Healthcare Practitioners Ayahuasca Retreat

Healers & Retreat Team

• Elias Rodriguez Nahuama

  Curandero

  

  Elias Rodriguez Nahuama

  Curandero

  

  Elias’s name in Shipibo is Inin Tsoma, which means a brave and strong man with a beautiful way about him that generates love.

  Elias is the coordinator of our Shipibo healing team. He was born in 1974 in the Shipibo community of Santa Isabel de Bawanisho. He is married and is the father of five children: three girls and two boys. One of them is on the path of learning to become an Onanya. He is a high-level Onanya with a heart of gold, a joyful spirit, and an amazing gift for healing, which was recognized when he was very young.

  His father was a well-respected Onanya in the community, and his mother was a vegetalista. When Elias was ten years old, his father shared with him that he was going to die soon. He therefore wanted to teach Elias about the world of plant-spirit healing, which his father told him would be his path in life and to carry the family healing lineage.

  Soon after this conversation, they went to Kumankay Lake to find the famous Noya Rao tree. His father told him that this tree was very powerful and that he was to start learning from it. They stayed at the lake for 15 days, and the spirit of the tree began to instruct him how to diet and what to diet through dreams. On returning home, he had an ayahuasca ceremony with his father, where his father transmitted his knowledge to him through icaros. One month later, his father died.

  Elias then experienced many difficulties and challenges after his father died. He needed to work from the tender age of eleven to support his mother and younger siblings. At sixteen, he entered into the military. Throughout this time, he was guided by the spirit of the Noya Rao tree and continued dieting many different sacred plants until, at the age of twenty, he made contact with his uncle, an Onanya, who invited him to drink medicine with him.

  This opened a whole new level of learning, and his uncle guided him through learning to harness the power and wisdom of the plants he had been dieting, and direct them to heal people through icaros.

  Elias led a double life for a while, security guard by day and healer by night, and soon gained a reputation for his powerful healing ability. Word of his ability spread, and he was eventually able to devote his time to healing fully. He was invited to work all over Peru, first with local people and later with Westerners.

  Elias loves what he does. He’s deeply dedicated to the path of plant-spirit healing and works with much love, integrity, and passion. He is deeply grateful for his father’s guidance and gift, which has helped him and thousands of others.

• Laura Lopez Sanchez

  Curandera

  

  Laura Lopez Sanchez

  Curandera

  

  Laura’s Shipibo name is “Chononyabi” which means “swallow bird that flies in unity”.

  Raised in a medicine family, Laura was born to the life of a curandera. She is a specialist in warmé ikaros, used for unblocking and healing emotions and relationships.

  Laura was born in the Shipibo community of Roaboya. Both her parents and grandparents were well respected Onanya, working as healers for the local villages. From a young age, she was deeply immersed in the world of plant medicine. As with many young Shipibo born of curandero families, Laura was given small dietas by her grandparents from the age of 10, and by the age of 16 her apprenticeship started in earnest when she started to work with ayahuasca.

  By the age of 20, she was travelling all over Peru with her aunt, administering plant medicines and ayahuasca ceremonies for local Peruvians, wherever their aid was requested. She has also worked extensively with her incredibly knowledgeable mother and teacher, Ynes, both in Peru and abroad.

  She brings with her an incredible wealth of knowledge that has been passed down for many generations in her family line. With her contagious laughter, and passion for helping and healing from a pure space of love, she is an absolute gem!

• Jorge Vasquez Barbaran

  Curandero

  

  Jorge Vasquez Barbaran

  Curandero

  

  Jorge’s Shipibo name is “Sanken Mexo” which means “highly skilled person and expert in preparing medicinal plants””

  Bio coming soon…

• Teresa Rojas Toesta

  Curandera

  

  Teresa Rojas Toesta

  Curandera

  

  Teresa’s Shipibo name is “Chinosame” which means “swallow that brings messages and people to work together”.

  Teresa was born in the native community of Curarina. She is the mother of six children, two of whom are currently learning and practicing medicine. Her husband Benito also works at the Temple as a curandero.

  The catalyst to begin training to become an Onanya started with looking for healing for her sick son. She took him to a ceremony with a powerful healer and was amazed at how the treatment of icaros and plants healed him. This inspired to her to learn for herself.

  She went to Royaboya where her husband had begun dieting and said she wanted to join him and learn as well. She shares how in her first dieta, she had a powerful experience from the plant she was dieting that lasted 3 days, during which time she was met by the spirit of the plant who taught her many things.

  She dieted continuously with various plants over a period of about two years before she finally drank ayahuasca for the first time. As soon as she began to sing, the visions appeared and the teachings of her years of dieta came through her icaros. This was around 22 years ago. Since then she has been working in her community and more recently with westerners, sharing her powerful medicine.

