If this is your first time embarking on a sacred Ayahuasca journey, this short quiz will help you assess your level of mental, emotional, and spiritual readiness for this powerful and sensitive work. An Ayahuasca Retreat is not to be taken lightly, the work needs to be done before, during, and after the retreat.For those of you looking for a highly professionally-run retreat with a small group size (no more than 11) and a high level of attention to safety, service, and real sustained growth, Behold Retreats is a great choice. Behold does not facilitate Ayahuasca in the USA, but offers close-by legal options in breathtaking Costa Rica. We strongly urge you to consider embarking on your journey in a safe and legal country. This process is your own self-healing journey, nothing else should interfere such as legality issues.
My first ayahuasca experience went something like this: After a shaman cleared my nostrils with rapé—a dried, powdered tobacco snuff that’s shot up participants’ noses with a pipe to begin a ceremony—I drank my first of three cups a snake in a pit of other snakes. I even lost all concept of my own appearance—what qualities my face had, from my nose to even the color of my eyes.
We are here to arm you with the most information possible - about the plant medicine and about yourself. If you choose to proceed in an ayahuasca retreat with us, we would be honored but regardless and in either way, we ask you to still explore the self-realizing techniques below. They will be useful to your beautiful soul.For deeper and pragmatic insights into what makes up a safe and quality plant medicine retreat, check out the results from our recent plant medicine retreats survey.
It’s important to respect the use of the plant, and Indigenous people who have used it for centuries, as the cultural harbingers of its healing qualities.
I didn’t go to the Caribbean seeking ayahuasca; it found me. After befriending a medicine woman who introduced me to the two experts, I ended up extending my trip by a week in order to experience the substance for the first time. Though the word ‘ayahuasca’ wasn’t part of my vocabulary before this 2016 experience, I’ve since participated in other ceremonies. I’ll always regard this initial experience as a new starting point of my life. It was the moment that set me along my spiritual path, into a life full of big adventures and endless wells of creativity—and I have the learnings of Indigenous experts with cultural and spiritual connections to ayahuasca to thank for that. The Western world’s recent scientific research on ayahuasca's benefits prove what Indigenous cultures in the Amazon Basin have always known: The plant is a highly powerful, transportive substance that can be used to treat physical and mental ailments, and experiencing it with the help of those practiced in its traditions can expand the mind in ways you might have never thought possible.
For those wanting a comfortable, amenity-rich retreat environment, some centers offer deluxe accommodations and customized support services alongside ayahuasca ceremonies. While more expensive, these can appeal to those wanting an extra degree of comfort, luxury, and personal care throughout the process.
After the journey, you can feel supported by their coaches who will help make sense of your insights and lessons, and help you integrate this experience and spiritual awakening into your life in a lasting way
Allergies are nearly as prevalent in the people who attend our ayahuasca retreats as depression and anxiety, although most cases are not very serious. Our immune systems should naturally be able to defend against natural elements of our environment, but again, when compromised by toxicity, trauma, stress, and diet, there are obstacles in the way of health being achieved. We have had very good results treating allergies, but lifestyle changes are necessary as well.
All food allergies are a sign that something is not right. People don’t ‘just have’ an allergy to a normal food. Celiac disease is complicated by the current modification and distortion of gluten in the food industry, most especially in the mass production of bread (at least it’s called bread), but there is more going on within the immune system as well, which is compromised in various ways. While we have only had a handful of cases on our ayahuasca retreats, we have had great success with the treatment of all of them.
The cleansing process involved in treatment coupled with the dietary restrictions during ayahuasca retreats make for a successful weight loss plan. It is very common to lose weight during a program, nearly guaranteed, but especially excess weight. We recently had someone lose 37lbs in three weeks (2lbs per day). Because the digestive system is rebalanced in the healing and the emotional issues at the core of the condition are addressed, weight usually continues to drop and stay off.
Anxiety is a condition we treat very often and always with positive results. The tradition’s combination of treatment methods is ideal for treating both depression and anxiety, as well as a number of other conditions. Our ayahuasca retreats have a 100% success rate for improvement with treatment of anxiety, but again, it is up to each person to follow through on making and maintaining lifestyle changes after the retreat.
– 22 Ayahuasca ceremonies led by Shipibo curanderos– Authentic training in Shipibo curanderismo– Two plant dietas with Noya Rao and another plant– Daily lectures, workshops, and activities– Natural holistic treatment for afflictions– Ceremonial cushma, pomades, mapachos…– Mp3 player & USB with recordings, photos, and video.
One of the most common components for any healing process in the jungle is chilling in a hammock. During the retreats we encourage plenty of rest, relaxation, and quiet contemplation time between ceremonies and treatments. For those who struggle to stop ‘doing’, the hammock may be your medicine and your office of turning inwards. We also have a library of powerful books about healing and empowerment to pass more wakeful times productively.
At our ayahuasca retreats we have treated numerous cases of arthritis with good success. Only in the most extreme cases were we not able to achieve significant improvements, but even in those few cases, there was improvement. A number of treatments are involved, and there are some fantastic natural remedies employed in the process.
El Sol Retreats offers small group, private and at home ayahuasca ceremonies, as well as the option to join their membership club for participants. Their ayahuasca brew is made from scratch and the ingredients, such as the ayahuasca vine, are all individually ordered so you can be assured of what exactly is in the tea, and they are confident that their brew is safe and effective
We provide responsible and sustainable social assistance, holistic healing, and cultural education. We focus our actions on the less favoured and vulnerable people and communities in Peru, having Etnikas as a supporting organisation. Our projects are based on social and community regeneration, animal rescue and environmental conservation and regeneration.
Our ayahuasca retreats have a very high success rate treating Insomnia, as its causes are typically related to depression, anxiety, and emotional trauma. Simply from a chemical perspective, the effect ayahuasca has on the production of serotonin in the brain is very helpful, but finding balance at the root of the condition is key, and that is often achieved through the combination of several treatment methods.
Leaky gut is a different expression to similar roots as acid reflux. The treatment is also very similar. We have had very good success on our ayahuasca retreats with helping people who suffer from leaky gut, and many other digestive issues.Candida is a troublesome condition for western treatment because it is an intelligent living being, aware and capable of learning. Therefore, treatment with unconscious chemicals is limiting and often causes adaptation of the being rather than eradication. Treatment with plants, however, which are also intelligent living beings capable of their own learning and adaptation, significantly increases the chances of success, which we have observed on numerous occasions with the treatment methods used during our ayahuasca retreats.
Due to the complicated legal status of ayahuasca in the USA, there are just a few retreat centers that genuinely and legally offer ayahuasca experiences located in the USA. The expansion of ayahuasca’s popularity has led to the emergence of retreat centers and churches in the USA that offer legal ayahuasca experiences. A good ayahuasca retreat should also provide a safe, comfortable setting for navigating the deep psychedelic journey that the medicine provides.
Regardless of which retreat you choose, the El Sol Retreats ensures that the highest level of care possible will be provided to you. Our staff is comprised of dedicated students who are always striving to learn more, do more, and be more. Even our curanderos who have decades of experience are always trying to improve and learn, but especially our assistant healers who manage the day to day activities during the programs. There is no end to what can be learned and improved upon, as there is no end to the depth of the ayahuasca healing tradition. It is truly limitless.
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.