Welcome to Be Your Own Savior

There is a widespread misconception that all of South and Central America are dangerous places to travel. While safety concerns should always be taken seriously, these regions are incredibly diverse, and most places offer safe and welcoming experiences.

If you have concerns about traveling, I will be happy to meet you at Rio Branco Airport and personally accompany you to our destination. Throughout the entire experience, I will guide you to trusted places and ensure you have support, guidance, and care every step of the way.

You will not be navigating this experience alone. I will be there to help you feel comfortable, supported, and at ease from the moment you arrive.

Take a flight to Rio Branco, Brasil. After, you board a bus or taxi for 4 hours to Fiejo. You will then be escorted into the jungle on a 15 minute boat ride.

You will stay in a traditional Noke Koi casita. A casita is like a comfortable tree fort with a bed, bug netting, toilet, and pristine view of the jungle and river.

You will eat a few days of meals with chicken and fish. For the remaining days, you will be eating traditional diet food with no salt/spices. Diet food includes grains, eggs, potatoes, and vegetables.

The retreat will include daily yoga, meditations, breathwork, and cold plunges. There will be workshops on sexuality, connecting with prayer and the elements, and learning about indigenous ways of life. The retreat includes a tobacco purge, Kambo and Huachuma ceremonies, and a traditional Noke Koi diet with ayahuasca.

Yes, we have staff trained in CPR/AED, Nurses, Nurses aids, and all facilitators are well prepared for the medicine ceremonies.

Ayahuasca is a vine (banisteriopsis caapi) which grows natively in the Amazon basin. When cooked with the Chakruna plant (Psychotria viridis), the psychoactive, medicinal tea called Ayahuasca is formed. This tea is used traditionally in a formal setting for its healing, purgative and visionary qualities. Ayahuasca is made from the two plants Ayahuasca and Chakruna. We cook both of the plants together to make Ayahuasca.

Generally speaking, it is safe; however, as with all herbal medicines, some health conditions and pharmaceutical contraindications exist. You can read our medical guidelines page to see more information.

There have been reports of people dying after consuming ayahuasca. Generally, these have been connected to pre-existing health conditions or physical accidents.

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive medicine, and during the ceremony, it is common for participants to experience psychedelic effects such as hallucinations and physical solid or emotional processing. However, once the impact of the ceremony pass, these effects generally pass too. People with a history of psychosis, schizophrenia, or other psychological challenges with intense delusionary symptoms should take extreme caution if considering working with Ayahuasca and consult with a range of experienced healers and professionals before deciding to drink. Activating dormant symptoms happens because the strong psychoactive effects of the medicine may, in some cases, trigger a relapse of the former condition. Like all medicines, not every panacea is suitable for everyone.

We caution those with heart conditions, a history of psychosis, or current pregnancy against drinking Ayahuasca. Also, some pharmaceutical medications do not mix well with Ayahuasca, especially certain anti-depressants. Please discuss all conditions and medications before booking a retreat with us.

There is mounting scientific and qualitative evidence to suggest that Ayahuasca is a potent medicine for helping those challenged with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This article goes deeper into some of those studies.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ayahuasca-psychedelic-tested-for-depression/

Again this is a matter of personal choice. Most of our teachers and healers would say it is better not to drink on the first three days of your moon cycle to let the body rest and process without additional intensity. Also, some healers feel that a menstruating women’s energy is so intense it can impact their work in the ceremony or interfere with other people’s rituals. Our policy iis that menstruating women are free to choose if they wish to drink, but we ask you to inform us so we can adjust your dosage and give you any necessary support.

Medical Guidelines

Our healing work is traditional Amazonian shamanic plant medicine. The medicinal plants we use, including but not limited to Ayahuasca, are biochemically and energetically potent and do not mix well with all other substances.

Many pharmaceutical drugs, natural supplements, and herbs are incompatible with Ayahuasca, and some medical or psychological conditions are also inappropriate for treatment with this medicine.

However, even if you cannot drink Ayahuasca, there may be other plants we can use to help you, so please discuss them with us before dismissing the opportunity altogether.

