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Tribute to Ermitaño
Even before the founding of the Takiwasi Center, I met Ermitaño cutting dry firewood in the forest, not far from my dieta hut. He would rise early in the morning to gather his load of wood, which he later sold; it was his livelihood. His sincerity and simplicity touched me, and I offered him a small job after my dieta. First privately, then at Takiwasi, where he became the very first worker.
Abused as a child and deeply traumatized, he stammered and lived alone in poverty. Children would harass him in the streets as if he were the village fool. His name, Ermitaño, seemed to have sealed a fate of loneliness and destitution. If we are asked to recover our childhood spirit, Ermitaño never lost his. And it was precisely this spirit that he spread throughout Takiwasi and shared with everyone he met. Faced with our existential anxieties, our mental speculations, and our intellectual questioning, Ermitaño was the constant reminder of our need for humility, simplicity, and innocent joy in daily life.
In the mystery of divine design, Ermitaño played a key role at Takiwasi, a role we may not have fully deciphered to this day. As guardian of the Spirit of Takiwasi, his passing seems to mark the end of an era for Takiwasi and the beginning of another.
From wherever he may be today, may Ermitaño continue to accompany us and preserve the Spirit of Takiwasi with the same simplicity and purity of heart, that authentic innocence he embodied with us for 38 years of his life.
Jacques Mabit, August 2025.
By clicking on the button below, you will find the full tribute by Dr. Jacques Mabit, as well as other texts, photos, and videos in honor of Ermitaño, the first worker of Takiwasi, who passed away last July.
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Interview with indigenous leader Nemonte Nenquimo
Interview in Spanish with Nemonte Nenquimo, Indigenous Waorani Leader from the Ecuadorian Amazon and Renowned Defender of the Rights, Territory, Culture, and Spirituality of Indigenous Peoples.
Nemonte Nenquimo is the co-founder of the Ceibo Alliance organization and has led significant battles against oil extraction in the rainforest, achieving in 2019 a historic legal victory that protected over 200,000 hectares of ancestral forest. In 2020, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world and received the Goldman Prize, considered the “Nobel Prize for the environment.” Her work combines political leadership, spiritual activism, and a deep commitment to the ancestral wisdom of her people.
Nemonte first came to know Takiwasi in May 2024, when she participated in a seminar organized in collaboration with Alianza Ceibo and Amazon Frontlines, aimed at a group of 12 Indigenous women leaders from the Amazonian peoples of the Siona, Waorani, Cofán, Siekopai, and from the Cayambi community in the Ecuadorian highlands. During this experience, the therapeutic work with master plants allowed the participants to begin a deep process of personal healing, addressing internal wounds, emotional blockages, and painful memories. Following this experience, Nemonte decided to return to Takiwasi to deepen her personal process with the plants. This search for inner balance reflects her commitment to her people and to the broader call to reconnect with the Earth, restore ancestral memory, and strengthen the links between healing, leadership, and spirituality.
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Master Plants Retreat for Veterans and First Responders
Military veterans and first responders often carry invisible wounds such as PTSD, anxiety, traumatic brain injuries, hypervigilance, depression. At Takiwasi, we’ve created a unique therapeutic retreat to help them heal through traditional Amazonian plant medicine, held in a safe, structured, and ritualized setting.
This retreat offers a powerful opportunity for transformation, for reconnecting with oneself, finding clarity and forgiveness, and restoring emotional balance. Many participants report breakthroughs here that years of conventional therapy couldn’t provide.
In August, we successfully concluded the retreat-diets for military veterans and first responders scheduled for 2025. We will soon announce the dates for 2026. For more information, you can write to us at: healingheroes@takiwasi.com
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Reconstruction of a pedestrian bridge in the kichwa-lamista native community of Santa Cruz
A few years ago, our beloved healer Edgardo Tuanama, who has accompanied many of you in ayahuasca ceremonies and master plant diets, launched a community initiative in his hometown of Santa Cruz, a Kichwa-Lamista community located in the district of San José de Sisa, San Martín region. Edgardo enthusiastically decided to build a pedestrian bridge that would connect two sections of the community separated by a ravine. Unfortunately, the heavy rains of November 2024 caused a massive flooding, which completely destroyed the bridge, which had been built with so much effort.
