The safety of our guests is paramount. All the healers and facilitators who work at the Temple of the Way of Light have many years or decades of experience holding ayahuasca ceremonies and facilitating the safe use of ayahuasca in its traditional context.
Your well-being is our top priority, both in and out of ceremony, as we guide you through deep personal healing and self-transformation. We provide a deeply caring, highly contained, and well-protected environment to work with ayahuasca, ensuring your welfare and well-being at all times.
For nearly two decades, we have set the highest standards in ayahuasca retreat safety, defining and refining safety measures and protocols, consistently pioneering the most responsible way to experience genuine ayahuasca healing.
Ayahuasca Retreat Safety
- Highly Experienced Healers
The key to running safe ayahuasca ceremonies/retreats is the experience of the healers. It is imperative that the healers are deeply trained, work with the best intentions, and that there is a high ratio of healers to guests.
We have a team of 13 advanced-level Shipibo healers, working on rotation throughout the year. This system ensures there is time for rest, family time, cleansing, and dieting.
All ayahuasca retreats at the Temple are run by a team of four advanced Shipibo healers (one healer per six guests), who together hold approximately a hundred years of practice in the art of plant spirit healing.
This combined level of experience is unparalleled anywhere in the ayahuasca scene. - Highly Experienced Facilitators
The second most important factor in running safe retreats is the facilitators. We have a team of 13 trauma-informed, highly trained facilitators, working on rotation throughout the year. Each retreat is supervised by three facilitators.
Most of our facilitators undergo Western therapeutic training. Still, the path to becoming a highly skilled ayahuasca facilitator lies in each facilitator’s long-term personal healing process through plant spirit dietas. All our facilitators are deeply committed to plant spirit healing and training.
One of our five senior facilitators, all of whom have over 10 years of experience, will always be present on each retreat, together with two other facilitators. - Support Staff of over 50 Local People
We have an unparalleled number of local staff to look after every aspect of our guests’ experience – taking care of the kitchen, grounds, accommodations, facilities, toilets and showers, water and waste systems, and security. - Pure Ayahuasca
All ayahuasca provided at the Temple is simply ayahuasca vine and chakruna – no other admixtures. - Comprehensive Care in Ceremony
Three facilitators provide support inside our maloka throughout ceremony, and two bathroom assistants are outside every ceremony. All five do not partake in ayahuasca themselves during ceremonies. - After-Ceremony Care by a Sitter
Who stays on until sunrise in the ceremonial maloka. - Pre-Retreat Preparation Process
Provision of a comprehensive guide to preparation to work safely with ayahuasca. Retreat cost includes a group preparation call hosted a few weeks before the retreat. One-on-one preparation calls are also available with our team of skilled integration facilitators (fee is paid to the integration facilitator for this service). - Post-Retreat Integration Program and Online Community Space
All guests are given access to our 3-month Integration Program and Online Community as part of attending a retreat at the Temple. This program is not an add-on or additional cost; it is part of our long-term commitment to our guests’ healing and process of integration. - Team of Integration Specialists
We have five specialists, all of whom are deeply immersed in Shipibo curanderismo, combined with various Western therapeutic trainings (IFS, Compassionate Inquiry, Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, etc).
Risk Management Program
- Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Screening
Rigorous application process with an extensive medical questionnaire developed together with ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service).
Our detailed and multi-layered screening processes are not merely administrative procedures but reflect a proactive and serious commitment to participant safety. We screen for contraindicated medications, health or psychological conditions, and recent use of recreational substances.
Screening interviews are carried out where deemed necessary.
All bookings are managed by Allen Banick, who has over a decade of experience in both facilitation and bookings, is a student of plant spirit curanderismo, and has a deep understanding of the potential dangers associated with ayahuasca. - Professional Medical and Psychological Screening
A medical doctor and a psychologist support application reviews. - Protocols for Emergencies
To minimize harm from any accident. - Local Medical Clinic
Contract with a private medical clinic in Iquitos in case of an emergency that requires outside assistance. - 24-hour Transport to Iquitos
Journey time is 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on the height of the river. Emergency evacuation by hammock with collection by ambulance at the port of Santa Clara, within 30 to 45 minutes. - 24-Hour Security
Our retreat center is staffed by a team of security guards on rotation 24/7. Since opening the Temple, we have not had a single intrusion, attempted intrusion, or violent incident at the Temple. - Functional Cell-Phone Network and High-Speed Internet
Staff have access to permanent communication with Iquitos via a fully functional cell phone network and a satellite internet system (available only to staff). - Emergency Medical Equipment
AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and a blood pressure monitor
In nearly two decades, not one guest has had a serious heart issue on retreat. - First Aid Training
Many of our staff – both Western and local – have received training provided by the Red Cross - Written Disclosure Form
That provides full and complete information about medical, environmental, and other risks that are inherent in participating in our healing programs. - Retreat Agreement
All guests sign an agreement committing to respectful behaviour – to each other, the healers, and staff – throughout our retreats. On the extremely rare occasion that a guest does not fulfil these important commitments, we will ask the guest to leave.
