Altered States Retreat Experience | Port Stephens, NSW
Description
Unlock A Life of Meaning, Fulfilment & Freedom
Come as you are. Remember who you are.
If you've been feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, disconnected, stuck or searching for answers, you're not alone.
Many people arrive at the Altered States Experience carrying stress, anxiety, burnout, grief, uncertainty or a quiet feeling that there must be more to life than simply getting through each day.
What they discover is far more than a retreat.
Through a carefully curated combination of breathwork, nervous system education, movement, bodywork, immersive experiences, nature and community, you'll gain a deeper understanding of yourself, practical tools for lasting change and the opportunity to reconnect with who you truly are.
This isn't about escaping your life. It's about returning to it with greater clarity, confidence, resilience and purpose.
A Transformational Experience Designed For Lasting Change
For 4 immersive days, you'll be guided through a powerful sequence of experiences designed to help you build resilience, expand your awareness, release limiting patterns and reconnect with the most authentic version of yourself.
And unlike most retreats, the journey doesn't end when you leave.
Encapsulated within an additional 8-week program, you'll receive ongoing support, guidance and connection to help turn insights into lasting transformation.
Many participants arrive believing they are broken. They leave understanding themselves.
What You'll Take Home
• A deeper understanding of your nervous system and how to regulate it
• Practical breathwork tools you can use for life
• Greater resilience during stress and challenge
• Increased confidence and self-awareness
• Healthier boundaries and a clearer sense of self
• A supportive community of like-minded people
• Greater clarity, purpose and direction
• An 8-week integration pathway to support lasting change
.... and so much more.
Is This Retreat For You?
This experience may be for you if:
• You feel stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected from yourself
• You're navigating burnout, anxiety, grief or a major life transition
• You've tried countless approaches but still feel like something is missing
• You're seeking clarity, purpose and direction
• You're curious about consciousness, personal growth and how to harness the power of your nervous system.
• You want practical tools that support real-life change
Past participants have ranged from 18 to 80 years old, including professionals, psychologists, business owners, tradespeople, retirees, parents, students and complete beginners.
You don't need experience.
You don't need to be spiritual.
You simply need to be open to the possibility that something more is available for you.
Understanding Yourself Through Your Nervous System
Many people spend years believing they are broken.
What if your body has simply been responding exactly as it was designed to?
One of the most powerful aspects of the Altered States Experience is learning how your nervous system works, why it responds the way it does and how to consciously regulate it to break out of a state of fight-flight-or-freeze.
Participants often describe this understanding as life changing, providing answers and clarity they have been seeking for years.
For many participants, this understanding becomes the missing piece that finally helps them make sense of years of anxiety, overwhelm, burnout or feeling stuck.
Why This Retreat Is Different
Many retreats offer powerful experiences.
What makes Altered States different is the intentional way every element has been woven together to create a complete transformational journey.
Each activity, workshop, discussion and experience has been carefully curated to support a specific outcome.
Nothing is included by accident.
Drawing upon years of study in neuroscience, nervous system regulation, breathwork, consciousness, human behaviour and transformational practices, Gene Kelly has created an experience that addresses the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of being human.
While each modality is powerful in its own right, it is the way they are intentionally woven together that creates the greatest impact.
The result is not simply inspiration.
The result is lasting change.
Participants consistently report feeling lighter, calmer, more confident, more resilient and more connected to themselves long after the retreat has ended.
Many leave with answers they have been searching for for years.
Others discover parts of themselves they never knew existed.
Many people arrive searching for answers.
What surprises them is that they leave with answers to questions they didn't even know they were asking.
Your Experience Includes:
Altered States Breathwork
Access expanded states of awareness and consciousness through the power of your own breath. Our powerful guided breathwork sessions are designed to help you move beyond the analytical mind, access deeper levels of consciousness and connect with insights that are hidden beneath the noise of everyday life.
Rebirthing Breathwork
Release old patterns and reconnect with who you truly are. This is a profound breathwork process that supports emotional release, nervous system regulation and personal transformation while creating space for new possibilities to emerge.
Body Work & Fascia Release
Release what the body has been holding onto.
Learn how stress, emotions and life experiences can become stored within the body and discover techniques to restore freedom, movement and connection.
Music of the Plants Sound Journey
Experience the hidden intelligence of nature.
Immerse yourself in a unique sound journey where the frequencies of living plants are translated into music, creating a deeply relaxing and profound experience of connection with the natural world that vibrates within.
Tribal Drumming Session with Kaya Boom
Awaken energy, rhythm and connection.
Experience the power of rhythm to bring people together, cultivate presence and play and reconnect with the simple joy of being fully alive.
Fire Walk Ceremony
Step beyond fear and discover what's possible.
A powerful ceremonial experience that challenges limiting beliefs and demonstrates the extraordinary capacity of the human mind when supported by intention, courage and community.
Ice Bath Experience
Build resilience through conscious discomfort.
Learn how to remain calm and present under pressure while developing practical skills for nervous system regulation and emotional resilience.
Nature & Movement
Reconnect with yourself through nature.
