Workshops/Groups/Events
Led by Jennifer Allen, local author of Bone Knowing, artist, art therapist (ATR-BC) and licensed psychotherapist (MFT).
If you’d like to receive notice when a workshop or group is offered please click here.
Upcoming Workshops:

Clinicians & Practitioners Experiential Integration Retreat
Those attending the retreat will have the option of an ongoing, year-long Growth Group where they engage in their personal unfoldment, commit to group process and learn skills to work with clients who request integration for ESA. This may include KAP clients who work with a KAP trained therapist for initial treatment and who need ongoing integration post home KAP sessions. * While this training is not a KAP training, it is a way to deepen that training and can be taken before or after it.
- Ceremony as Set, Setting and Integration.
- Spiritual emergence vs psychotic break.
- Basics on the legal use of ketamine for mental health
- Traditional psychotherapy vs integration.
- Respecting the client’s innate healing intelligence (inner healer).
- Theories/methods that lend themselves well to integration.
- Using Mythology vs Woundology perceptual shift.
- Art for Access integration technique.
- 3 categories of a client’s psycho-spiritual center of gravity.
Cristin and Jennifer are licensed therapists, graduates of the CIIS Certification in Psychedelic Therapy and Research program, full mesa-carriers and long-time students of Andean Cosmology and earth-based practices. Jennifer brings her art therapy and yoga to the mix and Cristin brings her experience in wilderness rites of passage and depth psychology, and Nia movement, making their offering creative, intuitive and connected to the natural world. Both are trained in and practice Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.
A professional medical provider, trained in ketamine therapy, will be present for and administer the ketamine.
The retreats take place at Kayru Lodge – a beautiful, private yurt at a Big Sur residence (25 min from Carmel). It is highly encouraged to stay on the land for the full experience. Limited to 12. Covid vaccinations/negative tests are strongly recommended. Current safety precautions will be observed. One healthy meal/day will be provided as well as coffee/teas. For more information and an application, please contact Jennifer or Cristin.
2024 rate $1,560. Early bird special – $1,460 (registering 3+ months prior), previous attendees $1,360. Payment instructions provided only after application has been confirmed. *Intake with medical provider is separate and between participant and medical provider.
Lodging options include a few paid private options or camping on the land/sleepingbag space in yurt (no fee).

Expanded States Integration – Ongoing Groups
Growing Corn with Expanded States of Consciousness
Whether you are exploring consciousness with psychedelics or experiencing other expanded states from methods like holotropic breathwork, integrating the experience can make the difference between having an “interesting” time and “growing corn.” The latter nourishes the soul, spirit and body with the growth possible in such an experience, no matter if it was pleasant or challenging.
The group creates a safe place to share your (ESA) experiences, integrate them, and grow not only yourself, but the group. We will use Shamanic drum journey, art process and writing to unfold the experience further while weaving it into daily life with practices. When we respect the medicines by fully integrating their messages, we are in “right relationship” and they can continue to teach us, well after the experience. Practices and information that support Set, Setting and Integration will be also be woven into the group experience. On site group: Tea and Art supplies provided. Bring a journal and eye shades. Space is limited to 12.
Jennifer brings her background of psychotherapy, art therapy, psychedelic assisted psychotherapy and shamanic/earth-based practices to this work. She will hold space and facilitate her Art for Access process, as well as introduce applicable practices and information.
Women Integrating States of Sacredness- Wisos
Saturdays Big Sur Monthly 9:30-1. – six month commitmen
2024 schedule (six month commitment)
Monthly Saturdays 2 -6pm unless otherwise noted
Winter -Spring: 1/6, 2/9 3/9 4/13, 5/11, 6/15
Summer-Fall: 7/6, 8/17 (all day retreat), 9/7, 10/19, 11/16
6 months: $375 ($350/$325 sliding scale). If you’d like to contribute to a scholarship fund for those needing it, extra payment will go to that fund. PayPal options will offer this option or note it on your venmo payment.
Please contact Jennifer with questions and before payment if you are a new member. Payment preferred options: Venmo: Jennifer-Allen-7. Check to 26485 Carmel Rancho bBvd suite #5 Carmel, CA. 93923 or Paypal below (adds 3%).

