Ayahuasca Podcast with Sam Believ

By Sam BelievAlternative Health Health & Fitness Mental Health Religion & Spirituality Spirituality

Ayahuasca Podcast with Sam Believ episodes

August 10, 2025Vitamins V.S. Antidepressants. Nutritional psychiatry
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) speaks with Taron Fletcher, a biochemist and research specialist at Hardy Nutritionals, known for science-led mental health supplements. We explore:
[00:01:00] Taron’s journey into nutritional research and the origins of Hardy Nutritionals
[00:05:00] Lessons from animal nutrition applied to human mental health
[00:07:00] Key factors in creating effective supplements: completeness, balance, ratios, chelation, and research-backed efficacy
[00:12:00] How supplements can support safe tapering from SSRIs and other psychiatric medications
[00:20:00] Typical taper timelines and indicators for dose reduction
[00:24:00] Specific nutrients and adjuncts for mood, anxiety, and withdrawal symptoms
[00:42:00] Challenges of tapering from different drug classes, including SNRIs and benzodiazepines
[00:50:00] Understanding RDA, upper limits, and why higher balanced doses can be beneficial
[00:53:00] Nutritional deficiencies and the impact of processed diets on mental health
[01:00:00] Cost, support, and process for starting Hardy Nutritionals’ program
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Taron Fletcher at www.hardynutritionals.com
1 hr 7 min
August 03, 2025Healing relationships with Psychedelics with Chandra Khalifian. Intimacy, trust, attachment and forgiveness.
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dr. Chandra Khalifian, a clinical psychologist, researcher, and educator based in San Diego. Chandra is a pioneer in psychedelic-assisted couple therapy and co-founder of ENA, a clinic and research center focused on healing relationships through ketamine and MDMA-assisted therapy.
We touch upon topics of:
Ketamine-assisted couple therapy and its origins [00:02:00]
Intimacy development and trust violations in relationships [00:06:00]
PTSD in couples and how MDMA therapy helps [00:10:00]
Why "it’s never about the dishes" – deeper relational wounds [00:14:00]
How psychedelics like Ayahuasca can shift ego and improve relationships [00:16:00]
The challenge of integrating solo psychedelic work in a couple dynamic [00:18:00]
The idea of conscious uncoupling with psychedelics [00:20:00]
Ketamine’s safety, addictive potential, and dosing differences [00:25:00]
The published framework for ketamine-assisted couple therapy [00:28:00]
Attachment styles, co-dependency, and emotional regulation in couples [00:31:00]
Teaching couples to validate each other’s emotional experiences [00:34:00]
Integration tools and the need for more research on psychedelic couple therapy [00:38:00]
A powerful story of forgiveness during a ketamine-assisted session [00:42:00]
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Dr. Chandra Khalifian at www.enamarie.org or contact her directly at [email protected].
49 min
July 25, 2025Ashley Glowiak – Psychedelic Parenting, Rewiring Family Systems with Psychedelics
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Ashley Glowiak, a licensed marriage and family therapist, PhD candidate in transformative studies, birth and postpartum doula, yoga teacher, and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trainee with MAPS. Ashley specializes in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for families, with a deep focus on maternal health and intergenerational trauma.
We touch upon topics of:
Ashley’s healing journey and entry into psychedelics and family systems therapy (00:02:00)
Parenting with consciousness and the concept of “family ecology” (00:06:00)
Intergenerational trauma and Family Constellation work (00:08:00)
Spiritual and epigenetic layers of ancestral healing (00:12:00)
Using Ayahuasca and psilocybin to address family trauma (00:14:00)
A practical framework for healing cycles and trauma with plant medicine (00:17:00)
Somatic integration and neurogenesis post-ceremony (00:20:00)
Breaking relationship and behavior cycles consciously (00:23:00)
How to identify what is truly your authentic self (00:26:00)
Postpartum depression and the healing role of microdosing (00:33:00)
The importance of natural birth, rite of passage, and community support (00:41:00)
The “village mindset” and raising children in community (00:50:00)
Birth as a psychedelic experience and the hormonal reality of labor (00:47:00)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Ashley Glowiak at www.ashleyglowiak.com and follow her private membership community for support on microdosing, family-centered retreats, and integration work.
1 hr
July 19, 2025Brain mapping Ayahuasca experiences, Neuroplasticity, healing and measuring PTSD with Luke Jensen
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Luke Jensen, a former US Marine and National Guard veteran turned psychedelic researcher and neurofeedback practitioner. After his own healing journey with PTSD, Luke now leads veteran-focused retreats in Peru and pioneers research on brain mapping with Ayahuasca and Wachuma.
We touch upon topics of:
Luke’s military background and PTSD healing journey (00:49–02:02)
His first powerful Ayahuasca experience in the jungle (02:06–04:03)
What to do when Ayahuasca “doesn’t work” right away (05:38–08:15)
Unconscious healing and the idea for brain scans during ceremony (08:15–10:19)
What is QEEG brain mapping and why Luke uses it (10:34–12:52)
Neurofeedback as a healing and spiritual optimization tool (12:52–16:06)
Importance of brain health in mental health recovery (16:31–18:35)
Working with UFC fighters and brain injury recovery (19:03–21:30)
First-ever brain imaging study on Wachuma (21:50–23:39)
Differences between Ayahuasca and Wachuma (24:10–25:47)
Science, skepticism, and cultural projections onto indigenous shamans (33:20–36:41)
The role of science in legitimizing traditional medicine (36:41–41:11)
How Luke became a self-taught neuroscientist outside academia (44:11–45:46)
Brainwaves 101: delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma explained (48:24–50:09)
Ego and the Default Mode Network (51:46–52:29)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Luke Jensen at neuroenlightenment.com
56 min
July 13, 2025Winning a championship on megadose of mushrooms with Mark Irwin
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Mark “The Shark” Irwin — former bare-knuckle boxing world champion turned psychedelic mental health advocate. Known for fighting on heroic doses of psilocybin, Mark now leads a nonprofit supporting athletes recovering from traumatic brain injuries through psychedelic therapy.
We touch upon topics of:
Mark’s story and fighting career journey (00:03:00)
Microdosing and traumatic brain injury recovery (00:04:00)
Fighting competitively on psilocybin (00:05:00)
Flow state and performance enhancement through psychedelics (00:07:00)
Legality and controversy around psychedelics in sports (00:09:00)
Intentions and different uses of plant medicine (00:10:00)
Psilocybin tolerance and intentional usage (00:11:00)
Boxing, childhood trauma, and emotional release (00:13:00)
The therapeutic use of psychedelics for brain healing (00:15:00)
Mental health, masculinity, and emotional expression (00:20:00)
Psychedelics and ego dissolution (00:29:00)
Suicidal ideation, healing, and hope (00:33:00)
Recovery protocols: red light, HBOT, integration (00:38:00)
Future vision: healing others post-fighting (00:40:00)
Movement, fitness, and somatic integration (00:42:00)
Athletes Journey Home nonprofit & fundraising (00:44:00)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Mark Irwin at www.athletesjourneyhome.com or on Instagram @markthesharkirwin
47 min
July 06, 2025Elizabeth Ramirez - conscious entrepreneurship, awakening, bridging business and ancestral wisdom.
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Elizabeth Ramírez, a Colombian mentor, speaker, and former corporate strategist who left behind a high-powered consulting career in Switzerland to follow her heart into the world of ancestral medicine, spiritual coaching, and conscious leadership. Elizabeth now helps guide others in their own healing and awakening journeys through a blend of plant medicine work, meditation, and transformational teaching.
We touch upon topics of:
[00:02:00] Leaving the corporate world and returning to Colombia for healing
[00:04:00] First Ayahuasca experience and its subtle long-term impact
[00:07:00] What “receiving medicine” really means vs. what people expect
[00:08:00] Cultural conditioning, gender roles, and the pressure to be a “good girl”
[00:13:00] Spiritual transformation after moving back from Switzerland
[00:16:00] Rebranding Colombia away from drugs and toward nature and medicine
[00:23:00] Meditation as a path to awakening and connection
[00:29:00] Dangers of rushing Ayahuasca breakthroughs and the value of patience
[00:31:00] Ego, integration, and learning the real lessons from the ceremony
[00:38:00] Her mission to unite leaders through heart-centered, spiritual entrepreneurship
[00:43:00] The role of mushrooms and their connection to creativity and integration
[00:49:00] Life as ceremony and creating sacredness in the everyday
[00:54:00] Manifestation, physics, and aligning with desired realities
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Elizabeth Ramírez at @elramirezdu on Instagram.
1 hr 1 min
June 29, 2025Dennis McKenna - Ayahuasca, mushrooms, human symbiosis with Nature.
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dennis McKenna, PhD—renowned ethnopharmacologist, author, co-founder of the McKenna Academy, and pioneer in psychedelic research for over 40 years. A central figure in the psychedelic renaissance, Dennis has explored the intersection of plant medicine, indigenous wisdom, and science since the 1970s.
We touch upon topics of:
Dennis’ early trips to Colombia and the origins of the “La Chorrera” experiment (05:10)
The unexpected role of mushrooms in his spiritual awakening (11:50)
DMT and the search for orally active psychedelics (15:30)
Shifts in his scientific path after the La Chorrera experience (22:20)
Conducting biomedical studies with the UDV in Brazil (31:45)
Differences between psilocybin and ayahuasca (45:15)
The ethics and cultural impact of ayahuasca tourism (49:00)