Slow down, breathe deeply and reconnect with the natural rhythms that support wellbeing, presence and clarity.
Daily Lion's Mane Mushrooms & Cacao
Discover the fascinating science behind one of nature's most researched functional mushrooms and its potential role in supporting cognitive health, clarity and focus. Combined with daily ceremonial cacao, this experience encourages presence, intention and deeper connection throughout the retreat journey.
Connection & Community
You arrive as strangers. You leave as something more.
One of the most unexpected gifts of the Altered States Experience is the depth of connection that forms between participants.
People arrive from all walks of life carrying different stories, challenges and aspirations. Through shared experiences, genuine conversations and a safe environment, meaningful connections emerge.
Many participants arrive knowing no one.
Many leave with lifelong friendships.
The sense of belonging and acceptance becomes one of the most treasured aspects of the retreat experience.
Accomodation & Nourishment
A Sanctuary For Transformation
Set amongst nature and overlooking a tranquil billabong, The Oasis provides the ideal environment to slow down, breathe deeply and reconnect with yourself.
Beautiful accommodation, peaceful surroundings and nourishing all-inclusive chef prepared meals create the conditions for rest, reflection and integration.
Every aspect of the environment has been chosen to support your journey.
The environment itself becomes part of the experience.
Nourish Your Body & Soul
Throughout your stay you'll enjoy freshly prepared, whole-food meals to nourish your body and soul.
These meals (often the talk of the retreat!) are designed to lower inflammation and provide your body with the nutrients it needs for sustained energy and accessing new levels of vitality!
Our team is experienced in catering to all dietary requirements and will be more than happy to ensure your individual needs are met.
The Retreat Ends. The Transformation Continues.
8 Weeks of Support
Many retreats provide powerful experiences.
Few provide the support needed to turn those experiences into lasting change.
That's why prior to the retreat, and following the retreat, participants receive 4 weeks of integration support, resources and coaching designed to help embed new insights, behaviours and ways of being into everyday life.
This ongoing support helps participants navigate challenges, deepen their understanding, reconnect, ask questions and continue growing long after they leave the retreat environment.
Because transformation doesn't happen in a weekend.
It happens through integration.
Meet Your Facilitator Team
Gene Kelly
Founder | Breathwork Facilitator | Human Transformation Guide
Gene Kelly is the founder of Altered States Experience and has dedicated more than 15 years to studying what helps people heal, grow and reconnect with themselves.
Having experienced his own rock bottom, Gene understands firsthand what it feels like to be lost, overwhelmed and searching for answers. That journey ignited a lifelong passion for understanding human behaviour, consciousness, nervous system regulation, breathwork and personal transformation.
Over the years, Gene has supported thousands of people through transformational experiences and developed a reputation for his extraordinary ability to make people feel safe, understood and supported. Participants often describe feeling seen in a way they have never experienced before.
What makes Gene unique is not simply his knowledge, but his ability to translate complex concepts into practical tools that create meaningful and lasting change. Through a carefully curated combination of science-backed education, learning and profound personal insight, he helps people better understand themselves and unlock new possibilities for their lives.
Every element of the Altered States Experience has been intentionally designed by Gene to support genuine transformation, long after the retreat itself has ended.
His mission is simple: to help people reconnect with who they truly are and discover that they are far more capable, resilient and extraordinary than they realise.
Participants frequently describe Gene's greatest gift as his ability to make people feel completely safe, deeply understood and genuinely supported, allowing transformation to occur naturally.
Joshua Tree
Sound Journey Facilitator | Multi-Instrumentalist
Joshua is a gifted sound journey facilitator and multi-instrumentalist whose music forms an integral part of the Altered States Experience.
Drawing inspiration from nature, vibration and the subtle energy within each moment, Josh creates immersive soundscapes that help participants move beyond the thinking mind and into deeper states of presence, connection and self discovery.
Far more than background music, Josh's intuitive ability to connect with the energy of the room allows him to craft a unique musical experience that supports and enhances the transformational work taking place throughout the retreat.
Blending organic sounds, rhythm, melody and healing frequencies, his music creates a powerful bridge between the heart and mind. Many participants describe his sessions as one of the most unexpected and profound aspects of the retreat experience, something not simply heard, but deeply felt.
Through his humble presence and extraordinary artistry, Josh helps create moments that stay with participants long after the retreat has ended.
Clara Marri
Somatic Healing Practitioner | Bodywork Facilitator
Clara Marri brings a deeply nurturing presence and a wealth of experience in body based healing practices to the Altered States Experience.
With extensive training in breathwork, somatic healing, sound and energy work, yoga and Zenthai Shiatsu Therapy, Clara supports participants to reconnect with their bodies, release stored tension and access a greater sense of ease, freedom and wellbeing.
Known for her warmth, compassion and genuine care, Clara has a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, supported and safe. Her intuitive approach allows participants to soften into their experience, often uncovering insights and healing that can only emerge when the body feels truly supported.
Having spent years studying and facilitating transformational healing work, Clara brings both knowledge and heart to every interaction. Whether guiding a session or offering quiet support behind the scenes, her presence is felt throughout the retreat experience.
