Joe Dispenza Retreat: What I Wish I Knew Before I Went
I attended Dr. Joe Dispenza’s retreat this year, and since then I’ve received a lot of questions about what it is actually like.
Not just “Was it good?” but the practical questions: How intense is it? What should you bring? Do you need meditation experience? Is it worth going if you already have a spiritual or therapeutic practice? What did I actually learn? And does anything really change afterward?
So here are the questions I would have wanted answered before going.
Not just “Was it good?” but the practical questions: How intense is it? What should you bring? Do you need meditation experience? Is it worth going if you already have a spiritual or therapeutic practice? What did I actually learn? And does anything really change afterward?
So here are the questions I would have wanted answered before going.
BEFORE YOU GO
1. Why did you decide to go to a Dr. Joe retreat in the first place?
Let me start by telling you a personal story: I never seriously considered going, and if it weren’t for my best friend, Mariam, who offered to go last year, it probably wouldn't have been on my immediate to-do list (and yes, we got our tickets for September 2026 in September 2025, a year in advance, so there was no going back). Moreover, I was rather skeptical at first because the only events where I tolerate large crowds are rock concerts, so sharing space with so many people doing “spiritual work” at once, dancing and singing Kumbaya, seemed like something I would not particularly enjoy.
Also, our trip started with British Airways cancelling our flight to Basel, sending us to Zurich the next day instead, and losing our luggage in the process. So we were without luggage throughout our entire trip. But ironically, that’s what made our retreat even more special and memorable – because we had been given the chance to put into practice what Dr. Joe talks about and also to test our friendship.
2. Do you need to know Dr. Joe’s work before attending?
I personally don’t think you have to be prepared to attend. You can be a Joe Dispenza ‘virgin’ and still understand everything he talks about because he does it in simple language, with lots of colourful illustrations and examples, and a lot of humour.
However, if you prefer to do your homework first, you can start with either of his books or, even better, watch the Rewired series on Gaia.com.
3. Do you need to know how to meditate?
No, but experience helps.
Some of the meditations can be long and physically or mentally demanding. If you have never sat still with yourself for more than three minutes, suddenly doing extended practice can be quite an adjustment, especially on uncomfortable chairs and in a room full of people.
The question is, however, whether you would keep practicing afterward :)
4. Is this a good retreat for complete beginners?
Yes, it is.
However, I wouldn’t treat it like a relaxing wellness holiday.
It is an immersive experience. There is a lot of information, meditation, internal work, repetition, and stimulation.
If you are completely new to this kind of work, prepare yourself mentally rather than arriving completely cold. Simply sitting through it won’t cut it. Of course, you can always leave and just enjoy the beauty and coziness of Basel, but why pay extra for that? Just book a regular trip instead.
5. What if I’m already a practitioner, therapist, coach, healer, or experienced meditator?
This was one of the more interesting questions for me.
Being experienced doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing there for you.
You may already understand nervous-system regulation, subconscious patterns, meditation, emotional conditioning, belief work, trauma, identity, or mind-body relationships through a different framework.
What can be useful is experiencing those ideas through a different system and, more importantly, experiencing them intensively rather than only understanding them intellectually.
At the same time, I wouldn’t go expecting every concept to be completely new, to put it mildly.
Sometimes the value is not in hearing something you have never heard before. It is in finally experiencing something you already understood.
This is what I personally gained:
6. Should practitioners temporarily put aside their own methodology?
I think it depends on your personality type: if comparing modalities and concepts helps you learn or understand things, then my all means. But if staying overly analytical will jeopardize your ability to be in the moment and gain authentic first-hand experience, then I would say come with a clean slate and compare frameworks afterward.
TRAVEL & LOGISTICS
7. How early should I arrive?
I would personally avoid arriving at the last possible moment. The retreat starts at 7 pm on the first day (doors open at 5 pm). However, long travel, airport stress, time-zone changes, checking in, finding the venue, and then immediately entering an intensive retreat is not the ideal combination. If your schedule allows, give your body time to arrive before the retreat begins. Plus, Basel is a beautiful place with lots of museums and fascinating things to do, so if you are travelling there for the first time, it is absolutely worth allocating extra time to get yourself acquainted with it, especially given that during the retreat you will not have time to do it, as the programme starts at 8-30-9 am and finishes around 7-7-30 pm.
For example, we were supposed to come 24 hours before, but due to a cancelled and rerouted flight, we ended up being in Basel only around lunchtime on the first day of the retreat, with almost no time to come to our senses and explore the city.
8. Which airport should I fly into?
Basel (if the retreat still takes place there, and I know that the one in 2027 is happening in Basel) has its own airport. However, if you don’t have a direct flight to Basel, which would probably be the case for many places, certainly including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, you can fly to Zurich and take a 90-minute picturesque train ride directly from the Zurich airport to Basel city centre. This train departs at :56 minutes past each hour, and the regular fare is about $50 per person (special thanks to British Airways for forcing me to learn these couple of facts:)
9. Which hotel should I book?
We stayed at Pullman Basel Europe – it is a fairly small, clean hotel with a superb location, lovely staff, and a decent breakfast (the hotel restaurant is closed on Sundays, though, so don’t expect to be fed in the evening), and you can take tram #14 directly from the hotel to get to the venue in around 20 minutes. Just be mindful that the tram will be packed with other attendees of Dr. Joe’s retreat. If you need more guidance on city transport, download Citymapper.
