Join me for this special 11-day ayahuasca retreat in the Sacred Valley of Peru – July 10-21, 2023
Since 2014 I’ve been doing my own personal healing work with ayahuasca, including many master plant dietas in the mestizo and Shipibo traditions. With a skilled team, I’m now offering this unique retreat for intrepid souls seeking to explore ayahuasca in the context of depth psychology, spiritual practice, and trauma healing—weaving these diverse strands together to create a container for transformation.
Most of us living in the modern world are stressed, over-busy, and emotionally blocked, ignoring the truth of our embodied life below the neck. This kind of chronic disconnection from our own experience is not just random error—it’s one of the most deep-seated and pervasive manifestations of trauma.
Enter ayahuasca, the great revealer of that which has been hidden, the restorer of that which has been disconnected. Likened to a “psychic broom” for its ability to sweep clean the mind, ayahuasca has a profound capacity to get to the root of psychological and physical problems. An ayahuasca retreat can be a deep dive into the unconscious, stripping away mental clutter and the cobwebs of false beliefs to reveal your very soul.
Working as a psychotherapist for the past 20+ years, I’ve often felt that we modern folks need a remedial course in embodied emotions (certainly I’ve needed that!) This specially designed retreat offers a step in that direction, via six powerful plant medicine ceremonies accompanied by supportive practices to help you open and connect to your emotional body. With the assistance of ayahuasca and San Pedro, we’ll journey deep to uncover what’s been hidden, emerging with a renewed sense of self and a strengthened connection to soul.
The Energetics of Embodiment
An ayahuasca retreat is not only about the ceremonies. Each retreat creates a world unto itself, where everything that happens, day and night, conspires to teach you in synchronistic ways.
Ayahuasca offers a relentless pull downwards, directly into your embodied emotions. Entering this new territory can feel chaotic, but with clear intention and support, you can learn to navigate your way through, to begin to harvest the insights hidden within.
This 11-day retreat focuses on expanding your capacity to open to your emotional and intuitive realities as a complement to plant medicine work. We’ll draw in resources and practices from many traditions—Eastern, Western and indigenous—to support you to:
- tune into your “felt sense,” your unwaveringly accurate inner guide
- expand your nervous system’s capacity to release trauma
- fine-tune your intuition
- consciously reconnect with the natural world
What’s Special About This Retreat
*Intensive Ceremonies (5 ayahuasca + 1 San Pedro). This is a lot of medicine in a short time! It’s designed for people who want to make the most of the deeply transformative potential offered by these plants. You’ll receive support to help you prepare for, navigate through, and integrate the ceremonies. Our daily schedule also offers time to rest, reflect, and integrate as you make your way along the medicine path.
*Expert Guidance: Ceremonies are led by two experienced Shipibo healers and supported by skilled facilitators. The retreat organizer is a Western psychotherapist deeply experienced with sacred plant medicines, as well as depth psychology, trauma healing, and meditation.
*Deep Work: Your inner journey will be supported with specially chosen embodiment practices like breathwork, Focusing, and simple shamanic exercises to connect to the natural world.
*Mountain Magic: Nestled at the foot of stunning mountains in the heart of Peru’s Sacred Valley, our top-rated retreat center is a haven of tranquility. The powerful healing energy of the Andes will support your inner work in unexpected and profound ways.
*Adventures & Explorations: You’ll have the opportunity to explore the cultural and natural treasures of the Sacred Valley, with guided day hikes and explorations of ancient ruins, a ceremonial despacho offering and individual coca leaf readings with a Q’ero paqo, a special handicraft market, and an optional pre-retreat trip to the magnificent Incan site of Machu Picchu.
The Setting: The Sacred Valley
Peru’s famed Sacred Valley of the Incas runs from the town of Pisac all the way to the spectacular ruins of Machu Picchu. The valley carved by the Urubamba River is known for its remarkable natural beauty, Incan ruins, and the powerful mountain spirits (apus) that guard it. I’ve lived here since 2015, anchored by the high-altitude, high-vibration spiritual energy that pervades this land.
Our retreat is held at Munay Sonqo, a premier healing center in the heart of the Sacred Valley, about 90 minutes’ drive from Cusco. We’ll be staying in the Santuario, a secluded private location nestled beneath the embrace of sacred mountains. Apu Pitusaray, the mountain spirit protecting the region, towers above at 4,991 meters (16,375 feet).
Within this oasis of flowering plants and trees are hammocks and lounge chairs, grassy lawns, a special round maloka for our ceremonies, and a small swimming pool. At night, the starry Andean sky unfolds the Milky Way overhead.
Inside the main Casa Blanca are two indoor fireplaces and a spacious living area for lounging. 
There’s wireless Internet in the common areas, and high-quality linens on the supremely comfortable beds. Munay Sonqo’s super-responsive, loving staff tends to all our needs. Meals are healthy and delicious (vegetarian, vegan, and allergen-free diets available on request), and the chef takes pride in sourcing local ingredients from the region’s abundant fresh produce.
Meet Our Team
Healers: Our ayahuasca ceremonies will be led by a Shipibo couple from the Pucallpa region of Peru The Shipibo people are famed for their deep connection to ayahuasca, and Maestro Francisco Huayta and Maestra Maricela Rios Inuma have decades of experience as traditional ayahuasca healers, working with both local and foreign groups. Their medicine wisdom comes from extensive personal dietas with individual teacher plants, part of an ancient Amazonian healing tradition.
