🌀 Ayahuasca Retreat Experience

Why he went

• He had heard about ayahuasca and became interested in trying it, partly hoping it would help him change his relationship with alcohol.
• The retreat required 14 days of sobriety and warned that it was not a detox facility. He initially worried he might not be able to stop drinking safely.
• Before traveling, he attended four hypnosis sessions over about a month. He says he stopped drinking after the second session and did not experience the withdrawal symptoms he had feared.

The retreat

• He went to a comfortable retreat center in Costa Rica, with meals, private-room options, and group ceremonies.
• He estimated the cost at roughly $1,800 for a shared week or about $5,000 for his private room—far less than the Malibu rehab facility he had looked into.
• The ceremonies took place in a shared room with around 50 participants, guided by shamans. Participants drank ayahuasca, rested on floor mattresses, and could go outside between doses.

His experiences over several nights

• First night: He had an intense, frightening trip with distorted images and physical discomfort, including diarrhea. He initially doubted he would do it again. He says the most intense effects lasted a few hours and then faded.
• Second night: He received a smaller dose and describes feeling an overwhelming sense of love and happiness. He enjoyed the music and danced with the group.
• Later ceremony: He chose larger doses and says he found the experience positive, felt connected to the retreat, and gained a more hopeful perspective on himself and his life.
• Retreat staff characterized the first night as a kind of “death” and the second as a “rebirth”—their interpretation of the experience.

A difficult incident

• He witnessed another participant become severely distressed during a ceremony. Staff took her outside and restrained her to prevent injury.
• He says she later returned smiling and that the episode involved painful events from her past. The story highlights that the experience can be unpredictable and emotionally intense, even for someone who has attended previous ceremonies.

Afterward

• He left earlier than planned, though he considered returning for another week.
• He describes the retreat as personally meaningful, but the account is his individual experience, not a guarantee of therapeutic benefit or a substitute for professional care.