El Sol Retreats, also commonly spoken about as Kentucky Ayahuasca, is a Retreat Guru favorite. They approach their ceremonies with a holistic attitude, and do not attempt to recreate Native American traditional ceremonies or maintain any dogmatic style. They are modern shamans and medicine people who are well trained.
It’s been great. It’s felt like I’ve lived a lifetime in three weeks. I’ve really been able to almost reprogram myself and undo a lot of negative habits and a lot of negative ways of thinking about myself and my life and my past. It’s really brought a lot of healing and closure in many aspects of many lingering issues. It’s great. It’s fantastic. It’s been really lovely. It’s very comfortable. The location with the Mishana community is fantastic. Being able to interact with people and being on a reserve is lovely, being able to go hiking and experience the indigenous nature. It’s also great that there are no mosquitoes here.
Come here for a fully immersive shamanic experience, with shamanic healing practices, shamanic breathwork, and even a shamanic school with facilitator programs. They have a variety of retreats at their healing center as well as Ayahuasca Retreats in Peru (near Cusco).
El Sol Retreats involves ayahuasca consumption (Daime tea) as part of their religious rituals. Sometimes difficult to find, you can try to find locations around the country by searching for Santo Daime USA. Another Ayahuasca church known as the Peaceful Mountain Way is a Native American Church that specializes in an Ayahuasca ritual as a spiritual sacrament.
While no two ceremonies are the same, an ayahuasca retreat will typically follow a spiritually-similar thread that’s meant to evoke the utmost calm and protection of participants. If you do feel called to take part in a ceremony, it’s important to do your own research to find the right experience for you: I’ve traveled hours into the rainforest for ceremonies and walked away without participating because it didn’t feel right. Your intuition is often your best guide when deciding whether you feel safe with a certain facilitator or not. Here, a trusted selection of healers and retreat centers to consider for your ayahuasca journey.
I mentally traveled back in time to meet the first ancestor of my entire lineage, who danced in the woods morphing between two forms—that of a wolf and a man—before being suddenly transported to a cave full of drawings I couldn’t decipher but somehow understood. Next, I was whisked away in flight, sweeping across the snowy peaks of the Andes as the mountain range broke apart below me, almost like a game of Tetris. I saw Machu Picchu spinning on an axis of geometric cubes, twisting and turning as what appeared to be Lego-like warriors jumped in and out of the structure. Then, in a moment of engulfing hilarity, I lay in a fetal position completely consumed by laughter.
An Ayahuasca retreat is an opportunity to work closely with an indigenous shaman through a guided journey into another dimension. The natural healing power of ayahuasca and other medicinal plants help ayahuasca retreat participants to reconnect to nature and to their true selves.
In the treatment of OCD and other similar disorders, it is not so much about alleviating the condition, but rather discovering a more preferable manner of thinking and acting, and even more so, remembering self-love in an unconditional form. Accepting ourselves is an important step in any healing process, but most especially with conditions like these, and the Ayahuasca Foundation’s ayahuasca retreats in Peru can provide tremendous benefit.
Retreats are led by an indigenous curandero from the Shipibo culture. The curandero, don Ronor, learned from his father and grandfather, a vegtalisto and an ayahuasquero. He is the youngest of three brothers who are all experienced healers. He has a humility that brings a calm gratitude to his presence.He has extensive plant dietas with noya rao, bobinsana, marusa, chiric sanango, and chullachaqui.Don Ronor is constantly developing his own understanding and methods for healing, learning more icaros through his intimate connections to his dietas and plant spirit guides. He is also a father and his wife and children are usually with him on retreats, providing a wonderful light to the group experience. He works hard to provide the greatest level of healing, always wanting to prepare and administer as many remedies as he can during the ayahuasca retreat. All of the facilitators are so thankful for his dedication and willingness to share and teach the tradition. He is a true maestro.
We have only treated three patients for AIDS/HIV but each participant benefited tremendously. All three reported that their lives had been completely transformed. One was totally healed and is still HIV negative after seven years, while the other two test negatively, but continue to take medication as a precaution. It is important to note that all three had profound faith in the process and engaged very well with the treatment and medicine.
According to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), ayahuasca's psychoactive properties are most commonly derived from Banisteriopsis caapi, a vine containing monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), and the leaves of Psychotria viridis, or other plant containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). It’s believed that the DMT found in ayahuasca activates the DMT naturally found in a person’s pineal gland, often considered the third eye portal amongst the spiritual set and Indigenous healers. Many healers and shamanic practitioners believe this leads to the vision quests that ensue after ingesting the brewed version of ayahuasca, and why participating in ceremony is a way to connect deeper to your truest self.
While a great deal of attention is given to the healing effects of ayahuasca in treating anxiety and depression, when combined with the use of a wide variety of other plants and natural plant remedies, there really is nothing that cannot be treated on an Ayahuasca Retreat. Below is a listing of conditions and the effectiveness of treatment.
