Retreat Info
About the Retreat:Caya Shobo is a special place with a unique vision for healing and learning in accordance with the renowned Shipibo plant medicine tradition. We are not a profit-oriented business but rather a beautiful home and sanctuary for those desiring real healing and shamanic learning through the Shipibo healing practice of master plant Dieta with highly skilled teacher and practitioners.
In our 2 week Dieta healing retreats (run throughout the year) we offer 8 Ayahuasca ceremonies and personalized Shipibo master plant Dieta treatment from some of the most skilled practitioners in Peru.
It is our honour to work with Ayahuasca, a powerful master teacher plant from the Amazon which has an incredible ability to reawaken deeply buried memories, remind you of your spiritual nature and you humanity, and show the traumas, sickness and confusions buried within that you are ready to begin healing. We regard Ayahuasca as a noble medicine that commands a great deal of respect, humility and care in how it is administered and taught.
At Caya Shobo, we also know through our many decades of experience working with Amazonian plant medicines that Ayahuasca treatment alone is not enough to sustainably resolve one’s deeply held traumas and problematic patterns of perceiving and being. While Ayahuasca allows one to see the healing needed, it is through expertly guided and properly administered Shipibo plant Dieta that a deep and lasting restoration of wellness may be achieved.
Little by little, in a slow and steady and strictly disciplined process, Shipibo plant Dieta has the power to purify and strengthen the body, clarify the psyche, and restore the soul to wellness. Dieta weaves the healing power and wisdom of nature’s most powerful teacher plants into the very fiber of one’s being, and when done well, Dieta can bring about a truly embodied health and sense of reconciliation, understanding and love back to our hearts.
Dieta is a complex and time-honored practice of the Shipibo people, used by their most highly skilled medicine practitioners (the Onanya or Onaya) to address the roots of disease, pain and suffering. For the Shipibo people who grow immersed in the embrace of the rich living balance of the jungle, wellness is related to harmony. Disharmony and imbalance lead to sickness, stress, sadness, confusion and even poor luck. Restoration of harmony in all aspects of life, at both the personal and the collective level, is the way the Shipibo tradition brings about health and wellbeing. And the carefully prescribed, administered, and disciplined practice of plant Dieta is the Shipibo way to achieve and sustain this healing.
As the master Onanya shamans sing their healing songs to grow and align the plant Dieta energies within a patient’s system, and reawaken the consciousness of the body, mind and spirit to life’s essential wisdoms, the energies of sickness are gradually uprooted, unfurled and cleared away. These songs, called ‘icaros’ in the Shipibo tradition, miraculously carry the energy, wisdom and the power of the plants that the maestro himself has dieted and developed over years and decades of disciplined practice and personal sacrifice.
The specific master teacher Dieta plants have been carefully identified by the Shipibo, over thousands of years of shamanic practice, for their unique healing and learning properties. There are dozens if not hundreds of master healing and teaching plants in the Amazon, but it is important to adhere to strict dietary and other restrictions in order to ensure the safety and efficacy of each plant treatment. Some restrictions are common amongst the master plants (such as avoiding salt and sugar), but some requirements are unique to specific plants. These details are discovered by each Onanya from both his/her own ancestral lineage and also directly from the plants themselves, through the strict practice of Dieta.
Through many long, learning Dietas the Onanya healer develops an overall ‘Knowledge Dieta’ and personal way of working with the medicine of Ayahuasca and the master plants. Depending on the degree of devotion and quality of the shaman, it is possible for this Knowledge body to encompass incredibly complex and specific visions and learnings about doctoring of the body, mind and spirit that are gifted to the worthy Dieter by the teacher plants themselves. Needless to say, not all shamanic healers in the Amazon carry the same level of expertise, knowledge or integrity for working with this powerful healing tradition.
At Caya Shobo our entire leadership team is dedicated to the traditional practice of Dieta and we believe our extensive experience with Dieta has afforded us a special vision and ability to assess and determine the level of accomplishment of our shamanic Onanya practitioners. We choose to work only with the most senior of Shipibo Onanyas, all who come from renowned healing families and have a minimum of 15 years experience working with the true way of Shipibo master plant dieta. Typically our maestros have more than 25 years of experience with holding Ayahuasca ceremonies and healing patients with plant Dieta.
