Rythmia Saved Me
Some transformations go beyond personal growth. Some are a complete rebirth. Read the stories of guests who found light in their darkest moments and reclaimed their soul at the Life Advancement Center.
10+
Years of Miracles
98.25%
Experienced a Miracle
4.9/5
TripAdvisor Score
100%
Transformational
Real Miracles. Reborn Souls.
Read directly from the 10 guests who say this journey saved them.
"The Best Trip and Experience of My Life"
There is not enough room here to fully explain my experience. To sum it up, I believe Rythmia saved my life and my spirit. It was a few weeks later that I realized what I experienced was a textbook "spiritual awakening."
Nathan
Life-Changing Review
"A life changing experience for me. A rebirth."
“The only way out is through” - Robert Frost 5/25/25 I’m on a plane bound for Liberia, Costa Rica, and my heart is a tangle of anticipation and dread. This morning, I nearly didn’t board. The urge to back out gripped me - not because of the journey itself, but because of what lies at its core: a confrontation with the deepest parts of myself. What will I find when I peer into the abyss of my own soul? Demons? Failures? Disappointments? The uncertainty gnaws at me, and yet, here I am, committed to this path, to whatever truths ayahuasca might reveal. Michael Pollan’s, How to Change Your Mind, fueled my decision to pursue ayahuasca. His exploration of psychedelics; LSD, DMT, psilocybin revealed their power to rewire the brain, expand perspectives, and break the chains of addiction, PTSD, even the existential weight of terminal illness. Pollan frames these substances not as drugs but as medicine, healing not just the body but the mind and soul. Yet, the irony struck me: to access ayahuasca’s transformative potential (at the Rythmia Life Advancement Center), I had to get clean first. A requirement of Rythmia, but really a suggestion, as they are not piss testing guests as they enter. How would an alcoholic, mired in dependency, cross that threshold to reach the medicine that might save them? It forced me to confront my own habits, not just vices, but patterns of thought and behavior I’ve carried for decades. The retreat “required” me to arrive clean - no alcohol, no cannabis, no chewing tobacco for at least two weeks. For some, that might be a hurdle; for me, it meant a deeper commitment. I’m a black and white person, moderation has never been my strength. Fasting for 72 hours? Easy. Dieting with its endless calibrations? A rollercoaster I struggle to navigate. So, I extended the cleanse to two nearly months, cutting out all three vices entirely. Honestly, it’s the first time since I was 15 that I’ve been free of them all, and the clarity is startling. My energy surged; I’m productive at all hours, thriving on five or six hours of sleep. Do I miss those habits? Sure, they cross my mind. But need them? Want them? No. The act of letting go has been liberating, a revelation of willpower I didn’t fully know I possessed. There was a decade in my life; a reckless, turbulent stretch, where I danced dangerously close to the edge of existence. I wasn’t trying to die, but I wasn’t exactly clinging to life either. I sought out moments that forced me to stare mortality in the face, to feel its weight. One time, fear overwhelmed me so completely that it poured out in the most primal way. While in Fiji, I lost control and pissed myself, diving in open water with a 16-foot tiger shark bearing down on me. Another time just outside of Greeley, Colorado, being thrown from a bull left me temporarily deaf, my senses short-circuiting under the trauma, like something you’d see in a movie. Those were physical battles, tests of nerve and survival. But this, this journey to Costa Rica is different. It’s not my body on the line; it’s my mind, my spirit. And that, I think, is what terrifies me most. At 58, I’m forced to confront a question: Why am I the way I am? I’m not “right” by any conventional measure. My passions burn hot, often too hot, flaring into quick anger or relentless intensity that gets me into trouble. My emotions swing wildly - one moment, I’m raging over something trivial; the next, I’m choking back tears while saying grace with my family, undone by the smallest gesture of connection. I know these are just the surface ripples of deeper currents. There are things I’ve buried, truths I’ve hidden; not just from others, but from myself. Why? I’m not sure anymore. Maybe that’s why I’m going: to unearth those secrets, to face the parts of me I’ve kept in the shadows. I’ve always been a product of my environment; my childhood, my upbringing, the crucible of experiences that forged me. But at 58, how long can I point to the past as the architect of my present? The time for excuses has run out. I want to be a better man, not just for myself, but for those I love. To me, that means tempering the fire of my anger, lengthening the fuse that sparks so quickly. It means understanding why I’m moved to tears by the