All guests must consult with us and their doctors about the safety of ceasing medication within the time frames required by us. Also, full disclosure of medical conditions, past and present, is mandatory at the time of application for a retreat or ceremony.

Below is a list of SOME medical conditions, pharmaceuticals, and supplements incompatible with drinking Ayahuasca. Please contact us and your doctor if your situation needs to be listed.

We highly recommend all guests get a complete medical checkup before working with us, including an ECG, to screen for any heart function abnormalities, as these can be undetected until you test them. If you are traveling, we can recommend a local doctor to do this.

Medical conditions are not suitable for treatment with Ayahuasca.

Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, Other dis-associative conditions including antisocial, suicidal tendencies, mood disorders, Serious heart conditions

Pharmaceuticals and Supplements not to be mixed with Ayahuasca

We require all guests only to take pharmaceuticals or supplements during their stay if we have approved them in certain circumstances. Some medications must be stopped well in advance (at least one month) of drinking Ayahuasca or other Master Plants. Different substances require longer to clear from your system, so please speak with us and consult your doctor to establish how long you need to stop taking them before working with us and what the side effects may be when you do so.

These are some of the medications that are particularly contract-indicative with Ayahuasca.

SSRIs (any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)

amphetamines (meth-, dex-, amphetamine), antihypertensives (high blood pressure medicine), appetite suppressants (diet pills), treatments for asthma, bronchitis, or other breathing problems, antihistamines, medications for colds, sinus problems, hay fever, or allergies (Actifed DM, Benadryl, Benylin, Chlor-Trimeton, Compoz, etc.) CNS (central nervous system) depressants, antipsychotics, and alcohol.

Herbs and supplements not compatible

St. Johns Wort, Kava, Ephedra, Ginseng, YohimbeSinicuichi

Specific drugs not to mix with Ayahuasca:

Actifed, Amantadine hydrochloride (Symmetrel), Amoxapine (Asendin), Benadryl, Benylin, Bupropion (Wellbutrin), Buspirone (BuSpar)

Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Epitol), Chlor-Trimeton

Clomipramine (Anafranil), Cocaine, Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), Cyclizine (Marezine)

Desipramine (Pertofrane), Dextromethorphan (DXM), Disopyramide (Norpace), Doxepin (Sinequan), Ephedrine, Flavoxate Hydrochloride (Urispas), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Imipramine, (Tofranil), Isocarboxazid (Marplan), Levodopa (Dopar, Larodopa), Loratadine (Claritin), Maprotiline (Ludiomil), Meperidine (Demerol)

Methylphenidate (Ritalin), Nortriptyline (Aventyl)

Oxybutynin chloride (Ditropan), Orphenadrine (Norflex), Parnate, Paroxetine (Paxil), Phenergan

Phenelzine (Nardil), Procainamide (Pronestyl)

Protriptyline (Vivactil), Pseudoephedrine

Quinidine (Quinidex), Salbutamol, Salmeterol

Selegiline (Eldepryl), Sertraline (Zoloft)

Tegretol, Temaril, Tranylcypromine (Parnate)

Tricyclic antidepressants (Amitriptyline, Elavil)

Trimipramine (Surmontil), andYohimbine.

How to Prepare and What to Bring

Correctly preparing yourself to work with Ayahuasca and other Master Plants is essential to get the most from your healing experience. Our natural location also means that being perfectly equipped will make your stay more comfortable so you can fully relax.

Ayahuasca and Master Plant Dieta personal preparation

We recommend that all guests get a medical checkup before working with us. Specifically, we suggest a blood pressure check and ECG to screen for heart function abnormalities. Checking this is the responsibility of guests to undertake themselves; if you are traveling, we can recommend a local doctor who can perform this test for you.

Avoid recreational drugs, including marijuana, for at least two weeks before commencing your diet or ceremony. Avoid alcohol for a minimum of 48 hours before Ayahuasca Ceremony. Avoid sexual contact for a minimum of 48 hours before Ayahuasca Ceremony.

Ensure you are well hydrated, but please avoid drinking too much water directly before or during Ayahuasca ceremonies.

