Ayahuasca Retreat Reviews

Let’s start off by stating that I’m a 30-year-old pain in the ass French woman, leading operations for a 8-billion-dollar company, control-freak who never took any drug in her life. You got it, I’m the rational, never satisfied type. That being said, I had heard several times that Ayahuasca was a life-changing experience that you could summarize by “10 years of therapy in 10 days”. Really? Solving my daddy’s issues in a week? You bet I had to check this out. And guess what, I’ll spoil the end of this review, saying that these 10 days with Silvia and Tio can change your life is a huge euphemism, it’s been (from far) the most incredible thing I’ve experienced in my whole life. And I’ll tell you why.
Firstly, the place is amazing, lost in the jungle, with beautiful bungalows and a lagoon you’ll love to go swimming into during your self-reflection quality time. The whole set up to put you in the best conditions to reach deep consciousness is without any failure: the vegan sugar and salt-free food is so creative that you almost forget the taste of a really good medium rare entrecote, the yoga classes taught by the lovely Andreia and the deep massages are absolutely what you need to make your body understand that it’s time to genuinely take care of yourself.
Then, to take care of your mind you’ll have the two most impressive experts I’ve met in my life, who truly know what they are talking about:
Silvia, she’s far from the well-known “I’m-gonna-teach-you-life-patriarcal-Guru” that you might encounter in some Ayahuasca retreats, she’s a brilliant psychologist with an amazing track record, she understands everything in a glimpse and help you the whole time to better structure your thoughts, your fears and your ambitions. Just having the privilege to have a one-hour therapy session with her would be worth the investment of the whole retreat!
Tio, on his side, is your guardian angel, anywhere, anytime. He’s been my rock during all the ceremonies, there’s not been any moment I did not feel safe since he’s watching you, guiding you, helping you going through the most challenging breakthroughs.
Overall, what you’ll get with Silvia and Tio is the absolute perfection in terms of feeling safe while getting the maieutic help you need to work on any trauma you had, understand what’s holding you back from being truly happy, and be assertive about what you need and want in your life. The anxiety I had at first about the ceremonies and my fear of the bad trips I could experience quickly vanished into a titanium work on myself that I could have never done without them.
I’ve been that impressed with everything I’ve managed to understand and deeply heal, – because yes, at the end of the day, everything is about healing – that it’s very clear to me that I’ll come back to this place whenever I’ll be at a crossroad in my life, to help me bring it to the next level.
I can’t be more grateful about everything that happened there, I’ve never been that happy in my life (and it was not an easy road) and trust me, this place is, without any doubt whatsoever, the sanctuary you need to go about what is gonna be the most inspiring experience of your life.

We came to Spirit vine with my brothers and my mum and it was an amazing bonding experience for all of us. Silvia and Tio are marvelous guides through this mentally challenging experience. They have great observation skills and can offer wonderful insights into human psychology. For me, having a non stop support from a wise and experienced psychotherapist like Silvia was the key to have a good experience. I’ve got so many insights about myself, my patterns of behavior and my relationships. I also had mind-blowing visions that were out of this world.
We loved yoga with Andrea, the massages, artistic and tasteful food, beyond beautiful jungle, cozy bungalows, and all the lovely participants. I will be back and bring all my friends 🙂

