Ayahuasca Retreats Near Me

For spiritual enlightenment, self-discovery, and healing, people travel to Peru, Mexico, and other stunning destinations.

1. Legality – The hallucinogenic ingredient in ayahuasca, DMT, is a Schedule 1 substance prohibited in the United States. So you don’t have to go all the way to Latin America to participate in a spiritual rite using plant medicine. A few Ayahuasca retreat places in the USA comply with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a regulation that defends religious rituals. Those who practice medicine under the RFRA must do it following the cosmological and religious beliefs that support their authorization. Several ayahuasca medicine practitioners with roots in the USA have attempted to change their methods over the years to cater to a more Western clientele and retreat style. Still, they have unluckily lost their licenses because it was determined that they no longer adhered to the strict religious standards outlined by the RFRA. In addition, there are ongoing legal procedures against other people currently functioning in the USA. If a retreat in the USA is essential for you, we firmly advise that you conduct your investigation and due diligence.

2. Cultural Context – Working under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the USA, indigenous shamans and healers are doing valuable work, and it is crucial to support and safeguard these keepers of wisdom. The resulting cultural differences can occasionally prevent Westerners from receiving the amount of attention, service, and concentrated healing they frequently seek when they attend a ritual that is required by custom and law to advance particular religious aims. It is essential to understand that many indigenous traditions adhere to cosmologies very dissimilar from our own in the West. These differences can be strongly felt and perhaps even overpowering at ceremonies, especially for newcomers. There is no right or wrong, but in our experience, working with sacred plant medicine in an environment that permits the subjectivity of the background to unfold in a way consistent with their belief system is very beneficial for people. The quality and safety of the experience can be significantly impacted by these energy variations (again, especially for first-timers).

3. Anchoring the New You – There is something about boarding a plane that causes an energetic reset as if we have passed through a gateway. Even without ayahuasca, there is a sense of freshness, liberation, adventure, and unrealized potential.

What helps you transform: a week-long, fully immersed encounter with mother ayahuasca in a stunning, tranquil setting that connects to the vibrancy of nature, as well as some downtime for relaxation, introspection, and integration before returning to the outside world. You merit it. This project and you both matter too much.

Not so good: Returning to work on Monday after spending Friday driving to a retreat. Back into the situation where the “old you” has expectations for the “new you” when this job is done effectively (you are prepared, working with expert facilitators, and give yourself the space and time for a retreat and integration).

Keep this in mind when selecting Ayahuasca retreats and facilitators. You’re entrusting someone else with control over your consciousness.

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