Integrity in the medicine is of paramount importance to us at Caya Shobo and we believe this is what gives us the distinction of genuine healing results and assuredness of safety for all our guests.
During a 2 week retreat at Caya Shobo, guests have the opportunity to gain a first-hand experience of the transformative healing power of both Ayahuasca and the Amazonian master Dieta plants when administered by true master Shipibo shamanic healers. And with the skilled knowledge and care of our experienced facilitators, guests may come to safely know some of the sacred wisdoms of this remarkable Shipibo healing tradition, and the spiritual mysteries residing in the natural world. You will be able to bring these understandings home with you, seeded in your heart, mind and body to deliver lasting betterment to your life and all your relationships.
Description of Services:Caya Shobo's 12-day intensive Ayahuasca retreat programs provide each guest with a personalized pant medicine treatment plan.
A variety of Amazonian plant medicine therapies, including master plant Dieta, flower baths, herbal infusions, and other topical and internal treatments are specially chosen to suit your unique physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual healing needs and interest.
8 powerful Ayahuasca ceremonies in our breathtakingly beautiful traditional maloka provide you the opportunity to safely experience Ayahuasca while receiving powerful healing icaro songs, specifically crafted to your unique healing needs, from some of Peru's most experienced and world-renowned master Shipibo healers.
Our carefully trained team of facilitators, all with significant expertise in Shipibo master plant Dieta provide dedicated care, guidance and translation support in every ceremony and throughout your retreat. With sensitivity to the complex nature of Shipibo shamanic healing, we create a safe container for you to confidently enter a deep personal process.
Retreats are limited to a maximum of 11 participants, with a generous ratio of facilitators and maestros to guest numbers, thus ensuring attentive, responsible care.
Private accommodation is in one of 4 jungle tambos (huts) or in one of our spacious standard rooms (each with their own bathroom).
Integration support is available both during and after the retreat, so you may continue to harness the healing benefits and bring greater wellness and harmony into your life at home.
Delicious and varied dieta-friendly meals, wi-fi service, laundry and regular room cleaning are all part of our standard service.
Massage therapists, an in-house store with perfumes and mapacho tobacco, plus visiting artisans provide opportunities to supplement your retreat experience for small additional cost.
Trips to nearby nature and animal sanctuaries can be arranged.
A note about other practices such as Yoga and Breathwork. While guests are welcome to take advantage of the quiet sanctuary of our Maloka during the day to stretch, meditate and breathe, at Caya Shobo we have made a conscious choice to not include these activities as part of our dieta retreat program offering. Our focus and mission is delivering real healing through master plant Dieta. The delicate healing process of Dieta demands as much rest and quietness as possible from the dieter as a lot of energy is unearthed from the body and mind during this process. Gentle yoga or a tranquil walk in the jungle can be helpful, but in general we recommend rest, stillness and reflection throughout the Dieta.
Practitioners:At Caya Shobo we work with Shipibo Onánya Maestros and Maestras who have achieved a high level of Medicine Vision and Dieta Knowledge over decades of strictly disciplined practice and study, and who hold an exemplary ethic for healing and teaching in the way of the light.
Likewise our entire team of facilitators, managers and founders is dedicated to the practice and learning of the true Shipibo tradition of master plant Dieta. As a result our most experienced team members each carry their own significant Medicine Vision capability which has been gifted through their own Dietas, and which is continuously applied to assess the quality and power of medicine work of our Onanya maestros. Only those practitioners which the medicine reveals as having the cleanest, most knowledgeable and most sincere relationship with the sacred practice of healing with the master teacher plants are invited to work at Caya Shobo.
In addition, several of the members of our facilitation team are also professional mental health experts, including experienced psychologists, counsellors and social workers. We also have physical therapists on our team including experienced massagists, acupuncturists, and a somatic therapist. This expertise in modern healing modalities is incorporated into the support we offer to our retreat guests throughout their stay in the jungle, and also after departure, through group or individual plant Dieta Integration support sessions.Team/Medical Staff:What makes Caya Shobo's facilitation support unique amongst Ayahuasca centers is that all our facilitators have undergone years of personal training not only with Ayahausca but also with the Shipibo plant dieta healing process.
