Beyond the Purge: Modern-Day Spiritual Healing through Ayahuasca 

The quest for the infinite is one of the things we seek as a modern-day spiritual person. Our quest for answers can generate within us, a perpetual inner compass. On my personal quest, I found that the direction of my compass led me to Costa Rica, to the Spiritual Retreat Center Rythmia, a place where synchronicity, spirituality, and safety  unite to offer a container for exploration.

My journey to Rythmia reflects the spiritual journey at the heart of our humanity. Many of us today consider ourselves to be a ‘spiritual’ person, to one degree or another. We wonder how we got here and the nature of our purpose. We believe in a higher calling, a benevolent creator, an orchestrated universe, or a meaning for everything. We witness life’s synchronicities. These could include picking up the phone call from the person we were just thinking of, finding out that the stranger you ran into is actually the person to help you get your next big career placement, or that the sentimental ring your ancestor lost suddenly shows up in your hands. It’s one of life’s synchronicities that led me to Rythmia.

On the spiritual path, we may examine and live our reality in a way that reminds us just how precious time is, how fleeting moments are, and the enormity of small acts of love. Whether we consciously acknowledge it or not, we are partaking in the divine dance that is being a human. Surrounded by billions of others, just like us, and also completely different. Whether that spark of enlivened connection seeps through our pores only once, or stays with us for a lifetime, we know that there is something greater than our individual self. We know that there is something richer, deeper, purer, truer, perhaps holier. However we experience this taste of infinity, we yearn for it. We long to embody the reality and the possibilities we know that are somewhere, somehow accessible to us.

We search outside of ourselves, until eventually we awaken to the realization that the essence of this search is placed right here within and around our immediate field of being. We embody the behaviors and characteristics that meet our ‘spiritual ID’ or remind us of the person we are simultaneously becoming and unbecoming all at the same time. And as we enter this process find that nothing is linear and everything that flows also ebbs. We find ourselves doing the cha-cha more times than one. This is the non-linear path of spirituality.

There are many ideas about what it means to be this ‘spiritual’ person. These come with arguments, controversy, and perceptions and misperceptions what it means to have a spiritual experience or undergo spiritual healing. Being ‘spiritual’ can lead us into man-made head trips about how we can reach for God, or otherworldly wisdom beyond this seemingly mundane human dimension. We tend to analyze everything: even the most beautifully complex and gentlest of notions that can only be reached through the heart of experience. Through life. Through work. Through deepening. Through the body, in humanity, collectively or integrally. Through devotion and sacred, safe surrender.

The truth is that when our human feet touch the ground, we face challenges. We are challenged to stay disciplined when we think we have found the way. We are challenged to take in our experiences as our own with reverence and still honor others for their unique triumphs, diversity and truths. And we are challenged to relate to one another with compassion, empathy, and honesty as we continue to deepen within ourselves. We find the yellow brick path and then suddenly there is a fork in the road. Or construction up ahead. So we realize some of our options: turn around, sit right here, or pave the path ahead with the foundational resources we have obtained inside of ourselves. And we have the option to consider all three. Even metaphorically.

When we are at the fork in the road, the construction zone, or any other metaphorical crossroads, these are the moments that can support radical change and growth. Moments when we recognize that the path forward is not necessarily linear, just as logical thinking without a hue of abstraction can only get us so far. Many of us end up here: the traditional thinker, the psychedelic, creative intuitive, the conventional 9-5 worker, ambiguous artists, dancers, dreamers, star studiers, and mystics. When we are halted in our forward momentum we may say some version of the following. “ This is where I reach for the wisdoms in my medicine bag and aim forward with audacity. This is where it truly begins, and it starts (and ends!) with me.”

We take measures to understand what it means to be here. We wish to know more about who we are as a Soul, our ancestry, our life patterns, cycles, and the behaviors that have shaped who we have become. Then we may wish to open, dissect, cleanse, and heal so much of our being, our vessel, our totality as a human and an energetic being. This path may lead us to many alternative medicines, including plant medicines, and in particular, The Mother, Ayahuasca.

