It’s not easy explaining how a week in the jungle drinking ayahuasca changed my life as much as it did. Try to explain a sunset to the blind or Mozart to the deaf and you’ll know what I mean.

I recently went to Peru with a very clear purpose. I was going to see if working with Ayahuasca could help me overcome a major obstacle in my life. When I first arrived in Iquitos I had no contacts or direction. I ended up using one of the local tour companies for a typical guided trip down the Amazon. While there, I drank for the first time with a shaman from a local village. The experience was very powerful but not much of what I was hoping for. I headed back to Iquitos with no intention of drinking ayahuasca again.

A couple days after being in Iquitos I knew that my work with ayahuasca was not over. I read about Javier in the Iquitos Times and decided to contact Andrew. Shortly after meeting Javier I knew that he was not what I had been looking for, however, what he offered was exactly what I needed. The next day I drank with Javier for the first time at his house before heading to the center for more sessions in the jungle.

The center is a great place to focus on working with ayahuasca. Accommodation is basic but comfortable. Honestly, I would not want any more ‘comforts’ at the lodge then what is offered. An important part of working with ayahuasca is connecting with the jungle and the center allows you to do that. Everyone at the lodge, particularly Juan his family, made us feel right at home. Juan is quite a master shaman himself and very knowledgeable about the jungle. Plus, his little girls are great for climbing the trees to gather all the exotic fruit that surround the center.

Of course the real reason to spend time at the center is to work with ayahuasca. This work requires a lot more faith than I am accustomed to. My faith was tested several times and I wondered how I ended up there. Then, the night I drank with Javier for the third time I knew without question that I had received what I had came for. I could have stayed longer and I am certain that I would have benefited even further. But I also knew that I got what I needed and was ready to return home. You can’t expect the results I had in one week, but I can promise you an invaluable life experience.

Before leaving the center Javier told me I always had a home there. It was nice to hear those words but I had already known that I had found another home there in the jungle. Some day I will return to work with Javiar, Juan, and ayahuasca again. I don’t know if it will be months, years or even decades, but I will return.

`Rob