mundane, why my heart feels so raw at times. I believe ayahuasca will strip away the layers, revealing the roots of these contradictions. I hope it will help me return home transformed; thinking differently, living differently, loving differently. Commitment has always defined me, for better or worse. I think back to when I was 11, delivering the Suburban Trends newspaper to my North Jersey neighbors every Wednesday and Sunday. One Sunday, I overslept, and my mother didn’t hold back. As I ate the eggs and bacon she’d prepared, she asked me if I knew the difference between involvement and commitment. I didn’t. “The chicken,” she said, “was involved in your breakfast. The pig was committed.” That lesson stuck with me: half-measures don’t cut it. You go all in, or you don’t go at all. So here I sit in 7D, all in, hurtling toward an experience that promises to be as wild and untamed as any I’ve faced. This isn’t about wrestling sharks or bulls; it’s about wrestling with myself. I’m committed to whatever ayahuasca reveals - the beauty, the pain, the truths I’ve long avoided. I’m committed to emerging from this journey a better man, not because I’ve conquered the unknown, but because I’ve had the courage to face it. "Love is the only thing that's ever saved my life." - Sturgill Simpson, Turtles All the Way Down 8/31/25 Preface: I was convinced from the beginning that I wouldn’t share my journey, ayahuasca is a deeply personal path. Now though months later, I feel it would be selfish not to speak about my experience possibly inspiring others to explore their own miracles. I’m at my Hunting property. First thing in the morning. No one‘s up and I build a big fire in the outdoor pit I built, grab a cup of coffee and sit down to write. What is it about staring into a fire that gives one such pause for reflection? I think back to my days in Costa Rica. So very hard, but what a magical experience. I’m so happy I went, I am immensely grateful. Those days reshaped me and I feel reborn. Not through any cosmic visions, but through a profound reckoning with my soul. I emerged happier, my relationships with my wife and children transformed, my heart opened, anew. I arrived at Rythmia expecting a psychedelic odyssey, perhaps a kaleidoscope of visions or a Hunter S. Thompson-esque plunge into the surreal. Instead, Mother Ayahuasca offered something far greater: a mirror to my essence, reflecting both its wounds and its worth. The retreat, with its glass-walled “Moloka”, was a sanctuary of transformation. Sixty-five of us, lay on beds, buckets at our feet for purging, awaiting the medicine’s revelations. The Rythmia way is a blend of ancient wisdom and modern healing; yoga, breathwork, colonics, life coaching, and Shaman led ceremonies under medical oversight; cradled us through the chaos. The schedule was relentless: sunrise yoga, cold plunges - classes from dawn to dusk, designed, I believe, to break us open, to make us porous to truth. The medicine, a reddish and somewhat rancid brew of cherry and chocolate taste, worked not by dazzling me with visions but by cleansing me - physically, emotionally, spiritually. The first three nights of ceremony, I purged only once each night. The fourth night, under the potent Yagé guided by Taita, a revered Colombian shaman, I purged fifteen to twenty times, seemingly a gallon of black bile. My body expelling volumes that defied logic, as if decades of buried pain were being released, the medicine scouring my soul. Across the Moloka, others wrestled with their own journeys. One cried, “I’m dead! I’m dead!” another screamed, “Medical, medical, medical!” for an hour. One spoke of a half-horse, half-man cutting a black snake from his heart; another fled from a visionary panther. These were not mere hallucinations but rebirths, raw and real. My breakthrough came on Tuesday night. Another’s disruptive behavior; loud wails, “noble silence” broken, stoked a familiar rage in me. I stormed outside, rocking with anger, teetering on the edge of violence. Then an instructor, herself on the medicine, sat beside me by the fire pit. Her presence, a wave of kindness, stilled me. I remembered her words from class: those who trigger us show us who we’ve become. In that moment, I forgave him. And in forgiving him, I forgave myself - for my failures as a husband, father, friend, for the baggage I’ve carried since childhood. I walked barefoot onto the grass, looked to the stars, and spoke to God for nearly an hour. He didn’t speak back, but I knew He heard me. I sobbed, released, and felt my heart heal. I danced, smiled, and became the happiest I’ve been in thirty years, a happiness that endures today, a gratitude that anchors me. Sobriety, now over five months strong, is a quiet and tertiary miracle. Was I an alcoholic? The label matters less than the truth: I leaned on substances too long. Now, when my mind craves a drink, my heart says no, and I laugh at the debate. I wonder often though, has sobriety dulled my creative edge? My