Sustainable ayahuasca cultivation and community economics (53:30)
The myth of how indigenous people discovered ayahuasca (59:10)
The importance of preserving tradition in modern psychedelic use (1:06:40)
The vision for global symbiosis between North and South through plant medicine (1:13:20)
Climate change and the message of Gaia through psychedelics (1:17:55)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Dennis McKenna at https://mckenna.academy or on Instagram @dennismckenna_
1 hr 4 min
June 21, 2025Jason Grechanik - tobacco, cosmovisión, the path of curandero.
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Jason Grechanik — a curandero, tabacero, and the host of The Universe Within podcast. Jason spent over a decade living in the Peruvian Amazon training in the Shipibo tradition. His work bridges plant medicine, traditional cosmologies, and deep healing practices through tobacco and Ayahuasca.
We touch upon topics of:
Jason’s path to becoming a curandero and his early interest in spirituality and martial arts (00:27–03:39)
The concept of Ayahuasca "calling" and plant consciousness (04:02–06:36)
Tobacco as a master plant and its traditional uses (07:06–11:57)
The role and practice of a tabacero (12:09–14:34)
Tobacco initiation and altered perception (15:01–20:28)
Intention and the neutrality of plant medicines (21:02–25:44)
Sam’s personal relationship with tobacco and the loss of tradition (26:29–29:20)
Risks of Ayahuasca being misused or misunderstood (29:20–36:40)
Cosmovision and how worldview shapes experience (39:45–47:25)
Definitions of spirit across traditions (47:30–54:35)
Understanding spiritual disease (55:02–60:06)
The emergence of plant medicines into the modern world (62:09–67:32)
Advanced civilizations, pyramids, and Ayahuasca as ancient technology (68:02–82:50)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Jason Grechanik at nicotianarustica.org or on Instagram @jasongrechanik. You can also listen to his podcast The Universe Within on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
1 hr 27 min
June 14, 2025Ayahuasca, masculinity, volunteering at LaWayra with Rinus Van Offeren
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Rinus van Offeren. Rinus is a former Dutch special forces bodyguard who once protected royalty and politicians, and is now a men’s coach helping others heal through emotional reconnection and plant medicine. His transformation from a high-stress, emotion-suppressing life to spiritual awakening through Ayahuasca is a powerful and moving journey.
We touch upon topics of:
3:01 — Midlife crisis, depression, and loss of purpose
4:30 — Stress, hypertension, and hospitalization
5:50 — Breakup and emotional collapse
7:59 — Suicidal ideation and sitting on the rock in Ibiza
9:45 — First Ayahuasca ceremony in the jungle of Mexico
11:34 — Belief in God and spiritual awakening
13:38 — Feeling connected to everything (God as unity)
15:10 — The soul’s journey and view on death
16:46 — What to do if you’re feeling suicidal
18:00 — Plant medicine vs psychiatry
21:07 — “What if Ayahuasca saved Chester Bennington or Kurt Cobain?”
22:16 — Letting go of control and facing inner darkness
23:09 — The difficulty and reward of healing
24:41 — Emotional repression, stress, and physical symptoms
25:35 — Rinus’s past as a teenage drug dealer
27:30 — Transition to government work and emotional detachment
29:12 — Reconnecting with emotions and becoming human again
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Rinus van Offeren on Instagram or linked in @rinusvanofferen to learn more about his coaching work with men.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rinusvanofferen
1 hr 5 min
June 06, 2025David Londoño - bad trips, safety, healing, integration and Colombian plant medicine.
In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with David Londoño.
David is a Colombian psychologist and researcher at ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service). With over 20 years of experience, he focuses on the therapeutic use of Ayahuasca, safety protocols, and integration practices. David bridges Western psychology with traditional Amazonian wisdom, helping improve mental health outcomes in modern plant medicine contexts.
We touch upon topics of:
David’s personal journey into Ayahuasca and clinical psychology (01:11)
The therapeutic potential and risks of Ayahuasca (03:02)
The AyaSafety course and best practices (04:28)
How to properly prepare, serve, and integrate Ayahuasca (07:39)
Psychological screening and who should avoid the medicine (11:48)
What integration really means and why it matters (14:17)
Cultural differences: Colombian vs. Western attitudes (19:08)
Magical realism and the spiritual worldview of Colombia (25:18)
What “bad trips” really are and how to understand them (29:05)
Ayahuasca as a tool for depression, trauma, addiction, and grief (34:16)
Reconnecting with self, nature, and spirituality through Ayahuasca (38:07)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about David Londoño by searching “David Londoño psychology” on Google to access his professional profiles and connect with his work.
45 min

