10 Best Ayahuasca Retreats In Scotland (Updated 2023)

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For deeper insights into what makes up a safe and quality plant medicine retreat, check out the results from our recent plant medicine retreats survey.
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1. If you’d like a holistic understanding of your opportunities to improve your quality of life, take this self-diagnostic.

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2. If this is your first time with Ayahuasca, this short quiz will help you assess your level of mental, emotional, and spiritual readiness for this powerful and sensitive work.

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3. If you’d like to understand more about the nature of psychedelic healing work, human potential, and who and what you really are, watch the video below.

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

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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 affect 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.
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 uncertainty about their work 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.
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 you are less likely to receive a sufficient level of attention from the facilitators. Our recommendation is to choose a retreat with an intimate group, in the range of 8-15 people.
4. Length of the retreat: Shorter retreats feel rushed, do not support the cultivation of meaningful relationships, and can limit what can be achieved in time available. We recommend you spend at least a week for an ayahuasca retreat to give your mind, body, heart, and soul the attention it deserves.
5. ‍‍Comfort: We recommend you choose a retreat where you are confident that 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.
6. Alignment: Select a retreat that feels aligned with your values and allows your own subjective experience to unfold naturally. There are many different worldviews out there and having a different worldview pushed on you through the retreat may not be in your highest healing interests. This is also particularly relevant for first-timers.
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.
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.
9. Booking process: Take the time to speak with the provider before finalizing your booking. If the provider does not have a screening process in place during the booking process anyone could be sitting next to you in ceremony. Some people are not in the right place to work with this powerful plant medicine, and it is the responsibility of the organizers to ensure that only people who can handle ayahuasca are accepted onto the retreat.
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.
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. A reputable retreat center will have a professional online presence with testimonials from previous retreat attendees. This is essential for you to see that they are a legitimate organization who you can trust to contain this powerful experience.
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 lives , they're not going to be able to lead you to yours. Don't be shy to ask this question directly when you speak to prospective centers.

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Looking for a little more guidance for one of the most important decisions of your life? Watch this video.

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Ayahuasca is not currently legal in Scotland, but there are many countries that have decriminalized it, or have legal gray areas that permit ayahuasca retreat centers to operate under certain conditions.  If you are looking for an established and legitimate spiritual retreat that can provide you with a professional and safe ayahuasca ceremony, the easiest to find are in Costa Rica, Portugal, and several areas of South America.

This is one of the most powerful plant medicines, known for its profound healing effects, and it has been used for millennia to promote a spiritual experience in shamanic cultures.  If you are interested in the ayahuasca journey, we recommend you check carefully for the credentials and testimonies of whichever retreat center you choose.

Here are 5 top-rated options for ayahuasca and plant medicine retreats.

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1. Behold Retreats - Costa Rica

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As far as ayahuasca retreat centers go, Behold Retreats has created one of the most well-run and professional services for this.  With beautiful beachfront villas and centers overlooking the jungles of Costa Rica, you would have a hard time finding a more pristine and luxurious environment to proceed with your inner journey.

Each retreat is limited to a small number of participants, ensuring a more intimate and secure ayahuasca journey, and all facilitators are experienced and knowledgeable about providing personalized and secure ceremonies for their clients.

All information you might require can be found on their website, and free consultation is available for anyone interested in learning whether plant medicine is right for them.  Over 1,500 previous clients have sought out Behold Retreats for everything from addressing past trauma to lifestyle change to help with addiction.  Contact Behold Retreats today, and find out what you can gain from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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2 Behold Retreats Ayahuasca in Mexico

To help you get the most from your Ayahuasca retreat, Behold's team of diversely qualified therapists and coaches can guide you through a 1-on-1, 7-week Psychedelic Integration program to help you alchemize your Ayahuasca experience into life-long change. We also offer Integrative Health Coaching for those guests who want to reach their top physical shape before embarking on this journey of spiritual growth. We host our retreats with a few different partner retreat centers in the area depending on the season and availability. All of our venues are thoroughly vetted for safety, comfort, and conductivity for sacred medicine work.  Please request a discovery call to see where your preferred retreat dates will be facilitated.

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3 Behold Retreats Portugal

Join us for a retreat at our exquisite healing facilities in the picturesque landscape of southern Portugal. Immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the comforts of our facility, where our dedicated staff ensures a serene and supportive environment.

Experience the expertise of our experienced retreat facilitators and medicine guides in intimate group settings. We prioritize your well-being in all aspects – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

Each day of the retreat, you will have the opportunity to start your day with yoga and meditation, fostering presence and connection. Additionally, our on-site somatic therapists offer optional healing modalities such as massage and bodywork to enhance your journey.

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4 Shamanic Space Retreats - Peru

This plant medicine retreat organization has several locations, but only in South America is ayahuasca legal, so your best option is to look into their retreat center in the Amazon rainforest of Peru.  They have been growing and evolving their services over the past few years, and currently host several retreats around the UK, which would be a good way to learn more about Shamanic Space Retreats, before choosing to join them in Peru.

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5 Pachamama Shamanic Healing - Ireland

This foundation provides 4-day ayahuasca retreats in Ireland, however their approach is slightly different than some other retreat centers.  They have built their team from psychology experts and holistic psychotherapists, making it more New Age than traditional shaman philosophy.

Clients are allowed to incorporate several forms of plant medicine into their retreat, such as Kambo or Bufo Alvarius, and support from trained professionals is given to all participants before and after every ceremony.

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