writing, once fueled by my vices. Time will tell... But the deeper gift is my transformed relationships. My wife and children see a softer, more present me. I’m no longer my mother’s anger or disappointments, no longer carrying the baggage of others’. I’ve told my younger self: you’re not broken, you’re good, I forgive you, I love you. And I believe it. Rythmia’s promise; a 96%+ “life-changing miracle” rate, felt audacious at first. Yet, witnessing strangers confront their pain, forgive, and emerge lighter, I understood. The staff; shamans, doctors, coaches, all wove a safety net of care. The founder, Gerry, present at meals and even a ceremony participant one night, embodied commitment, eating his own “dog food.” The retreat’s 5-star amenities; organic meals, private rooms, saltwater pool, grounded the intensity with comfort. I had concerns the experience might distance me from God. On the contrary, I feel closer to Him than ever. As you would imagine this is far from the full story, those depths await for my book - which I’m committed to producing by May 2026. This is however a testament to what’s possible when you surrender to truth.
mark n
Life-Changing Review
"Life Changing"
I know it may sound corny, or even crazy, but this place truly saved my life. I have never laughed, cried, had as much fun, or felt as much love as I did at Rythmia. If you are ready to make a change and improve your life for the better, forever, GO! You just need to show up, and put in the work!
Sean B
Life-Changing Review
"Thank you. You saved me"
I will never forget what happened to me while I was here. This is not a resort for you to enjoy for a week to let off steam... This is a resort that will change your life forever, and bring you the things you've been searching for and many things you didn't know you were searching for. First, this is a paradise. The grounds are beautiful and clean. Your nights out under the stars are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Nature is the star and an important part of the experience. The food is all fresh and delicious, made with love and care. The staff gets to know your name and make you feel really special. Secondly, be prepared to work. You don't change your life without doing a little work, but they have made it so easy to keep on track with their classes, schedules, and app to make it extremely easy to get what they are looking for. But I want anyone that reads this to know that while you are doing work, I felt more rejuvenated than I ever had in all my life. I'm so grateful to the culture of the Costa Rican people and their sacred ceremonies. I have such reverence for what these people shared with me and with so many others, truly for the only reason of making humanity better. I can say so many things about this amazing place but I will stop myself there. This is the place you go to change your life. - Ross
ross w
Life-Changing Review
"My 6th time to Rythmia"
Last December was my 6th time going to Rythmia. As always, the breathing classes, yoga classes, meditation classes, and the integration classes are the best to help the ayahuasca ceremonies. To me, the food in Rythmia is the healthiest food in the world. All the staff are so helpful so friendly. The massage in Rythmia is the best, and plus the steam room, mud bath, hot jacuzzi, and cold pool are so helpful for balancing your energy there. By the way, my four night ceremonies are crazy but under control! Monday night! I indulged myself again, dancing, whistling, swearing, and bringing the results of my practice from Burning Man to Rythmia to make trouble! Especially the words and actions towards women! They all have some F color! Unhealthy harassment of women and everyone. The most disappointing thing is that I do so many disturbing things, but I think I do a good job! I also want to thank a brave lady who stood up and told me that mother ayahuasca asked her to tell me that I have come so many times and I can practice at home. I don’t need to come to Rythmia anymore! Her words sounded a wake-up call for me! Tuesday, Shaman Chris’s night, I already felt that I did something too much on Monday, so as soon as I entered Maloca, I knelt down in front of Chris and said that I thought I was too wild on Monday night. Chris immediately said to his shaman happily, "Look, I haven't even found him yet, but he has already found me!" Chris specifically told me that I must respect women!" I promised him that I would not indulge myself again. I told him that I am not that kind of person normally. In his opening speech, Chris also told everyone to respect each other, especially respect women. Every time I drink Ayahuasca brewed by Shaman Chris, it could easily knock me out of earth! This time was no exception! I was tripping as hard as everyone else. My bro Michael said that he didn't feel strong after drinking the first cup, and when he lined up for the second cup, he was standing in the middle and felt dizzy, "Bang! " He fell backwards, first onto a man, and