Are you a police officer? Then this is for you!
Why?
The results from psychedelics have revolutionized the mental health and healing insights, people have from these [spiritual] experiences. We see people’s stories change. More inner peace after deep realizations, profound insights and other common effects resulting in a calmer nervous system. Legal and safe access to these experiences is a reality that requires crossing borders, to do this legally. Psilocybin, the natural compound in legal fresh Hollandia truffles, has shown an immense variety of beneficial effects. Why are introspective, non-directive experiences uniquely valuable for processing the specific moral and existential stressors of police work? It is time to discuss this openly, drive the conversation around mental health and also psychedelics.
A confidential, legal, spiritually-oriented psychedelic retreat in the Netherlands for active and retired law-enforcement professionals. You are invited to learn more about mental health, the neurological impact of policing, psychedelics and more.
These experiences are profound and are different for everyone. See our data of our previous research to learn more. We want to show what this is and how this works. How sacred these experiences are for those involved. How it applies to police mental health. We aim to reduce stigma, educate, inform and run special retreats and document them. So you too can be inspired and moved. Backed by data. Not in isolation but a in courageous community. To connect you to your true self and to others. Let’s do things differently in 2026.
“Protect & Serve” your own inner peace. By tripping?!
Who?
It isn’t easy being a police officer. It requires a toll and sacrifice on many levels. Constant hyper-vigilance takes a toll on your nervous system and rewrites your subconscious convictions about sense of (emotional) un-safety. Being a police officer can be traumatic. It’s no longer a life time career. Crazy laws are enforced and society is angry. The role in between is ungrateful and does leave its marks. Are you experiencing a short temper, aggression, emotional outbursts, irritability, cannot really switch off? Prolonged periods of stress and the threat of traumatic or hostile events on a daily basis aren’t doing you any good. Especially not over decades. Especially when it is not safe to talk.
We seek police officers to sign up to learn more. Especially dedicated and organized for police officers, a luxury retreat with legal “EU food safe” certified psilocybin truffle experiences. Our aim is to inform, educate and drive the safe dialogue around legal psychedelic experiences. By cops for cops.
Police are invited to sign up for a mental health dialogue and retreat option. Be informed and educated by fellow police officers, experts on mental health and psychedelics.
What?
We are organizing a special legal psychedelic police retreat in The Netherlands with a safe setting. We are asking for donations or sponsors to help us do this together. Yes, people can pay for retreats. But we want to focus on one free of cost for cops. Historically these experiences have been described as spiritual, as sacred, for thousands of years. These experiences can be deeply introspective and / or spiritual. Culturally and experiential, it is very different from say alcohol. Or weed. Or coke. Psychedelics are the drugs that help you heal, expand your consciousness, not worsen you. But it requires respect – or it will demand it. Hence the bad trip incidents and urban legends. It actually restores your neural connections. More on the latest 2025 psilocybin research.
What is so special?
Research into psychedelics or psilocybin specifically has medicalised psychedelics to study common mental “dis-ease” conditions. Science calls aspects of these experiences “mystical”. Or spiritual. It’s often reported people lose their fear of death. The US has churches that provide “religious protection” to experience psilocybin as a spiritual sacrament. We do not “medicalise” or see this as any type of treatment, cure or intervention. We do not promise any outcome as it is you that has to surrender to your own personal introspective experience in what we call an altered state of consciousness. These are hard to put words to. People see and understand things more complete and can change perspectives on things and be more open, with lowered defenses or coping strategies.
What is offered?
We offer a safe and guided experience with other police officers in a 7 day luxury retreat in The Netherlands; An hour drive from Amsterdam. We offer this retreat opportunity as a way to experience surrender, introspection and a change in perspectives that often benefit your nervous system and self awareness. This can lead to more inner peace. What is healed cannot be triggered; e.g. #respect, #insecurities, #unsafety Data will be collected by researchers in a study proposal almost ready for ethical committee approval submission. But first we build our police community. Inform and educate and inspire. With the opportunity to participate. We hope to have it free of costs. But we need your help.
Our GoFundMe Campaign to support our psychedelic and police mental health research project
Our verified PayPal Donation campaign can be found here.
All donations are allocated to the provide free access! More info below
QUOTE: This retreat Luc and his staff organised gave me such intense and wonderful insights. I felt so safe during this retreat. The true love and honesty Luc and his team provided, were the base of this beautiful intense and life changing experience for me. Beautiful people! I can fully recommend Psychedelic Insights to everyone who’s thinking about or wanting a journey to discover your true self, where’s true love, power and beautiful insights and connection! Luc and the whole team, thank you so much!!!
