30 day ayahuasca-assisted drug & alcohol holistic recovery rehabilitative treatment, land based healing Vancouver Island

Sapha is a practicing curandero, Onanya & apprentice of Maestro Ricardo Amaringo living full time at Nihue Rao for 3 years. Sapha founded the permaculture project in December of 2021 with the support & approval of Ricardo Amaringo. Sapha has been working with plant medicine in recovery for over 9 years and offers guidance and support to those in both early and long term recovery and has completed 2 years of strict master plant dietas including a 1 year dieta with Maestro Ricardo Amaringo. Sapha attended a holistic treatment center in 2015 after a 12 year career in the canadian oil & gas industry & 16 year battle with cocaine, alcohol & opiates. After Attending treatment he shifted his focus towards his own healing which lead to an interest in social work, drug user advocacy & addiction recovery. During his social work studies at university on Vancouver Island he recognized a need for community development in the realms of psychedelics, harm reduction, addiction recovery and began developing a program that could be supportive to people looking for something outside of the conventional models available. Sapha works with people to help them prepare for ayahuasca ceremony, inpatient treatment, medical detox, provides individual & family interventions, recovery coaching & mentorship, assists in helping clients taper off of opioid replacement therapy, and develops personalized recovery plans for individuals based on their needs. Sapha is working along side his team to help people wishing to explore plant medicine while incorporating teachings from various traditions & recovery modalities to optimize their recovery experience. Sapha operates the Vancouver Island Recovery Residence full time and leads retreats internationally with co-facilitators.

Mark B. is a proud member of the Blackfoot Nation and a survivor of the residential school system and the Sixties Scoop. After years of navigating the streets of Vancouver’s DTES and overcoming problematic heroin & cocaine use, Mark began his journey of healing in 2007. While traditional recovery programs helped him get to a place where he had solid ground, it wasn’t until he reconnected with his Indigenous roots and plant medicine that he truly began to heal his spirit. Choosing to heal from the inside out, Mark stopped using drugs and alcohol, and began seeking deeper understanding of the trauma that led him to substance use. While traditional recovery programs like NA/AA provided him with community, he recognized the need to return to his Indigenous heritage and the healing power of nature, far beyond the western models of therapy. In 2019, with support from Sapha, who had shared his own journey with ayahuasca, Mark began exploring alternative medicine. By reconnecting with ancient plant medicines, he found a pathway that spoke to his spirit. In 2022, Mark participated in a transformative two-week retreat at Nihue Rao, where he worked with Oje, a healing plant known to assist in unraveling trauma related to substance use disorders. Supported by compassionate facilitators and surrounded by a brotherhood of fellow seekers, Mark’s heart was opened, and his soul replenished. @recoverywarrior2022 Today Mark is committed to helping others on their healing paths as a facilitator with Sacred Rebels Recovery, blending Indigenous wisdom and holistic recovery support for people looking for a way out of what is no longer serving them. Mark B is a full time team member at the Vancouver Island Residency. Mark & Sapha have been working together for nearly 10 years as colleagues and fellow drug war veterans. For more information: Sacredrebelsrecovery.com

Jack E. is a 37 year old man from Nanaimo BC Canada He is a father, a son and a brother to all. A former outreach and harm reduction worker, with Solid and new leaf outreach, and current support worker, working with men in mental health , head injuries and addiction. He is also a recording, performance and visual artist, musician, and published poet and former Chef. Jacks youth was spent mired in drugs, alcohol and maladaptive behaviour until at 21 he realized he had to change something and took the plunge into traditional recovery methods utilizing the western treatment model and NA/AA. He spent 5 years clean and sober before the addictions took over again. It took him another 7 years until he reached out for help and began the journey again this time understanding the nuances of recovery and that he needed more than what western recovery modalities had to offer. Jack has worked with the medicine over the past 6 years and has attended Nihue Rao completed a long month Ojé dieta as well as 2 weeks piñon blanco diéta thus far. Jack is a full time team member at Sacred rebels. He has shared recovery with Mark b for the last 16 years and worked with Sapha and Mark for the past 6 years as colleagues and Drug war veterans.