Retreat Info
About the Retreat:Visit our website for 2024 updated listing. Use coupon code TW5 to get 5% discount.
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With a belief in the need to encompass the emotional, energetic, and spiritual aspects of healing, our mission at Soltara Healing Center is to empower each guest to bridge the gap between mind, body, and spirit and become more fully embodied, integrated, and connected versions of themselves.
Working with the Amazonian plant medicine ayahuasca under the guidance of indigenous Peruvian Shipibo healers, we collaborate with clinical psychologists with extensive plant medicine experience to support a uniquely integrative approach to healing.
At our seaside haven in the mountainous tropical forest of Costa Rica, we’ve created a framework for you to dig deep, uncover the energetic roots of blockages, self-limiting beliefs, and negative programs that may be holding you back, and help you fully release them and step into your power. Our decades of combined experience holding ceremony and doing medicine work allow you to experience in-depth healing in a safe and loving environment.
Immersed in nature and employing farm-to-table practices, we offer retreats of varying lengths and host renowned luminaries in the field on a regular basis. Our highly skilled, gentle, loving Shipibo healers and facilitators will help guide you through self-discovery through plant medicine healing, supportive holistic modalities, and modern psychotherapeutic practices.
With a deep respect for the land and an ethos of safety, integrity, and reciprocity, our commitment to individual and global healing is our call to service in this spiritual and psychedelic movement taking place. We aim to create a culture and community based on balanced, practical, accessible information grounded in a spirit of cultural awareness and education.
Description of Services:If you are considering a deep dive into your healing, our carefully curated retreats are all-inclusive for your optimal comfort and ease. We have intentionally designed our programs for you to experience the full spectrum of healing modalities we have to offer, providing you with a safe container and personalized support.
All of our retreat programs include:
- Ayahuasca ceremonies with highly-experienced Peruvian female & male Shipibo healers
- Five Night Focused Retreat - 3 ceremonies
- Seven Night Inclusive Retreat - 4 ceremonies
- Twelve Night Integrative Retreat - 7 ceremonies
- Intimate group sizes (maximum capacity 22 guests) with individualized attention from healers during ceremony
- High facilitator-to-guest ratio with skilled facilitators who have combined decades of experience working in ceremony and helping guests through the healing process
- One-on-one consultations with our healers (and translator)
- On-site integration workshops and sharing circles
- Your own copy of our integration book, The Hero's Journal, which assists you as you begin your own Hero's Journey
- This book is published by Soltara in collaboration with clinical psychologists, and follows a psychological treatment framework adapted to the ayahuasca experience and includes beautiful art and self-guided tools to empower you in your medicine & integration journey
- All meals in our conscious kitchen, prepared fresh daily from locally-sourced and organic food in an ayahuasca-friendly manner
- Transportation to and from a pick-up location near SJO airport
- Yoga classes for all levels throughout your stay
- Pranayama breathwork and meditation sessions
- Floral baths with medicinal plants lovingly prepared by our healers
- Nature immersion and multiple walking trails in one of the most abundant & biodiverse regions on the planet
- Access to our fully-stocked jungle gym
- Access to our creative space for music, art, writing, and dance
- Access to our private on-site pool
- Air-conditioning in all rooms (except for Eco-Tambo option)
- Lifetime 10% discount for all return visits
- Participation in our premiere integration program and community with a highly qualified integration support team
- Access to two semi-private beaches with gentle waters along the gorgeous Gulf of Nicoya
Practitioners:Maestra Maricela Rios Inuma
Maestro Francisco Vasquez Huayta
Maestro Soi Ochavano Lopez
Maestra Marina Sinti Reategui
Maestro Teobaldo Ochavano Lopez
Maestra Olga Urquia Rengifo
Maestro Americo Lopez SanchezTeam/Medical Staff:Sean Chiddy
Todd Michael Roberts
Neils Poole
Jocelyn Gonzalez
Francesca Barone
Jesse Radford
Jennifer Ball
Valko Kostov- Ayahuasca ceremonies with highly-experienced Peruvian female & male Shipibo healers
Details
Founder(s) / CEO: Daniel Cleland, Melissa StanglGroup Size: 22Price Range: $2625 - $6900Our Process
Overview of Experience:We work with you before, during, and after your retreat to ensure each guest gets the most out of their experience. Our preparation includes a thorough medical and psychological intake screening process, resources for preparing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, discounted sessions with our psychotherapist, and an online community to connect with others on their healing journey.
