Introduction

To effectively treat and heal Alcohol Use Disorder, Drug Use Disorder and other addictions our Addiction Recovery Retreats focus specifically on Ayahuasca, a brew of Chakruna leaves and the Ayahuasca vine are mixed together and consumed in a sacred ceremony - facilitated by highly trained and experienced shamans.

What are the dietary guidelines?

Please click here for more information about the dietary guidelines - prior, during and post the retreat. It is very important to follow all of the dietary recommendations to ensure you get the best out of the shamanic holistic healing process and to avoid possible complications. Eating a simple and clean diet without processed sugar or heavily fried food prepares your body to be in the vibration that helps you to connect more easily with the energy of plant spirits. The cleaner the body is the more gentle, deeper and productive the plant medicine can work and help.

How effective is Ayahuasca with treating alcohol, drug and other addictions?

Ayahuasca ceremonies facilitated by well-trained and experienced shamans are one of the most effective means of healing various addictions and disorders including Alcohol Use Disorder. Our Addiction Recovery Retreat Program is intense, but highly effective. While legally we cannot guarantee you 100% recovery from any addiction – those who previously participated in our program report a COMPLETE and FULL RECOVERY. While some participants upon arrival from the retreat say that they ' completely lost interest in alcohol ' – others report that they ' now can drink alcohol casually without cravings to continue drinking '.

How do participants feel after Ayahuasca ceremonies?

After Ayahuasca ceremonies participants feel lighter, cleaner, clearer, more aligned. They also feel relieved from the energy of unprocessed events, emotions and experiences. The healing process and its effects continue for weeks and months after the retreat is over.

What is Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is a plant mixture native to the Amazon that is capable of inducing altered (higher) states of consciousness, lasting between 4 to 8 hours after ingestion. It is an entheogenic sacrament and powerful agent for healing and conscious awakening. For thousands of years it has been a tool for guidance, connection and spiritual renewal for many indigenous peoples of South America. In the territories of the Amazon rainforest, throughout Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, Ayahuasca has been used for expanding the boundaries of consciousness and healing individuals on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.

What is the Ayahuasca brew made of?

Ayahuasca is a blend of two plants made into a brew. The main ingredient of this drink is a vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, which like the drink itself is also called Ayahuasca (which means ‘vine of the soul’ or ‘vine with a soul’). The secondary ingredient is either Chacruna (Psychotria viridis) or Chagropanga (Diplopterys cabrerana): plants that contain a relatively high amount of the psychedelic substance Dimethyltryptamine (DMT - a hallucinogenic tryptamine drug that occurs naturally in many plants and animals). Taken ceremoniously under shamanic guidance, with intention and respect, it has the potential to offer deep healing, profound insights, direction and life-changing transformation.

What are the physical effects of Ayahuasca?

It is not uncommon to vomit, have diarrhea, cry, yawn, laugh, shake or feel temperature differences. All of these actions are potential manifestations of our physical and energetic bodies cleansing, detoxifying, removing blockages, and allowing for release. Vomiting and diarrhea are referred to in medicine work as "purging," as the body is getting rid of aspects of self which no longer serve the highest good of the participant.

What are the visual effects of Ayahuasca?

Hallucinations and internal visions are common after the ingestion of Ayahuasca and can play a role in the participant's journey, however, they do not occur for everyone. These visions can offer profound wisdom and insight into the source of resistance, patterns, habits, ways of being and blockages of the participant’s life. The visions may reveal past lives, childhood traumas, angels, passed loved ones, and various number of colors, shapes, images etc.

What are the mental effects of Ayahuasca?

The process of preparing for a ceremony, sitting in ceremony, and processing the teachings and experiences after the ceremony can be mentally demanding. There can be many shifts of perception and perspective. Participants will have ample time to rest and recuperate during the retreat.

What are the emotional effects of Ayahuasca?

A range of emotions are common before, during and after taking the medicine. It's normal to feel apprehensive, nervous, excited, sad, calm or confused, among many others. There will be 'sharing circles' during the retreat to talk through the experiences, support, encourage and help each other.

What are the spiritual effects of Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca provides the opportunity for participants to "do the work," going deeper within to the source of their "stuff" with the intention of opening to greater wisdom of ourselves and our world. It is a gateway to healing, facing past traumas, releasing suppressed emotions, feelings, and anything we store inside that no longer serves our highest self. This medicine can offer powerful guidance for personal and spiritual journey. It works within the body where She feels needs to be addressed, opened and healed.

What is Ayahuasca ceremony like?