We suggest you avoid foods with MAOI inhibitors (link) for at least 24 hours before drinking Ayahuasca. These foods include fermented or non-fresh foods, cheese, miso, tofu or other fermented soy products, dried fruits, tamari or soy sauce, sauerkraut, pickled foods, protein extracts, processed or smoked meat products, yeast/brewers yeast (yeast in baked goods is OK). We also suggest that in the weeks before drinking Ayahuasca or undertaking a Master Plant diet, you prepare your body to receive the medicine; this includes avoiding too many fried foods, caffeine, spicy foods, dairy, pork, and other sugars. Fresh, clean, and natural foods with a high ratio of fresh vegetables and fruit are the best way to prepare.

Many medications and natural supplements are not complimentary with this work. They can be dangerous, significantly MAOI-inhibiting medications, SSRIs, and or antidepressants, including St. Johns Wort. Please consult your doctor about stopping any medications before drinking Ayahuasca or attending a diet, ideally at least one month before.

If you are a woman, stop taking hormonal contraceptions two weeks before. Also, they have interfered with the process of some women. If you are not in a partnership, we recommend considering this as a time to remove that potentially.

Please advise us of any medications you have taken or are taking as far in advance as possible, and we can discuss your situation.

Also, visit our Medical Guidelines page for more detailed information.

Meditation, yoga, or other mind/body/spirit practices complement this work, teaching you to focus your energies which can be very useful during this process. However, this is not mandatory.

Vaccinations for traveling to Peru: most western Doctors recommend Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hep A, B, and sometimes Malaria pills. We do not recommend any of these vaccinations as necessary to visit us. Malaria and Dengue fever are extremely rare in this area, and we are not in a low-lying or swampy place where they sometimes manifest. If you choose to vaccinate, please do so as long as possible before coming. Some countries, such as Australia, require a yellow fever vaccination card to re-enter after visiting Latin America; this is your choice; we have never had ours checked at customs, so this is your choice.

What should I bring?

Most importantly, a good attitude, humility, respect, open-mindedness, and preparation to surrender to this work is a process that reveals itself over time. Reflecting on your intentions, questions, or healing goals is also beneficial.

We are remote and must transport guests in a 4×4 to reach the center. We advise you to bring the minimum amount of practical luggage for your travels; this is not a fashion show or a vacation. Yours is not about moving around a lot, and your clothes don't get filthy. Simple is best.

Suggested Items to Bring for Dieta

A small flashlight or head torch is required in ceremonies conducted in pitch darkness within our Maloka and for walking around the property at night. Bring spare batteries. Lightweight, comfortable long pants and long-sleeved shirts, 2 or 3 sets. Also, wearing something white in a ceremony is a suggestion for the healing vibration this color holds. A warm jumper/sweater, as the evenings can get chilly. Water bottle. Rubber welly boots or other waterproof footwear. Sunhat.

Shorts, tee-shirt, or sundress for travel to and from the center. Towels. Waterproof jacket or poncho. Bring socks that will cover your ankles and lower legs. Swimwear (optional, we think swimming naked in the river is good for your health!). Yoga mat if you like. A padlock and key for your hut, if you want. A little something personally significant and sacred you are welcome to add to our altar in the Maloka during your stay, crystals, etc. Lighter and Mapacho natural tobacco, if you smoke, is the only option in our center and can be purchased easily in the markets of Tarapoto. Bring your creative materials for your diet – pen, paper, paints, crafts, musical instruments, whatever you want to channel your healing process into.

Toiletries: IMPORTANT! during dieta non, 100% plant-based toiletries and cosmetics are incompatible with these medicines; this means non-natural toothpaste, moisturizer, makeup, deodorant, bug repellent, shampoos, sunscreen, etc. Many products marketed as "natural" contain chemicals and minerals or salts, so please read the ingredient list. We recommend brushing your teeth, moisturizing with organic coconut oil, and releasing the need for all other toiletries during this time unless you can find plant-based products. We can also offer you some alternative options here (you will survive, we promise!) If you refuse to use inappropriate cosmetics, you must cease your diet, which can be dangerous to yourself and others. Mountain Rose Organics is a good website for bringing some products. Books – while it's OK to read, we don't suggest you spend your whole diet doing so because you can become distracted from your process, escaping into books. However, if you would like to read, we recommend books on spirituality, philosophy, healing, nature, or personal development to keep you focused on your purpose. Electronics, there is no need to use electronics during your diet, and we are out of range anyway. Laptops, cell phones, etc., can be stored securely in the main house during your stay, and we also have limited access to electricity. It is appropriate to listen to a little gentle music but be mindful of others' space and quiet using headphones or keeping your distance.