10. Do I need to arrange airport transfers in advance?
They have Uber :)
11. What should I pack? Do I need special meditation equipment?
Comfort undoubtedly beats fashion here! First of all, you will be seated for most of the time, except for two 45-minute coffee breaks and a 90-minute lunch break, and you will eat standing. Also, the seats are incredibly uncomfortable, especially if you have silver-tier tickets (but, to be honest, the golden ones didn’t look overly comfy either), and the temperature in the conference room varies from nippy to warm, so having layers is a good idea.
Overall, if you are travelling for the retreat only, you don’t need much, and I am living proof of that! You see, normally I travel with my large-sized Samsonite, but since our luggage was lost, I ended up wearing the same jeans, hoodie, and a long-sleeved tank throughout the entire trip (we hardly had any time to shop for clothes, except for branded T-shirts we purchased at the venue at $30 each). Btw, I want to thank Turkish Airlines for teaching me a lesson earlier this summer about finding oneself without the luggage, and for forcing me to pack a couple of sets of fresh underwear in my hand luggage since then. Also, ladies, without giving up too much info, you may shed a tear here and there throughout the retreat, and since we meditate a lot with our eye masks on, you may not need to pack too much makeup either.
12. What is the food situation like?
The whole experience is very well organized, and it does work like a Swiss watch (see what I did there?). There is plenty of water, other soft drinks, and coffee anytime; fruits and baked goods (croissants, marzipan pies, cookies) during coffee breaks, and a surprisingly delicious and nutritious lunch – all included in the ticket price. There is also a shopping mall across the street with a few cafes, restaurants, fast-food joints, and a supermarket, but we hardly used it.
13. How much sleep do you get?
Potentially less than you would on a normal holiday.
The retreat schedule can be demanding, and your mind may also be active after the day finishes. So I would not schedule late-night social plans, sightseeing, work calls, or unnecessary obligations around the retreat – protect your sleep.
WHAT THE RETREAT IS ACTUALLY LIKE
14. What does a typical day feel like?
Intensive.
You are moving between teaching, meditation, internal observation, emotional experiences, physical stillness, and being surrounded by a large group of people doing the same thing.
There are a lot of beautiful moments, but there can also be boredom, discomfort, resistance, irritation, skepticism, emotional release, and moments when your mind says, “Excellent. We’ve done enough personal growth now.” That is part of the experience too.
15. Are the meditations difficult?
Some can be.
Not necessarily because the technique itself is impossible, but because sitting with yourself for extended periods removes a lot of your usual distractions.
Your body moves, your mind complains, you wonder how much longer is left. Then you suddenly remember an email from 2019, or get distracted by thoughts about lunch, or by whether someone special has seen your recent Instagram story and reacted to it.
The most important thing is to keep practicing and doing the best you can at any given moment.
16. Is there pressure to have a mystical or extraordinary experience?
This is something I think people should be careful about.
You will hear powerful stories. Some people report extraordinary physical, emotional, or spiritual experiences. For example, on day 3, there is a breathwork technique demonstration on stage which can leave you feeling all sorts of emotions – from perplexed and inadequate to astonishment. That can create an unconscious expectation that something dramatic has to happen to you too. But I wouldn’t use someone else’s experience as the measurement of whether your retreat “worked”.
A quiet insight that actually changes your behaviour may ultimately be more useful than one spectacular meditation experience.
My piece of advice – come with an open mind, do your best, and come what may.
17. Did you personally experience anything unusual?
The insights I personally got weren’t spiritual, but rather practical.
18. Did you learn something completely new?
I can’t say I learned anything dramatically new in terms of theory, but being forced, so to speak, to practice some of Dr. Joe’s famous meditation and breathwork techniques was definitely a novelty. Because let’s be honest, how many of read read a book AND do the practical part?
19. What surprised you most?
As I mentioned, I was rather skeptical about the whole experience because I had attended similar gatherings before, albeit not at this scale, that, at times, felt rather creepy. However, surprisingly, the crowd at Joe Dispenza's event felt completely “normal,” with people from all sorts of backgrounds and lines of work, representing 52 countries or more. These were regular people – some of whom are already practitioners like myself, and some, like my friend Mariam, with successful corporate or entrepreneurial careers.
20. Is it beneficial if you already practise hypnotherapy, breathwork, meditation, energy work, psychology, coaching, or another modality?
Potentially, yes. But perhaps for a different reason than a beginner.
A practitioner already has concepts, language, methods, and beliefs about transformation.
Being placed in another methodology can expose your own assumptions. You may discover things you want to integrate or even discover things you disagree with — either way, your practitioner’s mind will be ignited:) Also, let’s face it: how many of us, especially those juggling various ventures, family, and work, have time for ourselves without distractions?
For me, this turned out to be very inspiring, mostly on a professional level. I got a new meditation idea; got an understanding of how I could structure my talk on chakras better (and as someone who loves serendipity and synchronicity, I found it peculiar that I randomly picked the chakras topic for an upcoming event in October, only to discover at Dr. Joe’s event there was a reason), and, last but not least, I got inspired by his overall success!
21. Did anything conflict with your own training or beliefs?
Quite the contrary, it made me realize that the modalities I have chosen are truly the ones I resonate with and believe in.
RESULTS & EXPECTATIONS
22. Will one retreat change your life?
My favourite question in general:)
You see, just like with therapy sessions, sometimes we are doing the work for a long time. We try different modalities, from the simplest ones — like sitting still for a couple of minutes every day and listening to 528 Hz music, for example — to more profound work, whether through hypnotherapy, transpersonal regression therapy, or working with a traditional psychotherapist, whoever that may be.
