For decades, Colombia has struggled with an international reputation shaped largely by one word: cocaine.

Despite its extraordinary biodiversity, indigenous traditions, and rich cultural heritage, many people still associate the country primarily with cartels, crime, and Pablo Escobar. Yet a growing movement is attempting to tell a different story—one centered on healing, spirituality, and one of the world’s most respected traditional plant medicines.

In a conversation on the Colombia Calling podcast, Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat, and filmmaker Sam Lipman-Stern discussed a new documentary project that aims to explore the history of ayahuasca in Colombia, document a personal healing journey, and challenge the stereotypes that continue to define the country in the eyes of many outsiders.

A Different Side of Colombia

For many international visitors, Colombia is still viewed through the lens of popular television shows, crime documentaries, and decades of media coverage focused on violence.

The reality, however, is far more complex.

Colombia is home to some of the oldest surviving ayahuasca traditions in the world. Indigenous communities have worked with the medicine for generations, preserving knowledge that stretches back centuries and, according to some estimates, potentially much longer.

Yet many people who travel for ayahuasca never realize this.

Instead, they often associate ayahuasca with Peru, Costa Rica, or even retreat centers in North America and Europe.

One of the documentary’s goals is to highlight Colombia’s unique place within the history of plant medicine and show audiences a side of the country that remains largely unknown.

The Journey Begins with Healing

Sam Believ’s own story began long before LaWayra existed.

Years ago, he found himself struggling emotionally and searching for answers. Although he had built a successful career, something felt missing. His first experiences with ayahuasca helped him overcome depression and eventually led him toward a completely different path.

That path resulted in the creation of an ayahuasca retreat center, a podcast dedicated to plant medicine, and now a feature documentary exploring the cultural and healing dimensions of ayahuasca in Colombia.

For Sam, the project feels like a natural continuation of a journey that began with his own search for healing.

A Filmmaker’s Personal Transformation

What makes this documentary particularly unique is that it is not simply about ayahuasca.

It is also about filmmaker Sam Lipman-Stern’s personal journey.

Before becoming involved in the project, Lipman-Stern had spent years dealing with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. He had been prescribed antidepressants and remained on them for years.

As preparations for the documentary began, he made the difficult decision to work with medical professionals to discontinue the medication and prepare for his first ayahuasca retreat.

The documentary follows this process from beginning to end.

Rather than presenting ayahuasca as an abstract concept, viewers will experience the story through the eyes of someone approaching the medicine for the first time, carrying many of the same questions, fears, and doubts that most newcomers experience.

Exploring Indigenous Traditions

One of the central themes of the project is authenticity.

The filmmakers recently traveled through Colombia, visiting regions including Putumayo and San Agustín while meeting indigenous leaders, traditional healers, and communities connected to the medicine.

These experiences revealed the depth of Colombia’s spiritual traditions.

The documentary explores not only the ceremonies themselves but also the process of cultivating the plants, preparing the medicine, and preserving cultural knowledge across generations.

For many viewers, this may be their first introduction to the indigenous traditions that continue to keep these practices alive today.

More Than a Psychedelic Story

While psychedelics often receive attention because of their unusual effects, the filmmakers emphasize that the documentary is ultimately about healing.

Mental health challenges are becoming increasingly common around the world.

Many people feel disconnected, overwhelmed, anxious, or trapped in patterns that seem impossible to break.

Ayahuasca has attracted growing attention because some participants report significant improvements in depression, trauma, addiction, and overall wellbeing.

The documentary seeks to examine these possibilities while remaining grounded in real human experiences rather than sensationalism.

Instead of focusing on dramatic psychedelic visuals, the story centers on transformation, vulnerability, and recovery.

Rebranding Colombia

Perhaps the most ambitious goal of the project is helping change how Colombia is perceived internationally.

According to Sam Believ, Colombia deserves to be known for more than its difficult history.

The country possesses extraordinary natural beauty, deep spiritual traditions, welcoming communities, and a rich cultural identity that extends far beyond the stories most foreigners hear.

By highlighting indigenous wisdom, healing traditions, and positive personal transformations, the filmmakers hope to contribute to a broader and more balanced understanding of Colombia.

It is not about denying the country’s past.

It is about showing audiences that there is much more to the story.

Why This Story Matters Now

Interest in ayahuasca continues to grow worldwide.

At the same time, mental health concerns, burnout, loneliness, and depression remain widespread.

Many people are actively searching for approaches that help them reconnect with themselves and find greater meaning in their lives.

This documentary arrives at a moment when those conversations are becoming increasingly important.

Whether viewers are interested in plant medicine, indigenous cultures, mental health, or Colombia itself, the film promises to offer a rare perspective into a world that remains unfamiliar to many people.

Looking Ahead

The documentary is still in development, but its mission is already clear.

By combining personal transformation, cultural exploration, and a deeper look at Colombia’s indigenous heritage, the project aims to tell a story that goes far beyond ayahuasca itself.

It is a story about healing.

It is a story about identity.

And perhaps most importantly, it is a story about challenging old narratives and creating space for new ones.

For Sam Believ, that journey started with a single ayahuasca ceremony years ago.

Now, through film, he hopes to share that journey with the world.

---

Listen to the whole podcast episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4sj3YUlZAH1qlmWxqu9Lrl

The worlds of biohacking and plant medicine may seem very different at first glance.

Biohackers often focus on data, optimization, wearables, supplements, sleep scores, and performance metrics. Ayahuasca, on the other hand, is rooted in ancient indigenous traditions, spirituality, ceremony, and personal transformation.

Yet according to Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat in Colombia, the two worlds have far more in common than most people realize.

In a conversation with biohacker and podcast host Tony Wrighton, Sam shared why many health-conscious individuals eventually become interested in ayahuasca, how the medicine helped him overcome depression, and why some of the most important forms of optimization cannot be measured by a smartwatch.

