Interest in ayahuasca has expanded rapidly in recent years as more people search for natural approaches to emotional healing, personal growth, and spiritual exploration. While Peru is often considered the birthplace of ayahuasca tourism, Colombia has quietly preserved one of the world’s richest and most authentic ayahuasca traditions.
According to Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat in Colombia, the country’s later emergence as a retreat destination may actually be one of its greatest strengths. Rather than becoming heavily commercialized, many indigenous traditions have remained closely connected to the communities that have protected them for generations.
More Than a Psychedelic Brew
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian plant medicine prepared by combining two plants into a ceremonial brew. Indigenous communities have worked with this medicine for thousands of years, not as recreation, but as a tool for healing, guidance, and spiritual development.
Today, scientific researchers continue studying ayahuasca for its potential effects on depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, and emotional processing. At the same time, indigenous traditions emphasize that the medicine cannot be separated from the ceremonial practices that surround it.
For Sam, these two perspectives are complementary rather than contradictory.
Modern science helps explain how ayahuasca affects the brain, while traditional knowledge teaches people how to safely navigate the experience itself.
Why Colombia Offers a Unique Experience
Many people automatically associate ayahuasca with Peru, but Colombia has equally deep indigenous roots surrounding the medicine, often known locally as yagé.
Because Colombia attracted fewer international visitors during previous decades, many indigenous communities were able to preserve their ceremonial traditions without the same level of commercialization seen elsewhere.
Sam believes this creates a more authentic experience where indigenous taitas continue growing, preparing, and serving the medicine according to traditions passed down through multiple generations.
Choosing a retreat that works directly with indigenous healers also helps support the communities responsible for preserving this knowledge.
Healing Goes Beyond the Ceremony
One of the biggest misconceptions about ayahuasca is that drinking the medicine alone creates lasting change.
In reality, the ceremony is only one part of the healing process.
At LaWayra, guests spend time preparing before their first ceremony through educational workshops, intention setting, and group discussions. This allows participants to understand what they may experience and helps create a supportive environment before the medicine begins its work.
After each ceremony, participants gather for integration circles where they reflect on their experiences and begin translating personal insights into practical changes they can apply in everyday life.
Without integration, even profound experiences can gradually lose their impact.
A Safe Environment Makes a Difference
Safety is one of the most important factors when choosing an ayahuasca retreat.
Sam encourages people to research any retreat carefully before booking. Experienced indigenous practitioners, proper medical screening, trained facilitators, structured preparation, and post-ceremony integration all contribute to a responsible experience.
The ceremonies themselves take place in a calm ceremonial setting where participants remain supported throughout the night by experienced facilitators and traditional medicine music.
Rather than focusing on dramatic psychedelic experiences, the emphasis remains on creating an environment where healing can unfold safely.
Every Experience Is Different
No two ayahuasca ceremonies are exactly alike.
Some participants experience vivid symbolic visions, while others spend the ceremony processing emotions, revisiting memories, or simply sitting with a deep sense of peace. Physical releases such as crying or purging are also considered a normal part of the healing process within traditional ceremonies.
Sam often reminds guests that ayahuasca rarely gives people what they expect.
Instead, it tends to reveal what they most need to understand at that particular stage of life.
Approaching the experience with openness rather than fixed expectations often leads to the greatest personal insights.
Bridging Science and Spirituality
One reason ayahuasca continues attracting global attention is its ability to bring together two worlds that are often viewed as separate.
Scientific research increasingly supports its therapeutic potential, while countless participants describe experiences that feel deeply meaningful on a spiritual level.
Rather than forcing one explanation over the other, Sam believes both perspectives can coexist.
Whether someone approaches ayahuasca through psychology, neuroscience, personal healing, or spiritual curiosity, the common thread remains transformation through self-discovery.
A Journey That Continues at Home
Although ceremonies may last only a few hours, the real work begins afterward.
Participants often return home with greater emotional clarity, stronger relationships, renewed creativity, or a clearer sense of purpose. These changes rarely happen overnight. Instead, they develop gradually as people apply the lessons they received during their retreat.
For Sam, ayahuasca isn’t about escaping reality or chasing extraordinary experiences.
It’s about learning how to live everyday life with greater awareness, compassion, and intention.
When combined with proper preparation, experienced guidance, and thoughtful integration, ayahuasca becomes far more than a ceremony—it becomes the beginning of an ongoing journey toward lasting personal growth.
Listen to the whole podcast episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bdAI4u2HSVY97jiuggwAn