During the retreat, we support guests with plant medicine healing under the guidance of Peruvian Shipibo healers, individualized consultations and personalized support in and out of ceremony, workshops, sharing circles, flower baths, nature immersion, yoga, meditation, pranayama breathwork, and a focus on integration. Each guest receives a copy of our integration journal, published by Soltara in collaboration with clinical psychologists, and follows a psychological treatment framework adapted to the ayahuasca experience. It includes beautiful art and self-guided tools to empower you in your medicine & integration journey.
After the retreat, we follow up with guests with 3 months of weekly resources, virtual integration circles, 1-on-1 sessions with our psychotherapists, and a virtual community of loving and incredible souls, all of whom are also going through their own healing journeys, to welcome you with open hearts to share in the integration process and expand your knowledge base.
Intake Process:Our extensive medical intake process ensures every guest a safe and fulfilling experience, mitigating any risk of contraindications (psychological and medical) when working with ayahuasca. It includes:
- A thorough medical and psychological intake questionnaire reviewed by a psychotherapist and medical doctor
- A follow-up psychological screening with our therapist as needed
- A brief physical exam by a doctor in our on-site clinic at the beginning and end of your retreat
- Resources for preparation including guidelines for physical, mental, and emotional preparation (including dietary recommendations)
- Discounted preparation sessions with our psychotherapist to help address anxieties, clarify intentions, and support the guests in setting the foundation for the work to be done while on retreatSupplemental Modalities: Yoga, Meditation, Pranayama Breathwork, Nature Immersion, Preparation and Integration Workshops, Group Sharing Circles, Individual Consultations with our Healers, Nature ImmersionPsychedelic Substances Offered: AyahuascaHow does this Center source medicine?:We bring medicine up from Peru which is made and sourced sustainably by the families of the healers we work with, and also work with a local farm in Costa Rica that has been growing ayahuasca for the past 10 years from mother plants in the Amazon. We use only the two main ingredients in our brew, ayahuasca vine and chacruna leaf.
Practice reciprocity with local communities?: YesPhotos
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Reviews
6 Reviews on “Soltara Healing Center”
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Retreat Info
Details
Our Process
Photos
Video
Reviews
6 Reviews on “Soltara Healing Center”
Leave a Review
I attended a 7 night retreat at Soltara, Playa Blanca in December 2023, after a process that took a couple of years. i used Third wave’s platform to investigate psychedelic compounds, their effects, who they can benefit, and most importantly, which retreat centres provided the level of experience that I was after. Soltara stood out to me as having the most complete package (preparation, comfortable accommodation, good food, group size that wasn’t too big, good reviews, traditional indigenous practices, ethical reciprocity with local and indigenous relations, and a safe container supported by Western-trained therapists and medical staff.), and even though they are not the cheapest, for me, they seemed like the best value for money and I felt called hear to do the work.
I initially planned to go in March that year but the retreat that I wanted, booked out within a week and closed the door on that option…I’m so glad that it did! When I first considered booking, my motivation was that I was in distress and was reaching out for a way to make the suffering stop. I didn’t realise this until months later though, after doing the deep process work and engaging with spiritual community. This enabled me to open my heart, begin to still the incessant spiral of anxiety that I was stuck in, and really drill down to what was at the core of my distress. This is where Soltara and ayahuasca came in.
When I came to sit with the medicine, I was clear about what I wanted to work with, but it was still pretty scary knowing that I would have to face something that I had been running from my entire life. It was my first time travelling alone, and I came all the way from Australia with minimal Spanish so just arriving in Costa Rica was pretty terrifying for someone with PTSD.
Being met in San Jose by the lovely Tatiana was the beginning of the experience, and after a bus and ferry ride, we were greeted by the friendly staff at Soltara, Right from the start, we were made welcome and the place soon felt like home. The accommodation and food are five star, although on ceremony nights there is no dinner as purging does happen (but not always.) and the less in your stomach, the better. The staff were amazing. The team that we had (they rotate them from time to time to keep them fresh.) had a wealth of experience, and were supportive in every way.
