An Ayahuasca retreat could be the best experience of your life, or it could leave you worse off, confused, or traumatized.

Your outcome depends upon 3 things: your readiness, preparation, and your ability to choose a high-quality retreat.

1) To help you assess your level of mental and spiritual readiness, take this short quiz.

2) To understand more about ayahuasca, and to prepare for a retreat, check out our guide.

3) If you're feeling ready for a retreat, then congratulations! Whether your first or your 10th retreat, this is a momentous occasion.

Like most things in life, there are a broad variety of Ayahuasca retreat options, and a number of factors that effect the quality and cost of an ayahuasca retreat.

Here are 12 recommendations to help you avoid sketchy options and choose a safe and transformational experience:

1. Safety First: Unfortunately, many small retreat centers are not in a position to make meaningful investments into screening and safety. Even if you're fine, someone else on retreat might not be, which can effect the overall experience. Our recommendation is to choose a retreat provider that does in-depth conversational, medical, and psychological screening to protect your safety and well-being.‍
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2. Legality:  Experienced practitioners who have dedicated their lives to plant medicine typically live in locations where the work is legal, so they don't have to live in a state of "what if". Our recommendation is to travel to legal locations where you can benefit from legitimate healers who operate above the radar, so you can truly relax on retreat. That's kind of the idea, right?
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3. ‍Size of the group: It's common for retreats to have 20, 50, even 100 people in ceremony, which can be chaotic to say the least. In such large groups, there's a lot of collective bucket-time in the room, and you are less likely receive the level of attention from healers that you are probably looking for. Our recommendation is to choose a retreat with an intimate group of say, 8-15 people.
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4. ‍Length of the retreat: Shorter retreats feel rushed, don't support the cultivation of meaningful relationships, and there are limits to what can be achieved in a few nights. We recommend you spend at least a week for an ayahuasca retreat to give your mind, body, heart, and soul the attention it deserves. ‍
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5. ‍‍Comfort: We recommend you choose a retreat where you are confident you will be physically comfortable and have your own private bedroom to decompress and integrate, especially if this is your first time. Go for the full jungle mosquito immersion another time, your future self will thank you later.
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6. Energetic Alignment: Select a retreat that feels energetically aligned and allows your own subjective experience to unfold naturally. There's no right or wrong here, but it's worth recognizing that there are many different cosmologies (ways of seeing the universe), and having the energy of a different cosmology pushed through the ceremonial space may or may not be in your highest healing interests. This is also particularly relevant for first-timers.
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7. ‍Holistic approach: Work with an organization that takes a holistic approach to working with plant medicine, and has options to support and guide your mental and emotional evolution alongside a retreat. If a provider implies that "medicine will solve all your problems", proceed with caution (because it won't!).
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8. ‍Service: Select a retreat that you believe can meet your individual needs. Are you being treated as a human, or as participant #22 in their fourth retreat this month? Consider whether or not they've taken the time to get to know you and understand you, or it's more of a take it or leave it retreat center.
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9. ‍Booking process: Take the time to speak with the provider before finalizing your booking. If it's all 100% online, ANYONE could be sitting next to you in ceremony. Everyone deserves to heal, but it's unlikely you want to be sitting in ceremony with a recovering addict going through their process next to you
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10. Expertise: Find an organization that emphasizes healing, and you believe has the breadth and depth of expertise to guide your transformation. Look for facilitators and healers who have a lightness of being and a sparkle in their eyes. Healing work is all about the transmutation of energy, so you are looking for people who have the energy you aspire to. If they aren't able to keep their energy right, that tells you quite a bit about either where they are at and their capabilities.
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11. ‍Reputation: At a minimum, Google the provider, you may be surprised by what you find. If there's not much information, that is also information :) You may also like to look up the Founders and see what their energy is all about (hint hint). A famous comedian recently went to one of the most popular Ayahuasca retreat centers (known for large groups) and mentioned there were people on the retreat who didn't even know what Ayahuasca was. Yes, seriously.
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12. ‍Volunteers: Please support ethical plant medicine work by selecting an organization that pay their team. Unfortunately, it is common practice for retreat centers to cycle through young, eager, and worn out volunteers and/or not pay healers fairly. If the people supporting your retreat aren't living their best life, they're not going to be able to lead you to yours. Not the right vibe. Don't be shy to ask this question directly when you speak to prospective centers.

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Who you choose to attend an Ayahuasca retreat with is undoubtedly one of the most important decisions in your life, especially the first time.

We encourage you to take the time and energy to do your research, follow your intuition, and to know why you are choosing a specific retreat.

If our recommendations resonate with you, and you'd like to explore a transformational journey with Behold, click on "Begin Your Journey" below to request a complimentary Discovery Call with one of our Medicine Guides.