We understand that it is only through the process of Shipibo Plant Dieta that truly transformative healing and sustained life improvement can be achieved for our guests. For that reason, all our lead facilitators are required to have completed lengthy personal dietas before even being considered for training as a facilitator of Caya Shobo's plant dieta retreats.
With this training and with great respect for the highly individual and complex nature of healing with the Shipibo plant medicine tradition, our facilitators provide a safe and supportive container for each individual to enter their healing process with confidence.
Our Lead facilitators are carefully selected based on their demonstrated integrity of character, maturity of understanding of the plant dieta healing process, and sensitivity to the unique needs and healing journey of each guest.
We welcome you to come experience for yourself our professionalism of care and honorable way of sharing this sacred healing and learning tradition.
Our facilitators come from all over the world and all walks of life and speak English, Spanish, Russian and German.Details
Founder(s) / CEO: Miguel E, Becky G, Franziska DGroup Size: max. 12, (focus is on maximum personalized treatment in a small group)Price Range: $2750 - $3250 USDSpecializing In: Anxiety, Depression, Healing, Integration, Life Elevation, Masterplant Dieta, Meditation, Plant Dieta, PTSD, and TransformationOur Process
Overview of Experience:A key emphasis of our offering is to help you make a direct connection with the teacher plant spirits for yourself. We want to help you understand the secrets of the Shipibo plant medicine tradition and enable you to work with the plants in a positive and beneficial way. With correct dieta knowledge and practice our wish is for you to truly know yourself and gradually develop mastery over your own healing and learning.
Preparation
When requesting a stay at Caya Shobo, you will be asked to provide detailed information regarding your medical, physical and mental health history before your reservation is confirmed.
Caya Shobo offers comprehensive treatment for a wide range of health concerns. However certain physical and mental conditions and/or pharmaceutical medications or substances may inhibit your eligibility to drink Ayahuasca and/or other medicine plants, and some guests may require a specific preparation plan for treatment.
It is necessary to follow certain food restrictions during the time you are participating in Ayahuasca Ceremony and while taking the prescribed Dieta Plants, as well as certain restrictions regarding social behaviour and private relationships to avoid undesired effects. For this reason, in this medicine tradition, the discipline with respect to Dieta restrictions is of vital importance.
For at least 10 days before and during your visit to Caya Shobo it is essential that you observe this restricted diet. We will provide you with the guidelines and all necessary information and support to follow this.Integration
The experience of an Ayahuasca retreat in the Amazon, with quiet time in nature and the peaceful ambience of the jungle, clean food and daily Dieta treatments with medicine plants, brings us to an extremely cleansed and highly sensitive mental and energetic state. The stark contrast with the regular world when we initiate our return journey and become re-immersed in the responsibilities of our job, our family situation, the city environment, etc, can be a really intense shock.
To ease the journey home and minimize the loss of connection with the experience and the healing which you received during your time at Caya Shobo we always plan retreats to allow a day of rest after the final Ceremony. This down-time allows you to re-ground and receive guidance and counsel from our experienced facilitators on how best to re-enter your day-to-day life.
Another vital part of the healing process is psychological support to help you interpret and integrate the powerful healing experiences with Ayahuasca Ceremony and with the medicine plants.
During your stay at Caya Shobo you will have the opportunity to meet with our experienced facilitators and our Maestros in private or in group session. Seeking guidance with humility from those with years of practice in this path and from the Shipibo Maestros who hold a very different way of thinking and perceiving life, can be very helpful in showing us how to walk a path of healing with love and forgiveness, and peaceful confidence in our hearts and minds.
Our facilitators and experienced community of dieters are available after your departure from Caya Shobo, through an online forum integration group and through regular Zoom group conferences, to provide ongoing guidance in helping you to make positive, well-considered choices for your life in a loving and balanced way.
Our Lead Therapist Jenifer Smee, a Berkeley psychotherapist is available to support our guests during medicine work and integration using a somatic, body-oriented, and transpersonal approach.