Retreat Leader: Kerry Moran is an American psychotherapist who’s been working with ayahuasca integration since 2015. She lives in the Peru’s Sacred Valley, doing integration sessions by Zoom with people around the world. During the retreat, she’ll offer experiential sessions on topics like trauma healing and embodied emotions, lead hikes, hold the morning integration circles, and support you every step of the way.
Facilitator: Paulette Waltz is a bridge between cultures, mindsets, and worlds. Living in the Sacred Valley since 2015, she has spent many years practicing and teaching various spiritual modalities, including yoga, meditation, energy healing, A Course in Miracles and nonduality. Entheogens have been a large part of her path, having participated in hundreds of ceremonies including ayahuasca, San Pedro, psilocybin, and other plant medicines both as participant and as space-holder. Paulette is gifted at holding space as a facilitator in support of deep transformation and healing.
Support: Kevin McMillin works as a facilitator and integration coach with Body of Prana retreat center. He is also a spiritual coach and has provided preparation and integration sessions for Soltara Healing Center. He has been working with plant medicine since 2019 and has 30 years of experience practicing and studying Tibetan Buddhism.
San Pedro Ceremony: Our San Pedro ceremony will be held by Paul Temple of Hummingbird Retreat, who’s worked with cactus medicine for the past 20+ years.
Cost: $3,250 per person double occupancy
Dates: July 10-21, 2023
Location: Munay Sonqo, Arin, Peru
Apply Now
What’s Included
- Small group setting (8-12 participants)
- Pre-retreat Zoom meeting to get acquainted and ask questions
- Round-trip transport between Cusco and the Sacred Valley
- 11 days double accommodation with delicious meals
- 5 ayahuasca ceremonies with expert Shipibo healers
- 1 day-long San Pedro ceremony
- Pre-ceremony flower baths
- Morning discussion circles
- Embodied meditation, movement and dance
- Guidance on intention-setting, preparation, navigation, and integration
- Special sessions on trauma healing, emotions, intuition, and more
- Day hikes and explorations in the Sacred Valley
- Opening despacho (Andean offering ritual)
- Individual coca leaf readings with Q’ero paq’o
- Discounted access to the 10-week online Integrating Ayahuasca program
What’s Not Included
- Airfare to Cusco
- Transport in Cusco
- Cusco accommodations and meals (we’ll suggest a hotel, or you can choose your own)
- Single room supplement ($440)
- Personal expenses (laundry, handicrafts, souvenirs)
- Optional pre-retreat trip to Machu Picchu ($485, includes hotel, train and transport, site entry, and guide—view schedule and book here)
General Info
It’s often said that your ayahuasca retreat starts the moment you commit to joining it—so be open to tracking the synchronicities that may begin well before your arrival in Peru! Know as well that the healing process initiated here is likely to continue for months past your retreat.
Upon completing the signup procedures for the retreat, you’ll receive a detailed roundup of recommended preparation practices—diet, meditation, inner explorations and more. Moving closer to the date, we’ll have 1-2 participant Zoom calls where you can meet your fellow pasajeros, discuss preparation in further detail, and get your questions answered. You’ll also receive practical information on traveling to Peru and finding a hotel in Cusco.
Scheduling: I strongly suggest you plan to spend at least two weeks in Peru, staying 2-3 days after the retreat ends, and arriving a day or two early to explore Cusco and adjust to the time and place. If you want to visit the legendary site of Machu Picchu (and who doesn’t?), you can join a special overnight trip that will pick you up in Cusco July 9, bring you to Machu Picchu, and return you to Munay Sonqo the next day in time to join the beginning of the retreat.
Flights: It’s often cheapest to book your international flight to Lima, then arrange Lima-Cusco flights separately. More suggestions for flights and hotels will be sent to you upon receipt of your deposit, along with detailed preparation information.
To Apply
Fill out the Application below, and I’ll be in touch to arrange a brief online call—a chance for us to get to know each other a bit more and explore how this retreat can be of benefit for you.
Once you’re approved to join the retreat, a $500 nonrefundable deposit is required to reserve your spot, with the balance due by May 1.
We accept many bank transfer methods. The final amount received must be the exact retreat fee—you are responsible for any additional transfer and/or exchange fees. If paying from a U.S. account, e-check or Zelle will typically not incur fees. If paying from outside the U.S., Wise or Xoom can be good options.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Please be sure to review before applying!
—A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to secure your registration. This will be applied to the overall retreat cost.
—The remaining balance must reach us by May 1—if not, your place may be offered to someone on the wait list, and you will forfeit the deposit.
—100% of balance will be refunded if cancelled up to 60 days before the retreat start date
—50% of balance will be refunded if cancelled 30-59 days before
—Cancellations less than 30 days before are nonrefundable
—Installment payment plans possible; contact Kevin at rigdzindorje@protonmail.com
We encourage you to obtain travel insurance to cover all contingencies and nonrefundable deposits and expenses
Cost: $3,250 per person double occupancy
Dates: July 10-21, 2023
Location: Munay Sonqo, Arin, Peru