I write this from the point of view of being a small business owner in integrative wellness who has studied shamanic energy medicine, worked as an asana and pranayama instructor, is trauma-informed, partakes seasonally in psilocybin micro-dosing, and most importantly believes whole heartedly in the integration period of absolutely any healing modality.

In my own journey, I have been seeking out organizations, communities, and/or retreat centers that facilitate plant medicine ceremonies. I have a lot of caution regarding communities who practice or encourage plant medicine because I find not enough practitioners follow up with people to assure that the post-ceremony experience offers healing instead of further trauma. I have heard numerous stories and firsthand feedback from medicine drinkers who found momentary peace, yet had suffered longstanding traumatic experiences after. In addition, I have encountered people who participated in ceremony, only to find out that the struggles they were dealing with pre-ceremony had not been overcome. Many who participate in ayahuasca ceremonies are looking for deep, long-lasting healing, including recovering from ancestral wounds, childhood trauma, abuse, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and more. People looking for a positive mental and emotional experience wish for the medicine (ayahuasca) to have a long-term neurological effect on the mind and body.

There are various claims made by those who have had the experience with the medicine. Some will say that it was a high or a trip—and leave it at that. Some say that it was intense, filled with fear, rage, or pain—and leave it at that. However, those who have psychologically, physiologically, emotionally, spiritually, and physically prepared for this experience know that it must be considered a holistic practice. An ayahuasca journey is multifaceted in its approach—although I won’t get into that much here. I implore others to do extensive research and develop an intimate self-confrontation with inner work in the realms of intuition and gut instincts to further understand the medicine. I will say, however, one piece of divine orchestration that has found me and stuck with me on my search for integral practices and facilitators is a retreat center I was introduced to; this center is called “Rythmia.”

As I was searching for centers and facilitators that met a set of standards for preparation and safety, I synchronistically met Gerry Powell, who introduced me to Rythmia, which just so happened to be an ayahuasca retreat center. With the powers and grace of divinity, Pachamama, and love on my side, I am relieved to share that Rythmia is the integral and practical ayahuasca retreat I had been looking for on my own path. Rythmia is classified as a “Life Advancement Center,” which tells us that this isn’t just the usual psychedelic escape. Instead, this is a place to implement and follow through with integrative healing practices. The trained shamans and facilitators at Rythmia offer post-ceremony integration therapies for overall lifestyle changes.

Since opening in 2015, Rythmia has hosted more than 7,500 guests with over 31,000 user experiences or medicine drinkers. Many who have come have either stayed extensively or returned. Rythmia’s 1,200 positive guest reviews on Trip Advisor makes them the highest customer-rated resort on the site in all categories.

The center’s shamanic facilitators, or staff, facilitate ceremonies with a ratio of one ceremonialist to five to six medicine drinkers, allowing for individualized attention. Absolutely all facilitators are governed by Taita Juanito Guillermo Chindoy, who has personally trained and worked with each of the ‘staff’ members. “Taita” is a title given to spiritual leaders of the Inga people in the Amazon as the revered and respected one. The title is earned through years of study under the elders. In short, Taita Juanito is a doctor of the indigenous community of the Colombian Amazon who walks the path of the Yagé (Ayahuasca) and who’s family comes from a long lineage of traditional botanicals. You can learn more about Taita Juanito here. In addition, there is currently a documentary out about Taita Juanito called, The Medicine.

Gerry cites Rythmia’s record-keeping and as one of their unique approaches.  The staff maintains connections with guests, or clients, who can offer ‘follow-up’ reviews. At this time, 95.12% of the people who experienced the program Rythmia have reported a life-changing miracle during their stay. The medicine and integration offered them some form of emotional and energetic release. The result is greater clarity, or perhaps even forgiveness.

Of those people cited, 97.55% reported that at the six-month mark the ‘miracle’ is still working in their life, so they are receiving that longed-for longer-term benefit. Of those, 98.12% affirm the power of the week of Rythmia for changing their life. Some of this comes from the integration and healing practice post-ceremony, including classes and workshops. There is also an optional 12-month aftercare programs that include personal support, training modules, and daily yoga and meditation from the center itself. According to Gerry, people who take advantage of this and benefit from the long-standing result.

