The Lupuna (Ceiba pentandra) is the tallest and most majestic tree in the Amazon, and it's also a master plant used in traditional dietas at Takiwasi. Our therapeutic coordinator, Veronika Kavenská, tells us about its therapeutic properties, associated with strengthening energy and feminine power, as well as developing a broader perspective on life, which helps to distance oneself from everyday problems and find new perspectives and solutions.
Author : Fabio Friso, Martín Huamán
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : English, Français
In this episode of Life Projects, Francisco Ortín delves into the heart of Takiwasi in conversation with Uriel López, psychologist and one of the professionals responsible for welcoming and supporting residential patients and participants in traditional plant diets at the center. With roots in Mexico and a personal journey of seeking that led him from an initial intention to study medicine to training as a psychologist and ultimately finding his path in the Peruvian Amazon, Uriel shares his unique perspective on healing, traditional medicine, and the meeting of two worlds.
Author : Cooperativa Unión de Terapeutas
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : -
Women of the Wampís Nation are the primary guardians of the Amazonian forest and are currently leading the cultivation of naam, a nut that is eaten toasted and has a high content of nutritionally valuable fats. Naam has been a traditional food of the Wampís people, although in recent decades it has been displaced by new consumption habits. Today, Wampís women are promoting its reintegration into the family diet, especially in the nutrition of boys and girls, in a regional context where high levels of malnutrition persist. Through their relationship with Nunkui, the Mother Earth, Wampís women demonstrate that economic and community strengthening arises from deep respect for cultural roots and ancestral knowledge.
Author : Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Wampís
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : English
Black Basil (Ocimum campechianum) is a medicinal plant used in various therapeutic practices of the Peruvian Amazon. Its leaves are used in plant baths and in the preparation of infusions intended to relieve respiratory ailments. At Takiwasi, it is used as a containment plant and in retreats/diets carried out within a ritualized and isolated context. In that setting, Black Basil brings benefits to the patient by refreshing and illuminating the mind, calming excessive mentalization, and providing tranquility and peace.
Author : Fabio Friso, Martín Huamán
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : English, Français
In this webinar, we speak with Dr. Manuel Almendro, Doctor of Psychology, clinical psychologist, founder and director of the Oxígeme Center in Spain. The starting point of the conversation is the book “The Labyrinth of Ayahuasca”, in which Almendro has synthesized forty years of coexistence and scientific research with healers and traditional curanderos from the Peruvian Amazon rainforest and the Mazatec highlands of Mexico. At the same time, this opens the way to critical reflections on the current process of globalization of sacred plants and their growing distortion within the standardized practices of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Author : Martín Huamán
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : -
A conversation between the executive director of Takiwasi, psychologist Jaime Torres, and Francisco Ortín, president of the Union of Therapists Cooperative from Spain. Throughout the conversation, the following topics are explored: what Amazonian medicine is, ayahuasca and why it is important to make a responsible and truly therapeutic use of it; common mistakes when seeking solutions through ayahuasca outside a therapeutic setting; the personal steps Jaime had to take in his spiritual and professional journey.
Author : Cooperativa Unión de Terapeutas
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : -
In this conversation between our therapeutic coordinator Veronika Kavenská and Francisco Ortín, president of the Cooperative Unión de Terapeutas from Spain, the difference between spirituality and religion in a therapeutic context is explored, as well as the role of faith and spiritual seeking in personal healing and the discovery of one’s vocation, and the importance of integrating spiritual insights into daily life.
Author : Cooperativa Unión de Terapeutas
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : -
In this webinar we speak with biochemist Laura Monteagudo about the findings of a recent academic publication based on research conducted at Takiwasi on Chiric Sanango (Brunfelsia grandiflora), a master plant used in the context of diet retreats. This plant is associated with the elimination of “internal cold,” linked to deep fears, emotional blockages, and difficulties moving forward in life. Chiric Sanango does not offer quick solutions. Its action is often intense and challenging, both physically and psychologically, and requires guidance, discipline, and care after the diet. Precisely for this reason, the process can help strengthen body awareness, learn to tolerate discomfort, regulate impulses, and rebuild trust in social bonds—key aspects in the path of addiction recovery.
Author : Martín Huamán
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : -
María Virginia Erazo, Gestalt psychotherapist and member of the center’s therapeutic team, speaks with Francisco Ortín from the Cooperative Unión de Terapeutas de España. Throughout the conversation, María Virginia’s personal journey is explored: a path shaped by the influence of her grandmothers, faith, and a tireless search for a more humane and profound model of healing; the origin of addictions: how family systems and deep emotional pain are the common root of various “polyaddictions,” not only to substances but also to sex, gambling, or screens; healing as a long-term project: why treatment is only the beginning of building a new life project that may take years to consolidate.
Author : Cooperativa Unión de Terapeutas
Audio : Spanish
Subtitle : -
Our Research Manager, Matteo Politi, spoke with Illuminismo Psichedelico about the traditional uses of medicinal plants and the possibilities and limitations of including them within Western medical approaches through processes of research, standardization, and biomedical regulation. The relationship between human beings and plants has changed profoundly over time. Is it possible to envision a transformation and reinterpretation of traditional Amazonian practices within the global context, taking into account intercultural dialogue and ethical challenges?
Author : Illuminismo Psichedelico
Audio : Italian
Subtitle : -