What’s Included in a Vision Quest

People ask me this a lot.

Sometimes it comes at the end of a long conversation. Sometimes it comes quietly, almost cautiously. Sometimes it’s a text that simply says, “Can you tell me what’s actually included?”

And I understand the question.

A Vision Quest doesn’t fit neatly into the language we usually use for experiences. It’s not a workshop. It’s not a retreat. It’s not something you drop into and check off a list.

So when people ask what’s included, what they’re really asking is how this is held, how they’re supported, and what happens before and after the time on the land.

Here’s my honest answer.

The Vision Quest is not a single event. It’s a multi-month container designed to prepare you, meet you at the threshold, and support you as you integrate what comes through. From the first preparation call to the final integration session, the experience spans roughly three months, and in many cases continues long after that in quieter, less visible ways.

Before we ever step into the wilderness, there is preparation.

Each participant receives two hours of private, one-on-one coaching with me. One hour happens before the Quest. We slow things down. We clarify intentions. We listen for what is asking to be seen, released, or remembered. This isn’t about performance or goal setting. It’s about preparing the nervous system and the inner landscape so the experience can actually land.

The second hour happens after the Quest, during the integration phase. This is where meaning begins to take shape. We translate what emerged into lived reality, into decisions, boundaries, and next steps that are grounded and sustainable.

Alongside the individual work, there is group preparation and integration. We meet as a group one month before the Quest, again two weeks before, then ten days after, and once more thirty days after.

These calls matter more than people expect.

They support honest preparation, help with re-entry into daily life, and create space for insight to continue unfolding once the intensity of the experience has passed.

Then there is the Vision Quest experience itself.

It’s a six-day, fully guided wilderness experience held in a remote natural setting. We camp. We live simply. The outer structure is intentionally pared back so something deeper can come forward.

All food is included, prepared with care from the highest-quality ingredients we can source, many from our farm and trusted local partners. There is a guided fast during the Quest, followed by a gentle breaking of the fast on the morning of Day Four.

That evening, we share a deeply nourishing communal feast.

The experience is held by two guides, one of whom is me. Together we hold the ceremonial, logistical, and safety container throughout. There are clear agreements, safety plans, and protocols in place, and the group size is intentionally kept small so the work can go deep while remaining safe.

Support doesn’t stop when we leave the land.

Participants are connected through a private WhatsApp group used for communication, reflection, and support before and after the Quest. There is continued follow-up and availability as life resumes and the experience integrates.

Each participant also receives a few physical anchors.

Everyone receives The Vision Quest Handbook, a guide I wrote to support preparation, ceremony, and integration before, during, and after the Quest. It’s practical, reflective, and meant to be returned to over time.

Participants also receive a hand-crafted medicine bundle that includes a handmade leather pouch, sage and copal gathered from the land, and a bracelet marking the threshold crossed.

These aren’t souvenirs.
They’re reminders.

And then there’s the part that’s hardest to explain.

The container doesn’t really end.

The bonds formed.
The shared language.
The clarity that arrives slowly, sometimes weeks or months later.

Many people stay connected not because they’re told to, but because something real has been named together.

So when people ask me what’s included in a Vision Quest, this is what I tell them.

Preparation.
Presence.
Structure.
Safety.
Integration.

And enough time and space for something true to emerge.

For the people who feel called to it, it’s usually exactly what they were looking for.

Thanks for reading this. If you have any other questions, I’d love to hear from you.

Onward!

Ret

ret@rettaylor.com