One of our Center’s Founders Rebecca also offers counselling for integration and support with questions around plant dieta and spiritual guidance. She has been holding her own ceremonies for years and holds much knowledge about working in this path.Intake Process:Our intake process is designed to prioritize and screen for the safety of our guests, ensure we are a good match for prospective clients, and provide a context for the ensuing experience. We screen for contraindications and determine whether our retreat offerigs align with what our prospective guests are seeking.
Our intake process includes the following:
- a medical intake questionnaire to determine if there are any contraindications to working with Ayahuasca (physical and/or psychological), which is then reviewed by experienced staff
- a follow-up video call, if desired and/or when staff needs to gather more information to determine if the guest is a good fit. During this call the opportunity to provide more personal contact and a space for questions is provided.
- travel planning and preparatory resources to assist guests with logistics, mindset, dietary and social guidelines/restrictions, and other information to support their upcoming retreat experience
- ongoing email support for any questions that arise along the way prior to arrival and/or the opportunity to schedule another video call or remote treatment sessions from our Maestros if needed.
a meeting with our onsite facilitation team upon arrival to review retreat goals, answer further questions, and provide information to prepare for their ensuing stay.u
When requesting a stay at Caya Shobo, you will be asked to provide detailed information regarding your medical, physical and mental health history before your reservation is confirmed.
Caya Shobo offers comprehensive treatment for a wide range of health concerns. However certain physical and mental conditions and/or pharmaceutical medications or substances may inhibit your eligibility to drink Ayahuasca and/or other medicine plants, and some guests may require a specific preparation plan for treatment.Supplemental Modalities: Agua de Tiempo Herbal Infusions, Repote Sinus Flush, Purgatives, Eye Drops, Flower & Steam Baths, Massage and Yoga when Facilitators on site, regular opportunities for discussion with maestros and facilitatorsPsychedelic Substances Offered: AyahuascaHow does this Center source medicine?:Our resident pharmacist prepares all of our herbal treatment infusions as well as our Ayahuasca brew from locally sourced ingredients.
For over 20 years he has been making first-class Ayahuasca and dozens of other plant medicine preparations to treat a vast array of health concerns.
Prepared with fresh Ayahuasca Amarrila and Ayahuascac Cielo, purified water and fresh chacruna leaves, it is well known for its outstanding quality and effect.Practice reciprocity with local communities?: YesPhotos
Reviews
7 Reviews on “Caya Shobo”
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Retreat Info
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Reviews
7 Reviews on “Caya Shobo”
Leave a Review
Caya Shobo is the only place I would go for plant healing and ayahuasca. They have amazing, knowledgeable facilitators that helped guide me through this process starting from preparation prior to going, through my retreat, and the support continues after through integration. The rooms are clean and comfortable, being regularly serviced throughout the retreat. The kitchen staff is great always serving their delicious meals with bright smiles. They have around the clock security which made me feel very safe in a foreign environment.
Last but not least their maestros are master healers, powerful, knowledgeable and make sure to give individual attention to every guest attending.
10/10 would recommend!!
Wonderful space, wonderful staffs,wonderful facilitators, wonderful Shamans and wonderfuk 🐈 😉.
I spent two weeks in Caya Shobo, in sept 24🍀
It really felt like home for me, the caring of all the people are just fabulous , I felt listen and insecurity which was important for my process.. The diet food from Myriam was excellent. Ii appreciate my stay for the two extra nights to process slowly and chat with the group staff and facilitators. I love my colibri Tambo ❤️
IAn experience for me who will stay forever in my heart .
Thank youuuu. 🙏🏽
Thanks to the Shamans and theirs Icaros.songs, Thank you for keeping this making leaving the ancestral médecina.
Thank Caya Shobo ❤️
I just returned from a 2-week master plant dieta at Caya Shobo with my husband. This place, the maestros and maestros, are true true medicine if you’re looking for the deepest healing of your life.
I didn’t know what to expect coming into my first dieta – but what I experienced, I could never have imagined. Maestro Arturo is gifted beyond rationale to help us heal down to the deepest places we would never be able to otherwise. Maestra Lucinda is pure-hearted and can see through all, from miles away. Maestro Walter holds it all down and gets us through the muck to the other side. Each have their own incredible abilities in the ceremonies to bring a full and profound experience with the medicine and the icaros.