Another outstanding aspect of this life advancement center comes from Gerry’s prior experience in modern Western medicine. He operated 143 plastic surgery centers in the continental U.S. spread over 36 states. “My background is in protocols and procedures,” Gerry stated during our interview. “When we started Rythmia, we put into place a number of medical standards that are not shared by anyone else in this space.” The balance and harmony between medical approach is of utmost importance to Gerry, including protocols for safety. To uphold this energetic balance between the clinical and natural approaches, prior to coming to Rythmia, all potential guests go through a medical screening.

The screening is held by Dr. Jeff McNairy (Doctorate in Psychology, Master in Public Health) who addresses a number of mental and physical health related questions and concerns including history of addictions, medications, heart conditions, seizures, and more. Thirty-four percent of all callers do not make it past this first hurdle. “Once you clear medical over the phone,” says Gerry, “You make your appointment and arrive at Rythmia. At that point you will be given a physical intake by our medical staff which consists of six full-time licensed nurses, one licensed general practitioner/medical director, one licensed microbiologist, and other clinical intake staff. As you can see, we have a fully staffed licensed medical clinic at the resort and if there are questions about a particular guest’s health, we can always run an EKG on site and ultimately give clearance so that the person can do medicine. If for whatever reason they fail the medical evaluation here in person, we refund their money and send them home.” Gerry stated that, “Fortunately that is very rare for us to have to do.”

During ceremony at Rythmia, all the staff that is medicine-oriented (except for medical staff of course) is on the inside of the journey space, known as the Maloca. Rythmia’s emphasis on safety includes a laser alarm system around the journey space. Should anybody venture more than 45 feet away from the Maloca, the ceremony facilitators receive an alert in the space, and a notice is sent to the security office so two security guards can be dispatched. Sounds alarming, yes! However, this approach is put into place to maintain the energetic structure of the container should a guest have an unusually difficult experience and wish to escape. Due to the level of supportive supervision and intimacy of facilitation in the ceremony space, this very rarely- if ever- happens.

However, it is just yet another area of safety protocol where ‘having all areas of the ball field covered’ are strategically put into place. Gerry says that one last safety measure Rythmia takes is that, “While guests are journeying in the Maloca, there is also a licensed EMT on site as well as an ambulance. With all the responsibility surrounding the possibilities of well-being and plant medicine, we believe that we have taken the greatest steps to ensure that we have the resources available in the event of a serious medical emergency. In addition, everybody who works in the journey space—especially our facilitators—has taken our safety courses and are constantly looking for any irregularity in guest activity.”

Guests at Rythmia have testified that this is the center for spiritual healing. Reviews and feedback suggest that the center’s whole-spectrum integrative program is what has helped spiritual seekers to find the peace, healing, and understanding they have been on a quest to receive. Many are relieved to have found a facility that offers such intricate safety protocols for healing through ayahuasca, as well as well-versed and compassionate facilitators.

Many of the people who have sat in the Maloca are names that you may recognize. These may include artists, writers, and teachers. Some of the few who have given Rythmia permission to use their names include: Man Cow, Kim Richards, Scott Disick, Scott Piercy, Kerry Rhodes, Andre 3000, James  Driscol, Terrance Howard, Bobby Brown, Group Love, Kelly Slater, Anna Lynn McCord, Michael Bernard Beckwith, Jack Canfield, Graham Hancock, Kyle Cease, Bruce Lipton, Kimberly and Foster Gamble, Dr. Sue Morter, Panache Desai, Dr. Mercola, Gregg Braden, John Gray, Mark Victor Hanson, Mitch Schultz, John Perkins, Gabor Mate, and Anita Moorjani.

On this non-linear path of spirituality, on our essential human quest, there are times when our footprints lead us to places of transformation. Rythmia is one of those places. A place where healing through ayahausca happens. And it is a place that I trust as I have learned more about the magic, the intentions, and the structure that supports the miracles.