Former police officer & Royal marine officer, Frits
See video bottom page for his testimonial
How?
This guided, scientifically researched and therapeutically advised, legal psilocybin truffle retreat is designed specifically for police officers. Supported by research, psychologists, trip-guides and police experts in a proven protocol. Lying on a bed, eyes closed, exploring your mind. Guided with professionals,and listening to calm music, participants surrender, to “go in”. The boundary of what is conscious and not, shifts. The D.M.N. or ego goes (more) “silent”. This allows (safe feeling) access to where “words don’t reach”. An opportunity to calm your nervous system, understand yourself better and have deep transformative introspection? Gain a more complete perspective that can change your reality. You only need your own permission to look inside deeper, to lower your emotional armor and allow shifts in long held beliefs and convictions.
How do psychedelic work?
Psychedelic guided psilocybin truffle experiences are not medicinal cures or pharmacological interventions, but can be viewed as experiential catalysts. They challenge conventional boundaries between drug and context, biology and meaning, regulation and care. Their potential lies in the interplay between neuro-biological effects and the psychological, philosophical, spiritual, relational, and environmental frameworks. Ideas to isolate ‘the drug’ from its sacred setting, or remove the scaffolding for “taught” regulatory simplicity or interpretation unfamiliar around “professional distance” during psychological distress or grief, risk undermining the very mechanisms that could contribute to the effectiveness of these experiences. Often “by making the un-conscious, conscious”. Reality without ego interpretations. Who’s making the decisions? The most human of experiences in true vulnerability is the precious psychedelic process where we discover our deeper fears and insecurities in internal and external guided safety. To see the walls we built against feeling.
Courage & Surrender
It can require immense courage to face ones personal insecurities. To discover your deeper held convictions about your “not-good-enough-ness”. Cause by A,B or C, expressed as X, Y or Z. You live in the middle. Even talking about psychedelics or mental health can be scary or unsafe. Or trusting your feelings, not logic or vice versa, it takes courage. Or even to surrender to a strange new psychedelic experience. It is also not for everyone. It is not a pill you take. It opens a state of altered consciousness that is navigated and experienced, by you. You allow yourself to open up and deeply feel. Guided by our team. That is the experience. Deeply personal. Facing ideas about yourself, concepts and others. To discover spiritual values and higher truths. It takes a lot of letting go to become light. We often seek external validation as a trauma based internal self worth conviction. But becoming the authentic version of you is a road worth exploring. We invite you in. Feel welcome.
RETREAT FAQ’s (click me)
The primary goal is to provide a safe, legal, and guided space for police officers to explore their own mind. The focus is on fostering safety, psychological preparation and support and guidance for inner peace, resilience, and personal well-being. We are not approaching this a a medical treatment, cure or as an alternative to medication. We want to bring a perspective to more inner peace. To more peace into the minds and lives of police officers and their families.
Yes. The retreat is held exclusively in the Netherlands, where the use of fresh psilocybin truffles in a guided setting is legal under Dutch law. The psilocybin truffles used are fresh, sealed, grown sterile and have are EU food-safety certified as they are considered legal food.
The project is initiated and led by Psychedelic Insights’ founder Luc van Poelje (1969). Luc has led a team that includes 20+ experienced facilitators since 2018 and is well known voice in the psychedelic and also veteran world. He initiated and hosted veteran research retreats (2021 & 2025). He had guided over 1250+ high dose experiences with an international clientele. Now a 15+ team of various leading expert scientists and also international police icons joined this effort. Anya Ragnhildstveit, PhD(c) leads her research team. Advisors like former UK undercover detective Neil Woods, who brings firsthand understanding of police trauma and psychedelics. US Police icons like Sarko Gergerian who is an active US police officer, mental health counselor, and advocate for psychedelic self-care. Check his interview with Joe Rogan on this page. Luc does not run a non profit. PSY-INSIGHTS is the Dutch Registered company, which initiates this multi stake holder collaborative international project.
