At The Buena Vida, we admire those willing to go through the process of self-healing with psychedelics. We’re sure that you’ve already had quite a serious journey that leads you to this decision. We want to make you feel safe, secure, and well supported during your retreat.

Below are some of the most commonly asked questions and concerns that we hear. However, there are always more! Contact us with any concern and we will be sure to respond personally and in private.

Plant Medicine in Mexico

Legality

We understand there is a lot of good and bad information about traveling in Mexico. Please remember, this is a very large country and, like almost any other, has some safe and some not-so-safe areas. As of April, 2006 all street drugs are legal to be carried in small quantities by individuals in Mexico. Specifically, sacramental or traditional use and cultivation of fresh mushrooms is legal. This is in line with the interpretation of the UNODC Bulletin allowing the sacramental use of psychotropic preparations. We work with a local, indigenous shaman who is familiar with the local laws, law enforcement and medicine community ensuring that we are always acting in accordance with the highest standard of the law.

Privacy and Security

Our retreat is on private, gated and secure land. We will not be interacting with the public or carrying the mushrooms on our person while outside the center. We are working with open-minded, loving individuals and volunteers that are dedicated to healing and health. You can feel 100% confident that our medicine is the freshest and energetically peaceful fungi that our shaman can find. We only source from Mexico.

Healing with Mushrooms

I’ve been hearing a lot about medicinal mushrooms, but I’m honestly not sure what it does?

The active ingredient in “magic mushrooms” is a non-toxic element. Though you may have heard that your reaction to mushrooms is a form of poisoning, much like alcohol, this is simply not true. This chemical interacts with your serotonin system to produce the psychedelic effect. In fact, is it is one of the least toxic substances you can ingest that will change your consciousness. It has been shown over and over that fungi promote neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells and can repair physiological damage to the brain.

Good & Bad Trips

Because magic mushrooms are somewhat easy to grow and find, many of us have tried them either at a young age or at a party or festival. These fungi open up our energetic field so that all circumstances around us are amplified. Most truly “bad trips” stem from a ill-planned physical setting or a non- purposeful mindset going into the journey. At The Buena Vida we know how to properly prepare you and make sure your physical and energetic space is properly held, ensuring you the best possible container for a meaningful and safe trip. While there may still be difficult parts of the journey, when you know you’re safe, you can navigate through these areas and take the lessons from the experience. Even guests who may report that part of their journey was “bad” or “difficult” always can see the purpose or reason for this situation within the first few days after the trip.

I’m dealing with depression and anxiety. This scares me, but I’ve also heard it can help?

We are lucky to be living in a time where the healing effects of psychedelics are finally allowed to be properly studied. Scientists from Imperial College London concluded that giving managed doses of mushrooms to subjects who were previously resistant to treatment by common anti-depressants led to “enduring reductions in symptom severity”.
As is commonly known, much of depression stems from living in the past and much of anxiety stems from living in the future. Mushrooms help us to become fully present. We’re able to observe the world and ourselves exactly as they are at this moment. The result is usually a more care-free and open attitude toward our lives. We can stop for a moment to learn gratitude for our many blessings.

What if I suffer from severe mental issues?

There are a few serious mental issues that need to be disclosed before taking a dose. Those with a history of schizophrenia, suicidal behavior and some other mental states are advised against psychedelics use without a specific recommendation from their medical doctor. However, physical risk is extremely low. Please be honest in your application so that we can have full knowledge to let you know if our retreats are the right medicine for your healing. We can answer these specific questions in a private email.

What is the dose we will be taking?

This is an interesting question because age/height/weight seem to have almost no effect on proper dosing.

Our leaders test our mushrooms to be sure of their potency. For the first ceremony, we will be dosing about 2-3 grams per person. We will counsel with guests for increasing dosages for subsequent ceremonies. Luckily with mushrooms, there is not much nausea other than possibly 10-20 minutes towards the beginning and even high doses are very safe with the right facilitators.

Where can I read more about scientific studies being done?

There are too many studies and scientific findings to list here. Please visit our Psychedelic Research page. All of the studies basically have the same conclusion: Mushrooms are safe and highly effective when taken correctly and with proper safety.

I can’t make it to the January or March retreat, will there be more?

We are happy to say that many people are ready for mushroom healing! After our initial retreats with winter, we will decide if we wish to keep hosting the retreats at Ozen center in the future and will likely start up again in October of 2019. Sign up below to stay on the list!