And quite often, it is that last session that becomes the final straw — in the best possible sense. It’s like the last nail in the coffin of your issue. But it’s not necessarily because that particular practitioner is so amazing or that particular modality is the best. It’s because you have already done all this work. You have the basics. You have built the foundation. And now this one experience becomes the final touch — the cherry on the cake, so to speak.
The same applies to events like this.
Maybe you have already done all this work, and this retreat will close the circle for you. Maybe it will be the final piece of the puzzle that helps you realize something or finally start doing the work — actually practicing, applying, and implementing all the theoretical methods you already know. Maybe it will simply inspire you.
Or maybe you are a complete newbie. You have never done any work before. You have never read a single book in this realm — about spiritual growth, meditation, energy work, you name it. Maybe this is your very first event. And yes, it can be seminal. It can be life-changing.
But either way, the higher your expectations, the greater the disappointment when they aren’t met.
So my advice is: go in with an open mind and embrace the experience fully. Do the best you can, give your best during each meditation, try to be present, and try not to get distracted by whatever issues you may be having at home or at work.
Just be there — in that particular conference hall on St. Jakobs-Strasse in Basel, surrounded by thousands of other people, listening to Dr. Joe. Be fully present in that experience.
That is what I would encourage you to do: go with a completely clean slate and no expectations whatsoever.
23. Can the retreat heal physical illness?
Dr. Joe himself gives examples of people who, after just one event — sometimes even one meditation during a particular event — experienced either a profound epiphany or what they described as healing from a physical issue.
However, again, I wouldn’t rely on or necessarily hope for that, because every journey is different. In most cases, people achieve sustainable and incredible results when they practice consistently.
For example, he mentions a woman who had an issue with her colon. If I remember correctly, she was missing part of her colon following colon cancer, and he recounts that after around six or eight weeks of religiously practicing the chakra meditation, she experienced what he described as the tissue growing back — something presented as an extraordinary healing.
So whatever your issue may be — whether it’s physical, emotional, or mental — what’s important to remember is that a lot is in your hands. And again, just as I mentioned earlier, sometimes it could be one meditation, one practice, one session, or one event that creates a profound shift, particularly if you have already put in so much work. And sometimes we simply get lucky as well.
But just as we can’t become fit and toned after going to the gym once, twice, or three times — and maintaining muscle tone requires consistent training — the same principle applies to any kind of spiritual or energetic work.
Consistency matters.
24. How much do you need to practise afterward?
Ideally, enough for the work to become part of your life rather than something you experienced once. But everything in moderation: it is better to choose one practice and do it consistently for months than return home with an extreme routine and abandon it after six days.
THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO ASK
25. Is there a cult-like feeling?
Okay, so as I mentioned before, I was skeptical, mostly because I was afraid there could be a cult-like feeling.
Luckily for me, despite the plethora of modalities I’ve learned over the years, almost all of my teachers have been very down-to-earth, with a great sense of humor and plenty of self-irony, so there was never really any cult-like feeling.
However, I did attend a couple of trainings where I simply came to gain some knowledge — I’m not going to name the modality — but there was definitely this cult-like atmosphere, and it was something that really put me off.
So I was genuinely concerned that I might experience something similar at Joe Dispenza’s retreat.
However, what I found really amazing was that this man, despite all his success, remained quite humble and modest. He consistently expressed his gratitude to the crowd, and there was a lot of humor and lightness throughout the event.
So the whole experience quite quickly dissolved any remaining skepticism I may have had at the beginning.
26. Is everyone there extremely spiritual?
I wouldn’t say so. I believe that everyone there was at least curious enough to come to the retreat — or maybe they ended up there by sheer coincidence because someone dragged them along. Cases like that happen too. And perhaps it simply means that this particular person needed to be there to learn something, realize something, or have an eye-opening, potentially life-changing experience.
There were a couple of people who seemed a little more “spiritual” than others. I did see one guy who was sitting practically on the pavement by a large road, meditating. I don’t know whether it was a necessity or an act. It’s not my place to judge, but I did find it a little interesting, let’s put it this way.
But the vast majority of the crowd were regular, down-to-earth people — working their jobs, living their lives, raising their kids, resolving conflicts with family members or spouses, and so on.
So maybe that was also one of the reasons for the lack of that cult-like feeling.
27. Do you have to believe everything Dr. Joe teaches for the retreat to work for you?
I don’t think you need to blindly believe in everything he says. On the contrary, you’re not going to leave your critical mind behind — you carry it with you. But staying curious is beneficial.
If you come to this retreat simply to prove a point, it’s probably not going to work for you. Just like I always say: if you come to me for a hypnotherapy session determined to prove that hypnosis doesn’t work, then most likely it won’t, because we’re not on the same page. There is no square of trust between us.
The same applies to events like this. If you go to the retreat just to prove that whatever he says is complete BS and that none of it works, then, of course, you may not benefit from the experience because you’re already closed off. You won’t be genuinely engaging with what he says, and you probably won’t fully participate in the practical activities either.
So curiosity is important. Staying open-minded is important. Asking questions is important. Keeping your critical thinking is important too. These things don’t contradict each other.
And at the same time, the placebo effect exists for a reason. Our expectations can influence how we perceive and respond to an experience. So when we genuinely believe that something may help us, that mindset itself can sometimes contribute to a better outcome.
You don’t have to believe blindly. You just have to be open enough to give the experience a genuine chance.
28. Is there a lot of hype?
There can be a very strong collective atmosphere.
For some people, that is inspiring; for others, it can feel overwhelming or even weird.
