DISCOVER THE MEDICINE | A Psilocybin and Cacao Immersion, 6 Days | 5 Nights Ananda Lodge, Playa Grande, Costa Rica April 2025

Have you been curious to learn more about the healing benefits of psilocybin?

Wondering what all the buzz surrounding sacred ceremonial cacao is about?

Interested in exploring ancient medicines that support brain and heart health?

Join us for a 6 day/5 night all inclusive experience with cacao and psilocybin at our new eco luxury retreat center in Playa Grande, Costa Rica.

Psilocybin mushrooms have been used for thousands of years for healing purposes, dating back over 3000 years across Central America. Cacao, a revered medicine in many cultures, was once reserved for only nobleman and priests due to it’s ritual and economic significance. When taken together, psilocybin and cacao have the power to take us on a powerful journey where the heart and mind intertwine. 

Over the course of 3 ceremonies we will gently guide you into the world of plant medicine. Designed for intimacy and 1:1 healing support with trauma-informed practitioners, this immersion is limited to only 8 guests, ensuring your care, safety and discretion are priority.

Together we will explore the ancient ceremonial practices of psilocybin and cacao, and how together these earthly medicines are designed for heart healing, self-compassion, and lasting change.

Thoughtfully curated to support your unique process, this experience is aimed at regulating the nervous system, building inner capacity and resilience, and empowering you as the healer. Our experienced guides will be with you every step of the way, offering wisdom, support, and personalized guidance through 1:1 dosage consultations, personal integration sessions, and group workshops.

THE EXPERIENCE

• 6 Day/5 Night All-Inclusive Experience
• Ocean-view king bed accommodations
• 3 Psilocybin ceremonies w/ sacred Cacao 
• Max participants of 8
• Private chef prepared meals
• Trauma-informed facilitators 
• 1 somatic preparation session
• 2 individual onsite navigation sessions
• 2 post-retreat integration sessions
• Somatic movement and breath offerings
• Group sound healing experience
• Beach excursion to Playa Grande
• Ananda’s Guide to Psilocybin
• Ananda’s Guide to Microdosing
• Ananda’s Guide to Somatic Integration
• Live music celebration

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN: 

• A safe and trauma-informed approach to working with psilocybin and cacao
• Somatic techniques designed to prepare the body for sacred plant medicine work
• Step-by-step guidance before, during, and after the retreat with a somatic integration specialist
• Increased confidence in working with psilocybin and cacao in large and small doses
• Deeper connection to self through exploration with the medicine and somatic empowerment practices

THIS RETREAT IS FOR YOU IF:

• You are curious to explore these healing plant medicines at a pace that is right for you
• You desire intimacy, eco luxury accommodations, and delectable private chef prepared meals
• You want to learn more about microdosing psilocybin for well-being, mental flexibility, and sustainable change 
• You want to work with guides who are experienced with psilocybin and trained in trauma-informed facilitation and integration
• You are ready for self-growth, tools for introspection, and an opportunity to transform your life with sacred plant medicine

WHAT MAKES OUR APPROACH UNIQUE

Trauma-informed care is not a ‘check the box’ process. At Ananda trauma-informed is a way of being and is woven into our entire Continuity of CARE process.

At Ananda Lodge Retreats, we believe in providing a level of care that is unprecedented in the plant medicine retreat business. Our process emphasizes intimacy, preparation through education and somatic resourcing, onsite individual and group processing, and post retreat integration for a wholistic and comprehensive approach to your care.

Starting with a thorough intake process, our goal is to begin learning about you, your background, and how we can best support your journey. Following the intake process, you will receive an individual 75-minute somatic preparation session. This session will help you define a clear intention and how to leverage your unique resources to go deeper with the medicine.

Prior to arrival, we will host a group orientation call where you can meet your fellow pasajeros and the onsite support team. We believe this step in the process builds additional layers of safety and support for you.

Upon arrival you will be intimately welcomed by your onsite CARE team. We will host an orientation session aimed at making you familiar with the property and the onsite CARE team. 

Throughout your stay, you will have access to 1:1 sessions with an assigned trauma-informed CARE member who will be with you throughout. These sessions are optional, and designed to provide additional support as you process feelings/sensations/insights from your experiences. Over the retreat you will also be invited to group shares and somatic integration workshops that help aid in your journey, including nature and art exploration.

