Ayahuasca Podcast with Sam Believ

David Hodges - god, mushrooms and law.

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dave Hodges.
Dave is the founder of the Church of Ambrosia, a psychedelic church in Oakland, California, known for its use of mushrooms as sacraments. With over 125,000 members, Dave is one of the most outspoken advocates for entheogens as religious tools and has pioneered breakthrough dose work for spiritual insight, healing, and consciousness exploration.
We touch upon topics of:
Founding a psychedelic church and early raids (01:24–03:29)
Legal challenges and city pushback (04:01–06:04)
Psychedelics as religious sacraments (06:24–07:34)
Understanding the soul and afterlife (07:38–08:35)
What is a breakthrough dose and how it’s calculated (09:15–12:37)
Dangers of overdose and gradual dosing (12:46–13:52)
Origins of religion through mushrooms (14:36–15:47)
Aliens, dimensions, and God (17:04–20:38)
What it’s like running a psychedelic church (21:04–22:05)
Safe environments and the “God’s Sitters” project (22:12–24:40)
Can the soul get lost? (25:34–26:40)
Church leadership, books, and the Book of Ambrosia (26:46–29:25)
Encounters with dark entities during ceremonies (30:09–32:31)
The war on drugs and financial incentives (33:08–40:16)
Legal battles and how the church fights back (40:29–41:24)
Who comes to the church and why (42:05–43:18)
Business model and sacrament contributions (44:03–44:39)
Dave’s vision for humanity and the soul (45:02–46:01)
Risks and special conditions (48:01–49:27)
Integration practices and audio journaling (49:42–51:59)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Dave Hodges at ambrosia.church, zydedoor.com, or follow him on Instagram at @davehemp420.

Micah Stover - healing psychedelics, trauma, integration and the power of the village.

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Micah Stover, a certified psychedelic somatic therapist, educator, and author of Healing Psychedelics. Based in Mexico, Micah specializes in trauma healing through plant medicine, blending clinical models with indigenous traditions. Her work is rooted in personal experience with complex trauma, motherhood, and cross-cultural wisdom.
We touch upon topics of:
Micah’s traumatic birth story and healing journey (01:28)
Birth and motherhood as psychedelic experiences (04:31)
Postpartum depression and ancestral trauma (06:11)
The role of MDMA and psilocybin in healing (12:39)
Nature as a co-facilitator in integration (16:28)
Cultural insights from Mexican and Latino worldviews (20:28)
The power of playfulness and reverence for children (25:50)
Travel and relocation as healing catalysts (28:06)
The importance of community and "finding the village" (29:22)
Group vs. one-on-one healing work (32:55)
Lessons from curanderas and traditional medicine perspectives (36:08)
Science vs. spirit in psychedelic healing (40:14)
Understanding and healing complex trauma (42:56)
Accessing preverbal trauma through somatic memory (46:05)
A profound healing story involving mobility restoration (48:35)
Who Micah’s book is for and why she wrote it (50:48)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Micah Stover at www.micahstover.com and on Instagram @micahsugarfoot.

Choosing the right healing path with LanaRose Berger

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Lana Rose Berger, a holistic health advocate and the founder of Conscious Concierge, a wellness service offering personalized guidance for those exploring alternative healing modalities.
Topics discussed in this episode include:
Lana’s journey from a high-pressure career in New York to holistic healing (1:29)
The role of Ayahuasca in her personal transformation (3:49)
Challenges of integrating Ayahuasca experiences in modern life (5:58)
The concept of karmic entanglements and lineage healing (17:54)
Responsible approaches to recommending Ayahuasca (19:58)
Conscious entrepreneurship and integrating spirituality in business (41:29)
The impact of AI on conscious living and future perspectives (46:42)
Common challenges faced by high achievers seeking spiritual growth (33:26)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats, go to www.lawayra.com.
To learn more about Lana Rose Berger, visit www.yourconsciousconcierge.com or follow her on Instagram at @yourconsciousconcierge and TikTok at @consciousconcierge.