I think knowing this beforehand helps you stay connected to your own experience rather than constantly comparing yourself to the room.
29. Is it emotionally intense?
It can be.
You are spending a significant amount of time without your normal distractions while deliberately working with emotions, identity, memories, beliefs, and the body.
30. Would you go again?
If you had asked me that question before the retreat, or even at the beginning of it, my answer would probably have been no. And it’s still no — I wouldn’t go to the Progressive Retreat again (the one we attended took place in Basel and was basically two and a half days — actually, a little less than that: one evening and two full days).
However, by the end of the retreat, I did catch myself thinking that I would consider going to a 7-day retreat, where the experience is much more immersive and there are meditations that you can do lying down.
During the Progressive Retreat in Basel, you don’t lie down at all. There simply isn’t enough space. You remain seated throughout the entire event, which is, of course, both uncomfortable and somewhat limiting. Meditating in savasana is a completely different experience.
So, yes, to answer the question: I wouldn’t go to the Progressive Retreat again, but I would definitely consider going to a 7-day retreat.
31. Who do you think would benefit most from it?
32. Who might NOT benefit from it?
33. Was it worth the money and travel?
In my personal opinion, it is worth the money. We had Silver Tier tickets, which included lunch and coffee breaks throughout the entire retreat. Given that we were very well taken care of and everything was so well organized, I think the ticket price itself is fair.
However, you also need to take into consideration the additional expenses — airfare, accommodation, transportation, and so on. Switzerland is obviously an expensive country. For example, we paid around $1,500 for our hotel room for four nights. Unfortunately, we ended up missing the first night because our original flight was canceled, but we still had to pay for it.
So the retreat itself may be reasonably priced for what you get, but the overall cost of the trip can add up quite significantly once you factor everything else in.
By the way, our hotel provided us with public transportation tickets that we could use on buses and trams throughout our stay. So that part was already covered, which was very convenient because we didn’t have to think about buying a ticket every time we took the tram directly from our hotel to the venue.
I’m not sure whether all hotels in Basel provide this — that’s something I’d need to fact-check — but it was definitely a nice surprise.
34. What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you before you went?
A few practical tips.
First of all, don’t stress about getting good seats. It’s very safe to leave your stuff there, and the way it was organized at the retreat, once you chose your seat for the day, it was basically yours for the entire day. So you don’t have to start looking for the best available option again after every break or after lunch.
And if you want to sit more comfortably and don’t necessarily want someone sitting right next to you, here’s what we did: go to the last door. We were sitting in the last section on the left-hand side when facing the stage, and there was much more space there. For example, there was no one sitting between Mariam and me, or between me and the person on my other side, which made the whole experience much more comfortable.
First of all, I didn’t feel as confined during the talks, but having that extra space was even more convenient during the meditations. I could sit comfortably in an easy pose with my legs crossed because I had space on both sides.
So practical tip number one: don’t stress about the seats. Try the sections by the last doors on either side. From what we saw, both the left and right sections seemed to be less crowded than the rest.
Number two: don’t overstress about the bathroom situation. There is a massive unisex bathroom with lots of stalls, so even though the queues can look a little scary at first, don’t worry — they move very quickly.
You don’t have to run across the road to the shopping center to use the bathroom, although you absolutely can. And, surprisingly, you won’t be the only smart person in the room who has had that idea — we experienced that firsthand! So, again, don’t panic when you see the queue. It may look long, but it moves quite fast.
And finally, don’t stress about lunch or worry that you’ll spend half your break standing in line for food. Again, the whole thing was beautifully organized. We didn’t have to queue for our food at all. Literally, not even for ten seconds.
So if there are any little housekeeping or logistical issues bothering you before you go — where you’ll sit, whether you’ll have enough time to use the bathroom, whether you’ll have to queue for lunch — put those worries aside. At least, based on our experience in Basel, all of that was very well taken care of for you.
____
And to wrap up, here are a couple of thoughts I picked up at the retreat, although now new:
“I am not doing meditations to heal; I am doing them to change. And when I change, I will heal”
***
There are essentially 2 modes: state of survival and state of creation. Which one do you want to be in?
***
9/10 of people walk into a doctor's office due to psychological or physical stress
***
Gratitude is the ultimate state of receiving
***
We feel the way we think, and we think the way we feel
***
The stronger the emotion you feel, the stronger the memory.
The stronger the emotion you feel, the more you can manifest the future.
The stronger the emotion you feel, the more your body tastes the future.
***
How you think and how you feel is your state of being
____
And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed reading or listening to my experience and that I managed to answer some of the questions you may have had about Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Progressive Retreat.
If there’s anything I haven’t covered, feel free to drop me a line with a question, and I’ll be happy to answer it.
And if you ever decide to experience one of these retreats for yourself, I wish you an incredible journey. Go with an open mind, leave your expectations behind, embrace the experience, and have a blast!
1. Why did you decide to go to a Dr. Joe retreat in the first place?
Let me start by telling you a personal story: I never seriously considered going, and if it weren’t for my best friend, Mariam, who offered to go last year, it probably wouldn't have been on my immediate to-do list (and yes, we got our tickets for September 2026 in September 2025, a year in advance, so there was no going back). Moreover, I was rather skeptical at first because the only events where I tolerate large crowds are rock concerts, so sharing space with so many people doing “spiritual work” at once, dancing and singing Kumbaya, seemed like something I would not particularly enjoy.
Also, our trip started with British Airways cancelling our flight to Basel, sending us to Zurich the next day instead, and losing our luggage in the process. So we were without luggage throughout our entire trip. But ironically, that’s what made our retreat even more special and memorable – because we had been given the chance to put into practice what Dr. Joe talks about and also to test our friendship.