Participants consistently describe Clara as someone who genuinely cares, creating an environment where healing feels natural, accessible and deeply human.
Questions? We're here to help.
Do you think this experience could be exactly what you're looking for, but you're not quite sure?
We are more than happy to have a chat, answer any questions and see if this program is the right fit for you.
You can book an obligation free discovery call by using the contact host function of this platform.
FAQs
- How many participants will there be?
This experience is limited to a maximum of 20 participants.
- Can you tell me more about the 8 weeks of support?
This 4-day retreat that includes 8 weeks of support, coaching and guidance to help foster lasting positive change in the lives of our participants.
It includes a 4-week Pre-Retreat Group Preparation Program followed by a 4-week Post-Retreat Group Integration Program.
It is the result of 15+ years of research on the nervous system, neuroscience, consciousness, breathwork and the science of human transformation. It addresses the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual dimensions of the human experience and has been curate into a completely life-changing experience.
- Are meals and accomodation included?
Yes, this experience is all-inckusive.
The ticket price includes 4-days/3-nights accomodation, all meals, all sessions, the 4-week Pre-Retreat Preparation Program and the 4-week Post-Retreat Integration Program.
The only thing not included is your travel arrangements.
- What kind of food will there be?
We use nutritious whole foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. There is minimal processing or sugar and we enthusiastically cater to all dietary requirements.
- Do you cater to dietary requirements?
Absolutely. We happily cater to all dietary requirements. Prior to the retreat you will receive a questionnaire regarding your preferred foods and individual needs.
- What is the accomodation Like?
The retreat is taking place at The Oasis in One Mile Beach, Port Stephens.
It is a beautiful, private sanctuary that will be exclusive to participants of the Altered States Retreat.
Dwellings consist of spacious cabins with a fridge, kettle, microwave and shared bathroom.
Participants who opt for a private room will have a private downstairs room, while those opting for the share option will stay in the spacious and comfortable upstairs loft.
- Can I have a private room?
Yes, private room options are available for $2500 + GST.
Shared room options are available for $2000 + GST.
- Will there be psychedelics?
No, there will not be any use of psychedelics or any other illegal substances at this retreat.
This retreat is a drug and alcohol free experience.
- How much time/effort is required to prepare?
The retreat preparation program consists of a one-hour online Zoom group session per week for 4 weeks before the retreat.
The integration program consists of a one-hour online Zoom group session per week for 4 weeks after the retreat. 4 weeks after the retreat.
Attendance is not mandatory.
In addition to these group sessions, participants are encouraged to make 10-20 minutes per day available for their preparation/integration practises, which includes a daily guided breathwork recording.
- When does the preparation program begin?
The Pre-Retreat Preparation Program will begin the week of August 24th, 2026 (four weeks out from the Retreat).
- Do I have to do the preparation program?
The Pre-Retreat Preparation Program is optional but highly encouraged for those who want to get the most out of the experience.
It has been purposefully designed to be adapted to the needs and capacity of each individual in order to avoid creating unnecessary stress.
- Are payment plans available?
Yes, a payment plan can be arranged to suit your situation. However, an initial non-refundable deposit of $500.00 is required to secure your spot and the remainder of the ticket cost must be paid by August 31st, 2026.
- Do I have to do the fire walk?
No. Empowerment is the key to this experience and for some the more empowering thing to do is say "NO!" to experiences they don't resonate with.
However, even if you don't walk on the coals, you are expected to be present during the ceremony in an act of solidarity with the other participants.
- Do I have to do the ice bath?
No. Empowerment is the key to this experience and for some the more empowering thing to do is say "NO!" to experiences they don't resonate with.
However, even if you don't immerse in the ice, you are expected to be present during the experience in an act of solidarity with the other participants.
- What if I've never done breathwork before?
That's no problem. This program is accessible to all levels of experience. Our facilitators have spent many years working with people with different needs, skills and levels of experience. You will be guided safely and professionally throughout the entire program.
- Which airport should I fly to?
The closest airport is Newcastle airport. It is approximately 30 minutes from the retreat venue. We are happy to arrange a pick up for you from Newcastle airport at no extra cost.
- Can I be picked up from the airport?
Yes, we can arrange for you to be picked up from Newcastle airport on the day of the retreat and dropped off on the final day at no extra cost.
- What if I have medical issues?
This question should be answered on a case-by-case basis. Our facilitators have a wealth of experience working with people with different medical considerations.
Most medical conditions are not contra-indicated by this kind of work, however, you are invited to book a call with Gene using the booking system at the bottom of this page to determine if this retreat is right for you.
- I'm not sure if this is right for me, is there anyone I can talk to?
Absolutely. You can book an obligation-free call with Gene by using the event host function to discuss your unique needs and determine if this experience is right for you.
- Is smoking permitted on site?
Smokers must use the designated smoking areas and ensure there are no strong odors on their clothing or person (the same applies to strong perfumes and deodorants).
- Are pets allowed on site?
Pet-friendly accomodation can be arranged for a small additional fee as long as pet-owners agree with the venue's common sense pet-related rules.
Please book a call to discuss your unique circumstance.
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