From Engineering to Plant Medicine

Sam’s path into ayahuasca was anything but predictable.

Before moving to Colombia, he worked as a marine mechanical engineer in the offshore oil and gas industry. Financially, life looked successful. He earned a strong income, owned property, and had many of the achievements people spend years chasing.

Yet despite the success, he felt deeply unhappy.

Eventually, he left his career and began traveling. During that journey, he repeatedly encountered stories about ayahuasca.

At first, curiosity brought him toward the medicine.

Later, something deeper emerged.

As he began working with ayahuasca, he noticed improvements in his depression, his sense of purpose, and his overall relationship with life.

Those experiences eventually led him to create LaWayra, one of Colombia’s most highly reviewed ayahuasca retreats.

Why Biohackers Are Drawn to Ayahuasca

Many biohackers spend years trying to improve physical health.

They optimize sleep.

They track heart rate variability.

They experiment with supplements.

They improve diet and exercise.

All of these practices can create meaningful improvements.

But Sam believes that many people eventually discover another layer beneath physical health: emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

You can have excellent biomarkers and still feel disconnected, anxious, depressed, or directionless.

Ayahuasca often attracts people who have already optimized many external factors but still feel something important is missing.

The Missing Piece: Meaning

One of the recurring themes in Sam’s work is that many people arrive at retreats after realizing that achievement alone does not create fulfillment.

Career success.

Money.

Status.

Material possessions.

None of these automatically create purpose.

This realization is surprisingly common among entrepreneurs, executives, and high performers.

They achieve goals that were supposed to make them happy, only to discover that happiness remains elusive.

According to Sam, ayahuasca often helps people explore questions that cannot be answered through productivity systems or performance metrics alone.

Why Set and Setting Matter

One of the biggest misconceptions about ayahuasca is that the medicine itself is all that matters.

Sam strongly disagrees.

He emphasizes three essential elements:

Set, setting, and skill.

Set refers to mindset, intentions, and emotional preparation.

Setting refers to the environment, facilitators, ceremony space, and overall feeling of safety.

Skill refers to learning how to work with the medicine over time.

Just as meditation becomes easier with practice, navigating ayahuasca also becomes easier with experience.

This is one reason why structured retreats often produce better outcomes than casual or unprepared use.

The Fear of Letting Go

Many people interested in ayahuasca share the same concern.

They’re afraid.

Not necessarily afraid of the medicine itself, but afraid of losing control.

For high-achieving individuals, control often becomes part of their identity.

They solve problems.

They make decisions.

They manage outcomes.

Ayahuasca asks for something very different.

It asks for surrender.

According to Sam, much of the challenge comes from allowing the experience to unfold rather than trying to direct it.

The more a person resists, the more difficult the journey often becomes.

Difficult Trips vs. Bad Trips

One distinction Sam frequently makes is between a difficult experience and a bad experience.

A difficult ceremony may involve grief, fear, old memories, trauma, or emotional pain.

Yet those challenging moments are often where the deepest healing occurs.

A truly bad experience usually arises when someone fights the process instead of working with it.

The medicine attempts to bring something forward, while the person tries to push it away.

That internal conflict creates suffering.

Learning to trust the process dramatically reduces the likelihood of these situations.

What Makes Ayahuasca Different from Mushrooms?

Although Sam appreciates psilocybin mushrooms and believes they have tremendous value, he sees one major difference between mushrooms and ayahuasca.

Purging.

Ayahuasca often creates a powerful sense of release through vomiting, crying, shaking, sweating, or other forms of emotional and physical expression.

For many participants, this release feels like a tangible removal of emotional weight.

With mushrooms, people may process difficult material, but the sensation of expelling it physically is often absent.

This is one reason many experienced ayahuasca drinkers describe purging as one of the most healing parts of the ceremony.

Ancient Medicine in a Modern World

One reason Sam prefers traditional plant medicines is their long history.

Ayahuasca, San Pedro, psilocybin mushrooms, and other indigenous medicines have been used for centuries or even millennia.

That historical continuity provides a unique form of confidence.

Countless generations have worked with these medicines before modern science began studying them.

For Sam, this does not replace scientific investigation.

Instead, it complements it.

Ancient wisdom and modern research can work together.

What Biohackers Might Learn

One of the more interesting insights from the conversation is that biohacking itself can sometimes become another form of control.

Tracking every metric.

Optimizing every variable.

Monitoring every biological signal.

These practices can be useful, but they can also create stress.

At one point, Sam stopped using his Oura Ring because he realized that worrying about sleep metrics was negatively affecting his sleep.

The lesson was simple:

optimization is valuable, but balance matters more.

A Different Kind of Upgrade

Biohackers often seek better energy, improved cognition, enhanced recovery, and greater resilience.

Ayahuasca offers a different type of upgrade.

Instead of optimizing performance, it often focuses on healing what is underneath the performance.

Old traumas.

Unresolved emotions.

Limiting beliefs.

Patterns of self-sabotage.

Relationship wounds.

These are not problems that can always be solved with supplements or technology.

More Than a Tool

Despite his enthusiasm, Sam is careful not to portray ayahuasca as a miracle solution.

It is not something to consume constantly.

It is not a shortcut.

And it is certainly not a replacement for doing the work afterward.

Instead, he sees it as one powerful tool among many.

A tool that can help people reconnect with themselves, gain perspective, and accelerate healing when used responsibly.

For biohackers, entrepreneurs, and health enthusiasts alike, that may be one of the most valuable upgrades available—not because it improves performance, but because it helps clarify what performance is ultimately for.

---

Listen to the whole podcast episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ER2s9i2P3ICrEpSZlgJIx