Afterward

Please don't rush off; it's wise to have at least 48 hours after cutting (breaking) your Ayahuasca master plant dieta to move slowly away from the center and on with your journeys; please don't book a tight schedule for after diet. We recommend a great range of accommodation options near the center. You never know how you will feel and may need to move slowly. Sometimes, the weather may also prevent us from leaving on the scheduled day, so having a time window before traveling is safer.

Item deAyahuasca Integration

Shifting our deepest patterns, beliefs, wounds, and programming takes time. However, even a single ayahuasca ceremony can feel like lifetimes of change in just a few hours; the journey to integrate this with our daily existence almost always takes some time, patience, and courage.

If you have worked with us, you will have clear instructions about post-dietary requirements, so please follow them closely. However, this page goes above and beyond that to address the subject of integration more broadly.

Time and time again, we hear from people who have returned from a ceremony or retreat and found themselves feeling lost or ungrounded, struggling to adjust to new levels of sensitivity on all levels, physical, emotional, and spiritual. I relate.

First of all, the tradition of Ayahuasca and the shamanic use of this plant was born out of a society that lives very differently than many of us; the pace of life, range of responsibilities, and physical/energetic environment are entirely different, and without question more conducive to integrating these deep energies of nature smoothly.

Undergoing etheric "surgery" of treatment from these plants, whether Ayahuasca alone or in conjunction with a master plant diet, we need time to recover, just like physical surgery. Rushing straight back to a busy city, our jobs and lives can be too much for our nervous system, body, or spirit. However, I know, as well as anyone, that taking time to focus on ourselves is only sometimes abundantly available. Perhaps the time taken for your retreat or healing was all the time you could afford.

How can we seek integration when feeling the aftermath of the deep healing process that has occurred and is still unfolding?

First of all, speaking from personal experience, it is essential for well-being, regardless of whether or not we are working with medicinal plants, to have a meditation practice of some form in our lives. We cultivate the stillness of the mind, an ability to slow down the nervous system's activity and enter a state of "flow." A feeling and being stated, rather than thinking and doing. The many practices from the yogic traditions, such as physical yoga asana, meditation, and breathing techniques, offer a vast wealth of guidance towards this and can be of immense benefit.

However, playing a musical instrument, doing some physical activity, or creating a creative space you enter with a calm and focused sense of letting go can also activate this state. It can be hard to do this when we are feeling agitated or distressed, however, so I want to make some other suggestions for you to consider.

Journaling without overthinking, recording your feelings and concerns flowingly, just letting it all pour onto the page. This private and safe space for you to continue processing everything is a beautiful and simple method for your healing unfolding.

Seek counsel. More and more healers and therapists have personal direct experience with plant medicine and Ayahuasca. The website www.theaftercareproject.org has a great directory of them which you can refer to for in-person or distance care. We also have connections with people who can do one-on-one shamanic coaching. While online forums and communities can be a great place to connect and share information, be discerning in taking advice from people you meet online or do not have extensive experience with, and seek counsel from those qualified to give it. If you can still connect and speak with the healer or shaman that served your medicine, by all means, talk to them first and foremost.

Connect with plants. Ayahuasca is a master consciousness of the plant kingdom; the whole plant world is her relatives, and connecting with plant allies as part of your continued healing is essential to understand. Visiting an herbalist or someone who appreciates plants as more than just physical healing entities but as actual spirits may help you to find herbs or other plants that can assist your integration. Also, spending time in nature, barefoot, and close to the earth can help ground and clear the energies you continue working with.

Eat clean. Your body and digestive system may have become more sensitive, and your nutritional needs could differ in adjusting to this process. Plant medicine, especially Ayahuasca, likes clean Food, not too much oil, acid, sugar, or spice. Think soft cooked Food, simple grains, and lots of green veggies. Also, red meat and pork are not super compatible; better to stick with free-range eggs, chicken, and fish. Stripping your diet back like this can help with the integration process.