The medicine experience itself is something that has to be experienced. For me to say that it felt as though I had a healer, inside of me that responded to the icaros of the maestros, and communicated with me via every cell of my body, probably sounds a little weird, but that’s the best I can put it. For me, the experience with the medicine at Soltara was like the biggest, warmest mummy-hug that you can ever imagine that filled me up with more love than I have ever known.
I cannot make your decision for you, but at the same time, I cannot recommend this place enough. The medicine opened a door in me that has been closed my whole life and held me in a loving embrace while I faced the fear on the other side. Soltara provided the container to allow this to happen and I have heart felt gratitude to the staff, my cohort and undying respect for the courage that was displayed there.
I may choose to go again one day, but in the meantime, I am learning to be a conduit for the love that is our birthright. May you make the choice that leads to your freedom. Namaste.
I went to Soltara not knowing what to expect. I just know I was ready and willing to do the work.
The nature that surrounded me gave me a sense of peace and helped me feel grounded each and every day I was there. I felt immense gratitude for the beauty I saw before closing my eyes for the night and again opening my eyes in the morning. The beaches and pool were relaxing and we were able to see tons of shooting stars after the ceremony on the deck. The room I stayed in was quite comfortable and clean. (I did the shared double room.)
The first experience we shared together as strangers (vomitivo) was a great bonding experience and helped prepare us for what else was in store for us. I felt really connected to the group and it was a way for us to relate. It opened me up to surrendering to the medicine in the presence of a group of people I had never met. Everything was superb- the facilitators (Kendra, Jocelyn, Vlad, Christina) were just amazing, loving human beings, the yoga sessions (led by Nicole) were super calming, the meals we ate were tasty and made my body feel great, and the meetings in the Maloka, the sharemony and overall time spent together were what helped me relax and not feel afraid as a first-timer. The Maestros, Americo and Olga were amazing. Each night, I could feel the love and support coming from their voices. They sang with the same level of passionate energy from start to end, every single ceremony. They are truly remarkable. The ceremonies were just beautiful and the experiences I had during the ceremonies cannot be put into words.
After connecting with the plant medicine, I felt a strong sense of belonging, openness, forgiveness, clarity and complete love. Love from friends and family, from the Maestros and facilitators, from those in our healing group, and from Life itself. Mama Aya allowed me to forgive those who have been a source of pain and forgive myself for things from the past I was still holding on to. She gave me answers to questions I didn’t even know I had. She showed me who I was before being influenced by the outside world and showed me how to live a life filled with meaning and purpose. She gave me the guidance I was seeking. I’m still trying to connect the dots and understand everything I experienced.
I felt that I was exactly where I needed to be, and took the deepest breaths of my life. Soltara did an excellent job of preparing me for my journey. It wasn’t easy and was very dark at times, but after doing the work, the incredible amount of gratitude and love I felt leaving Soltara has changed me forever. I am forever grateful to all the people, traditions, and life force that made this experience possible. I recommend Soltara to anyone interested in working with plant medicine.
I’m so grateful that I found Soltara to answer my call from ayahuasca! From the beginning of my journey (emotionally and physically) I felt safe and cared for. The facilitators, shamans and staff are professional and experienced. They tended to every detail of each individual need. Soltara is exactly what I was looking for as a space to completely step into some “unknowns” and surrender into total trust. I have recommended Soltara to many others and will return there again.
I had two amazing week long retreats at Soltara. I had such positive and life affirming experiences with both retreats. I’m a clinician who works with trauma and when I experienced overwhelming trauma in my own life, I found tremendous healing with the Shipibo Maestros and extremely skilled guides at Soltara. Everything about the setting was healing and beautiful. I was fortunate to have the same maestros at both retreats and I still hear their ikaros softly reminding me of the tremendous love they put into their healing ceremonies. My life was transformed by the healing journeys and 2 years later I am still integrating and benefiting from the experiences. I look forward to my next retreat..
the experience changed my life. I am so grateful for the beautiful safe location and the expert staff. If you are called to this medicine … Soltara is outstanding !
If you’re interested in doing deep healing work with plant medicine in a comfortable, modern setting, then Soltara may be the perfect fit for you. Nothing about it is over-the-top or ungrounded. The retreat program is well thought-out and crafted with intention. Guests feel as if their safety, security, and well-being come first.
Soltara has done a phenomenal job of creating a space to go inwards and heal, opening up new avenues for love, acceptance, and forgiveness