Hi guys, this is my intro essay but also a review of the Ayahuasca Spirit Europe retreat where I had my first (and it will be my last) experience.
Full disclosure:
-This is not only an intro, but a plug for Ayahuasca Spirit Europe. I really want to send business their way for reasons I will explain
-I have no financial or business interest in their business, I was just a customer
-I ended up becoming good friends with everyone attending, including the Shaman and the facilitators
-I want them to succeed because they are friends and because from my experience they make everyone incredibly welcome, they have great knowledge about Ayahuasca and the ceremony, and they look after you very well.
-In my opinion if this sends any business their way it is win-win- good for their success, and good for those who go to get a high quality experience- there are many inferior providers from the reviews I have seen.
So I've written the full disclosure and was aiming to write the review - but now I realise the disclosure more or less says everything I want to say. Just a few bits to add of what I learned.
I won't share the contents of my trip because it feels like it would take up a book- and I just don't have the time right now. What I will say is that the first ceremony (we did two over the weekend) was one of the toughest experience of my life- regretted taking the extra half-cup of Ayahuasca but glad I did it once it was over. I was initially skeptical of the importance of the Shaman and his chanting (it has a name I can't remember) but I've changed my mind- it helped me massively to get through some of the tougher portions.
In summary-
-Great support, great facilities (a villa with a lot of land and a pool, nice but simple food, great atmosphere
-Super friendly
-I worked through some psychological problems and got some great results. It's not all cured, but I feel a lot better about myself. Ayahuasca is no magic bullet but an incredibly powerful tool. It's not a magic pill but it's all about the experience and what you take away from it.
-I will never take it again - too intense for me. But I am glad I have drunk it twice over the weekend. The second time was somewhat easier and more beautiful, but somewhat hard work at points still.
-I liked the place, the people and the atmosphere so much that I would attend again without drinking just to hang out in the space and maybe facilitate with the ceremony by doing some logistics- helping people to the loo etc. Even when you don't drink, you still can get very much involved in the energy of the space.
-I was happy to find somewhere in Europe. More comfortable, cheaper and less travel than South America for me. I hear Peru is beautiful and would love to go, but with my poor health I think it would have been too much. Spain was doable.
Nobody running the retreat asked me to give them a plug- I wanted to do it for them - but I understand if this is considered an advert and gets taken down as a result. No hard feelings on my part. Happy adventures all, and if you have or intend to visit these guys, drop a post below and let me know what you thought of it.