instantly the boy was knocked back and sat on the ground (big Michael was at least 250 pounds), and he himself fell to the ground and fainted! Immediately, there was chaos in the middle of the room. Shamans and Shaman helpers were surrounded him, Blessing him, Blowing potion on him, then he woke up. They took him outside to get some fresh air. During this time, I was going to check on him, but the helpers wouldn’t let me go close to him, and told me to take care of my own journey. When I saw him on the floor, I was so sad. I could not stop crying for a few minutes. Because this was his second time passed out. Monday night during the ceremony, he was trying to stand up from his mattress. As soon as he stood up, he fell right on his mattress and passed out! Again he got woken by shamans and their helpers. I worried about him and went out side the Maloca see him in a distance until the helper helped him up, and walked him back to his mattress. He seemed all right and later he got up slowly and drank his second, and later third cup. He told me he felt the whole night he was in a war zone. By the way our mattresses were only 3 to 4 feet from each other. I remembered when I was dancing crazy, and my hands were pretending to hold a machine gun while my mouth was making, "Da.Da...Da.Da...Da.Da.Da.Da.Da!" sounds. Also, I pretended to be pulling a wire out of a hand grenade, and throw it outside. Then, I crawled down on the floor with two hands holding my ears. And waiting for the explosion. After all that, I was pretending to hold a shovel and dig dirt, and said, "I'm going to bury everyone!" I thought I was in a World War II action movie. 😆🤣 Maybe the music triggered me to act that way. One thing I was sure about was that I didn’t speak any F words and dirty language in English. I tried not to look at any woman. However, on Wednesday, our soul sister S told us that I said some unbelievable curse words in Chinese. 😓 I might as well have said those words to the enemy soldiers of WWII. On Wednesday, control yourself and dance on the mattress to give everyone more dance floor! After the ceremony was over, the shaman told me I was well behaved. 😅🤟 Fourth night, Taila’s night, the Colombia ayahuasca yahei night. A lot of people got assigned mattress. Male on left side of the Maloka, and female on the right side. I chose the left corner. The whole night, the live music was amazing. Musicians were absolutely out of this world, including Taita himself. The healing circles were one round after another. I thought all the Shamans and Shaman’s helpers were angels. Or they are like candles, burning themselves to light others! I was so touched by so many beautiful soul. My tear dropped. I really appreciate Gerry, Taita, Mitra, all the shamans and helpers, the medical team, and the staff of Rythmia. All of you helped me change my life, I used to drink alcohol every day, and was drunk or passed out three times a week. My mother, my wife and my kids all hated to see me drunk. After my trip to Rythmia last December 3rd, I stopped drinking any alcohol. Right now it’s been 9 months living in an alcohol free life. I saved my money, my time, my liver, and my health. My kids, my wife and my mother are all so happy to see who I have become! It’s truly a miracle! I just booked another trip to Rythmia at the beginning of next year. I want to go there to show everybody in Rythmia who I have become, and report to mother Ayahuasca how I am doing. I believe she will be proud of me. ❤️🫡🤟🌟✨
Michael Q
Life-Changing Review
"Experienced the miracle of DID integration"
I came to Rythmia for my 52nd birthday to heal from ritualistic abuse that caused my mind to split into over 40 alters and with the help of the wonderful staff, mother Aya, the classes and beautiful land, I was able to receive my miracle of integration. I had been on psychiatric medication for 20yrs and I am off all of them and live with a renewed heart and soul. Western medicine and traditional therapies kept my mind split for so long and I am so thankful that I found Rythmia to help me celebrate my birth! I finally truly love the human I have come to be on this earth. I am excited to be able to one day help others that are diagnosed DID to heal holistically with the help of plant medicine. I cannot thank the entire staff enough for helping me. I did have to reach out for help and extra support from numerous people and I received so much love and support to overcome my fears. The Shamans gave me extra healing attention during 3 of the ceremonies and I am eternally grateful! Rythmia saved my life, healed my soul, and gave me a new lease on life. I stand in my power now to be able to be of service to others that struggle to heal from trauma. I would not trade a day of suffering because it has made me the wonderful woman that I can now celebrate every year! You are doing God’s work!! God bless everyone at Rythmia, I will be seeing you soon to continue working with mother Aya! Sending you all love and light!
