Paititi Institute

Paititi Institute is a Peruvian non-profit, founded in 2010 by Roman Hanis and Cynthia Robinson, that runs ayahuasca and plant medicine retreats and works on conservation with Indigenous communities. Its main retreat is a 16-day immersion called Embodying True Nature, at a rainforest centre an hour by boat from Iquitos.

Approach

Hanis, who has lived among Amazonian and Andean Indigenous communities since 2001, facilitates the immersion, and a Yahua elder takes part. Ceremonies use ayahuasca and two Andean plants, huachuma (San Pedro) and coca. Their number is not fixed in advance. Around them sit Remembrance practice, Primordial Breathwork, dreamwork drawing on the Ashuar tradition and Jungian thought, Symptomatic Dance, qigong and meditation.

Who it is for

The institute names people at a major threshold in life, people trying to understand recurring emotional or relational patterns, and those integrating earlier spiritual or psychedelic experiences. It accepts participants in stable health and states that its retreats are not psychotherapy or medical treatment.

Practical details

The next immersion runs from 21 December 2026 to 5 January 2027, at $2,333 to $2,777. That covers meals, a shared room in a hut on stilts, ceremonies, instruction and personal support, plus lifelong access to the online course Your Evolutionary Blueprint. Travel is extra. A 30% deposit secures a place, and the retreat needs a minimum number of sign-ups four weeks ahead. A 15-day pilgrimage in Nepal with the Karuna Project is set for 17 to 31 October 2026.

Care and safety

Each application goes through a health screening covering medications, supplements and conditions, and the institute may ask for medical clearance or turn an applicant down. It warns that many medications clash with these plants and advises against stopping a prescription without a doctor. Applicants with more serious conditions may first be pointed to a three-month distance healing programme.