Information, education and a screening process. Safety is multi-layered: (1) A thorough screening process to ensure participant suitability. (2) A high facilitator-to-participant ratio (1:3) for constant, individual support. (3) A secure, private retreat setting designed for emotional and physical safety. (4) Extensive preparation and unlimited integration support. (5) This protocol has been researched, proven effective and has safely served over 1250 people in altered states of of consciousness experiences. (6) Then there is the Police culture itself. We will show the courage this takes and the vulnerability of the individual. Have this experience brought home safely, culturally, socially. We’ll organize group calls to share experiences, tips and to learn. To bond and find brother and sisterhood.
Police officers face unique and chronic psychological stressors that are rarely addressed in effective, systemic ways. They carry an immense emotional burden to serve as police officers within a increasingly hostile society. This project is an initiative to education and help protect those who themselves are imprisoned by stigma, stress and un-safety. We invite police to a safe dialogues and a cultural shift. Bring peace to those minds that are now struggling to find peace, off duty. We also work with Heroic Hearts UK and have ran veteran retreats. Time to focus on those who put themselves in harms way, on a daily basis: The Police, at home, at the store, school, etc.
No. This inaugural retreat is a compassionate initiative, not a clinical trial. However, the protocol is based on a successful 2021 study with veterans, and we will be documenting outcomes to contribute to the broader understanding of these approaches for first responders. We are in the process of awaiting an ethical committee’s response to a study proposal. Research aims: To assess the safety and therapeutic effects of psilocybin with group psychological support on PTSD symptoms in trauma-exposed police officers. These preliminary findings are intended to support signal detection and inform larger, hypothesis-driven clinical trials. To assess the therapeutic effects of psilocybin with group psychological support on related features of PTSD (e.g., anxiety, depression, burnout). To characterize the acute subjective effects of psilocybin and to explore potential associations with measured outcomes.
Participant confidentiality is paramount. We will have strict agreements in place, and any information shared, plus documentary filming will be done with full, informed consent and options for anonymity. We will not share participant identities or other information. Participants are free to speak about their motivation and experiences. Participants are in control of their anonymity in group calls if so desired.
We ask applicants to indicate any risk (perceived or expected) to their professional situation and job security status. More:
To Law Enforcement Officers:
Request Information Anonymously & Without Commitment.
You can explore this initiative and receive detailed information about the retreat, its spiritual framework, and participant experiences—with zero obligation to participate.
Signing up for information is a separate, discreet step that allows you to:
Understand Fully: Review the philosophy, safety protocols, and legal context of the retreat.
Assess Privately: Evaluate if the experience aligns with your personal spiritual or developmental goals.
Make an Informed Decision Later: No commitment is required at this stage. You are not violation any code of conduct by informing yourself. To receive curated information, invitations to speakers about this topic, directly, please sign up.
Could this cost me my job? Participation in a psychedelic retreat, even where legal, may be considered a violation of your department’s code of conduct and could lead to termination. We enforce strict confidentiality to mitigate this risk, but you must consult your own legal counsel to understand your personal risk. Signing up for information carries no risk; Getting educated poses no risk. Actual participation requires this legal review.”
The experience itself is just the beginning of a process of more emotional self-awareness. Feeling more open, remaining positive, understanding the process, supporting change. We provide robust, long-term integration support, including individual and group sessions, to help participants process their insights and apply them to their lives and work situation. Participants can themselves schedule support calls to further support their process.
On the scientific front, certain levels may have changed, dropped, like PTSD, has been indicated. It is about how you navigate how you feel. We help provide the tools and insights.
We are seeking mission-aligned sponsors, donations, advertisers, grants and volunteers to donate their time and expertise. To fund this as a budget transparent initiative, our goal is to make the retreat as free as possible for the participating officers. The financial reality is to be navigated. We will be flexible but need our hours rewarded too. So we still seek help financially to bring mental health innovation to safe and scalable models. Psychedelic Insights is not a non profit. We could consider bringing this initiative under the umbrella of a non profit.
Our facilitators are specially trained to hold space for challenging emotional and psychological material. A difficult experience, when supported properly, can often be the most transformative. Our setting is designed to allow participants to safely process these challenges, which are often a reflection of the trauma they’ve been carrying. Difficulty or a challenging experience is only that, emotionally. You are not easily convinced. Your ego has a pilot seat in your convictions. It has kept you safe. But it will not just allow for easy convincing. They are called subconscious convictions and consist of an entire (ego) narrative that could be challenged; Or be convinced of something else. Often this process is described as challenging as your convictions are challenged. Screening is part of the process. Safety always comes first. With medical emergencies, we initiate 112/911 calls. The truffles are non toxic, not addictive and no overdose death is possible. Note: We have never had an emergency, nor have we known of any.
