What is an addiction?
Addiction is a dependency on anything unbalancing which initially gives pleasure but ultimately ends up with dependency and a feeling of emptiness which cannot be filled by the continuance of the addiction. Additionally dependency creates a disempowerment that further reduces free will. It’s a dead end street usually with more and more of the stimulus required for less and less ‘benefit.’
 
It can be described in many ways - physiological,  emotional, mental and spiritual . Each of those descriptions is an aspect of the whole and thus partially true. The full picture comes together when looking at the whole. Each of us can deal with it by using the tools available within the physiological, emotional, mental and spiritual realms of ourselves.
 

So , how can one escape the consequences of this partial loss of free will and regain personal sovereignty?

Firstly, it's important to make clear that during your time with us we will be helping you to help yourself so that you personally heal yourself. Do not trust therapy which ends up fooling you into continuously depending on it! That's just another surrender of your free will and thus a disempowerment. If you leave The RA Initiative feeling even a little more personally empowered and able to use your innate power to heal yourself, then we will have succeeded to some extent. A feature of some addictions however is that there is no halfway house and only full avoidance of the addictive element works. This means that at a conscious level there is still the addictive desire and the ‘programming’ regarding negative association needs reinforcing to prevent relapse. Under such circumstances either a return to RA would be beneficial or reinforcing treatment with a qualified psychologist at home.

 

So, you will be encouraged to :-
1. Take personal responsibility for your condition.
2. Look at the emotional reasons why you subconsciously have an  addiction - what was the reward and why was it so compelling?
3. Let go of the past - the ‘movie of your life’ and realise you are the director of the movie and something has usurped your directorship.
4. Forgive yourself, don't judge - accept what has happened.
5. Look at it energetically- not simply as whatever it is you are addicted to in its physical manifestation but what it represents energetically/spiritually.
6. Learn to think of the addiction as initially a valuable sign showing you that something needs changing then regarding it as something no longer pleasurable. 

In what forms will these steps be encouraged ?
 

Discussion.
Meditations and Affirmations (various).
Ayahuasca ceremonies and what flows from them, i.e. the personal insights and the Curanderos received insights and subsequent advice.

How long should the program last?
How ingrained is your addiction and how flexible and committed are you?
Anti-addiction programs in non institutionalised environments and rehab centers typically can be anything from 30 days up to a year!
The minimum stay at RA would be 30 days. If you can't afford it then you could come as a volunteer and we would work out a personalised arrangement.
Alternatively, just come for a short stay of 7 or 12 days, and you might find that the Ayahuasca experience alone is sufficient to break an addiction. Many people, whether addicted to alcohol or just fairly heavy social drinkers, simply don't feel like drinking much if at all. It's even been (rarely) reported that this has happened after just one ceremony.
Traditional Indian Vedic Hospitals have been using plant energy to aid their patients for thousands of years and to this day some will seem more like a farm/ garden than a western style hospital. Simply by working with plants and especially with physical contact with the soil/ground has a proven therapeutic effect.

Home environment
A major reason for going back to the old habit is the social environment one returns to after the program. We would talk/email before you come to RA about your strategy for dealing with your home environment on completion of the retreat and would like some post retreat communication after about a month or earlier if wanted.
 

Note: Unless we have a trained psychologist with a special interest and knowledge of addiction therapy present, you would be coming when I (Director/Facilitator) am present and available . My formal psychological education is limited to what I learnt whilst studying Dentistry. My informal education has been informed by what I have learned in private study and life/work experience. Whether you are under my ‘wing‘ or a qualified psychologist, there can of course be no guarantees of success.

 

As a formal volunteer, you would be working with the rainforest plants as part of a program, as well as being encouraged to further do so at your own leisure . 

Post retreat advice and support.
First some advice which might preclude support at home.
Integration
After the ceremonies are over, you will probably go home or continue travelling. If you do then try to take some time off from anything stressful, complicated or challenging for at least a few days. So often,  people have these amazing potentially life changing experiences only to loose some of the benefit by not integrating what has been learned. Also, keep free of animal foods for about 2 weeks, if not I would say be very careful about the quality of the meat you might eat. If an animal has been fed antibiotics and killed in the way most are, then stress hormones and the attendant vibration will be in the animals flesh and you will still be more open to such stimuli for at least a week or two after the last ceremony (and indeed perhaps for the rest of your life!) So keep to the Ayahuasca diet for at least two weeks. 
 
If you can spare the time I would  recommend that you take the option of staying in RA for at least a few days to allow yourself to get to grips with all the experiences. Few retreats offer this option because its not good for profits. We do offer this because its not primarily about financial profit, it's about helping people.

Need advice after the retreat? You can text on WhatsApp or Email and we will get back to you, often very soon, but always within a few days.