Women’s Wisdom Weaving Circle
Cultivating the Divine Feminine with Earth-Based practices, Creativity, Integration and Dreamwork
In a beautiful natural setting, we will gather and weave a collective wisdom basket through experiential learning and sharing. From connecting to the natural world, to drum journeys, to intuitive art process, to unfolding the medicine of your dreams, to connecting deeply with other women—Jennifer will introduce practices and hold space/facilitate this important weaving of women’s wisdom and integrating expanded states of consciousness.
Tea, light snacks and art supplies provided. Space is limited to 10. Contact Jennifer before registering to confirm availability. Jennifer brings her background of creativity, earth-based practices, Peruvian Shamanism and over 20 years of Medicine Wheel Women’s Council and practicing as a psychotherapist/art therapist.
2024 schedule (six month commitment)
Monthly Saturdays 2 -6pm unless otherwise noted
Winter -Spring: 1/6, 2/9 3/9 4/13, 5/11, 6/15
Summer-Fall: 7/6, 8/18 (all day retreat) Sunday, 9/7, 10/19, 11/16
6 months $400 ($350/ $325 sliding scale), If you’d like to contribute to a scholarship fund for those needing it, extra payment will go to that fund.
Please contact Jennifer with questions and before payment if you are a new member. Payment options: Venmo: Jennifer-Allen-7. Check to 26485 Carmel Rancho bBvd suite #5 Carmel, CA. 93923 or PayPal below (3% fee added).
Art Workshops

A day of Breathwork and Art
Exploring Expanded States of Consciousness
Our very own breath offers us an experience of Expanded State of Consciousness on par with those from psychedelics, the difference being that we can turn the volume up or down on the experience at will. This is an opportunity to safely explore expanded states with the insight and healing potentials they bring, in a well-held space. Music is a big part of this work and carries “breathers” through the experience from start to finish. Each participant will have a breathing session, time to integrate with art and an opportunity to “sit” for another breather. Contraindications: epilepsy, heart disease, detached retina, glaucoma, pregnancy, schizophrenia, stroke. If you have asthma- bring inhaler.
Saturday 7/25/20 9am-5:15 pm $150 (student/intern $95 repeat attendees $100) Please register by 3/1/2020.
A light, nutritious lunch & art supplies provided. Bring journal. Dress comfortably in layers. *Due to COVID-19 restrictions (which may change as we near this date), space is limited to 10, (5 breathers at at time), dispersed at safe distances inside and outside, with sitters wearing masks at a distance. Once registered, your will receive confirmation, directions, and a health questionnaire. If you have questions, please contact Jennifer. Cancelation policy: 3+ weeks = 75% refund, 2-3weeks = 50% refund, no refund less than 2 weeks. Jennifer will lead on her own with 6 or less people.
Jennifer Allen, LMFT, ATR-BC and Cristin DeVine, LMFT will facilitate this workshop. Both Jennifer and Cristin have certification in Psychedelic Therapies and Research from California Institute of Integral Studies. Jennifer is currently training in Holotropic Breathwork and is trained in ketamine assisted therapy. Cristin is a trained Vision Quest Guide and in Soul Craft work and Imago therapy for couples. Both Cristin and Jennifer have private practices in Carmel and have extensive experience in earth-based traditions and Andean Cosmology and bring a shamanic component to the breathwork.

