Ayahuasca has gone from an obscure Amazonian tradition to one of the most discussed healing modalities in the world. Athletes, entrepreneurs, veterans, therapists, and everyday people are increasingly exploring this ancient plant medicine in search of healing, purpose, and connection.
In a conversation with podcast host Evan McDermod, Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat in Colombia, shared his journey from offshore engineer to retreat founder and offered his perspective on why ayahuasca is becoming more relevant than ever.
For Sam, the growing popularity of ayahuasca is not a trend. It is a response to a deeper crisis affecting modern society.
When Success Doesn’t Bring Happiness
Before discovering ayahuasca, Sam’s life looked successful from the outside.
He worked in the offshore oil and gas industry, earned a high income, traveled, and had many of the things people are taught to pursue. Yet despite achieving these goals, he found himself increasingly dissatisfied.
The happiness he expected never arrived.
Eventually, he left his career behind and began traveling through South America. During that journey, he found himself repeatedly encountering references to ayahuasca. Friends mentioned it, podcasts discussed it, and stories about it seemed to appear everywhere.
What initially felt like coincidence eventually became impossible to ignore.
The Experience That Changed Everything
Sam’s first ayahuasca ceremony was not what he expected.
He anticipated an unusual experience and perhaps some interesting visions. Instead, something shifted at a much deeper level.
The biggest change was not what he saw during the ceremony but what happened afterward.
He found himself doubting himself less. His mindset shifted from asking “if” something would happen to believing “when” it would happen.
That subtle change in confidence gradually altered the direction of his entire life.
Looking back, he describes it as a one-degree shift in trajectory that eventually led to a completely different destination.
Building a Retreat Through Synchronicity
One of the most interesting aspects of Sam’s story is that he never consciously decided to start an ayahuasca retreat.
Instead, opportunities appeared one after another.
A property became available. Connections were made. New people entered his life. Each step seemed to lead naturally to the next.
Today, LaWayra has become one of the highest-rated ayahuasca retreats in South America, serving hundreds of participants each year.
Yet Sam still views the entire journey as a combination of hard work and synchronicity.
The opportunities appeared, but action was still required.
Why Connection Comes First
The philosophy at LaWayra is summarized in three words:
Connect. Heal. Grow.
According to Sam, healing begins with connection.
People reconnect with themselves, with nature, with other people, and for many, with a deeper spiritual dimension of life.
Only after that connection is restored can deeper healing begin.
In his view, much of modern suffering stems from disconnection.
People are disconnected from their emotions, from meaningful community, from nature, and often from their own sense of purpose.
Ayahuasca offers a powerful opportunity to bridge those gaps.
The Epidemic of Disconnection
Throughout the conversation, Sam returned repeatedly to the idea that modern society suffers from a profound disconnect.
Despite technological advancement, many people feel isolated, anxious, depressed, and unfulfilled.
Consumer culture constantly promises that happiness is just one purchase away.
A new car.
A bigger house.
A promotion.
A vacation.
Yet for many, satisfaction remains temporary.
The underlying discomfort persists.
Ayahuasca often brings people face-to-face with that reality and encourages them to look inward rather than outward for answers.
Ancient Medicine for Modern Problems
Ayahuasca has been used by indigenous cultures in the Amazon for thousands of years.
According to Sam, traditions throughout Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil have preserved this medicine for generations.
For much of history, these traditions remained hidden from the outside world.
Only recently has ayahuasca begun reaching global audiences.
Sam believes this timing may not be accidental.
As mental health challenges continue rising worldwide, more people are searching for approaches that go beyond symptom management and address deeper causes of suffering.
Healing Beyond the Individual
One of the more ambitious ideas discussed during the interview was the possibility that ayahuasca could influence society on a collective level.
Sam believes that many of the conflicts, divisions, and problems people face today stem from forgetting a simple truth: human beings are deeply interconnected.
Participants frequently report experiencing this sense of connection directly during ceremonies.
Rather than feeling separate, they feel part of something larger.
According to Sam, this realization often leads to greater compassion, empathy, and understanding.
When people genuinely feel connected to others, harmful behavior becomes much harder to justify.
The Importance of Integration
While ayahuasca can create profound insights, Sam emphasizes that the ceremony itself is only the beginning.
The real work happens afterward.
Participants are encouraged to journal, reflect, and actively integrate what they learned into daily life.
Without integration, even the most powerful experience can fade over time.
Healing requires action.
The insights gained during ceremony must eventually be translated into healthier habits, better relationships, and more intentional choices.
Making Ayahuasca More Accessible
A major part of LaWayra’s mission is making ayahuasca accessible to ordinary people.
Sam believes many retreats unintentionally create barriers through high prices, intimidating language, or overly spiritual presentation.
His goal is different.
He wants people to understand that ayahuasca is not reserved for a special group of seekers.
Doctors, builders, entrepreneurs, teachers, veterans, parents, and retirees all participate.
You do not need to become a different person to benefit from the medicine.
You simply need to be open to the process.
A Different Vision for the Future
Ultimately, Sam sees ayahuasca as more than a personal healing tool.
He sees it as part of a larger movement toward reconnection.
Not necessarily through ayahuasca alone, but through any practice that helps people reconnect with themselves, with each other, and with the deeper meaning of life.
Whether through meditation, nature, community, or plant medicine, he believes humanity is searching for a more balanced way of living.
Ayahuasca may not be the answer for everyone.
But for many people, it has become a powerful reminder that healing begins when we stop running from ourselves and start paying attention to what truly matters.
Listen to the whole podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=361vKnMxzSk