Shelly K
Life-Changing Review
"Saved my soul"
I came here majorly struggling with suicidal thoughts, feeling out of place, and unworthy. The staff are all welcoming and sweet, the people I was with really made the experience better. Truly showed me how the world can love. I’m now looking forward to life.
Sage M
Life-Changing Review
"It really works - POCD Cured"
I found Rythmia after entering a really dark place mentally. I was experiencing extreme bouts of anxiety and having some pretty grim intrusive thoughts that I felt like I couldn’t control. I now know I do and can control it and I can safely say that even after 6 months of leaving Rythmia my anxiety has completely vanished. It was the hardest but best thing I have ever done in my life and it still brings me close to tears with gratitude for this place. The staff who help you during ceremonies are literal angels, I’ve never felt more heard, more accepted and more loved in my life than I did during my week at Rythmia. If you’re experiencing with any forms of anxiety, intrusive thoughts or panic attacks, this is the place for you. Stop watching YouTube videos, stop procrastinating, book a call and book your stay at Rythmia and you will feel INSTANTLY better after booking it. I hope this message can reach someone experiencing POCD to tell you it will get better if you do the work. I know how you feel and terrifying it feels. This place literally saved my life. I can’t wait to come back and do more work, Rythmia thank you. My life will never be the same and it’s all for the better.
Luke
Life-Changing Review
"Miracles Happen...not by chance, but by choosing Rhythmia! "
After several difficult years personally, I was stuck in the suck of life...I had heard about the amazing experiences a few friends/clients had at Rhythmia and although I wasn't sure anything could help me, I had nothing to lose, so I applied for their scholarship program. After 8 months, I got word that I was invited on scholarship to attend. Not only did the medical staff reach out to me personally 5 weeks before to go over everything, they even helped me find an affordable flight. Upon arrival, everything was top notch.The facility was great, clean, modern and well equipped, the staff were all so genuine and welcoming and the food was incredible. Then came "the work". Ceremonies are not always "fun" but if you are willing to stay the course, you WILL come out a changed human. The days are long and booked with all types of workshops to educate you on plant medicine, support your experience, and provide personal growth and development during and after your visit. I felt safe, supported and valued at every part of the Rhythmia Experience. The cost of Rhythmia is not cheap but so worth it! Although I was on scholarship, I have spent upwards of $2000/mo on therapy over the past 3 years, and have not gotten the healing I got from 1 week at Rhythmia. Rhythmia saved my life, and transformed my emotional stability and well being. If you are on the fence about going, or concerned about the cost, take the leap and invest in your self & your soul...your inner child will be forever grateful. Trip essentials: bug spray, sunscreen, comfortable/loose fitting close for ceremonies, hat for beach/pool time, ear plugs, thermal mug for tea, journal, sweatshirt (workshop room is air conditioned), business cards to keep in touch (because your come as strangers, you leave as family). Insider Tip: Go to everything offered! This is not a vacation, it's a life enhancement experience, make the most of every opportunity. Sit with different people at each workshop & at meals (you never know if your presence is someone's present at that moment, or vice versa). Embrace the purge...IYKYK :) Some of the photos are part of an affirmation deck I created from images I took on my iPhone while at Rhythmia.
Brenda B
Life-Changing Review
"I think my week at Rythmia saved my soul"
This was my fourth time to Rythmia and I just go deeper and deeper into my healing. I really felt a major shift in my healing at a soul level and I healed my own heart. Highly, highly recommend Rythmia to anyone that wants to see who they have become and walk away with a healed heart. The staff are stellar and you are well taken care of. Breathwork, yoga, courses, free time, food, the people - all of it - add to an amazing experience. Oh, and the beds, pillows - beyond comfortable!
Odette
Life-Changing Review
Your Miracle is Waiting
If you feel called to return to wholeness, don't wait. Experience the life-changing magic for yourself.
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