Operational / Ethical Principles
- Reciprocity in the Amazon
Since 2010, we have shared ALL profits with our sister, non-profit organization – the Chaikuni Institute, and many indigenous projects and initiatives in the Loreto and Ucayali regions, supporting multiple local communities and indigenous groups. Although this is not entirely a ‘safety’ feature, we strongly feel that reciprocity is required when providing genuine healing. - Permaculture, Agro-Forestry, and Organic Farming
We are deeply committed to operating in harmony with nature. All fish, chicken, and eggs are organically farmed on-site. We also have an extensive regenerative agroforestry program, including syntropic farming, that provides many local fruits and natural materials for the Temple. - Ayni Ayahuasca – Sustainable Ayahuasca Plantations
We cultivate ayahuasca onsite through our partnership with the Chaikuni Ayni Ayahuasca Program. 100% regenerative – we never cut from the roots, all vine is regrown after harvesting. We now have approximately 1,500 ayahuasca vines growing around our grounds, together with chacruna bushes.
We can therefore guarantee the quality and safety of the medicine we provide our guests.
Physical Safety at The Temple
In medical terms, ayahuasca has few contraindications; however, in some instances, working with ayahuasca can carry health risks. If you have any heart, liver, kidney, or other serious medical problems, you should inform us prior to booking and discuss your situation with a doctor who is aware of the issues taking ayahuasca may raise.
If you have a serious cardiovascular disorder, you should not take ayahuasca, as it slightly increases blood pressure. No alterations of liver function and other biochemical parameters have been observed after the administration of ayahuasca in the laboratory. Only a modulation of the immune system has been detected, but this is temporary and does not seem to have clear effects on health.
It is very important to consult with a physician if you are taking any medication regularly, or if you need to take medication during the workshop at the Temple. The use of antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs may well be contraindicated for the use of ayahuasca, as well as the use of drugs metabolized by certain cytochromes. Not only may psychotropic drugs be contraindicated, but so might any drug capable of interacting with MAO (MAO-Is: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors). The combined use of ayahuasca with drugs that use the same metabolic pathways can be dangerous. It is very important to consult a specialist.
If you have a chronic illness, it may be dangerous to stop taking your medication for some time with the intent to take ayahuasca. Please speak with your prescribing physician prior to changing your pharmacological protocol and inform us if you are taking medication so that we can check for contraindications with ayahuasca.
The alkaloids present in ayahuasca interact with the serotonergic system in different ways: the beta-carbolines (harmine, for example) are inhibitors of the MAO enzyme, which plays a role in the degradation of serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Therefore, the use of ayahuasca in combination with other serotonergic pharmaceuticals (such as antidepressants) can potentially cause adverse reactions such as “serotonin syndrome,” which can have serious consequences for one’s health.
We advise people who are receiving treatment with medication (including natural products), or under the effect of any drug that acts on the serotonergic system, to be extremely cautious when considering taking ayahuasca. Please see our medical guidelines for more information, and contact us if you are interested in attending a workshop but are currently taking medication.
Although not very common, there are cases of people who faint during the experience of taking ayahuasca. It is important to be aware that if a person gets up on a hard floor or with hard objects around, they can get hurt if they fall.
Psychological Safety at The Temple
It is also important to take psychological safety into consideration. People with personality disorders or a history of mental disorders (such as borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.) are at risk if they use ayahuasca.
The Temple carries out a medical screening for all potential guests that evaluates the presence of the above-mentioned risk factors, among others. Ensuring a controlled context in which to work with ayahuasca, as well as adequate integration of the experience during and at the end of the workshop, are keys to reducing ayahuasca-related risks.
Working with highly experienced healers and facilitators to ensure that issues are dealt with in a professional, caring, and controlled manner is also a critical factor in reducing risk. We treat the safety of our guests as of utmost importance and ensure that all measures, including 24-hour supervision, are adopted as and where necessary.
Provided the above precautions have been diligently taken, working with ayahuasca is safe. Fortunately, since 2007, having facilitated healing journeys for thousands of guests, we have an exemplary track record, and no serious issues (physically or psychologically) have ever arisen.
Respecting the Diet: Before and After an Ayahuasca Retreat
Due to a very limited number of past guests who have not adhered to dietary restrictions before and/or after leaving a workshop, we need to emphasize that maintaining the diet is an absolutely essential factor in the healing process.
The four most fundamental restrictions before and after a workshop are alcohol, street drugs (cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, etc), sexual activity, and pork. If a guest decides not to adhere to this critical advice after leaving the Temple, we cannot be held liable for the consequences (which can be severe psychological and energetic damage).
For the safety at the Temple and well-being of all guests, if we suspect that street drugs have been taken or if it is clear that alcohol has been consumed immediately prior to arrival at the Temple, we reserve the right to refuse admission to a workshop.
