The Compassionate Return:

A Fall/Winter Deep Healing Immersion

Meeting twice a month on Fridays or Saturdays for 2-3 hours, September thru December (8 sessions)

"You are not broken. You are breaking open." — Alex Elle

Do you ever feel as though you are carrying several different versions of yourself, each trying its best to keep you afloat? One moment, you are the steady professional or the devoted caregiver; the next, a weary inner critic takes over; or you’re visited by a quiet, heavy sense of “not being
enough”. These aren’t flaws to be fixed—they are tired parts of you that have been working so hard for so long.

Whether you are navigating the complexities of motherhood, the demands of a career, or the tender landscape of your own heart, this 8-week journey offers a pathway home to yourself. By weaving together the gentle wisdom of Internal Family Systems (IFS) with the heart-opening support of psycholytic ketamine, we create a sacred space for your most protective parts to
finally soften.

Drawing on the principles of Richard Schwartz’s No Bad Parts and the emotional resonance of Jessica Tomich’s When Good Moms Feel Bad, this immersion uses low-dose ketamine as a compassionate bridge. It gently quiets the internal noise, allowing you to move past the struggle and into a state of calm, self-led clarity. This is more than a group; it is a dedicated invitation for all women to stop the internal battle and begin the journey of truly befriending every part of who they are.

The 8-Week Path

Weeks 1–2:
Mapping the Inner Landscape
The Foundation of Safety & Curiosity

Weeks 3–6:
The Rhythm of Opening & Grounding

The Medicine Sessions: The “Opening”

The 8-Week Path

Weeks 1–2: Mapping the Inner Landscape

The Foundation of Safety & Curiosity

Before we enter the medicine space, we spend two weeks gently getting to know the “neighborhood” of your internal world. This is the phase of Befriending.

  • Honoring Your Protectors: We begin by identifying the “Managers” and “Firefighters” who have been working overtime to keep you safe—the inner critic, the tireless perfectionist, or the parts that numb out when life feels like too much.
  • Creating the Internal Map: Instead of seeing these parts as obstacles, we map them with curiosity. We learn where they live in your body and what they are afraid would happen if they ever stopped their “jobs”.
  • Seeking Permission: In the spirit of No Bad Parts, we don’t bypass these protectors. We build a bridge of trust with them, ensuring they feel safe enough to step back when the medicine begins, knowing that your Self is ready to lead.

Weeks 3–6: The Rhythm of Opening & Grounding

During these core weeks, we move into a gentle, alternating rhythm. We recognize that deep healing requires both the courage to open and the time to land.

The Medicine Sessions: The "Opening"

In these sessions, we use a psycholytic dose of ketamine as a sacred pause for your protective parts.

  • Softening the Guard: The medicine gently invites your “Managers” (the planners and the critics) to take a seat in the waiting room, allowing your system to finally exhale.
  • Direct Connection: With the internal noise quieted, you enter a state of deep Self-to Part communication. You will have the rare opportunity to meet your younger or more burdened parts with a level of compassion and clarity that is often hard to access in everyday life.
  • The Internal Dialogue: This is not a “trip” but a focused, heart-centered meeting where you can listen to what your parts truly need.

The Integration Sessions: The "Grounding"

Following each medicine journey, we gather for a dedicated Integration Session. If the medicine is the “opening”, integration is the weaving.

  • Translating the Wisdom: We take the feelings, images, or “ah-ha” moments from your journey and help you translate them into the language of your daily life.
  • Tending the Soil: We discuss how to support the parts you met. If a “Perfectionist” part agreed to relax during the medicine, how can we help her stay relaxed when you go back to work or home to your family?
  • Shared Resonance: By sharing our experiences in the safety of the circle, we realize that our “private” struggles are actually universal threads of the female experience.

Why this Alternating Rhythm?

“Healing isn’t just about the “big moments” of insight; it’s about how we carry those insights back into the kitchen, the boardroom, and the bedroom. The integration sessions ensure that the peace you find during the medicine becomes a permanent resident in your heart.”

Weeks 7–8: The Radiant Return

Unburdening, Breath, and Creative Integration

After our medicine journeys, we enter the final phase of Transformation. This is where the shifts you’ve experienced become a permanent part of who you are as a woman, a leader, and a caregiver.

  • The Breath of Release: We integrate Holotropic Breathwork, using the power of your own breath to reach the deeper layers of the “Exiles”—those tender, younger parts who have carried the weight of “not being enough” for years. This somatic practice allows for a final, physical release of old burdens.
  • The Art of Expression: We move beyond words by using intuitive art and creative reflection. By giving your parts a visual voice, you anchor your internal shifts into a tangible form, creating a “talisman” of your healing to take home with you.
  • The Unburdened Life: We focus on the “Return”—bringing the calm, clear energy of your Self back into your daily roles. You will learn how to stay connected to your internal family even in the midst of a busy household or a high-pressure career, moving from a life of “reactive surviving” to a life of compassionate thriving.

FAQ: The Ketamine & IFS Process

What is a "Psycholytic" dose?

Unlike a “psychedelic” dose which can be a full “out-of-body” experience, a psycholytic dose is lower. It is designed to keep you present and able to engage in”Parts Work”. You remain conscious and capable of dialogue, but with a significantly lowered “defensive wall”, making it easier to meet your parts with compassion.

It is very common for “Manager” parts to feel nervous about losing control. In the first two weeks, we work specifically with those anxious parts to gain their “permission” for the medicine sessions. We honor every “No” from your system; we never bypass a protector.

No. While we use Jessica Tomich’s insights to understand the specific “Good Girl/Good Mom” burdens women carry, this group is for any woman. The medicine and the model work together to address the universal “Exiles” of inadequacy, loneliness, or shame that many women carry beneath the surface.

The goal isn’t just to have a “good trip”.  The goal is Integration. By meeting your parts in an expanded state of consciousness, you create a new “neurological template” for self-compassion.

You return to your life (and your family) with a more regulated nervous system and a “Self” that is back in the driver’s seat.

"Ketamine doesn't do the work for you; it creates the space so your SELF can do the work."

Safety and Care
Read and Discover

Are you ready to CHANGE your life NOW?

A Message from My Heart to Yours

Dear One,

If you are reading this and feeling a mix of hope and a little bit of “protective” fear, please know that you are already doing the work. That flutter in your chest is simply a part of you wondering if it’s finally safe to lay down the heavy armor you’ve been wearing for years.

As women, we are so often the “holders” for everyone else. We hold the schedules, the heartaches, the households, and the high expectations. The Compassionate Return was created because I believe you deserve a space where someone holds that container for you. In this group, you don’t have to “do” anything perfectly. You don’t have to be a “good” student of IFS or a “successful” patient. You only need to bring your curiosity and your tired parts. I promise to meet you with a heart that is wide open and a space that is judgment-free. We aren’t here to fix you—because you aren’t broken. We are simply here to help you remember the beautiful, calm, and capable woman who has been there all along, just waiting for a little quiet so she can lead you home.

I am so honored to walk this path beside you.

With warmth and compassion,

Kim Valdes, LPC, RPT, KAP

HeartWay Coaching:

Mental Health, Your Way

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