Legal Considerations and Risks
Our Goal: To foster informed dialogue, secure funding, lower stigma and conduct a special police retreat in Spring 2026. This initiative is designed for education and community exploration; To drive public dialogue and lower stigma.
Your Journey with Us:
- Express Interest (No Obligation): Registering only grants you access to curated information. This step is confidential and involves no commitment to participate.
- Educational Phase: Approved registrants will receive invitations to speakers and content online, detailed materials on the retreat’s spiritual framework, safety protocols, and contextual background.
- Informed Decision Point: Should you advance to the final screening stage, participation remains optional. At this critical juncture, you will be explicitly required to consult independent legal counsel to review your personal and professional obligations before any final decision is made. Future other retreats may be offered.
Essential Disclaimer: This initiative is for educational and exploratory purposes. Registering does not constitute participation. All potential participants are solely responsible for understanding and complying with their applicable laws, departmental regulations, and professional codes of conduct.
QUOTE: “Dear all, The retreat, professionally organised by Luc and his team, is by far the most important experience in my life. I didn’t had any experience with psychedelics or other things besides a cold beer. Therefore I was a bit hesitant. The Team took great care of me. Together we set the right intention. During the trips they created a safe space. Never too little or too much attention, just right. A perfect setting of atmosphere, sound and smell. This safe space allowed me to go full in. The first trip I deeply went into myself. Ended in a conscious space of Oneness. Words can not describe what I saw and experienced. The second trip was really different. So nice to have the Team around, they are so experienced. This trip was more outside, in nature…”
Former anti terror special forces (Defense & police special forces, Jan)
“Psychedelic Insights is partnering with an international team of researchers, led by Anya Ragnhildstveit (Principal Investigator), to study the real-world safety and therapeutic effects of legal and EU food safe certified psilocybin truffles.
After you sign up, we will provide education, screening, information and engage with psychedelic and police mental health experts and other different speakers. The planned retreat provides private and group preparation for the retreat. During the retreat, we’ll provide 2 psilocybin truffle experiences. These are well prepared and guided experiences with our eyes closed, under the covers listening to light music. This experiences allows for deep exploration of our inner world. This can be emotional and these often breakthrough psychedelic insights can go back to childhood.
Deep introspection and realisations can be life changing. These delicate processes require specialized after care; Psychological support called “integration” is continuously available for all police officers after their sessions.
The organiser has operated since 2018 providing legal psilocybin truffle retreats in the Netherlands with an experienced team of psychedelic guides and therapeutic professionals, having served more than 1,250 people worldwide to date plus 2 research retreats with Dutch and one with UK veterans. Here is Luc’s personal invitation.
This study is currently under internal before the ethics review by Baylor College of Medicine. While the research is not yet open for enrollment, we look forward to sharing updates once formal ethics approval has been obtained. The study will be led by Anya Ragnhildstveit (Principal Investigator), Chief Executive Officer of Pneuma Science.
We use a reality tested and proven natural psilocybin truffle protocol that has been used by 2 former research retreats, operated by Luc’s Psychedelic Insights team. We have “also” safely guided over 1250 clients in high dose sessions. More on the research.
Participants are well prepared and use personal intention setting in private and group preparation meetings online and in real life at the retreat. We do only what is comfortable and respect and navigate people’s wishes around privacy and other sensitive aspects.
Obviously, for extra privacy, you can sign up under a different name, as a first step to stay safe from legal, job or other repercussions from your own professional local [police] environment and codes of conduct. We are not inviting, planning or conduction anything illegal. However, stigma, ignorance and other human elements pose potential fall out risks.
Previous 2021 veteran retreat after 2 sessions resulted in an average;
- Reduction of PTSD after 4 weeks 31%
- 29% drop in anxiety over 8 weeks
- Depression dropped by 18% over 8 weeks
- Improvement in well being after 8 weeks 11%
- 34% change in relationships, perception of closeness
Active duty and ex police officers are invited to apply. We screen applicants in calls and use surveys. We cannot promise any outcome. The use of psilocybin truffles, in any way or form, does not replace any medical advice, treatment or medication. Psychedelic Insights provides the psychological guidance of legal and safe psilocybin truffle experiences with an EU food-safety certification. We scientifically measure our protocol and the outcomes. We prioritize safety and adhere to contraindications and our own discretion to exclude or admit potential participants.