2. Do you need to know Dr. Joe’s work before attending?
I personally don’t think you have to be prepared to attend. You can be a Joe Dispenza ‘virgin’ and still understand everything he talks about because he does it in simple language, with lots of colourful illustrations and examples, and a lot of humour.
However, if you prefer to do your homework first, you can start with either of his books or, even better, watch the Rewired series on Gaia.com.
3. Do you need to know how to meditate?
No, but experience helps.
Some of the meditations can be long and physically or mentally demanding. If you have never sat still with yourself for more than three minutes, suddenly doing extended practice can be quite an adjustment, especially on uncomfortable chairs and in a room full of people.
The question is, however, whether you would keep practicing afterward :)
4. Is this a good retreat for complete beginners?
Yes, it is.
However, I wouldn’t treat it like a relaxing wellness holiday.
It is an immersive experience. There is a lot of information, meditation, internal work, repetition, and stimulation.
If you are completely new to this kind of work, prepare yourself mentally rather than arriving completely cold. Simply sitting through it won’t cut it. Of course, you can always leave and just enjoy the beauty and coziness of Basel, but why pay extra for that? Just book a regular trip instead.
5. What if I’m already a practitioner, therapist, coach, healer, or experienced meditator?
This was one of the more interesting questions for me.
Being experienced doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing there for you.
You may already understand nervous-system regulation, subconscious patterns, meditation, emotional conditioning, belief work, trauma, identity, or mind-body relationships through a different framework.
What can be useful is experiencing those ideas through a different system and, more importantly, experiencing them intensively rather than only understanding them intellectually.
At the same time, I wouldn’t go expecting every concept to be completely new, to put it mildly.
Sometimes the value is not in hearing something you have never heard before. It is in finally experiencing something you already understood.
This is what I personally gained:
- For me, it was some quality me-time, when I could allocate time to be a client, not a therapist, and do the work myself, and also remember how important it is to do the work
- As a practitioner, I got a lot of inspiration from Dr. Joe on how to present oneself, put complex concepts in simple words, and lead a 2.5 day seminar for 8300 people coming from 52 countries and various backgrounds
- Also, seeing how everything Dr. Joe talks about either explains why hypnotherapy and regression therapy work or, once again, verifies how powerful Life Scripting is, with its combination of energy work, breath, and manifestation, was a nice bonus!
6. Should practitioners temporarily put aside their own methodology?
I think it depends on your personality type: if comparing modalities and concepts helps you learn or understand things, then my all means. But if staying overly analytical will jeopardize your ability to be in the moment and gain authentic first-hand experience, then I would say come with a clean slate and compare frameworks afterward.
TRAVEL & LOGISTICS
7. How early should I arrive?
I would personally avoid arriving at the last possible moment. The retreat starts at 7 pm on the first day (doors open at 5 pm). However, long travel, airport stress, time-zone changes, checking in, finding the venue, and then immediately entering an intensive retreat is not the ideal combination. If your schedule allows, give your body time to arrive before the retreat begins. Plus, Basel is a beautiful place with lots of museums and fascinating things to do, so if you are travelling there for the first time, it is absolutely worth allocating extra time to get yourself acquainted with it, especially given that during the retreat you will not have time to do it, as the programme starts at 8-30-9 am and finishes around 7-7-30 pm.
For example, we were supposed to come 24 hours before, but due to a cancelled and rerouted flight, we ended up being in Basel only around lunchtime on the first day of the retreat, with almost no time to come to our senses and explore the city.
8. Which airport should I fly into?
Basel (if the retreat still takes place there, and I know that the one in 2027 is happening in Basel) has its own airport. However, if you don’t have a direct flight to Basel, which would probably be the case for many places, certainly including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, you can fly to Zurich and take a 90-minute picturesque train ride directly from the Zurich airport to Basel city centre. This train departs at :56 minutes past each hour, and the regular fare is about $50 per person (special thanks to British Airways for forcing me to learn these couple of facts:)
9. Which hotel should I book?
We stayed at Pullman Basel Europe – it is a fairly small, clean hotel with a superb location, lovely staff, and a decent breakfast (the hotel restaurant is closed on Sundays, though, so don’t expect to be fed in the evening), and you can take tram #14 directly from the hotel to get to the venue in around 20 minutes. Just be mindful that the tram will be packed with other attendees of Dr. Joe’s retreat. If you need more guidance on city transport, download Citymapper.
10. Do I need to arrange airport transfers in advance?
They have Uber :)
11. What should I pack? Do I need special meditation equipment?
Comfort undoubtedly beats fashion here! First of all, you will be seated for most of the time, except for two 45-minute coffee breaks and a 90-minute lunch break, and you will eat standing. Also, the seats are incredibly uncomfortable, especially if you have silver-tier tickets (but, to be honest, the golden ones didn’t look overly comfy either), and the temperature in the conference room varies from nippy to warm, so having layers is a good idea.