Does the Spirit Vine Ayahuasca Retreat Center deserve the consistently high 5 star and excellent reviews?
I have been on 5 Spirit Vine retreats, and I would say: No! They deserve higher!! This is my first review of the center.
After a lot of research, I chose this place – I was not disappointed. If you are looking for a major shift in your life and want to put yourself in safe hands, Spirit Vine is the place for you. My initial fears about taking ayahuasca dissipated very quickly, due to the care, the safety and the wonderful atmosphere.
In my opinion, the reviews accurately reflect what I have experienced here. However, the reviews may have not mentioned the following:
Quality of the Ayahuasca
Great care is taken to ensure the high quality of each ayahuasca brew, lovingly prepared using their own home-grown Ayahuasca vine and chacruna plants. They tailor the dose you take to your individual needs – something not always done at other centers.
Application Selection
Silvia´s care also extends to her consideration of your application, and she does not accept an application if she considers that this is not the right place or time for you. She does not accept all applications, and this is in your interest as a potential participant. Numbers are purposely kept low to maintain 1) quality of personal attention and care 2) safety. So the setting, circumstances and atmosphere are intentionally created to ensure the optimum conditions for the best possible experience.
Experience and Expertise
She has been organizing and facilitating retreats since 1997 (as at 2021, that is 24 years), and she has vast experience of how to maximise the best conditions for the participant. Silvia also has extensive experience and knowledge of the use of ayahuasca, as a method of expanding consciousness and spiritual awakening and unfolding. She leads the ceremonies, and expertly supports participants when requested both in the ceremony room and outside. Ti0, her very experienced assistant, also uses his incredibly intuitive senses and interpersonal skills to provide a high degree of individual support when requested. Working together, Silvia and Ti0 are a great team!
Workshops and Activities
Silvia´s and Ti0´s workshops and activities are carefully designed to help you prepare for and integrate your ayahuasca experience. During these retreats, I have really appreciated the depth of Silvia´s workshops on Childhood Regression, Unveiling the Shadow and Spirit Releasement, and Ti0´s two newer workshops about personal energy growth/maintenance and moving beyond the limited self. These workshops help you create your specific intention for each ceremony.
Prepare as well as you can
If you decide to apply, I would highly recommend that you follow all the prior preparation guidance (all on the website), and guidance at the retreat itself – it is comprehensive for a reason: to ensure you have the best possible experience and outcome. I cannot emphasize this enough: the better your preparation, the more you will increase your benefits from the retreat.
Personal Transformation
Last, but not least, you will leave with a sense that something incredible has happened – you might not be sure what exactly – but most probably you will need to make changes in your life to ensure that your shifts are profound, sustainable and long-lasting.
A Worthwhile Investment
My ayahuasca experience at this retreat center has been the single most significant event in my life, in terms of positive personal growth and life change, and I have spent MANY years in psychotherapy as a client. Go ahead, and invest in yourself. Chances are that you will not only be benefiting yourself, your relationships, your work, your health…but maybe you will be making the world a much better place.

It’s been 10 days since the last ayahuasca ceremony at Spirit Vine.
I hope Silvia and Ti0 will find time to read this feedback. Plus, a good chance for me to shortly summarise this tremendous, life-changing experience.
The first workshop with Silvia (not even a ceremony) revealed to me that my emotions control me, not the other way around. I also learned how to use creativity and imagination in healing childhood trauma. The following ceremony taught me about forgiveness, more important, self-forgiveness.
The second workshop on shadows (held by Silvia) showed me how little consciousness I usually bring into communicating with others. The followed ceremony gave me insights into true, unconditional love and compassion. It seems to also heal my relationships with ageing and death.
The third workshop about energies (held by Ti0) helped me to establish boundaries when interacting with others. The following ceremony showed how the same experience can be interpreted differently by different people and even the same person but at different times. It also showed the importance of having clear intentions, being assertive, and pointed to my self-sabotaging negative thinking and behaviour.
During the fourth workshop (thanks Ti0) about personality and essence, I was happy to learn that there is something beyond the exploration of our sets of behaviours and cognition; that we, humans, are capable of finding pure essence. Though during the following ceremony I was not given much information on this topic, I believe, when I overcome the need to go through my personality journeys, the answers will come.
During the fifth ceremony, I was able to connect with nature. I learned how to appreciate the existence of every living being and enjoy the initial simplicity of my own existence – the raindrops on my skin, the soft grass under my feet, the gentle wind blowing through my hair, the ability to feel, hear, and see the beauty and the great diversity of nature.
My intention for this review is to express my gratitude to Silvia and Ti0. I also hope that my experience will help others to make a decision when having to choose among dozens of ayahuasca retreats available these days.
Many thanks,
Mariia, Russia
P.S. the food and the accommodation were beyond any expectations.
Thanks to all staff members for their hard work, cooperation, and friendly environment that made our experience so easy and joyful.

As a couple soon to be married, all possible expectations we could ever have before entering Spirit Vine were exceeded:
TiO with his utterly precise but still playful ambience. Silvia in harmony with everything and everyone. The radiance of wisdom, compassion and understanding from both of them made it easy to just rest back and trust the process.
Looking back to who we were before entering Spirit Vine, both as individuals, and as a couple, there is so much that changed in us:
old patterns of negative behaviours were broken; fears that have been overcome; a giant leap towards true love that is not inflicted by meaningless arguments in daily life. This experience helped us to discover the way in how to consciously continue exploring the journey called life. Life as it is. Not infected by the set of rules we have been taught to live and believe in.
Five stars is not enough. Keep doing what you are doing!
/Kristoffer

I found this place completely by accident, and I could not be more pleased by this hidden gem in the jungle. The food, though adhering to the strict ayahuasca dietary guidelines, is absolutely delicious and so healing. The ceremonies themselves are in a safe, well-curated environment. Finally, the aya healing process is integrated with workshops and activities which allow the participant to go even deeper than with aya alone. The jungle setting is calming and inspiring. A perfect place to reflect, go deep and evolve.

