Ayahuasca retreat high-control facilitator circles
Umbrella entry for the diverse set of Western-facing ayahuasca retreat facilitator circles (often Peru, Costa Rica, USA) that exhibit high-control patterns. Distinct from the established Brazilian Santo Daime / UDV churches.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — umbrella entry for specific high-control Western-facing ayahuasca facilitator circles; not the established Brazilian churches.
Profile facts
In context
Western ayahuasca tourism has produced multiple documented facilitator-led communities with cult-like dynamics: charismatic 'shaman' figures, substantial retreat fees, severance from outside therapists, sexual misconduct, and occasional retreat deaths. Specific cases include the 2018 Sebastian Woodroffe lynching aftermath, multiple Western-facilitator sexual-misconduct allegations.
Key control doctrines
- Charismatic 'shaman' authority
- Plant-medicine sacrament framing
- Severance from outside therapy
Recovery resources
- The Dream (podcast) — Jane Marie's investigative podcast on MLM cults.
- Anti-MLM Coalition — Ex-distributor advocacy community focused on MLM exit and financial recovery.
- Truth in Advertising (TINA.org) — Consumer-protection watchdog tracking MLM income-claim and product-safety issues.
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- Multiple retreat deaths and misconduct cases
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 2000s+Western ayahuasca tourism boom
- 2010s+Multiple high-profile incidents
Sources
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Wellness / MLM.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.