About Ayahuasca Podcast with Sam Believ

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Ayahuasca Podcast with Sam Believ

The #1 resource for Ayahuasca, Psychedelics, and Mental Health.

Explore the transformative world of plant medicine and psychedelic therapy with Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat. This podcast dives deep into the healing power of Ayahuasca, offering expert clinical insights, indigenous wisdom, and raw success stories of trauma recovery and spiritual awakening.

What you’ll learn:

Expert Interviews: Conversations with world-renowned scientists, doctors, and shamans.

Healing Stories: Real-life accounts of overcoming PTSD, depression, and addiction through Ayahuasca.

Integration & Safety: Practical advice on Ayahuasca integration, preparation, and psychedelic-assisted therapy.

The Frontiers of Science: Latest research on Ayahuasca, Ketamine, Psilocybin, and the intersection of science and spirituality.

Whether you are a curious beginner or an experienced practitioner, join us as we bridge Western medicine with ancient Amazonian traditions to help you heal and transform your life.

Visit our home: www.ayahuascapodcast.com Retreat with us: www.lawayra.com

Top Featured Guests

International Public Figures

Gabor Maté (World-renowned expert on trauma and addiction)

Dennis McKenna (Legendary ethnobotanist and psychedelic pioneer)

Wade Davis (National Geographic Explorer, world-famous anthropologist)

Paul Austin (Founder of The Third Wave, major figure in microdosing)

Ian McCall (Former UFC fighter and psychedelic advocate)

Bill Richards (Psilocybin research pioneer at Johns Hopkins)

Troy Casey (The "Certified Health Nut," major social media presence)

Hamilton Souther (Well-known shaman and founder of Blue Morpho)

Influential Thought Leaders & Authors