The Spirit Vine Retreat Center was amazing in every regard. Silvia has created a paradise, and with TiO, has created an experience like none other. The accommodations were perfect, the food beyond excellent, and entire setting absolutely sublime and perfect for really connecting & finding answers. The depth of exploration of the mind and spirit is compounded with Silvia’s vast knowledge and previous experience. I came looking for answers and I received so much more. Thank you Silvia and TiO. I feel so fortunate to have found you. You are making the world better, person by person.

The Best psychedelic retreat ever! Safe environment, super healthy food, friendly staff, professional guidance, comfortable lodging….so much more!! Silvia has been guiding ceremonies for almost 20 years, I really appreciate her approach combining psychology and spirituality. Before each ceremony, she organizes workshops (about Inner Child, Shadow work….) for us to open up and prepare ourselves to set the most needed intension for the ceremony.
During the ceremonies, Silvia and Tio hold the space for us and make sure we all have a safe trip.
After each ceremony, we have art sessions to express how we feel, followed by inspiring sharing session.
Another highlight of the retreat is the FOOD, Thiago and his team are artists, each meal is prepared with Love and we all enjoyed the food without sugar and salt!! I develop strong connections with all the participants and we become a spiritual family now thanks to Spirit Vine Retreat. Keep the Good Work, and I highly recommend anyone who wants to find answers about their spirituality or just gain more consciousness and insight about reality, Come and Join Spirit Vine Ayahuasca Retreat Center!!!! Much Love and Respect to your professional work! We will meet again 🙂

Spirit Vine exceeded my expectations, and I had high ones to begin with!!
Silvia and Ti0 were always available to assist in any questions, concerns or personal issues that needed to be discussed further. I felt very safe and the structure of the retreat flowed really well. The ceremonies were amazingly conducted by Silvia and Ti0, the music selection was incredible.
I chose this retreat in particular due to its emphasis on integration and I found that the workshops and group sharing created an amazing environment in which you could process the experiences you had on Ayahuasca whilst also looking at how you can use and intergrate these experiences and lessons going forward.
So happy and grateful that I chose this retreat, after a lot of research into many different retreats and I highly recommend Spirit Vine to anyone who wants to work with Ayahuasca on a deep level in a safe and caring environment.

My experience at Spirit Vine was one I can’t speak highly enough about. The setting was so pristine and peaceful with impeccable upkeep and attention to every detail. I researched countless retreats and after coming to Spirit Vine I’m so glad I did! It’s hard for me to imagine going anywhere else. Silvia and Tio are some of the most gentle, kind and compassionate people I have met with the purest of intentions. They both seem to truly care for each individual in such a genuine way that is hard to explain even after the retreat has ended. I always felt so safe and comfortable with them in my presence, which is essential during such a vulnerable process. I have a science background and am generally a skeptic/questioner type of person. If you’re like me, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of coming with an open mind. The power and insight of this medicine is so profound and unexplainable. While this medicine and process is some serious work and takes great courage at times, the results are limitless. Unlike other retreats, the medicine dose at Spirit Vine is custom tailored to each individual’s needs to yield the most healing experience in the safest way possible. It was so refreshing to be a part of the open culture and environment at Spirit Vine which felt accepting and non judgemental, allowing people to just be themself. It was so nice meeting and becoming close friends with people from all over the world with such diverse backgrounds. The entire group and staff all felt like family by the end of the retreat. The food was also out of this world! It amazed me everyday the variety of food which never got old to me. Another thing that really set Spirit Vine apart from other retreats for me was the workshops that Tio and Silvia provided. These workshops were incredibly helpful and provided tools for managing different obstacles that arise not only during the ayahuasca process, but life in general. Silvia’s background and experience with psychotherapy was really helpful as well. The unbiased and honest insight her and Tio provided was quite special. They both have such a unique gift with what they do, and I’m so grateful they have dedicated their lives to sharing it with others!