El Sol Retreats center was founded by medicine man Chris Young, who left the medical industry after seeing the negative consequences of the pharmaceutical industry, and Verena Young, an integration coach who is finishing her PhD, and is certified in Spiritual Counseling and Addiction Recovery and Psycho-Spiritual Integration Coaching.Accommodation ranges from sleeping in the ceremonial space or camping if you want to stay connected with Mother Earth, to higher-end options in private cabins or lodges. They even have a family cabin for larger groups.
With Behold Retreats, you're supported down to the last detail from travel arrangements, to high-end accommodations, and will have the opportunity to receive 7 weeks of personal coaching for optimized preparation and integration. We have a team of therapists and coaches that can help you go deep and get the most from your ayahuasca experience from pre to post retreat.
Most people from the Western world don’t consider parasites a possibility unless they have traveled to a third world country, but parasites are everywhere. They go undetected due to a lack of proper testing within the western medical industry, and are often mistreated as a digestive issue. Our ayahuasca retreats have had tremendous success treating parasites, often times when participants did not know they had them.
Due to the highly customizable nature of these private retreats, we are able to host you as an individual, you with your close group, or for your entire organization. We may also curate weekend retreats if this is something you are interested in however we recommend you take the full time out of your life for this journey, it will be sacred, it will be life-changing, it will be cathartic. Allow it.
As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel. We understand that time is the greatest luxury, which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal, a drink, or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world.
Our ayahuasca retreats have had success in helping people struggling with addiction. It is certainly more challenging because the roots of addiction are so varied, although in general relate to emotional trauma and a lack of self love. With treatment for addiction, integration and a commitment to lasting lifestyle changes is essential. Turning the corner is achievable, but following the new path in life is more important. We do everything we can to assist with those processes.Acid reflux has become one of the most common afflictions of the Western world. Poor eating habits combined with increased emotional stress create systemic enzyme imbalances that are difficult to treat, and, unfortunately, present an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of a maintainable condition. Particular plant treatments and a regimented diet can provide tremendous benefit. We have had great success during our ayahuasca retreats with the treatment of acid reflux.
The Sanctuary is a shamanic healing center and branch of Oklevueha Native American Church, an Ayahuasca Church, located on the land of the Sacred White Dee, a Bee Sanctuary and certified wildlife habitat and holistic sanctuary with 6 acres of wild forest containing over 100+ fruit trees, edible bushes, and medicinal plants such as the coca leaf. You really will get a chance to connect with Mother Nature here.
Another Ayahuasca church known as the Peaceful Mountain Way is a Native American Church that specializes in an ayahuasca ritual as a spiritual sacrament.
Our retreat center is located near the bank of a river, with recreational options for hiking, swimming, fishing and plant walks with certified conservation guides. The reserve is over 120,000 acres of pristine rainforest, and the Mishana community is located right in the heart of the reserve. The retreat center is part of the Mishana community and employs several members to work in various positions for the retreats and courses.
All are welcome to our public gatherings. Most people with sincere spiritual intent are eligible for our sacrament retreats. If you aren’t sure if you can participate in our retreats, look at our Medical Guidelines pages on our website. Nearly 100% are medically eligible for our Magic Mushroom retreats. Certain medications and medical conditions are not compatible with Ayahuasca.
The spiritual investment varies depending on the location, maximum number of participants, and sacraments being offered. Our Ayahuasca and Mushroom retreats can range between $1000 – $2000 and our Bufo Alvarius (5meo-dmt) retreats range between $400 – $1000. To know the exact cost, please sign up for our email list where prices are announced for each retreat.
Yes! You can find more information about our private ceremonies on our retreat page.
A. With proper preparation, integration, and understanding how our Sacraments work, you will see there’s no such thing as a bad trip. Difficult and challenging experiences can be a part of the deep psychedelic journey. We all have skeletons in our psycho-spiritual closets, whether it’s fear, insecurities, our shadow, or repressed memories. Our approach isn’t to try to avoid a challenging experience, but rather to lean into them, since this is where the real productive work occurs. Can you face your demons with curiosity and love? Can you stand at your edge of your comfort zone with strength and courage? Everybody loves experiencing bliss, but by going through challenges we can develop the tools to live a more integrated and empowered life in the real world We’ve got your back, just breathe.
Our approach does not require you to convert or have faith of any kind. Faith can be an impediment to understanding. Our approach is to facilitate direct mystical experiences so that people can come to their own conclusions.
We don’t give medical advice. As evidenced by high quality research, our spiritual sacraments in the right setting can be very powerful healing tools. This is because much spiritual dis-ease manifests also as physical dis-ease. When spiritual dis-ease is discovered and addressed, many transformations happen downstream.
. A shaman is generally considered a healer or an initiate of a lineage. We are not healers or following any one particular lineage. Our philosophy is that the only healer is you, through proper integration of what you learned in your journey. We also do not follow any one particular lineage or tradition in choosing how we lead ceremony. Our ceremonies are guided by icaros, music, and prayers
Currently we’re serving a maximum of 20 people per ceremony.