• Inocencia Izquierda Vayes

  Herbalist

  

  Inocencia Izquierda Vayes

  Herbalist

  

  Inocencia’s Shipibo name is “Panshinbeka” meaning “the woman who brings the sun, or is born from the sun”.

  Inocencia comes from the Shipibo community of ‘Nueve de Octubre’. She has three girls of 20, 25, and 32 years old, and three grandchildren.
  
  Her father was a curandero, as was her brother, and her mother was a herbalist too. She therefore gained many experiences throughout her childhood and inherited an extensive knowledge of the medicinal plants of the Amazon. She started to commit to more formal training at the age of 20, inspired by many healings that she saw carried out throughout her childhood.
  
  She has worked for many years in various indigenous communities as a herbalist. She is passionate about working with medicinal plants and feels deeply fulfilled by supporting peoples healing.

• Dr. Keith Loring

  Medical Advisor and Trainee Retreat Facilitator

  

  Dr. Keith Loring

  Medical Advisor and Trainee Retreat Facilitator

  

  Keith is a friend and previous guest of the Temple and is now committed to the long-term process of deepening his healing and learning from the Shipibo through plant-spirit dietas.

  He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and then worked as an Attending Physician in the division of Emergency Services at San Francisco General Hospital for many years. He also served as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Keith’s personal experiences with HIV and addiction led him to transition to the practice of addiction medicine. He has been working in this field for several years, utilizing his expertise to help patients struggling with addiction.

• Camila Pastor

  Trainee Retreat Facilitator

  

  Camila Pastor

  Trainee Retreat Facilitator

  

  Camila grew up in Lima, Peru moving to New York City to pursue a college degree in architecture and adventure. After a successful career in architecture and design, Camila recognized the unmet need among the undocumented community for skilled Latinx psychotherapists. She decided to return to graduate school to earn her Master in Social Work and work within the Latinx and BIPOC community in New York City.

  During the years spent at a mental health community center, she developed an interest in holistic, bottom-up approaches to psychotherapy. Camila noticed how she and most clients were disconnected from their bodies, jumpy, or disassociated.

  As her interest grew, Camila focused on developing her skills in trauma therapy, which led her to study modalities like Somatic Experiencing, Compassionate Inquiry, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems while deepening her knowledge and practice in contemplative traditions. Camila in her quest for alternative healing modalities went back home to Peru.

  She sat with ayahuasca at the Temple in 2021 and experienced deep transformational healing that has led her to continue deepening her experience with the medicine and the Shipibo healing system. Camila continues to be amazed by the depth and potential of this plant medicine tradition.

  Camila has led immersive group journeys for BIPOC communities and is passionate about Latinx work, Indigenous rights, decolonization, and helping people explore their authentic selves.

  Camila is an advocate for the deep-rooted practice of community healing in safe sharing circles. The practice of people coming together to share stories, listen deeply, and speak from the heart.

• Dr. Sarah Marshall, ND

  Medical Advisor, Integration Facilitator and Trainee Retreat Facilitator

  

  Dr. Sarah Marshall, ND

  Medical Advisor, Integration Facilitator and Trainee Retreat Facilitator

  

  Dr. Sarah Marshall is an internationally renowned Naturopathic Physician, Intuitive Counselor, Speaker, and Author. She is also the host of the beloved podcast, created out of her commitment to amplify the stories and methodology of true healing.

  Graduating with honors in research from the National University of Natural Medicine in 2009, Sarah’s approach to medicine has always been grounded in alignment with the laws of nature to heal illness at its root through food as medicine, physiologic detoxification, homeopathy, and energetic herbalism. Her journey into becoming a practitioner of the healing arts began over 22 years ago when she began training as an energy healer in the Berkeley Psychic Institute methodology where over 7 years she acquired over 500 hours of practice.

  While in her first decade as a doctor, Sarah expanded her skills beyond the physical becoming a coach and program leader in transformational ontological coaching. Inside this work she honed her abilities to listen and heal from a space of emptiness, sharpening her intuitive gifts with the powerful structure of ontological inquiry.

  Born in the United States, Sarah has a gypsy’s heart, having traveled extensively throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. She has always been drawn to the indigenous healing traditions of the places she explores. Well-versed in Western herbal and energetic medicines, she was called to sit in ceremonial practice with Ayahuasca for the first time in 2019. Over the past five years, she has deepened her healing through a multitude of ceremonial practices birthed from the Amazon Basin, leading her to her first retreat at the Temple of The Way of Light for the Change Makers program in the fall of 2023.

  Her calling is people are magic! Her ultimate intention of her work is to activate and amplify individuals’ innate ability to heal. Her vision for the world is people living in partnership with the creative forces of life, expressing love, in harmony with nature.

• Debbie Rivett

  Coordinator, Senior Retreat Facilitator, and Facilitator Trainer

  

  Debbie Rivett

  Coordinator, Senior Retreat Facilitator, and Facilitator Trainer

  

  Debbie is a core member of our team and a pillar of the Temple community. Joining the Temple in 2011, her presence, deep care, and integrity have significantly impacted our retreats, guests, staff, and surrounding communities.

