Pachamama Sanctuary

I was a bit apprehensive about this retreat including my walk up the hill but as soon as I sat down I knew it was the right decision! The staff and volunteers were incredible and the experience itself was life changing. I can’t say enough good about my experience and would definitely go back!

We got there mid afternoon on Friday around 230 3 o’clock. Actual ceremony did not start until between eight and nine. That time was spent just getting to know the other people in the group it was all fine. Ceremony was held in a large open air tent somewhere to a wedding reception. The ceremony itself started around nine, And ended around 3 AM. my brother and I both were participating in the ceremony and had very similar experiences we felt little to no effect from the Ayawaska others in the group spent the entire encounter curled up on their mats in silence except for the sound of people throwing up. We were told we were unable to talk to each other during the ceremony. The only noise was the never ending music that played for five hours straight. I don’t know if the dosage was too small or I was not open to the experience although I believed I was but my brother had an equal reaction to the medicine. The volunteers all dressed in white wandered around during the entire ceremony keeping watch to make sure everyone was OK. I’ve had other psychedelic experiences this was not like mushrooms or LSD. We left first thing Saturday morning and did not stay for the rest of the day Saturday or the Saturday night ceremony so I do not know how the other people in the group experienced this. The cultlike part was that there were several young women who said they came for one experience and I’ve basically been there ever since volunteering.It was very odd. Talking to my brother on the way home we did some math $600 per person times 34 people is around $18-$20,000 per weekend for Derek and his team I don’t believe they’ve spent more than a couple hundred dollars on the entire experience for everyone so good on them. This is just my experience your experience may be different

Pachamama Sanctuary is a truly special place. I had done 3 previous retreats at a different place, which were great growth experiences, but they were more like "sit and drink your medicine and see what happens." But at Pachamama, it was all more in depth and well organized. We received great instruction on how to use the medicine and get the most out of it. I feel like I finally learned how to use it well for maximum benefit.

Pastor Derek is an amazing person. He offered so much wisdom, not only about the medicine, but about additional tools and thought patterns for daily life to make important changes and live well. The place and the whole process is so well-organized. All of our needs were thoughtfully taken care of. Derek takes his work seriously. He carries a beautiful determination to make sure people are taken care of and get what they came for. Derek and a team of beautiful volunteers gracefully helped me exactly when I needed it - and when I needed space to go within and do my work, that was honored also.

There were several activities outside of ceremony, like breathwork, hiking, conversations, teaching about various medicines. I learned more than I thought I would, and these activities made the weekend more productive and interesting than simply sitting around and killing time between the two ceremonies.

Pachamama fosters amazing community. It's not only a place to go do my growth work. The setting promotes connection and friendship. I met so many great people, had thought provoking conversations, and now have new friends I really care about. Everyone was so authentic and trusting and supportive with each other, in a way I wish was more common in our mainstream culture. I've now found a community where I'm loved, can be myself and feel at home. I will return again - I don't see a need to go anywhere else.

when i most needed help with a dificult experience, both a facilitator and the shaman were right there to give me the help i needed

I attended a retreat from 9/9/22 - 9/11/22 that was facilitated by Rich, Kim and Derek. It was truly life changing.

I came prepared to do the work, to surrender to the medicine and let Aya do her thing. The more I released my need to control the outcome and dropped any expectations about the experience, the deeper I got.

I took advantage of almost everything they offered, including the Rappa (sic) ceremonies, the breathing exercises and of course the multiple offerings of Ayahuasca.

The medicine fixed me physically and spiritually. When she was done doing her work and it was time to get rid of the waste byproducts, I purged. This was the part of the experience I feared most, I mean who WANTS to throw-up in front of other people, but by the end of the weekend, I came to view the purge as a beautiful part of the overall experience. As an opportunity to physically release that which was no longer serving me. My advice it to let the body do what it needs to do and you will have a much better experience than if you tried to fight it.

The staff was so incredibly supportive and I felt cared for in a way that I didn't even think was possible. They made it clear there would be no judgement about working through my process and they were right. By the end of the weekend it truly felt like I had found a new family.

I would recommend this experience without any hesitation and I look forward to going back.