Winter-2022

154 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 says certain programs at Esalen are again flour- ishing. “One thing you would have found at Esalen in the ‘60s, and will find again today (but not in the intervening 40 years), is a robust reassessment of the value (as well as risks) of psychedelics for healing and personal growth. This work, which was explored at Esalen and elsewhere in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, has been criminal- ized or shunned by virtually all university and medical research centers for many years.” Until now. The tide is changing and Esalen is choos- ing to, once again, be at its forefront. Retreats on emerg- ing practices for microdosing are offered, but so are sessions on photography (some taught by the Bianchettas) and painting, strengthening inti- mate relationships, yoga, spiritual awareness, dance, and massage therapy certification. A dose of solace was being sought by Ashley Morgan of Los Angeles, when she attended a workshop in May of 2022. “My experience was almost like going to summer camp at the mytho- logical Mount Olympus. At Esalen, you watch otters play while you’re taking a hot bath on a cliff overlooking the ocean.There’s nothing like it.”The 30-year-old television producer was nursing a broken heart, and didn’t expect such profundity from her retreat.“Quickly, all of the other partic- ipants in my workshop, and even random strangers on the property, embraced me and made me feel heard, allowed me to cry in their arms, and just connected with me on such a deep level I didn’t know was possible from people I don’t know. I even let an 80-year-old man cry in my arms, too.The community and the space for creating is one of the most beautiful things I’ve experienced, set upon the most beautiful loca- tion imaginable. I felt like this is what humanity is all about, this is how we are meant to exist and connect.” Morgan also benefited from the meld- ing of people she may have never met on the “outside.” “My favorite part of the experience was the variety of attendees. I was in the cheap- est room (the sleeping bag room) with three very different people, as well as taking work- shops with people I would not usually be inter- acting with. Tech executives, war veterans, doc- tors, writers, musicians—we were so different but we all coexisted and took care of each other so beautifully.” Cynthia Bianchetta has savored this aspect for almost 40 years. “Here you find a gathering of people seeking respite from weary worlds. It welcomes you to experience your tears and laughter as a release and healing balm that allows you to return back up the hill to ‘the world’ with a greater renewal of your soul.” Esalen is also a magical place for locals. It was a treasured secret that you could enter the hot springs around midnight for a discounted rate if you had a Monterey County ID.As a young news reporter at KSBW-TV in the early 1990s, there were nights following the 11 o’clock newscast Browsing the online catalog of options, visitors can choose from accommodation as simple as renting a sleeping bag in a common room to settling into an upscale space that resembles a cliffside home. Everything on the 120-acre campus is encompassed by stunning, natural beauty. Once visitors take in the views and the fresh ocean air and settle in, they can get to the “work” of improving their human experience. Photo: Jess-Siller