We understand that continued care post-retreat is critical in your journey of plant medicine work. Following your departure, it is our pleasure to continue supporting your unique path of integration. 

As part of our continuity of CARE experience, you will receive two additional 1:1 integration sessions with a trauma-informed somatic integration specialist. These sessions, spaced out over a period of time, are designed to support your ongoing integration and healing work.

We will host an online group integration session aimed at strengthening the connection you made with fellow pasajeros. And you will have access to post-retreat programs designed to deepen your healing and transformation work.

CACAO

Ceremonial cacao is a sacred medicine, a vehicle for spiritual exploration, and a catalyst for deep inner work. Rich in antioxidants, nutrients, and mood-enhancing compounds, cacao nourishes both body and soul, gently opening the heart and inviting us to connect with ourselves and others on a profound level. Rich in biogenic amines such as serotonin, theobromine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and tyramine, cacao stimulates pleasure, promotes relaxation and can trigger the feeling of love and compassion. 

Differing from its relative cocoa, cacao is a superfood derived from the Theobroma plant that only grows in certain regions along the equator. Affectionately named “Food of the Gods,” ceremonial use dates all the way back to 5300 years in the Peruvian Amazon where it was used for community healings, celebrations, and as a way to connect with the earth and her elements. So treasured were pure cacao beans that they were often used in acts of trading and exchange.

Ceremonial cacao taps into ancient wisdom, bridging the physical and spiritual realms. She opens the heart to promote compassion, joy, and love while enhancing spiritual connection and guiding self-exploration. 

Cacao is a wise elder plant with an abundance of teachings. Ancient Mayan folklore speaks of a time when the divide between humans and nature was great causing many disruptions in the balance of life. As the divide and imbalance grew, legend says that cacao emerged from the rainforest to help people open their hearts so the balance of life could be returned to the planet. 

Cacao beckons us to slow down, to observe, and to listen. As a plant spirit, she reminds us of the connection to our hearts, the connection to others, and the connection to Pachamama, mother earth. 

Through her feminine energy, she yearns for us to remember our connection to this earth and with the people that have come before us, our ancestors, and the legacy we will leave. This is a coming home to the medicine of plants to nourish our body and our soul. 

PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms. Various cultures have used these mushrooms in traditional medicine and spiritual rituals for centuries. In recent years, psilocybin has gained global recognition, with many embracing it as a catalyst for personal growth, therapeutic breakthroughs, and spiritual enlightenment.

Similar to cacao, psilocybin was also revered as a sacred plant medicine used in ritual settings. Archeologists and researchers have discovered Mayan mushroom stone carvings that date back to over 3000 years ago, revealing their use as sacraments for personal and communal healing.

“Mayan culture was very mycophilic, and they revered mushroom stones for divination, for spirituality, and also to be able to predict incoming armies and how to strategize against them.” Paul Stamets, Fantastic Fungi

Psilocybin mushrooms contain the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. The effects of the plant medicine can begin 20 to 60 minutes after ingestion and last for up to 4-6 hours. 

Psilocybin induces an altered state of consciousness, often leading to changes in perception and highly visual states. You may experience an increase in energy levels, mental clarity, and reflective experiences. 

With an expanded sense of empathy and compassion, you may be able to process difficult emotions with more patience and wisdom. Your relationships, habits, memory, and vocabulary may improve. Your nervous system and hormones may feel more balanced. 

Psilocybin can connect you with your innate embodied intelligence and free you from rigid thought patterns and limiting beliefs.

CEREMONIAL USE OF CACAO AND PSILOCYBIN

Ample evidence exists that the Aztec culture worked with these sacred plant medicines in combination to catalyze their synergistic effects. The native Nahuatl word for these mushrooms is teonanácatl, which translates to “Flesh of the Gods.” The native Nahuatl word for cacao is cacáhuatl, which translates to “Food of the Gods.” 

By combining these medicines, we are able to open the heart with cacao while we open the mind with psilocybin, creating a synergistic healing effect. The MAOI compounds within cacao promote serotonin release in the brain, boosting the effects of the psilocybin, while the healthy fats present in cacao, promote enhanced absorption of the psilocybin. A truly remarkable combination.

