In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Bia Labate, a Brazilian anthropologist, activist, and one of the most influential voices in the global psychedelic movement. She is the executive director of the Chacruna Institute, editor of 28 books, and a champion of Indigenous rights, equity, and cultural integrity in plant medicine spaces.

We touch upon topics of:

• Bia’s early psychedelic explorations and road trip across the Americas (01:02)
• Her first Ayahuasca experiences and academic journey (02:41)
• Pre-Google era of plant medicine research and early stigma in Brazil (03:23)
• Ayahuasca’s paradoxical rise in the digital age (07:54)
• Loneliness, vulnerable connection, and the appeal of Ayahuasca (09:51)
• The evolution of Ayahuasca use in Brazil and globally (11:42)
• Comparing Ayahuasca traditions: Santo Daime, UDV, Shipibo, Huni Kuin (16:32)
• The limitations of comparing traditions and the food-culture metaphor (19:28)
• Why Bia has published 28 books and her methodology (21:49)
• Creating legitimacy for Ayahuasca as a field of study (24:38)
• The tension between spiritual practice and entrepreneurship (30:51)
• Ethical complexities of running an Ayahuasca retreat (32:16)
• Integration circles and her mixed feelings toward them (35:39)
• The founding, mission, and programs of Chacruna Institute (42:16)
• Indigenous Reciprocity and Psychedelic Justice initiatives (44:37)
• Chacruna’s conferences, education, and publications (47:01)
• Women and psychedelics, invisible labor, and cultural dynamics (50:58)
• Menstruation taboos in ceremony and cultural relativism (55:44)
• Ayahuasca’s origins and Colombia’s historical role (59:21)
• Ayahuasca's global spread to places like Hawaii and Australia (01:03:08)
• The cultural mission of Chacruna and decolonizing psychedelic narratives (01:09:02)

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com

Find more about Bia Labate at www.bialabate.net or on Instagram @labatebia. Learn more about her organization at www.chacruna.net.

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dr. Waifung Tsang. Waifung is a clinical psychologist, researcher and co-founder of Onaya Sciences, bridging Western psychology with indigenous Amazonian plant medicine, Chinese medicine and sound-based therapies. He also advises Heroic Hearts UK and is a TEDx speaker exploring the intersection of trauma, psychedelics and traditional wisdom.

We touch upon topics of:

• (00:55–04:38) Waifung’s journey from music and disillusionment in clinical psychology to ayahuasca research in Peru and co-founding Onaya Sciences
• (06:34–11:38) Why ayahuasca is almost invisible in China: censorship, historical suppression of spirituality and underground ceremonies
• (11:38–13:58) Dragons, the Monkey King and how Chinese mythology, Taoism and Buddhism resonate with psychedelic experiences
• (13:58–19:22) Tai Chi, qigong and Chinese medicine as tools for working with plant diets, chi and ceremony
• (19:22–24:19) Parallels between Chinese medicine and Latin American folk wisdom: hot/cold foods, grandmothers’ knowledge and collectivist spirituality
• (24:19–29:20) Emerging ayahuasca circles in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan — encrypted forums, harsh penalties and why many seekers are business people
• (29:23–34:57) From NHS burnout to the jungle: what Waifung learned from indigenous doctors who treat “whoever comes” with plants, ritual and Icaros
• (35:13–39:19) Onaya’s research with Heroic Hearts: veterans, PTSD, traumatic brain injury and early multi-modal findings
• (39:19–43:18) Multi-site collaborations with retreat centers, indigenous advisory boards and studying Icaros, dreams and plant spirits
• (45:04–47:28) Epigenetics 101: how ayahuasca may influence gene expression and “straighten ancestral lines” — and why much larger samples are needed
• (52:50–59:29) Medicine music, energy in ceremony, “bad DJs” vs surgical Icaros, and a new EEG study recording shamans’ songs and brain activity
• (01:01:18–01:04:18) How ayahuasca heals on bio-psycho-social-spiritual levels and why community and integration matter as much as the visions

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com

Find more about Dr. Waifung Tsang and Onaya Sciences at www.onaya.io, www.onaya.science and on Instagram @onaya.io

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dr. Ido Cohen, a clinical psychologist specializing in Jungian and relational depth psychology. He is the founder of The Integration Circle, focusing on psychedelic integration, shadow work, and turning peak experiences into lasting transformation.

