Evolute Institute
Lochem, Gelderland (Centrum Athanor)
Dutch organisation combining legal psilocybin truffle retreats with coaching, mainly for executives and founders. Its EvoSHIFT programme runs about 2.5 months including preparation, a 3 to 4-night retreat with one session, and integration.
Details from the centre's own website and independent sources, read 28 Sep 2026.
The legal position in Netherlands
Since 1 December 2008 List II of the Opium Act has covered psilocybin mushrooms, fresh and dried. Truffles, the underground sclerotia of some of the same species, are not on the list, and the Health Minister confirmed in 2011 that they fall outside the Act. The addiction service Jellinek says fresh truffles may be sold but dried truffles are treated as prohibited, so only fresh truffles have clear footing. A centre offering 'mushrooms' in the Netherlands is describing something the ban covers.
The sources for this
- The Decree of 17 November 2008 (Staatsblad 2008, 486), in force 1 December 2008, added hallucinogenic mushrooms to List II of the Opium Act. The explanatory note says freely available fresh mushrooms differ little in effects and risks from dried ones, which were already controlled after a 2002 Supreme Court ruling. (Overheid.nl Officiele bekendmakingen, 17 Nov 2008)
- The current List II entry 'Paddo's' covers "paddenstoelen die van nature de stof psilocine of psilocybine bevatten" (mushrooms that naturally contain psilocine or psilocybine), followed by a list of named species. It does not mention sclerotia. (wetten.overheid.nl, 1 Jan 2026)
- In an answer to parliamentary questions received on 28 December 2011, Health Minister Schippers wrote that psychedelic truffles or sclerotia do not fall under the Opium Act, and that this was known when 186 mushroom species were placed on List II on 1 December 2008. (Overheid.nl Officiele bekendmakingen, 28 Dec 2011)
- The Jellinek addiction service states that selling fresh sclerotia (truffles) is not prohibited, but dried truffles are treated as prohibited. (Jellinek, current page)
The law and every listed centre in the Netherlands
Programmes and cost
| Programme | Length | Sessions | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| EvoSHIFT group retreat 3-4 nights on site within a ~2.5 month programme; price not published on the pages we read | 3 nights | 1 | Not stated |
Prices and formats as published by the operator on the date shown. They change, so confirm directly before budgeting. We never estimate a price that is not published.
Included, as published
- Medical intake and psychiatric screening
- Preparation sessions
- Medically supervised ceremony
- Integration coaching
Screening, as the centre describes it
Mandatory medical and psychiatric screening by a licensed psychiatrist before acceptance; licensed medical doctor present during the ceremony (own site).
The cited psilocybin truffles safety facts to check it against
What a psilocybin retreat involves
The typical shape of this kind of programme. Use it as a checklist to ask against, not as this centre's timetable.
- Before arrivalIntake questionnaire and medical screening. Reputable operators ask about SSRIs, lithium, cardiac history and family history of psychosis, and decline people accordingly.
- Day 1Arrival, group meeting, intention setting, one-to-one time with facilitators.
- Dosing daysSessions typically run in daylight over 4 to 6 hours, with facilitators present throughout. Doses are often escalated across sessions rather than kept flat.
- Between sessionsGroup integration discussion, bodywork or beach time, and rest. The day after a session is deliberately unstructured.
- Final dayClosing integration session and onward planning.
- AfterAsk specifically what follow-up is included and for how long.
Reader reviews
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Evolute Institute: questions and answers
- Where is Evolute Institute?
- Evolute Institute is in Lochem, Gelderland (Centrum Athanor), Netherlands, as the centre describes its location.
- How long is a programme at Evolute Institute?
- Published programmes at Evolute Institute run 3 nights, with 1 sessions, as the centre publishes them.
- Does Evolute Institute screen guests before a retreat?
- Evolute Institute describes medical screening. In its own words: Mandatory medical and psychiatric screening by a licensed psychiatrist before acceptance; licensed medical doctor present during the ceremony (own site).Source: Evolute Institute homepage, 28 Sep 2026
- Is psilocybin legal in Netherlands?
- Fresh psilocybin truffles (sclerotia) are outside the Opium Act; mushrooms, fresh or dried, have been banned since December 2008.Source: Overheid.nl Officiele bekendmakingen, 17 Nov 2008The law in every place we cover
Sources for this profile
- Evolute Institute homepage · Centre's own site, read 28 Sep 2026
- Managers on Magic Mushrooms: Psychedelic Leadership is trending (NZZ, 2024) · Press, read 28 Sep 2026
- Managerseminare mit Magic Mushrooms: So laeuft der Holland-Trip (20 Minuten) · Press, read 28 Sep 2026
- Evolute Institute (Wikipedia) · Directory, read 28 Sep 2026
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Also in Netherlands
- Beckley Retreats (Netherlands)De Hoorneboeg (Hilversum) and The Place to Be, Netherlands
- KiyumiDutch countryside (venue not named on site; press says near Amsterdam)
- Experiential Training Institute (ETI)Amsterdam area
- Guided TrippingAmsterdam
- InwardboundCastricum area, North Holland (woodland venue about 45 min from Amsterdam)
- Tangerine RetreatLoenen (Apeldoorn area), Gelderland
- The MatterCulemborg, Gelderland
All psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands, and the legal position there