INTEGRATION BEYOND THE NORM

At Ananda Lodge, we hold the integration journey with the same reverence and sacredness as we have towards the plants and the ceremony itself. 

Integration is a sacred endeavor to be honored with time, commitment, compassion, and grace. In the process of integration, we grow a deeper relationship with ourselves and a deeper understanding of our true essence. 

Our Ripple Effect Healing Packages place a strong emphasis on the Somatic process, the intricate relationship between the body and mind, and empowering pasajeros to reunite with the innate intelligence of the body. 

Post retreat we offer 3 levels of tiered integration, embodiment, and transformation programs to deepen weave together the wisdom from the sacred plants:

FORTIFY THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

At Ananda Lodge we don’t believe in offering one-off integration sessions. Instead we believe in building relationships and threads of continuity that support your ongoing healing and CARE. 

If you are looking for integration support with a Plant Medicine Specialist, choose from a package below:

• 3 Session Package: $450
• 5 Session Package: $650 (14% savings)
• 7 Session Package: $850 (20% savings)

(Discounts given if bought at time of retreat registration)

SOMATIC EMPOWERMENT

A guided journey of somatic exploration, embodiment, and empowerment. For those wanting to harness the keys of nervous system regulation, this program is designed for you.

Work 1:1 with a Somatic Specialist on a journey of empowerment where you will learn how to tap into your innate somatic wisdom, release patterns of trauma and walk away with increased capacity, resiliency, and overall vitality.

PRICE: $1250

(Payment plans available. Discounts given if bought at time of retreat registration)

THE ART OF PERSONAL REGENERATION

Our flagship offering, this program offers you a guided 6 month journey to wholistic healing and whole-being transformation

In this program we will uncover old ways of being, energy patterns, and traumatic imprints that are keeping you from your most vital self. In this program we uniquely explore the interplay between the ancient wisdom of the energy body, with the Native American medicine wheel, and how to use plants, foods, and herbs as catalysts for healing and transformation.

A complete approach to whole system transformation, this program empowers you to unlock the keys to personal regeneration, self liberation, and alignment with your innate soul purpose. 

PRICE: $3495

(Payment plans available. Discounts given if bought at time of retreat registration)

RETREAT SCHEDULE:

PRE-RETREAT

• Intake Call
• 1:1 Somatic Preparation
• Online Group Orientation

DAY 1 (ARRIVAL)

• 2:30   PM Airport Shuttle pick up from Liberia Airport
• 4:00   PM Arrive at Ananda
• 4:30   PM Welcome refreshments 
• 5:00   PM Group welcome, orientation, and grounding
• 6:30   PM Dinner
• 7:30   PM Cacao ceremony

DAY 2

• 7:00   AM *Ocean cleansing*
• 8:30   AM Breakfast
• 10:00 AM Somatic Intention Setting Workshop
• 12:00 PM Lunch
• 1:00   PM Free Time
• 1:00   PM 1:1 Dosage consultations
• 5:30   PM Gentle yoga and meditation
• 6:30   PM Ceremony 1

DAY 3

• 7:30   AM *Meditation and movement*
• 8:30   AM Breakfast
• 10:00 AM Somatic Integration Workshop
• 12:00 PM Lunch
• 1:00   PM Free Time
• 1:00   PM 1:1 Integration sessions
• 5:00   PM *Beach sunset*
• 6:30   PM Dinner
• 7:30   PM Group Preparation for AM Ceremony

DAY 4

• 5:00   AM Ceremony 2
• 11:00 AM Fruit offering
• 12:00 PM Lunch
• 1:00   PM Afternoon reflection in silence
• 3:00   PM Snack
• 6:00   PM Dinner
• 7:00   PM Group Sound Healing Journey

DAY 5

• 7:00   AM *Ocean cleansing*
• 8:30   AM Breakfast
• 10:00 AM Group Integration
• 12:00 PM Lunch
• 1:00   PM Microdose Workshop
• 2:00   PM Free Time
• 2:00   PM 1:1 Integration sessions
• 3:30   PM Snack
• 6:00   PM Ceremony 3 (Mini dose Medicine and the Music celebration)

DAY 6 (DEPARTURE)

• 8:00   AM Breakfast
• 9:00   AM Group Closing Circle
• 11:00 AM Depart