Hi Community,

We are so excited to share with you our second Integration Bush walk.

Our intention is to take the principles of our usual circles and … integrate … them into a bush walk. We will take a small group of up to twelve people for a ~8km there and back hike on Saturday morning the 2nd of July. There will be:

Some walking in silence
Times pause and share around the circle
Light snacks and morning tea on the trail
A welcoming, inclusive vibe

Our intention is to create a safe, non-judgemental and confidential environment for anyone seeking to integrate a past experience, or learn more before they participate in one in the future. We hope to support you, and ourselves, to deepen our relationship with the natural world.

We acknowledge that recreational use of psychedelics continues despite a long history of criminalisation. The group does not encourage or condone recreational use but we do provide harm minimisation support and psycho-education to those who make their own choice to do this. That said, please respect that this hike is not the time for substances (excluding caffeine at morning tea!). The circle will focus on sharing tools and techniques to work through past or future experiences, guiding members through a process of reflection and action, with a particular focus on integration through nature connection.

Please be aware that this is a moderately difficult hike, over at times steep and rocky terrain. We will be departing from Jorgensen Park Carpark at 8:00am Sharp, and taking a trail along the Bibbulmun track. While the walk is around 8km, we anticipate that it will take the group approximately 5 hours; including plenty of time for stillness, reflection and group chats. We will finish up at around 1:00pm, back at the Jorgensen car park. Please check in with yourself if this is right for you and your fitness levels.

If this feels right for you, please follow this booking link, which includes medical and consent form, and read our event info to ensure you wear/pack all you need for the journey. We will be in touch to confirm your attendance!!

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Your facilitators will be Lara Bertolino and Tobias Penno:

Dr Lara Bertolino is a Clinical Psychologist who merges evidence-based psychological therapy with the therapeutic value of nature. She provides walk and talk therapy sessions through her private practice, Liminal Place, using nature and hiking to help people better connect with themselves and their bodies, build values-driven goals, and integrate these into meaningful change in their lives. Lara has remote first aid training and has also worked as a hiking tour guide; she will be carrying a first aid kit along with us, but your safety and preparedness is ultimately your responsibility.

Tobias Penno is an Emotional Health Practitioner & Social Worker with a background in Government Child Protection and Counselling. After years of professionally managing extreme child, family and relationship stress, Tobias has found his passion in healing Emotional Pain & Trauma through the body. Tobias is currently supporting clients two days per week in his private practice, and working on his PhD three days per week, keeping a finger on the pulse of practice and research. Tobias wrote an award-winning dissertation titled How Ayahuasca Offers Psychosocial Wellbeing and is now working on a research project investigating the role of the therapist in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.