Filming the best Ayahuasca Documentary with Sam Lipman-Stern

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Emmy-nominated documentary director Sam Lipman-Stern. Known for HBO’s Telemarketers, Sam opens up about his journey from media burnout and antidepressant use to profound emotional transformation through Ayahuasca, which inspired their upcoming documentary.
We touch upon topics of:
Synchronicity and how they met
Initial skepticism and misconceptions about Ayahuasca
DMT visions and being called to the jungle
Stopping antidepressants and mental health struggles
Burnout and disillusionment with mainstream media
Rebranding Colombia from cocaine to Ayahuasca
The power of storytelling and why this documentary matters
Using humor and depth in the documentary
Ayahuasca showing childhood purpose and healing trauma
Emotional awareness and masculinity
Cultural conditioning, parenting, and emotional repression
Challenges of post-Ayahuasca integration
Sam’s daily integration routine
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Sam Lipman-Stern at @sam_lipmanstern and watch Telemarketers on HBO Max.

Gabor Maté on Trauma, Ayahuasca and the wisdom of pain.

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dr. Gabor Maté. Gabor is a renowned physician, speaker, and author best known for his groundbreaking work on trauma, addiction, child development, and the mind-body connection. His books include In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and The Myth of Normal.
We touch upon topics of:
Gabor’s personal healing journey (2:00)
His first Ayahuasca ceremony (5:10)
The importance of community in healing (7:06)
How trauma causes the heart to close (9:00)
The wisdom of trauma and adaptations (12:23)
Modern society as a root of disconnection (15:00)
Accumulated trauma and “death by a thousand cuts” (20:31)
How Ayahuasca helps addiction by addressing pain (23:59)
The risk of Ayahuasca evangelism (27:11)
Psychedelics and facing death (28:09)
Parenting and emotional availability (32:10)
The role of play in healing (37:15)
Dealing with criticism and healing from not being seen (40:42)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Gabor Maté at www.drgabormate.com

Healing trauma through art, dance and psychedelics with Robin Kurland

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Robin Kurland. Robin is a licensed marriage and family therapist and psychedelic integration specialist with nearly 20 years of experience. Based in Sacramento, she works with trauma, addiction, sexual abuse survivors, and veterans, blending expressive arts, embodiment, and Internal Family Systems therapy into her healing approach.
We touch upon topics of:
Robin’s journey from dancer to therapist (00:44)
Her first spiritual experience with death (01:20)
The meaning of integration (05:02)
Using art and journaling after ceremonies (06:27)
Integration of difficult psychedelic experiences (07:11)
Long-term integration and internal protectors (08:39)
How expressive arts help with trauma (10:03)
Drawing as psychedelic integration (12:00)
Somatic and visual techniques for post-ceremony art (14:00)
How to use dance after a ceremony (16:15)
Dancing during ceremonies and movement as integration (18:12)
Interpretation vs expression in integration art (21:16)
Psychedelics and addiction recovery (31:41)
The link between 12-step programs and psychedelics (34:44)
Shadow work and Internal Family Systems (41:02)
Supporting someone with limited access to integration (26:46)
What is pre-integration and why it matters (49:40)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats, go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Robin at robinkurland.com or on Instagram at @psychedelicrecovery_

Ayahuasca and Yoga with Brigitte Kolibab

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Brigitte Kolibab.
Brigitte is a yoga teacher, ceremony facilitator, and long-time student of both Eastern spiritual practices and Amazonian plant medicine. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between the yogic path and the Ayahuasca experience, offering integration tools through body-based practices. She co-leads the Yoga & Integration retreats at LaWayra.
We touch upon topics of:
The impact of psychedelics on someone with an existing spiritual practice (00:03:40)
How Ayahuasca can enhance your yoga and meditation, and vice versa (00:06:10)
Using yoga as a tool for integration (00:10:45)
The Yoga & Integration retreats at LaWayra (00:13:25)
Psychedelic states that can be achieved through yoga alone (00:17:00)
The role of synchronicity and how Ayahuasca amplifies it (00:20:30)
How Ayahuasca influences manifestation (00:23:40)
Reflections on our first and most recent yoga retreats (00:28:15)
Why we’re planning more Yoga & Integration retreats (00:31:00)
How LaWayra has changed in the last two years (00:35:20)
Her favorite moments from the retreats (00:39:00)
Parallels between the yogic system and the Ayahuasca path (00:42:10)
Crossovers between Ayahuasca and other modalities like breathwork and meditation (00:47:30)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Brigitte Kolibab on Instagram at @b.khonest