After a period of reflection, Edgardo has made the firm decision to rebuild the bridge, aware of the vital importance this infrastructure represents for his community. This bridge will allow children to attend school regularly and enable farmers’ agricultural products to reach the village market more easily. It will have a particularly positive impact on elderly and sick people, who currently face great difficulties crossing the ravine, preventing timely care in case of emergencies. We estimate that around 15 indigenous families will directly benefit from this connection route.
If you would like to help Edgardo and his community make this project a reality, you can make a donation via Credit/Debit Card, PayPal, or Bank Transfer. You can find more information and the options to donate by clicking the button below.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support.
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Wampis Nation representatives visiting Takiwasi
During the first week of August, we had the honor of receiving an official visit at Takiwasi from a delegation of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation (GTANW). The delegation was composed of pamuk Teófilo Kukush Pati, President of GTANW; Shapiom Noningo Sesen, Technical Secretary; and Patricio Chumpi Serecam, Director of Intercultural Health.
The GTANW is the representative body of the Wampís people, who inhabit the northeastern Amazon of Peru, in the Santiago and Morona river basins, near the border with Ecuador. Established in 2015 through the collective will of its more than 15,300 inhabitants and 22 communities, its mission is to guarantee autonomy and safeguard both the environment and culture across an extensive territory of more than 1.3 million hectares. Since then, it has promoted initiatives aimed at defending their territory, conserving the Amazon, ensuring the responsible use of natural resources, and strengthening the local economy.
Within this framework, the Wampís Nation maintains an agreement and strategic alliance with the Takiwasi Center, particularly through our Natural Products Laboratory. This collaboration seeks to develop joint projects for the sustainable use of biodiversity, combining traditional knowledge with scientific criteria in order to transform medicinal and aromatic plants into high-quality, value-added products. In this way, it aims to generate economic opportunities for the Wampís communities while preserving their natural and cultural heritage.
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The Mother-Child Bond in the Development
and Overcoming of Addiction
We invite you on Thursday, September 4 at 11:00 am (Peru time) to this webinar in Spanish led by María Virginia Erazo, Gestalt Psychotherapist specialized in the treatment of addictions and member of the Takiwasi team, who will address the fundamental role of the maternal bond in the development and overcoming of this issue.
During the talk, clinical case examples will be shared to provide a more concrete understanding of how maternal dynamics create processes of dependency and codependency.
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Purgahuasca: From the Initiation Ritual
to the Therapeutic Applications
For those who were unable to attend the live event, we share here the video of last month's research talk in Spanish: “Purgahuasca: From Initiation Ritual to Therapeutic Applications”, featuring our Executive Director, Jaime Torres.
Inspired by the tradition passed on to Takiwasi by the Awajún master Walter Cuñachi, the Purgahuasca ritual (a diluted decoction of the vine Banisteriopsis caapi), has been incorporated since 1998 into the therapeutic protocol of the Takiwasi Center for the treatment of addiction. Over the years, testimonials from both therapists and patients have confirmed its effectiveness and therapeutic value as an alternative modality for ingesting Ayahuasca.
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Reconstruction of the Maloca
Dear friends,
The new maloca for our patients is almost ready. We are very happy to share with you that we have completed the construction of the side walls, the renovation of the floor, and the installation of the electrical system.
We are deeply grateful for your support, which has allowed us to quickly turn an unfortunate event like the fall of a tree, into an opportunity for renewal and growth.
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Retreats/Diets with Master Plants 2025-2026
We have scheduled the dates for our first Retreats/Dietas with Master Plants for 2026.
• 12 - 24 January
• 9 - 21 February
• 9 - 21 March
Registrations are still open for the upcoming retreats in 2025.
• 8 - 20 September
• 6 - 18 October
• 3 - 15 November
• 1 - 13 December
For more information and to start the registration process please write to: terapia@takiwasi.com
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Digital Books Catalog
Our collection of books in Spanish on traditional Amazonian medicine, anthropology, psychotherapy, spirituality, and ethnomedicine is a unique resource for researchers, therapists, educators, and all those interested in the intersection of ancestral knowledge and modern science.
Featured titles include: "Ritual del Ayahuasca" by Dr. Rosa Giove, exploring the ceremonial use of Ayahuasca and its recognition as Cultural Heritage of the Peruvian Nation.
There is also a book in English entitled "New Applications of Amazonian Indigenous Practices for Drug Addiction Treatment and Mental Health" which is a compilation of material produced by Dr. Jacques Mabit.
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