Given as I spent a lot of time on this subreddit researching retreats, locations, timing (how many ceremonies to book), etc before my experience, I am hoping that by detailing my experiences, I might help some others make their decisions.

So first off, I had profound takeaways from my first 2 ceremonies. The first one, my purging came in the form of an extended cry, and I felt all my stuck emotions processing and releasing. And for the rest of the ceremony, I just felt so much love for…everything. Most importantly, I remember just telling myself repeatedly, “I love you, I love you”, and that has always been extremely difficult for me. I’ve had therapists suggest I tell myself that more often, but every time I would try, it’d feel like I was trying to trick myself. And so to truly feel that during my ceremony was such an eye opening experience that, even 2 weeks later now, I am taking back with me to my normal life.

During my second ceremony, I got stuck in a purging cycle of feeling nauseous and then dry heaving, and then repeating that cycle every 10 seconds or so. It felt like a metaphor of some of the other patterns I’ve felt like I’ve been stuck repeating in my life. Eventually, a facilitator came over and suggested I just put the bucket down and all of a sudden, I didn’t need to puke anymore. THAT was a metaphor for my entire experience these 2 weeks, where I came in knowing I wanted to make changes in my life but not knowing how; it was like my thinking was stuck inside of this box I placed over myself. The medicines simply removed that box and now, it feels like I can “think outside of the box”. And after that whole purging experience, I experienced a rebirthing ceremony; I could see myself being reborn, I could hear the world cheering me on, and I could feel the emotional significance of having a second chance at my life. I came away from that ceremony feeling so so determined to not waste this new opportunity to reparent myself and live the life that I want to live.

The final noteworthy takeaway from the retreat were the San Pedro ceremonies. I historically was someone whose life was dictated by his fears and anxieties, especially regarding how others would perceive him. During San Pedro, I felt so much love for myself that I just wanted to be authentically me and I didn’t care what anyone else thought about that. If I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time before anyone else even felt the medicine hit them, I would do that, as I’m an extremely sensitive person. If I wanted to dance (awfully) to the music (that was in my own head), I would do that. I even felt my discomfort/(minor) fear of dogs dissipate, as I was snuggling the retreat dog, and I remember thinking to myself, why do I let my fear of the unknown and desire to control everything run my life?

So my experiences with the medicine have been overwhelmingly positive, and I feel excited to integrate them as I return more and more to my normal life. I’ve felt like the blindfold I had over my eyes has been lifted, and I can now see how I can choose to be happy, how I can choose to love myself. I am eternally grateful for this experience, and I am learning to trust myself more. So if the medicine calls to me again in the future, I will be paying attention and listening for it.

Now for my opinions on Arkana Sacred Valley:

Pros: 1) One of the reasons I chose Arkana Sacred Valley was that I wanted comfort for my first time, both in terms of accommodations/food as well as climate (I especially dislike humidity and mosquitoes), and Arkana Sacred Valley definitely satisfied those conditions. Having my own room and bathroom (esp as I got sick during my second week—more on this later) was extremely helpful. The food was truly amazing, and having buffet style meals was greatly appreciated for someone like me who eats more than the vast majority of people. And the location was amazing. Waking up to views of the mountains, not having to worry about mosquitoes, and having the opportunity to visit Machu Pichu and the Maras Salt Mines were all major pluses.

2) the other reason I chose Arkana Sacred Valley was that I wanted the opportunity to try San Pedro (Huachuma) and Bufo (Sapo) as well. Especially as I spent 2 weeks there, I definitely did not feel like I missed out by “only” having 3 aya ceremonies/week (I think most retreats do 4 aya/week whereas Arkana Sacred Valley does 3 aya 1 San Pedro/week). The saying there is that ayahuasca is the grandmother that beats you up with tough love and San Pedro is the grandfather that takes you out for ice cream afterwards. And I think that’s description is very apt. Ending the week with the heart opening medicine that is San Pedro truly put a bow on these magical 2 weeks of healing for me.

3) the people (guests, maestros, facilitators) there were all amazing. I’m sure I probably would’ve formed similar connections (esp with other guests) elsewhere, as going through difficult times together really bonds people, but I don’t have those experiences to compare to so I can only speak about my 2 weeks at Arkana Sacred Valley. The aya maestros Ada and Misael made me feel extremely safe and that trust in them was key for my aya ceremonies. The San Pedro maestro Alcides is the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met; his pure love and joy for the world was truly infectious (even before the aid of the Huachuma medicine!). And with everyone else, you could truly feel the love from the facilitators and other guests, and as someone who has struggled to form meaningful connections in his life, I am honored and excited to call these people my family.

Cons: 1) Arkana is definitely a little luxurious. It was the second most expensive retreat I looked at (after Soltara in Costa Rica). And I ended up spending even more on various optional addons such as the Machu Pichu trip, multiple massages, and various artwork from the maestros/facillitators. I personally felt it was all worth it, but I realize others may have different spending preferences than me.

2) The schedule definitely felt a little packed. Part of the problem was I had a lot of difficulty sleeping the entire time I was there, first probably due to the altitude, and then bc I could never really sleep after medicine. Supposedly, Arkana used to offer the Machu Pichu trip on Saturdays (as opposed to Wednesdays now, which is the rest day in between ceremonies on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday), and I would have definitely preferred that. I ended up getting very sick during my second week as I had almost 2 weeks of accumulated sleep deprivation followed by an exhausting day to Machu Pichu. That kind of marred my final few days (I ended up not drinking during the final ayahuasca ceremony because I was feeling so sick), and I immediately felt better 2 days later as I recovered in my Airbnb in Cusco.

Anyways, if anyone has any questions for me, either about my experience with the medicine or about Arkana Sacred Valley, I’d be happy to answer them.