  After completing an honors degree with a double major in Psychology and Drama, Debbie worked in several fields, including education in HIV/AIDs and life skills, investigative broadcast journalism, management of fundraising teams for international development organizations, international tour production for indigenous musical groups, and documentary filmmaking before finding a home for these diverse skillsets under ‘one leaf’ at the Temple.

  Passionate about plants, people, healing, and learning, Debbie has immersed herself in a long-term journey with medicinal plants. She is a long-term apprentice in the Shipibo healing tradition and has previously trained in the mestizo tabaquero tradition. She has also been initiated in several of the Bwiti traditions of Gabon, working with Iboga.

  She also occasionally incorporates Western therapeutic techniques, including Compassionate Inquiry, ontological and somatic work, nonviolent communication, and TRE (tension and trauma release exercises) in her facilitation. However, she is clear that the plant spirits are her primary guides and teachers.

  Her wide-ranging skill set serves her well in her work at the Temple, where she works as a senior facilitator, facilitator trainer, and coordinator, ensuring smooth operations of our retreats.

• Deborah Starr, Ph.D

  Trainee Facilitator and Integration Advisor

  

  Deborah Starr, Ph.D

  Trainee Facilitator and Integration Advisor

  

  Deborah first came to the Temple in 2019 to attend our first Healthcare Providers Program with Dr. Gabor Maté and had previously been to the Amazon twice before to work with plant medicines. Her experience with the Temple team and Shipibo healers was life-changing and led her to explore and participate in expanding this deep healing work for health professionals and her own therapy practice.

  Before ayahuasca, Deborah had explored other psychedelic medicines for over thirty years, embracing opportunities to work with early luminaries such as Stan Grof, Ralph Metzner, and Sasha Shulgin.

  She has worked with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (maps.org) as an educator and research fund-raiser, as well as completing both MAPS and ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Research, Education, and Service) psychedelic therapist training and integration programs. In addition, Deborah has continued her personal growth with surrogate and in-person dietas via Shipibo Rao.

  Deborah is currently on faculty at Columbia University (NYC) in the Narrative Medicine department, focusing on healthcare delivery and ethnographic research. She is also a licensed therapist in private practice in NYC with a Ph.D. in Psychology, M.S. in Neuroscience, and M.S. in Narrative Medicine.

  She spent her early years as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation and is a promoter of yoga as a body-centred therapy to support psychological endeavours. She is trained in numerous therapeutic models, including most recently Compassionate Inquiry and Internal Family Systems. She previously worked for 15 years as a litigation consultant throughout the USA, is a certified court mediator, and is a restorative justice practitioner for childhood sexual abuse.

  Deborah is excited to be a part of the Temple team and is committed to supporting the ongoing development of our integration program and ways to bridge Amazonian plant medicine with healthcare systems around the world.

• Hammeris Martinez

  Yoga Teacher and Trainee Facilitator

  

  Hammeris Martinez

  Yoga Teacher and Trainee Facilitator

  

  Hammeris was born and raised in Perú. She lived in the capital city of Lima while completing her degree in Industrial Engineering, developing in business process management and in the commercial field, as well as working in Foreign Trade companies and forestry investments.

  Parallel to her career she started to practice yoga, which brought more joy and balance to her life but also led her to a deeper search for meaning and purpose. Hammeris decided to follow her curiosity for spirituality and headed for 4 months to India to study with different teachers in Ashtanga Yoga. Since her childhood she had been introduced to spiritual and mystic teachings, but it was through yoga that she dived deeper into other psycho-spiritual methods.

  After coming back from India, she reinstated herself in the working environment. A series of challenging events during her time in Lima motivated Hammeris to be of service and in support of women, so she moved to Cusco to work as an advisor at a Non-profit for Women’s empowerment in Education. Hammeris kept practicing yoga but looking for deeper healing, Hammeris stepped on the Plant Medicine path, since then, building a closer relationship with plants through ceremony, daily practices and self-work. Through this time, she learned how supportive Yoga teachings and Plant Medicine can be of each other.

  During her life journey, Hammeris has taken Yoga Teacher Trainings in Ashtanga, Restorative and Vinyasa, she has learned and practiced energy medicine with various tools such as Past Life Regression Therapy, Dance, Reiki and Pranic Healing; and has taken further education to support her offerings, such as Life Coaching, Somatic Experiencing and Trauma Informed Yoga.

  Hammeris is passionate about holistic wellness and self-knowledge; and inspired by people who are living authentically. She currently teaches Yoga at 200 Hr. Yoga Teacher Trainings in Cusco, Perú and holds nourishing spaces through yoga & energy medicine, encouraging women to discover who they are and live in alignment with their truth.