Maximizing benefits and minimizing harm of Ayahuasca with Jeronimo Mazarrasa

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Jeronimo Mazarrasa.
Jeronimo is a community activist and the Director of Social Innovation at ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service). With over 20 years of experience in the psychedelic field, he has dedicated his life to studying how traditional plant medicine practices, especially Ayahuasca, can be integrated safely and respectfully into the modern world.
We touch upon topics of:
Jeronimo’s background in film and Ayahuasca activism (00:53)
The globalization of Ayahuasca and his role at ICEERS (03:41)
Maximizing the benefits of plant medicine (07:16)
Why prohibition and secrecy hinder collective learning (09:20)
Minimizing harm: physical, psychological, and legal risks (11:50)
Discernment and interpreting Ayahuasca messages (14:51)
Tools to avoid impulsive decisions after ceremony (22:11)
Cultural appropriation vs. inspiration in Ayahuasca (30:24)
How to care for others in ceremony without physical contact (40:12)
Indigenous wisdom and what the Western psychedelic field can learn (45:00)
Ayahuasca for prevention, not just treatment (54:05)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Jeronimo Mazarrasa at www.ICEERS.org and www.ICEERS.academy

60 years of psychedelic research. Science, spirituality and consciousness with Bill Richards

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Bill Richards.
Bill Richards, PhD, is a pioneering clinical psychologist and researcher in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Known for his work with psilocybin and LSD since the 1960s, he contributed to groundbreaking studies at Johns Hopkins University and authored the influential book Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences.
We touch upon topics of:
How Bill began psychedelic research in Germany in the 1960s (01:18–03:39)
The psychedelic research scene in the U.S. from the 60s to 70s and its shutdown (04:31–07:52)
The revival of psychedelic research at Johns Hopkins (08:13–08:32)
The potential of psychedelics to evolve human consciousness (09:30–11:25)
The role of mystical experiences in healing and behavioral change (13:02–16:43)
Spiritual language and intuitive knowledge (17:37–20:56)
Psychedelics and reducing fear of death (22:26–27:18)
Personal beliefs on life after death and consciousness (27:54–30:56)
Future of psychedelics in medicine, religion, and education (34:31–36:28)
Educational value of mystical experiences (39:42–44:41)
Psychedelics as catalysts and keys, not the source of the experience (46:21–48:36)
Best non-psychedelic practices for accessing transcendence (50:21–54:44)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Bill Richards by reading his book Sacred Knowledge, available in 10 languages including Conocimiento Sagrado in Spanish.

Psychedelics and Magic with Julian Vayne

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Julian Vayne.
Julian is a British occultist, psychonaut, and author known for his work in chaos magic, entheogenic spirituality, and modern paganism. He’s the author of several books including Getting Higher: The Manual of Psychedelic Ceremony, and is co-organizer of the Breaking Convention conference in the UK.
We touch upon topics of:
Julian’s background and path to psychedelics and magic (00:50)
Magic as “the technology of the imagination” (05:06)
Aleister Crowley’s psychedelic rituals and Julian’s first LSD experience (05:59–09:48)
Navigating psychedelics using magical frameworks like Hermetic Kabbalah (07:27)
Language around drugs, medicines, and entheogens (08:23–09:19)
Placebo effect, imagination, and healing (29:57–30:27)
The Western magical tradition and its roots in Egypt (20:06–22:06)
Hermes Trismegistus and the Hermetic tradition (22:26–24:40)
Magic vs. religion and the self-experimentation of spiritual practice (24:40–25:39)
Using ayahuasca for spiritual gifts and personal transformation (26:45–29:27)
Spirit animals, ego inflation, and spiritual humility (33:43–34:29)
Do people have specific spiritual gifts or all of them? (35:27–38:17)
Spirits and animism explained through real-world analogies (39:36–44:22)
What shamans do and how they interact with spirits (44:22–47:42)
Lost European shamanic traditions and their traces today (47:42–52:38)
Saunas, altered states, and ancient European heat rituals (53:06–57:46)
If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com
Find more about Julian Vayne at www.julianvayne.com or on social media @julianvayne. Also check out the Breaking Convention conference and their YouTube channel for more of his work.