- Another thing to pack is a meditation cushion or anything else to make you sit more comfortably (they sell branded meditation cushions at the venue at $18.5, but they didn’t look very inviting, at least for me)
- If you do have an eye mask, pack it, too, or get one at the venue – they are stylish, branded, and super-comfy, and this year, they cost 25 Swiss francs or around $30
- Bring a hoodie, warm socks, and make sure you wear comfy trousers
Overall, if you are travelling for the retreat only, you don’t need much, and I am living proof of that! You see, normally I travel with my large-sized Samsonite, but since our luggage was lost, I ended up wearing the same jeans, hoodie, and a long-sleeved tank throughout the entire trip (we hardly had any time to shop for clothes, except for branded T-shirts we purchased at the venue at $30 each). Btw, I want to thank Turkish Airlines for teaching me a lesson earlier this summer about finding oneself without the luggage, and for forcing me to pack a couple of sets of fresh underwear in my hand luggage since then. Also, ladies, without giving up too much info, you may shed a tear here and there throughout the retreat, and since we meditate a lot with our eye masks on, you may not need to pack too much makeup either.
12. What is the food situation like?
The whole experience is very well organized, and it does work like a Swiss watch (see what I did there?). There is plenty of water, other soft drinks, and coffee anytime; fruits and baked goods (croissants, marzipan pies, cookies) during coffee breaks, and a surprisingly delicious and nutritious lunch – all included in the ticket price. There is also a shopping mall across the street with a few cafes, restaurants, fast-food joints, and a supermarket, but we hardly used it.
13. How much sleep do you get?
Potentially less than you would on a normal holiday.
The retreat schedule can be demanding, and your mind may also be active after the day finishes. So I would not schedule late-night social plans, sightseeing, work calls, or unnecessary obligations around the retreat – protect your sleep.
WHAT THE RETREAT IS ACTUALLY LIKE
14. What does a typical day feel like?
Intensive.
You are moving between teaching, meditation, internal observation, emotional experiences, physical stillness, and being surrounded by a large group of people doing the same thing.
There are a lot of beautiful moments, but there can also be boredom, discomfort, resistance, irritation, skepticism, emotional release, and moments when your mind says, “Excellent. We’ve done enough personal growth now.” That is part of the experience too.
15. Are the meditations difficult?
Some can be.
Not necessarily because the technique itself is impossible, but because sitting with yourself for extended periods removes a lot of your usual distractions.
Your body moves, your mind complains, you wonder how much longer is left. Then you suddenly remember an email from 2019, or get distracted by thoughts about lunch, or by whether someone special has seen your recent Instagram story and reacted to it.
The most important thing is to keep practicing and doing the best you can at any given moment.
16. Is there pressure to have a mystical or extraordinary experience?
This is something I think people should be careful about.
You will hear powerful stories. Some people report extraordinary physical, emotional, or spiritual experiences. For example, on day 3, there is a breathwork technique demonstration on stage which can leave you feeling all sorts of emotions – from perplexed and inadequate to astonishment. That can create an unconscious expectation that something dramatic has to happen to you too. But I wouldn’t use someone else’s experience as the measurement of whether your retreat “worked”.
A quiet insight that actually changes your behaviour may ultimately be more useful than one spectacular meditation experience.
My piece of advice – come with an open mind, do your best, and come what may.
17. Did you personally experience anything unusual?
The insights I personally got weren’t spiritual, but rather practical.
- I realized that all the work I had done on myself over the past 8 years paid off because I can now stay completely calm when life doesn't go as planned
- I found out that I can perfectly survive without a ridiculous number of my material possessions
- I learned that a holistic therapist and energy worker can attract massive crowds without it being creepy
- I observed an incredibly well-organized event and learned from that experience
- It helped me prepare a better talk for the Life Scripting Open House event in Dubai on October 10th, so if you are around, please join us – it will be a lot of fun!
18. Did you learn something completely new?
I can’t say I learned anything dramatically new in terms of theory, but being forced, so to speak, to practice some of Dr. Joe’s famous meditation and breathwork techniques was definitely a novelty. Because let’s be honest, how many of read read a book AND do the practical part?
19. What surprised you most?
As I mentioned, I was rather skeptical about the whole experience because I had attended similar gatherings before, albeit not at this scale, that, at times, felt rather creepy. However, surprisingly, the crowd at Joe Dispenza's event felt completely “normal,” with people from all sorts of backgrounds and lines of work, representing 52 countries or more. These were regular people – some of whom are already practitioners like myself, and some, like my friend Mariam, with successful corporate or entrepreneurial careers.
20. Is it beneficial if you already practise hypnotherapy, breathwork, meditation, energy work, psychology, coaching, or another modality?
Potentially, yes. But perhaps for a different reason than a beginner.
A practitioner already has concepts, language, methods, and beliefs about transformation.
Being placed in another methodology can expose your own assumptions. You may discover things you want to integrate or even discover things you disagree with — either way, your practitioner’s mind will be ignited:) Also, let’s face it: how many of us, especially those juggling various ventures, family, and work, have time for ourselves without distractions?
For me, this turned out to be very inspiring, mostly on a professional level. I got a new meditation idea; got an understanding of how I could structure my talk on chakras better (and as someone who loves serendipity and synchronicity, I found it peculiar that I randomly picked the chakras topic for an upcoming event in October, only to discover at Dr. Joe’s event there was a reason), and, last but not least, I got inspired by his overall success!
21. Did anything conflict with your own training or beliefs?
Quite the contrary, it made me realize that the modalities I have chosen are truly the ones I resonate with and believe in.
RESULTS & EXPECTATIONS
22. Will one retreat change your life?
My favourite question in general:)
You see, just like with therapy sessions, sometimes we are doing the work for a long time. We try different modalities, from the simplest ones — like sitting still for a couple of minutes every day and listening to 528 Hz music, for example — to more profound work, whether through hypnotherapy, transpersonal regression therapy, or working with a traditional psychotherapist, whoever that may be.
