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

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

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.

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_

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.

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

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.

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Troy Casey, also known as the Certified Health Nut. Troy is a holistic health coach, author of Ripped at 50, and former Versace model who transformed his life through fasting, herbal medicine, breathwork, indigenous healing, and ayahuasca.

We touch upon topics of:

• Troy’s transformation from fashion model to health advocate (01:17–03:50)
• His early ayahuasca experiences in the Amazon and three life-changing visions (06:43–12:50)
• Humanity’s spiritual awakening and vision for a conscious future (16:24–23:20)
• Environmental destruction, geopolitics, and the rainforest (24:25–29:10)
• Rockefeller history, pharma, and the Flexner report (29:36–31:02)
• First principles of health and his 9 Pillars of Wellness (37:02–41:20)
• Views on purpose, fatherhood, and feminine roles in raising children (38:27–40:50)
• Urine therapy, Maori healing, and unconventional yet effective practices (42:19–44:26)
• Ego, balance, emotional processing, and the spiritual journey (45:26–50:14)
• Troy’s powerful definition of Ayahuasca and its healing potential (54:23–57:50)

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

Find more about Troy Casey at www.certifiedhealthnut.com or follow him on social media @CertifiedHealthNut across platforms.