Psychedelic Integration
Growing Corn with Your Expanded States of Consciousness (ESC)
Whether you are exploring consciousness with psychedelics or experiencing other expanded states from methods like holotropic breathwork, vision quest, or dreams, integrating the experience can make the difference between having an “interesting” time and “growing corn.” The latter nourishes the mind, body and soul with the growth possible in such an experience, no matter if it was pleasant or challenging.
The workshop uses shamanic drum journey, felt-sense, art, writing and ritual to unfold the experience further and integrating the learning into daily life with ESC informed practices. When we respect the medicines/ESC by fully integrating their messages, we are in “right relationship” and they can continue to teach us, well after the experience.
We will also cover basic harm-reduction education about psychedelics, including the importance of Set, Setting and Integration.
2/1/19 9:30-4 $150. Snacks & art supplies provided. Bring a bag lunch & journal. Space is limited to 10.
Future dates TBD
Licensed therapists will learn experientially how this process applies to clients and will receive a handout to assist them in their practice. 6 CEUs for 1-day (BBS provider #4493) Jennifer Allen is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs and interns. Jennifer maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Unveiling the Dream
Cultivating Dream Medicine Through Shamanic Journey, Art and Writing
In our dreamtime, we are gifted gems from our soul —of healing, wisdom, guidance, and growth. Often, they dissolve upon waking into the busy world, not having a chance to inform our lives—or they are left as interesting stories that are never integrated into our conscious reality. In this 4-hour experiential workshop, you will learn how to organize your dream in 3 steps, re-enter it, take it to the next level, glean the gems, and enrich your life with new practices. No experience necessary. Just bring a dream – recent or past.
No art experience necessary. One-day 9:30-4 $150. Snacks and art supplies provided. Bring a bag lunch & journal. Space is limited to 10.
Licensed therapists will learn experientially how this process applies to clients and will receive a packet to assist them in their practice. 6 CEUs for 1-day (BBS provider #4493) Jennifer Allen is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs and interns. Jennifer maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Drawing from Nature
Where Inner and Outer Worlds Meet
The natural world offers an abundance of sensory metaphors that teach us about ourselves, as we take the time to deepen our connection to it through the practice of drawing and painting nature. There is no need to “know how,” only a willingness to trust the creative process. Meditative observation shifts our vision. We “see” with new eyes, allowing inner and outer worlds to meet and begin weaving together scattered threads of our lives with new meaning. Using the four directions of the Medicine Wheel as ways to see, we allow ourselves to be moved by the nature world.
No art experience necessary. One-day 9:30-4 $150. Snacks and art supplies provided. Bring a bag lunch & journal. Wear layers and a hat. Space is limited to eight.
Licensed therapists will learn experientially how this process applies to clients and will receive a packet to assist them in their practice. 6 CEUs for 1-day (BBS provider #4493) Jennifer Allen is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs and interns. Jennifer maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Wild Heart Painting
Creating Unique Expressions for Gifting
Step 1: Paint like nobody’s watching. Learn how to let music help you channel emotions to the page.
Step 2: Be surprised by how many mini paintings are inside each painting and how to intuit who to gift each one to.
Step 3: Let the image help you to find the right words.
Step 4: Fire up the heart and send some meaningful gifts!
Dance your paint and create gift cards that are genuine and personal. I will be your guide with mixed media techniques and practices that help access open-hearted expression. Dissolve creative blocks, give from the heart.
No art experience necessary. One-day 9:30-4 $150. Snacks and art supplies provided. Bring a bag lunch & journal. Space is limited to 10.
Licensed therapists will learn experientially how this process applies to clients and will receive a packet to assist them in their practice. 6 CEUs for 1-day (BBS provider #4493) Jennifer Allen is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs and interns. Jennifer maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Bone Knowing
Accessing Inner Wisdom Through Art Process, Felt Sense, & Writing
What do you know deep in your bones? In the fast-paced world we live in, it can be difficult to access the wisdom we yearn for to guide us in relationships, life challenges, and creative blocks. Working from the “bones-up,” residual inhibitions around creativity drop away as we leave the realm of thought and enter the body for guidance via “felt-sense.” From this place of presence, creating is spontaneous and opens access to knowing beyond our thinking mind. Imagery is explored further through writing & group sharing.
No art experience necessary. One-day 9:30-4 $150. Snacks and art supplies provided. Bring a bag lunch & journal. Space is limited to eight.
Licensed therapists will learn experientially how this process applies to clients and will receive a packet to assist them in their practice. 6 CEUs for 1-day (BBS provider #4493) Jennifer Allen is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs and interns. Jennifer maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Following Your Own Thread

Grief Tending
Using Art and Ritual
Loss is a universal human experience. Whether it is a loss of a dear one, a relationship, a home, or health, grief is the response. Too often we avoid grief, believing there isn’t a place or time to support it. When grief gets pushed down, it saps our energy. The irony is that the very feeling we fear can be the doorway to healing, transformation, and being fully alive. Take the time to open the door and tend to your grief while being held in the nurturing environment of the canyon yurt. We will use life-affirming creativity, sensing into the body, ritual, and writing to encourage and support transformative movement through the grief you have been carrying—no matter how long it has been. Participants’ experiences are enriched through witnessing and being witnessed by other group members.
No art experience necessary. One-day 9:30-4 $150. Snacks and art supplies provided. Bring a bag lunch & journal. Space is limited to 10.
Licensed therapists will learn experientially how this process applies to clients and will receive a packet to assist them in their practice. 6 CEUs for 1-day (BBS provider #4493) Jennifer Allen is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs and interns. Jennifer maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Friday Morning Express Workshop
The Art of Using Art in Your Practice
Meet one Friday morning a month with a small group of colleagues and get comfortable with using art in your practice. 4 session series with focus on:
Why media matters, using art to build and assess relationship, resourcing with art and bilateral stimulation, promoting emotional literacy with art, using art to support your client’s grief process, and somatic art process. Art application for adults, children and families. This is a hands-on experiential class, with didactic content and consult/case examples. Bring creativity into your life and practice!
Licensed therapists only. No art experience needed. 4-pack series $300 16 CEs limited to 8 (BBS provider #4493) Jennifer Allen is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs and interns. Jennifer maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.
Testimonials
Jennifer was present, loving, and clear.
Jennifer was outstanding. I would definitely recommend this workshop. It is a ‘must attend’ for therapists.
Contact Jennifer
Do you have questions? Use the form below to get in touch with me.
Address
26485 Carmel Rancho Blvd.,
Suite 5
Carmel, CA 93923
Call
(831) 277-9348
boneknowing@gmail.com