Ayahuasca ceremonies during our Addiction Recovery Retreats are led by shamans who have gone through years of extensive training and experience facilitating specific plant medicines. Ceremonies usually begin around 7 to 8 pm and last from 4 to 8 hours. Participants will be sitting together in a sacred space at the retreat site, while the shaman explains the logistics of the ceremony. The brew will be offered by the shaman and taken respectfully one by one, as participants keep in mind their intentions for opening, learning and healing. After all have taken the medicine, the candles will be blown out and everyone will sit in darkness and silence observing the effects of the medicine. Usually within half an hour Mother Ayahuasca makes her presence known. The shaman will begin to sing "icaros" traditional indeginous songs that evoke and entice the powers of the plant working within. When the shaman recognizes the presence of Mother Ayahuasca, s/he will open up the circle for second servings of the medicine if needed. Participants sit or lay comfortably through their own individual journeys as the plant medicine guides them through the learning and healing process. The shaman and his/her assistants keep a close eye on all participants to make sure everyone remains safe. During the ceremony they will come around to each participant to facilitate individual healings and spiritual guidance with singing, sound and energy work. Participants will feel safe and taken care of throughout the experience. If someone needs to use the bathroom, they will be assisted to the facility and back. If participants need fresh air, want to walk or be in nature, they can leave, but it is required for them to return before the end of the ceremony. In closing, the candles will be lit once again as participants are slowly invited back into the space. Fresh fruit will be offered as participants readjust to the light and waking consciousness.

Why setting intentions is important?

Throughout our lifetime we go through various experiences, traumas, memories, feelings and emotions that create the patterns through which we operate every day. Often we may not even be aware of what affected or created them. Setting an intention before ceremony can be useful and powerful during the healing process. Intentions lay out the direction and purpose for it. What are you trying to accomplish by taking Ayahuasca? Things that arise in ceremony might not feel to have anything to do with the intention or purpose for it. It is important to trust Mother Ayahuasca to find the best way to address and heal the issues. Sometimes the best intentions can simply be “help me to heal", “teach me”, “help me to open my heart”, “help me find my purpose” etc.

How does Ayahuasca help to heal?

Every experience we have (and the corresponding emotional and neuro-chemical response) creates an energetic result in our Being. For most of us, especially when we were children, we lack the tools necessary to fully process and release these emotions as they arise, and so the energetic residue remains stuck in our body, creating blockages and patterns. Ayahuasca has the almost magical capacity to turn these stuck energies into physical matter and remove them from the body through a purgative process, while at the same time offering us clarity and insight into how we can navigate our lives in a more clear, joyful and loving way.

What are the medical restrictions?

Please click here for more information about the medical restrictions. If you have any doubt whether you should join the retreat, please consult with your physician or therapist and inform us as well so we can address all your concerns.

Why is it important to abstrain from sexual acitivies?

It is recommended to abstain from sexual relations and activities (including masturbation) for one (1) week prior to ceremony, during the time of the retreat, and one (1) to two (2) weeks after - in an effort to cultivate a strong personal energetic field and flow, and remaining individually present within ourselves.

What are the spiritual aspects of Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is not just a brew of a mixture of plants, it is said to have its own individual spirit, the spirit of the gentle and caring mother. She teaches us that we are spiritual beings and that we are so much more than we appear in our physical world. Ayahuasca is a magical tool that allows us to access and reconnect to ourselves in spiritual form, as well as to respect and appreciate the spiritual connection of all life. Many participants have reported communicating with ancestors or Ayahuasca spirit directly and receiving information through the spiritual realm helping them on their joyrney.

Which conditions Ayahuasca can help with?

According to numerous studies and reports, Ayahuasca can be a true miracle medicine, as a viable cure for serious psychological disorders. It is very effective with treating and healing depression, PTSD, addictions, anxiety. It was reported to help with cancer and diabetes.

What are the Ayahuasca risks and dangers?

• Serious pre-existing medical conditions.
  Please click here for more information about the medical restrictions. If you experience certain health issues, we highly recommend you not taking Ayahuasca.
• History of serious psychiatric conditions.
  If you had ever experienced any some kind of psychosis or certain mental health issues, we highly recommend you not taking Ayahuasca because it can bring out the worst of it.
• Not following the dietary guidelines.
  Please click here for more information about the dietary guidelines - prior, during and post the retreat. It is very important to follow all of the dietary recommendations to ensure you get the best out of the Ayahuasca healing process and to avoid possible complications.
• Being afraid to see things not of this world.
  Participants will see things that are not in 'this' world. Some people may be too scared or not be able to handle this. In this case they should either avoid using Ayahuasca, or trust Her, surrender and work with Her.
• Taking it for the wrong reason.
  Ayahuasca is not a party drug, and it can be very dangerous if it is treated this way. Also it should not be taken as a cure of all physical problems.

Is Ayahuasca addictive?

For those who fear that Ayahuasca is addictive, those fears have no grounds. Dr. Josep Fabregas co-author of the study of the long term effects of Ayahuasca added that it is not addictive.

Why do people opt-in for Ayahuasca?

Each individual Ayahuasca ceremony experience may vary for one person and the results may vary from person to person. One must be willing to have a very powerful internal experience when opting for it - the Ayahuasca medicine can change one’s life for better and transform them into a whole new individual having new energy, beliefs, views. While Ayahuasca brings profound life-changing spiritual experiences, feelings of connectedness to the Universe, feelings of love and empathy, a sense of inner peace and acceptance of self, others and the world - it can very efficiently help in the treatment of past psychological traumas, sorrows, fears and chronic addictions. It can bring some amazing positive impacts to one’s mind and spirit as well as it has its own wonderful effects on the body.