And quite often, it is that last session that becomes the final straw — in the best possible sense. It’s like the last nail in the coffin of your issue. But it’s not necessarily because that particular practitioner is so amazing or that particular modality is the best. It’s because you have already done all this work. You have the basics. You have built the foundation. And now this one experience becomes the final touch — the cherry on the cake, so to speak.
The same applies to events like this.
Maybe you have already done all this work, and this retreat will close the circle for you. Maybe it will be the final piece of the puzzle that helps you realize something or finally start doing the work — actually practicing, applying, and implementing all the theoretical methods you already know. Maybe it will simply inspire you.
Or maybe you are a complete newbie. You have never done any work before. You have never read a single book in this realm — about spiritual growth, meditation, energy work, you name it. Maybe this is your very first event. And yes, it can be seminal. It can be life-changing.
But either way, the higher your expectations, the greater the disappointment when they aren’t met.
So my advice is: go in with an open mind and embrace the experience fully. Do the best you can, give your best during each meditation, try to be present, and try not to get distracted by whatever issues you may be having at home or at work.
Just be there — in that particular conference hall on St. Jakobs-Strasse in Basel, surrounded by thousands of other people, listening to Dr. Joe. Be fully present in that experience.
That is what I would encourage you to do: go with a completely clean slate and no expectations whatsoever.
23. Can the retreat heal physical illness?
Dr. Joe himself gives examples of people who, after just one event — sometimes even one meditation during a particular event — experienced either a profound epiphany or what they described as healing from a physical issue.
However, again, I wouldn’t rely on or necessarily hope for that, because every journey is different. In most cases, people achieve sustainable and incredible results when they practice consistently.
For example, he mentions a woman who had an issue with her colon. If I remember correctly, she was missing part of her colon following colon cancer, and he recounts that after around six or eight weeks of religiously practicing the chakra meditation, she experienced what he described as the tissue growing back — something presented as an extraordinary healing.
So whatever your issue may be — whether it’s physical, emotional, or mental — what’s important to remember is that a lot is in your hands. And again, just as I mentioned earlier, sometimes it could be one meditation, one practice, one session, or one event that creates a profound shift, particularly if you have already put in so much work. And sometimes we simply get lucky as well.
But just as we can’t become fit and toned after going to the gym once, twice, or three times — and maintaining muscle tone requires consistent training — the same principle applies to any kind of spiritual or energetic work.
Consistency matters.
24. How much do you need to practise afterward?
Ideally, enough for the work to become part of your life rather than something you experienced once. But everything in moderation: it is better to choose one practice and do it consistently for months than return home with an extreme routine and abandon it after six days.
THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO ASK
25. Is there a cult-like feeling?
Okay, so as I mentioned before, I was skeptical, mostly because I was afraid there could be a cult-like feeling.
Luckily for me, despite the plethora of modalities I’ve learned over the years, almost all of my teachers have been very down-to-earth, with a great sense of humor and plenty of self-irony, so there was never really any cult-like feeling.
However, I did attend a couple of trainings where I simply came to gain some knowledge — I’m not going to name the modality — but there was definitely this cult-like atmosphere, and it was something that really put me off.
So I was genuinely concerned that I might experience something similar at Joe Dispenza’s retreat.
However, what I found really amazing was that this man, despite all his success, remained quite humble and modest. He consistently expressed his gratitude to the crowd, and there was a lot of humor and lightness throughout the event.
So the whole experience quite quickly dissolved any remaining skepticism I may have had at the beginning.
26. Is everyone there extremely spiritual?
I wouldn’t say so. I believe that everyone there was at least curious enough to come to the retreat — or maybe they ended up there by sheer coincidence because someone dragged them along. Cases like that happen too. And perhaps it simply means that this particular person needed to be there to learn something, realize something, or have an eye-opening, potentially life-changing experience.
There were a couple of people who seemed a little more “spiritual” than others. I did see one guy who was sitting practically on the pavement by a large road, meditating. I don’t know whether it was a necessity or an act. It’s not my place to judge, but I did find it a little interesting, let’s put it this way.
But the vast majority of the crowd were regular, down-to-earth people — working their jobs, living their lives, raising their kids, resolving conflicts with family members or spouses, and so on.
So maybe that was also one of the reasons for the lack of that cult-like feeling.
27. Do you have to believe everything Dr. Joe teaches for the retreat to work for you?
I don’t think you need to blindly believe in everything he says. On the contrary, you’re not going to leave your critical mind behind — you carry it with you. But staying curious is beneficial.
If you come to this retreat simply to prove a point, it’s probably not going to work for you. Just like I always say: if you come to me for a hypnotherapy session determined to prove that hypnosis doesn’t work, then most likely it won’t, because we’re not on the same page. There is no square of trust between us.
The same applies to events like this. If you go to the retreat just to prove that whatever he says is complete BS and that none of it works, then, of course, you may not benefit from the experience because you’re already closed off. You won’t be genuinely engaging with what he says, and you probably won’t fully participate in the practical activities either.
So curiosity is important. Staying open-minded is important. Asking questions is important. Keeping your critical thinking is important too. These things don’t contradict each other.
And at the same time, the placebo effect exists for a reason. Our expectations can influence how we perceive and respond to an experience. So when we genuinely believe that something may help us, that mindset itself can sometimes contribute to a better outcome.
You don’t have to believe blindly. You just have to be open enough to give the experience a genuine chance.
28. Is there a lot of hype?
There can be a very strong collective atmosphere.
For some people, that is inspiring; for others, it can feel overwhelming or even weird.
I think knowing this beforehand helps you stay connected to your own experience rather than constantly comparing yourself to the room.