The Caya Shobo site was honestly so much better than I expected for staying in the jungle. The rooms were clean, comfortable, had everything we needed. I stayed in the bamboo tambo which had its own bathroom and access to power when it was on.
The staff made us such great meals for such a bland diet that was required for the experience. I never felt hungry for more or that there wasn’t anything available if I needed it. They also provided us laundry service each day and cleaned our rooms every few days. All with smiles and very warm and friendly demeanors. It is also incredibly safe. Every person there treats everyone with respect and space. I never once felt concerned for my safety in any way. You are in the jungle with creatures and critters, but the accommodations do a pretty good job at keeping things out, for the most part.
The diet is no joke. If you’re ready for some serious deep work and healing – this is the best place you can come. I truly believe that any ailment can be cured through the power of the master plants and these shipibo maestros and maestra. Truly. If I ever become truly sick with anything, I’m coming here first.
I recommend to anyone who is willing to take it seriously and is truly ready to be cured of all that is unwell.
My husband and I will definitely be returning, and more than once. Can’t say enough about the magic, the safety, and the care and support of everyone at Caya Shobo. You won’t find a better place for such an intense experience.
Caya Shobo is the REAL deal. HIGHLY recommended for anyone ready to do the deepest work of their life.
The maestros and medicine at Caya Shobo truly has the power to heal and cure. This is REAL medicine for your mind, body and soul.
My wife and I attended a 12-day Master Plant Dieta. The Maestros Arturo, beloved Lucinda and Walter – and medicine maker Wilder all taught us so much. The facilitators were fantastic and a living proof of the work.
Dieta will be a core part of our lives for years to come thanks to Caya Shobo. This center gave us the space, medicine and attention for us to do the deepest work of our lives.
The center is really well ran by beautiful, hard working people, that make sure you have everything you need. It’s clean, safe, and has great accommodations. They do a wonderful job with the food as well.
If you feel the call, go to Caya Shobo! Don’t wait to heal.
I would very much like to extend my condolences to Maestros Arturo and Walter and the entire Caya Shobo staff on the loss of Don Pedro. I arrived at Caya Shobo in December 2021 with some serious medical issues. Don Pedro sang to me 7 out of the 8 ceremonies I participated in – more than any other participant in our group. What an incredible privilege! What phenomenal healing I received from this man! He was so kind and generous with me. His bluesy icaros were a true joy to receive. He was the Muddy Waters of the Amazon! One couldn’t help but have a smile on their face after receiving one of his icraos. I was truly heartbroken when I received the email from Caya Shobo that Don Pedro had passed away. The world has lost a man of great indigenous wisdom and kindness – something this old world needs more than ever. My sincere sympathy to all at Caya Shobo. I’m sure he is greatly missed by all of you, but please know he is also missed by all of us who received his wonderful healings.”
Caya Shobo has been my home overseas for the last 4 years of my life. It is a place where I feel like I’m pampering my soul.. the flower baths, the medicine plants, the amazing nourishing food, the support from the high level maestros and facilitators, the ceremonies, the peaceful sounds of nature, the staff, the learning, the healing.. I can write so much more.
The medicine path has changed my life in so many beautiful ways and I feel so blessed to be a part of Caya Shobo and to have met the amazing humans that make this center so much more beautiful.
If you are looking for real transformation, healing and support, Caya Shobo is the place to find that.
For me, it’s a little piece of paradise =)
Ive worked with Caya Shobo with Miguel, Beccy and Franzi for several years now. Before finding Caya Shobo I sat with various communities and retreats. Utlimately I found my home with Caya Shobo. Their emphasis on long diets and going deep into the medicine in order to build lasting personal change resonated with me ( it worked for me too- ive beat some addictions and cleared some deep traumas thanks to the medicine and my plant diets.) I brought my wife into the medicine comunity of Caya Shobo as well and I have watched her blossom as a result.❤️ Sending Love to all the maestros, facilators, apprentices, staff and pasajeros at Caya Shobo.