• 00:56 Early experiences in India and discovery of integration • 03:08 Why integration is hard & cultural context • 09:00 The illusion of quick transformation • 12:18 Balancing work, business, and integration • 14:40 Integration for busy modern lives • 19:35 Why self-care feels like work • 22:12 Ceremony continues after the ceremony • 25:07 Archetypal & transpersonal dimensions • 29:42 Common archetypes and possessions • 34:52 Soul, religion & invisible forces • 48:02 What is the shadow and shadow work • 52:20 Shadow encounter vs. shadow work • 56:32 Turning darkness into growth

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com

Find more about Dr. Ido Cohen at theintegrationcircle.com or on Instagram at @theintegrationcircle

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Joe Moore, co-founder/CEO of Psychedelics Today. Joe is a longtime voice in psychedelic education and media (700+ interviews), a holotropic breathwork facilitator, and the creator of the Vital year-long training program focused on psychedelic-informed practice and harm reduction.

• Origin story: books, Grof, breathwork, first aya, launching Psychedelics Today (01:13–04:17) • 700+ interviews, role split with Kyle (04:17–04:55) • Burnout/community dynamics during Denver decrim (04:59–06:00) • Harm reduction, safe supply, and intra-community conflict (05:46–07:27) • Indigenous exchange, access, climate & conservation takes (09:11–11:18) • Agroforestry & ayahuasca reforestation co-ops (11:18–11:59) • Drug war history, othering, and safe supply vs. prohibition (11:59–16:46) • Rebranding Colombia: coca vs. ayahuasca, fentanyl era (17:43–19:35) • Why psychedelic education matters; Vital’s inclusive scope (20:52–25:40) • What success looks like: humility, community, model-agnosticism (27:52–29:33) • Favorites: Team LSD, mushrooms, 2C-B; psychedelic minimalism (29:33–31:22) • How psychedelics heal: competing models + Grof’s container (33:17–36:39) • Breathwork for prep/integration; box breathing & long cycles (36:39–45:33) • Podcasting as decentralization; universities & free libraries (46:09–50:28) • Bitcoin/crypto & decentralizing money/power (50:28–52:06)

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com

Find more about Joe Moore at psychedelicstoday.com and on Instagram: @jomo137.

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Danielle Herrera, a California-based licensed psychotherapist and psychedelic-assisted therapy specialist. Danielle blends somatic and Jungian work with harm reduction, draws on Indigenous lineage and Sufi mysticism, and trains new facilitators with Beckley Academy. We explore how love, right-relationship, and spiritual technologies help people heal trauma and integrate psychedelic experiences into daily life.

• 00:01–01:22 — Intro and Danielle’s background

• 01:22–08:14 — Origin story: chaotic childhood, harm reduction path, ketamine/MDMA training, founding Tender Heart Healing Arts

• 08:41–12:48 — “Loving people for a living”: centering love in psychotherapy; Indigenous and Sufi lineages

• 13:14–17:11 — Trauma as absence of holding; parenting parallels; harm-reduction lens

• 17:12–22:03 — Why some grow from pain: “jet fuel,” ayahuasca discomfort, meaning-making

• 22:32–25:10 — Transmutation of pain; rites of passage and village containers

• 26:01–29:46 — Shamanism vs “psychosis”: the role of container (Crazywise reference)

• 29:46–36:30 — Sufism 101: Rumi, polishing the heart, spiritual technologies; resonance with ayahuasca/Icaros

• 37:32–42:43 — Mystical experiences in therapy; clinician competence and frameworks

• 42:43–47:02 — Spiritual emergence: signs, tenderness, intuition, “magic is real”

• 47:02–51:40 — Addiction: “don’t ask why the addiction—ask why the pain”; right-relationship with medicines

• 51:40–54:19 — Real integration: becoming better to those you’re responsible to love

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com

Find more about Danielle Herrera at tenderheart.us (yourtherapistlovesyou.com) and Instagram: @yourtherapistlovesyou

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Simon Tennant—a New Zealand psychotherapist, integration coach, and longtime friend of LaWayra. Simon supports guests through complex processes (including repressed trauma), drawing on meditation, IFS lenses, somatic work, and a growing interest in philosophy and Christian mysticism alongside Buddhism. He’s served on LaWayra’s facilitation team and consults post-retreat, emphasizing patience, embodiment, and community as pillars of lasting change.

