50% refund
• 7 days or fewer before start date: No refund available

In-Person Retreats

• 45+ days prior to start date: 100% refund
• 31–45 days prior to start date: 50% refund‍
• 30 days or fewer before the start date: Unfortunately, due to significant fixed logistical costs, we're unable to provide a refund

Refund Processing

• Refunds are processed within 10 business days of cancellation
• All refunds go to the original payment method only
• You will receive an email confirmation once your refund has been processed

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Special Circumstances

Screening & Participation Decisions

If we decline your participation for any reason at any time, you will receive a 100% refund of all amounts paid, regardless of the cancellation timeline above.

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Retreat Changes by Jhourney

If we cancel a retreat or make material changes to dates, location, or program structure, you may choose either:

• Transfer to another available retreat, or
• Receive a 100% refund of amounts paid

Note: We are not responsible for any travel costs, accommodations, or other expenses you may have incurred.

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EU/UK Participants

For in-person retreats sold to EU/UK residents that include both accommodation and retreat programming, you have the right to transfer your booking to another person up to 21 days before the retreat start date. The transferee must complete our standard screening process and meet all program requirements.

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Retreat Credits (pre-September 2025 system)

As of August 29th, 2025, we no longer issue credits for cancellations. All cancellations follow the refund schedules above.

Participants who registered before this date remain covered by the cancellation and credit policy in effect at the time of their registration. View the prior policy here.