As interest in psychedelic healing continues to grow worldwide, ayahuasca retreats are becoming increasingly visible — but not all retreats are built the same way. For Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat in Colombia, the goal has never been simply to create another retreat center. His larger vision is to make deep healing more accessible while preserving traditional indigenous medicine in a way that remains practical for modern people.
That philosophy explains why LaWayra has expanded quickly while also becoming one of the most reviewed ayahuasca retreats in South America.
Why Accessibility Became a Core Principle
One of the strongest beliefs behind Sam’s work is that ayahuasca should not become something available only to wealthy spiritual travelers.
Many retreats in South America charge prices that place the experience beyond reach for many people, especially those already struggling with depression, anxiety, burnout, or emotional crisis.
Sam chose a different route: lower the entry barrier.
For him, accessibility means more than price.
It also means simplifying preparation, reducing unnecessary complexity, and creating an environment where first-timers do not feel intimidated by spiritual formalities.
The retreat is designed so that someone completely new to plant medicine can arrive without already belonging to a spiritual subculture.
Why Traditional Quality Still Matters
Although accessibility is important, Sam insists that lower cost should never mean lower quality in the medicine itself.
One of the strongest elements of LaWayra’s model is that the ayahuasca comes from a traditional indigenous source.
The shaman works within a family lineage where ceremonial knowledge has been passed down through generations.
He grows the vines in the Amazon, harvests them himself, and prepares the medicine through traditional cooking methods.
For Sam, this is one of the biggest differences between authentic retreat work and more superficial operations where medicine may be bought without knowing its full origin.
Why Integration Is Just as Important as Ceremony
Sam repeatedly emphasizes that the ceremony itself is only part of the process.
A powerful ayahuasca experience can open deep emotional insight, but if a person returns home without understanding how to integrate it, much of the long-term benefit may fade.
That is why integration has become a central part of the retreat structure.
Guests are encouraged to reflect, journal, share, and begin translating insights into daily habits.
Without integration, ayahuasca risks becoming a dramatic experience rather than a lasting transformation.
Why the Healing Does Not End After the Retreat
One of Sam’s most practical observations is that true growth begins after people leave Colombia.
Inside the retreat environment, everything supports emotional openness: nature, quiet, ceremony, group connection, and distance from normal pressures.
The real challenge begins when someone returns home.
Traffic, work stress, conflict, family tension, and ordinary life quickly test whether the inner shift is real.
This is why he often says that the real work starts after the retreat, not during it.
Why Ayahuasca Rarely Becomes Addictive
A common concern for people unfamiliar with ayahuasca is whether repeated use creates dependency.
Sam’s answer is simple: ayahuasca is too demanding to become casually addictive.
The process often involves emotional confrontation, physical purging, difficult realizations, and long internal work.
People do not usually crave that for pleasure.
In fact, even experienced drinkers often hesitate before ceremony because they know the medicine demands honesty.
What sometimes happens instead is that people return because they have unfinished work — not because they seek entertainment.
Why Preparation Should Be Serious but Realistic
Sam also rejects extreme preparation requirements that may discourage people unnecessarily.
He believes certain things matter greatly, especially stopping antidepressants and other psychoactive medications well in advance, because some combinations can be dangerous.
But he does not believe someone needs months of extreme discipline before arriving.
In his view, asking deeply anxious or depressed people to become perfectly disciplined before healing often creates another barrier.
A realistic preparation process works better than an idealized one few people can maintain.
Why Colombia Became the Right Place
Although Sam originally came to Colombia long before ayahuasca became central in his life, the country eventually became the natural home for the retreat.
He describes Colombia as a place with unusual balance: strong natural beauty, relatively low cost of living, warm climate, and living indigenous traditions still connected to ayahuasca.
For years Colombia remained overshadowed by Peru in psychedelic tourism, largely because international tourism developed later.
That delay, however, also preserved certain traditions from becoming overly commercialized too early.
Why the Retreat Keeps Expanding
LaWayra began very small.
At first, ceremonies were occasional and informal.
Over time, retreat frequency increased as demand grew.
Today multiple retreat periods run each month, and expansion continues.
New cabins, more infrastructure, and long-term planning are gradually turning the retreat into something larger than short ceremonial visits.
The Vision Beyond Retreats
What Sam ultimately wants is not only a retreat center but a healing community.
The long-term idea includes spaces where people stay longer, work remotely, integrate deeply, exercise, meditate, and remain connected to healthier habits rather than immediately returning to old patterns.
In this vision, ayahuasca becomes an entry point rather than the entire experience.
People come for medicine, but remain for the environment that helps sustain change.
Why Demand Will Likely Keep Growing
Sam believes global demand for plant medicine will continue rising because the scale of emotional suffering is simply too large to ignore.
Depression, anxiety, trauma, and burnout are no longer fringe issues.
At the same time, many people feel conventional approaches have not fully addressed root causes.
As scientific interest in psychedelics grows, he expects more people to explore ayahuasca not out of curiosity alone, but because they are actively searching for a different kind of relief.
For many, that search begins only after everything else has already failed.
Listen to the whole podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JOmSVheiBw
Sam Believ is the founder and CEO of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat, the best-rated Ayahuasca retreat in South America, with over 520 five-star Google reviews and an overall rating of 5 stars. After his life was transformed by Ayahuasca, he dedicated himself to spreading awareness about this ancestral medicine to help address the mental health crisis. Sam is committed to making Ayahuasca retreats affordable, accessible, and authentic, with a focus on care, integration, and the involvement of indigenous shamans. He is also the host of the Ayahuasca Podcast.