• 00:00–00:03 — Reunion, Simon’s role with LaWayra and integration work • 00:03–00:06 — Recent ceremonies: body-based learning, “great mystery,” non-ordinary states • 00:06–00:09 — How ayahuasca deepened meditation; greater capacity with difficult client work • 00:09–00:12 — Shamanic flavor across traditions; curiosity over fixed identities • 00:12–00:17 — From Buddhist lens to Christian mysticism; using “God” without recoil • 00:17–00:20 — Multiple lenses metaphor; flexibility vs. rigidity in belief systems • 00:20–00:23 — Losing self/other to return more whole; holding paradox and conflict • 00:22–00:24 — Containers, boundaries, and why safe ceremony space matters • 00:24–00:29 — What volunteering at LaWayra teaches therapists vs. online courses • 00:29–00:32 — Building a practical facilitator training: “cookbook” + kitchen analogy • 00:32–00:35 — Post-retreat integration: practices, community, and resisting distractions • 00:36–00:39 — Working with childhood/sexual-abuse material: patience and not-knowing • 00:39–00:43 — Somatic integration: TRE, SE, body as a safe place • 00:40–00:41 — Ayahuasca as a shadow medicine; opening and purgation • 00:44–00:48 — Shadow, DMN, neuroplasticity, and the ego/DMN connection • 00:48–00:50 — Three-hour maloca meditation: embodied attention and capacity

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com

Find more about Simon Tennant at csimon.nz (C-Simon, spelled c-s-i-m-o-n.nz).

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dr. Simon Ruffell — psychiatrist, researcher, and co-founder of Onaya Sciences. Simon is known for bridging Western psychiatry and traditional Amazonian plant medicine, completing a PhD on the therapeutic effects of ayahuasca and training in Shipibo curanderismo in Peru.

We touch upon topics of:

• (00:47) Simon’s journey from psychiatry to the Amazon
• (08:33) How ayahuasca heals: neuroplasticity, epigenetics & spirit work
• (13:18) Indigenous perspectives on balance and illness
• (16:11) Designing research with shamans & translating indigenous knowledge
• (22:11) Safety concerns in Western psychedelic use without shamans
• (31:05) 80% PTSD remission and other research findings
• (35:23) Synchronicities and destiny on the healing path
• (44:18) Ego traps: rushing to become a shaman
• (50:36) Rethinking psychedelic education and training models
• (58:52) The story and spirit of Agua Florida & evolving traditions

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com.

Find more about Dr. Simon Ruffell and Onaya Sciences at www.onaya.science and on Instagram @drsimonruffell.

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Norman Ohler, investigative author and storyteller known for his bestselling books Blitzed and Tripped. Norman’s work explores the hidden influence of drugs in history — from methamphetamine use in Nazi Germany to the political suppression of psychedelics — and challenges how we think about drugs and society.

We touch upon topics of:

• 00:36 – Norman’s personal journey into investigating drugs and hidden histories
• 01:28 – Nazi Germany’s use of methamphetamine and Hitler’s daily drug injections
• 07:30 – Could Hitler on ayahuasca have changed history?
• 09:36 – The untold origins of LSD and Nazi/CIA “truth drug” experiments
• 18:17 – Norman’s book Tripped, dementia research, and microdosing LSD with his parents
• 22:01 – Brain mapping studies with ayahuasca and early results from Sam’s retreat
• 25:08 – Capitalism, government control, and why psychedelics remain illegal
• 29:01 – Vision for an egalitarian, borderless, AI-supported global society
• 36:21 – Capitalism vs. spirituality and building new economic models with blockchain/AI
• 42:01 – How psychedelics foster empathy, healing, and potential planetary change
• 49:18 – Norman’s political vision and plan to run for German Chancellor
• 53:39 – Ancient ritual use of psychoactive plants and why prohibition is anti-human

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com.

Find more about Norman Ohler at substack

https://stonedsapiens.substack.com/

And check out his books Blitzed and Tripped.