Be gentle with yourself. You are a precious being, be gentle with yourself. If you need to sleep, sleep. Take time to rest and have space from others. Treat yourself like a little child with care, kindness, and patience.

If you are struggling with post-ceremony or diet integration, please get in touch with us; we will do our best to assist you.

If it is used in the right way, Kambo is very secure. Nevertheless it is important to be aware that this is a very potent secretion and one has to know how to work with it. Several factors have to be regarded for a secure intake. Statistically speaking, many more people could suffer side effects from common medication, to use an argument often heard however this should not be an excuse to use it irresponsibly.

The biggest danger could be when a treatment is done by someone that has no experience in this area – neither as a physician, natural healer or shaman. A white gown and a syringe does not turn every human into a doctor. Equally, a few feathers and a rattle does not make someone a shaman. You should always be mindful to be treated by someone who has experience in this field and this sort of treatment.

Kambo is a healing ritual used mainly in South America. It's named after the poisonous secretions of the giant monkey frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor. The frog secretes the substance as a defense mechanism to kill or subdue animals that try to eat it. Indigenous people have used kambo for centuries to heal and cleanse the body by strengthening its natural defenses and warding off bad luck. It was also believed to increase stamina and hunting skills. These days shamans and naturopathic practitioners still use it for cleansing the body of toxins, as well as treating numerous health conditions like addiction, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, cancer, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, hepatitis, HIV and AIDS, infections, infertility, rheumatism, and vascular conditions. Like many of the medicines I work with, they apply to many levels of healing, from the physical to the mental/emotional and the spiritual, more abstract energetic levels of healing. A Kambo ritual generally starts with drinking around 1 liter of water or cassava soup. Subsequently, the therapist or Kambo practitioner creates minor burns via a glowing timber, often around 3-5, traditionally at the ankle or upper arm. After scraping away the blistered skin, the secretion is applied to the wound, reaching the lymphatic system and quickly the bloodstream. The first symptoms reported are a rush of heat, redness of the face, and promptly emerging nausea and vomiting, dizziness, and edema of the face, sometimes following within minutes.

Tobacco purge refers to the traditional ritual preparation and use in the Peruvian Amazon of tobacco ( Nicotiana rustica , also called “mapacho”) as a liquid decoction to make use of its purgative properties . 1​ The tobacco purge is often carried out as an activity prior to the ayahuasca ceremonies, with the aim of carrying out a physical, emotional and energetic cleansing, the morning of the day before and fasting.

The purge ritual is generally performed on an empty stomach and in the morning, lasting 3 to 6 hours. You typically drink the tobacco tea, followed by 3 to 4 liters of water, causing the purgative effect. The tabaquero decides the amount on the characteristics and conditions of each person (complexion, physique, weight, age, physical condition, sensitivity and medical history). There are rarely any medical complications with tobacco purges.

The Rapé ceremony is meant for one person at a time and lasts for an hour. The medicine is dispensed up to three times during the ceremony, depending on the experiences of the person. During the ceremony, the facilitator serves the medicine alongside singing, drumming, and Reiki if needed, to help the recipient release any unwelcome physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual disturbances.

also known as ha-pay, is a powerful restorative medicine used by indigenous tribes in South America for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing. The medicine is obtained by drying and sifting tobacco leaves into a fine powder and then mixed with medicinal tree ashes. The ceremony involves blowing the fine powdered tobacco through a pipe called a Tepi into the nostrils of the recipient, which can sting for a short time but catalyzes the person to purge themselves of mucus from the sinuses, chest, and occasionally the digestive tract.

Rape will help clear the sinuses, chest, and, occasionally, digestive tract. Release of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual disturbances. Improved clarity of mind and energy levels. Translucence about one's life, putting difficult situations into perspective. Potential for enhanced spiritual experiences and connections. Possible reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms. Improved concentration and focus. A deeper understanding of self and personal growth. Increased appreciation for nature and its healing properties. Reduction of addiction cravings and habits. Strengthened sense of purpose and direction, heightened intuition and perception.