A Prospective Observational Cohort Study Proposal is currently being worked on
Psychedelic Insights is partnering with an international team of psychedelic researchers to study the real-world effects of psilocybin with group psychological support for trauma-exposed police officers (active-duty and retired).
Collaborators with our research team leader Anya Ragnhildstveit, PhD(c), Chief Executive Officer of Pneuma Science, include Prof. Lynnette Averill (Baylor College of Medicine; Yale School of Medicine), The team has 15+ other leading researchers and a who’s who in psychedelic or PTSD research. More will follow here.
Donations make this possible: Our aim €160,000
Your contribution is a voluntary gift to support the costs of our police retreat research project. No goods, services, access, or other benefits are provided in return for your contribution. Funds are used solely to cover project expenses based on real quotes and market-conform rates, including (where applicable): venue & accommodation, facilitation team, preparation & integration sessions, materials, logistics, safety & medical contingencies, administration, and research/documentation costs. If total contributions exceed the project budget, any surplus will be reserved for the same or closely related project objectives. Cost free access for police officers to our retreat.
Transparent Budget Breakdown: Every Euro Makes an Impact
To create this groundbreaking, safe retreat for 20 officers at no cost to them, we rely on mission-aligned donations. We operate on a not-for-participant-cost model, ensuring accessibility. The total program cost is €160,000, which breaks down to €8000 to sponsor one officer’s full journey. Below is an explanation of how funds are allocated to guarantee safety, excellence, and lasting change.
Working towards a retreat in spring 2026.
We are hard at work to make this uniquely safe retreat a reality.
With you!
OR
Donor Impact Tiers: Choose Your Level of Change
Make your impact tangible. Your donation directly funds specific components of this mission:
€100 // Fund a Safety & Preparation Kit: Covers the personal materials, guides, and resources for one officer to safely prepare for their journey
€1,000 // Sponsor a Day of Expert Care: Funds a full day of on-site support from our core clinical and guide team for the entire group.
€8,000 // Sponsor an Officer’s Full Journey: Covers the entire cost for one police officer to participate, including all therapy, integration, and stay.
Any Amount // Fuel the Mission: Directly supports our critical operational costs, legal framework, and outreach to make this first retreat a reality.
We are grateful you are even here. A little more with a little more, thanks!
Approximately 60% (€98,750) is dedicated to Direct Program & Safety. This is the largest portion, funding the retreat experience itself. It covers the luxury venue with private rooms and meals, specialized equine therapy led by an ex-officer, all ground transport, and, most critically, a high 1:3 guide-to-participant ratio for 24/7 support. This creates the physically and psychologically secure “container” necessary for deep introspective work.
Approximately 25% (€37,050) funds Expert Operations & Integration. This ensures the protocol is led and vetted by top professionals. It covers project management, legal risk mitigation, an on-site medical doctor, police safety consultants, therapy advisors, and a crucial commitment: over 80 hours of post-retreat integration coaching (€6,400). This long-term support is essential for helping officers turn insights into sustainable life changes.
Approximately 15% (€24,500) supports Outreach & Legacy. This portion funds the professional documentary and paid targeted outreach for press and ads. Our goal is to responsibly recruit suitable officers and document this pioneering work to shift the cultural conversation on mental health in law enforcement, creating benefits that extend far beyond the retreat itself.
Sponsors, Angels and Philanthropists
To fund this first ever psychedelic retreat for the police, we are looking for sponsors, neuro-tech product, mental health support app advertisers, investors or philanthropists who want to support our mission. Our community, the press and our retreat documentary can provide visibility for your aligned brand or mission.
Connect with our team here to schedule a call
Veterans about their first psilocybin session:
Therapeutic Training Offers
Are you a therapeutic professional at the police? We offer a psychedelic trip guide introduction training program.
We train therapeutic professionals to serve police officers. Train with experienced expert trip guides. We invite therapeutic police professionals to a introduction training retreat. Here you will become aware of the experience and most aspects around safety and holding space. We offer internship on our retreats to work with international police officers as part of the follow up training.
Sign up here for more information!
Are you a therapeutic professional at the police? We offer an Equine-assisted therapy training program.
We train horse coaches to serve police officers. Train with a former police officer. We invite therapeutic police professionals to a separate training retreat. Here you will become a certified equine coach, ready to serve other police officers. We offer internship on our retreats to work with international police officers.
Sign up here for more information!