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Want to know what a well-run retreat is like? We asked some of our past guests to do the impossible and summarize their retreat experience with us in 1 word.

Watch the video to get a sense of the magic that's possible:

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Ayahuasca is an increasingly popular plant medicine used for healing the body, mind, and spirit. This master plant is a psychotropic preparation obtained by two different sacred plants that originated in the Amazon basin in South America. The begging of the use of this powerful date back to pre-history and its use has always been connected to ceremony and healers.

Because of its amazonian origins, the societies of South America are more aware of the healing aspect of the preparation and its connection to ceremony, healing, and deep transformational nature. But this is not the case in many countries in the world. 

Most countries view this sacred plant medicine as harmful because of its psychotropic qualities. This becomes even more evident in cultures that are far away from South America as Asian countries. 

The distance from its birthplace and the lack of understanding of the plant makes it almost impossible to be part of a legal Ayahuasca ceremony in Asia. Therefore, if your goal is to connect to the plant and its profound healing properties the best you can do is to go to Central/South America and experience the ceremony in one of the many retreats available as the following. 

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1. Behold Retreats- Monteverde, Costa Rica

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Behold Retreats sets the standard for safe, legal, and transformative plant medicine retreats in idyllic destinations. Retreats are kept to a small group size, and attendance is by invitation only.

Behold does not facilitate Ayahuasca in Asia, but does offer options in Costa Rica and Mexico. Other popular retreat options include Psilocybin in the Netherlands and with the powerful God Molecule 5-MeO-DMT in Mexico or Portugal.

Ready for deep healing and transformation?

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2. Entheogens Peru Soul Sanctuary- Cusco, Peru

This spiritual retreat is home to many types of healing ceremonies, including shamanic ceremonies involving medicinal plants. Each person may also experience Andean yoga classes in the Sacred Valley. This Ayahuasca retreat center offers a quality 3 day stay to revitalize your healing process. 

3. Gaia Sagrada Shamanic Retreat Center

Gaia Sagrada, meaning sacred mother earth, is home to many healing modalities. Unlike neighboring nations, Shaman in Ecuador need licensing to practice healing plant treatments, giving participants security during their Ayahuasca ceremony. An additional healing ceremony Gaia Sagrada offers is San Pedro, which is a longer lasting plant medicine with ceremonies aimed at male trauma healing. 

4. Arkana Spiritual Center- Iquitos and Urubamba, Peru

With two retreat centers, one in the heart of the amazon and one in the Sacred Valley near Machu Pichu, every person can have a rich experience with mother Ayahuasca. These Ayahuasca retreats sets out to nourish you, cleanse your soul, and provide deep healing with Ayahuasca tea in their ceremony. 

5. Soltara Healing Center- Costa Rica and Peru

The Soltara Ayahuasca retreat center is sure to give an enriching experience. In Spanish, Soltara means to let go or release, and this message perfectly embodies the experience the Soltara shaman want you to have on your Ayahuasca journey. Through the use of plant medicine, participants will experience a life-altering spiritual healing. 

6. Spirit Vine Ayahuasca Retreat Center- Itacare, Brazil

Embodying the spirit of the Ayahuasca vine, The Spirit Vine retreat center offers every person a unique and eye-opening experience. The Shaman at Spirit Vine want you to get the richest experience at their ayahuasca retreats. They hold their ceremonies at night along the local lagoon with music to enhance the spiritual journey. 

7. Sapan Inka Retreat Center- Cusco, Peru

The healers at Sapan Inka strive for each person to have a transformative life experience at the retreat center. They offer 7 day retreats at Machu Pichu to enrich the sacred experience. Each ayahuasca ceremony offers a deeply intelligent and detoxifying healing. 

8. Ayahuasca Foundation- Iquitos, Peru

Participate in healing courses and a ceremony that will blow you away. At Ayahuasca foundation, profound healing through ayahuasca tea and plant medicine offers an enriching experience that gives each person a new perspective on life. Through traditional ayahuasca ceremony, the Shaman will open your eyes to spiritual healing. 

9. Casa Del Sol- Loja, Ecuador

Casa Del Sol in Ecuador is proud to use indigenous teachings to provide clarity to life’s purpose. Participate in enriching ayahuasca retreats and create bonds with each person on their spiritual journey. At Casa Del Sol, you will have a safe space to simply just be. 

10. Nimea Kaya Healing Center- Pucallpa, Peru

Nimea Kaya offers 9 day ayahuasca retreats in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Working with Shipibo Healers, you will be a part of their mission to collectively heal mother earth and humanity. The healers at Nimea Kaya will help facilitate growth and change in each and every person in attendance.  

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