El Sol Healing Retreat Center
The Ayahuasca community
“Humanity is our ultimate Ayahuasca community, and everyone plays a crucial role.”
We at El Sol Healing Retreat Center have found, through our experience, that so much of healing comes from being vulnerable, breaking down walls, letting people in, and holding space for others to do the same. When we authentically share stories, struggles, and ideas, we open up the space to figure things out on a deep level and remember that we are not alone. (Ayahuasca community)
The importance of a healthy connection and the Ayahuasca community can not be underestimated. At its core, it is a basic human need – in truth, from the time we are born, we cannot survive without it. We are fundamentally social creatures: studies show that the experience of social pain (a snub, a cruel word) is as real as physical pain. Lack of social connection is worse for our health than obesity, smoking, or high blood pressure. Conversely, positive relationships and community lead to improved immune systems, mental health, compassion and empathy for others, even longer life. The relationships in our lives help define how we grow, learn, love, and navigate this world. They also reflect our relationship with ourselves and can be an avenue towards a better understanding of who we are and our purpose in life.
Realizing we cannot walk this path alone, we can look towards who we choose to share it with. By consciously examining the relationships in our lives, we can determine which ones serve our highest good, and which ones we may need to reconsider if they are holding us back. Our energy and time are finite and valuable, so pursuing relationships that inspire us and push us forward on our path are of utmost importance to our long-term health, goals, and life.
“A deep sense of love and belonging is an irresistible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.”
— Brené Brown
Indigenous communities and traditional belief systems understand the value of the Ayahuasca community. The classic phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” has deep meaning – in many cultures, the interconnectedness between the health of the individual and the health of theAyahuasca community was well accepted, and so issues that arose within one person were addressed by the whole. In traditional Native American medicine, for example, family and community are seen as crucial aspects of a treatment plan, as is ceremony. Through communal participation in song, prayer, music, and dance, the family and community contribute healing energy to the patient – the more people present, the greater the healing. We expand upon this philosophy and work towards a global network and healing community that connects across borders, cultures, and belief systems, and works toward a common goal of individual and collective healing.
“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”
— Brené Brown