29. Is it emotionally intense?
It can be.
You are spending a significant amount of time without your normal distractions while deliberately working with emotions, identity, memories, beliefs, and the body.
30. Would you go again?
If you had asked me that question before the retreat, or even at the beginning of it, my answer would probably have been no. And it’s still no — I wouldn’t go to the Progressive Retreat again (the one we attended took place in Basel and was basically two and a half days — actually, a little less than that: one evening and two full days).
However, by the end of the retreat, I did catch myself thinking that I would consider going to a 7-day retreat, where the experience is much more immersive and there are meditations that you can do lying down.
During the Progressive Retreat in Basel, you don’t lie down at all. There simply isn’t enough space. You remain seated throughout the entire event, which is, of course, both uncomfortable and somewhat limiting. Meditating in savasana is a completely different experience.
So, yes, to answer the question: I wouldn’t go to the Progressive Retreat again, but I would definitely consider going to a 7-day retreat.
31. Who do you think would benefit most from it?
- Someone who catches themselves thinking of negative-case scenarios all the time, has trust issues, feels that the world is a dangerous, unfair, cruel place. Someone who feels that other people or circumstances are often against them; someone who is stuck in negative thinking – someone who DESPERATELY needs to go there but may not realize it, and, hence, unfortunately won't go…
- Someone curious about the relationship between mind, emotion, body, identity, and behaviour
- And someone capable of keeping both an open mind and a functioning brain at the same time, who wants to elevate their consciousness and spiritual game, so to speak.
32. Who might NOT benefit from it?
- Someone expecting another person to fix their life for them
- Someone who wants a passive holiday
- Someone expecting guaranteed healing or a guaranteed mystical experience
- Or someone who already knows they fundamentally reject the work's premises and would spend the entire retreat debating every sentence internally
33. Was it worth the money and travel?
In my personal opinion, it is worth the money. We had Silver Tier tickets, which included lunch and coffee breaks throughout the entire retreat. Given that we were very well taken care of and everything was so well organized, I think the ticket price itself is fair.
However, you also need to take into consideration the additional expenses — airfare, accommodation, transportation, and so on. Switzerland is obviously an expensive country. For example, we paid around $1,500 for our hotel room for four nights. Unfortunately, we ended up missing the first night because our original flight was canceled, but we still had to pay for it.
So the retreat itself may be reasonably priced for what you get, but the overall cost of the trip can add up quite significantly once you factor everything else in.
By the way, our hotel provided us with public transportation tickets that we could use on buses and trams throughout our stay. So that part was already covered, which was very convenient because we didn’t have to think about buying a ticket every time we took the tram directly from our hotel to the venue.
I’m not sure whether all hotels in Basel provide this — that’s something I’d need to fact-check — but it was definitely a nice surprise.
34. What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you before you went?
A few practical tips.
First of all, don’t stress about getting good seats. It’s very safe to leave your stuff there, and the way it was organized at the retreat, once you chose your seat for the day, it was basically yours for the entire day. So you don’t have to start looking for the best available option again after every break or after lunch.
And if you want to sit more comfortably and don’t necessarily want someone sitting right next to you, here’s what we did: go to the last door. We were sitting in the last section on the left-hand side when facing the stage, and there was much more space there. For example, there was no one sitting between Mariam and me, or between me and the person on my other side, which made the whole experience much more comfortable.
First of all, I didn’t feel as confined during the talks, but having that extra space was even more convenient during the meditations. I could sit comfortably in an easy pose with my legs crossed because I had space on both sides.
So practical tip number one: don’t stress about the seats. Try the sections by the last doors on either side. From what we saw, both the left and right sections seemed to be less crowded than the rest.
Number two: don’t overstress about the bathroom situation. There is a massive unisex bathroom with lots of stalls, so even though the queues can look a little scary at first, don’t worry — they move very quickly.
You don’t have to run across the road to the shopping center to use the bathroom, although you absolutely can. And, surprisingly, you won’t be the only smart person in the room who has had that idea — we experienced that firsthand! So, again, don’t panic when you see the queue. It may look long, but it moves quite fast.
And finally, don’t stress about lunch or worry that you’ll spend half your break standing in line for food. Again, the whole thing was beautifully organized. We didn’t have to queue for our food at all. Literally, not even for ten seconds.
So if there are any little housekeeping or logistical issues bothering you before you go — where you’ll sit, whether you’ll have enough time to use the bathroom, whether you’ll have to queue for lunch — put those worries aside. At least, based on our experience in Basel, all of that was very well taken care of for you.
____
And to wrap up, here are a couple of thoughts I picked up at the retreat, although now new:
“I am not doing meditations to heal; I am doing them to change. And when I change, I will heal”
***
There are essentially 2 modes: state of survival and state of creation. Which one do you want to be in?
***
9/10 of people walk into a doctor's office due to psychological or physical stress
***
Gratitude is the ultimate state of receiving
***
We feel the way we think, and we think the way we feel
***
The stronger the emotion you feel, the stronger the memory.
The stronger the emotion you feel, the more you can manifest the future.
The stronger the emotion you feel, the more your body tastes the future.
***
How you think and how you feel is your state of being
____
And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed reading or listening to my experience and that I managed to answer some of the questions you may have had about Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Progressive Retreat.
If there’s anything I haven’t covered, feel free to drop me a line with a question, and I’ll be happy to answer it.
And if you ever decide to experience one of these retreats for yourself, I wish you an incredible journey. Go with an open mind, leave your expectations behind, embrace the experience, and have a blast!
SEPTEMBER 2026