Welcome to Vine of the Soul Retreats
Ayahuasca retreats in Europe held with care and a science-rooted approach
Small, trauma-informed plant medicine retreats in a quiet house in Portugal’s Algarve. Rooted in science, using the tools of psychology, open to the mystical, and built around a personal map that begins before the retreat and continues long after it. You choose Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, San Pedro or Bufo Alvarius.
- Max 8 guests
- English & German
- 35 min from Faro
- Since 2021
Functioning well on the outside, not quite living on the inside
Some people come to us carrying weight. Others come with a question. Many come with both.
When something weighs on you
Perhaps you have done therapy, coaching or a great deal of reading. You can explain where your patterns come from, and still they repeat. The grief, shame, guilt and old pain of the years tend to sit deeper than understanding reaches, in the body and the nervous system. We call it emotional debt. Talking alone often doesn’t reach it. Plant medicine can.
When the old answers stop working
The career, the family, the life you built, and still the quiet question: is this really it? Midlife and other transitions often arrive without anyone telling us they are a normal part of life, a passage rather than a breakdown. Plant medicine can help you meet that question directly, and sense what wants to come next.
What tends to follow
Less weight to carry, and more ease. Clarity about what matters and what no longer does. A sense of meaning and direction that comes from within. Positive changes in mood - more joy and vitality. Improved relationships and boundries. A sense of angency and direction and tools that you're going to use for the rest of your life.
Science-rooted, non-dogmatic, and never cold
Our work sits between the traditional ceremony and the clinical setting. We keep what each does well: the depth and warmth of ceremony, the rigour and safety of a therapeutic frame. We leave out what doesn’t serve you.
Close, not clinical
In a group of no more than eight, nobody goes through a difficult moment unnoticed. A facilitator comes to you and stays. You are free to sit up, take off the eye mask or hold a hand. Warmth is not an extra here; it is part of the method.
Rooted in science, open to the mystical
We work with what research shows about neuroplasticity and the nervous system, and we don’t dismiss what it cannot yet explain. Mystical experiences are taken seriously and given a psychological frame, so you can integrate them rather than only remember them. No dogma, no guru, no belief system to adopt.
Independence is the aim
We would rather you need us less. Mental wellbeing is a daily practice, like brushing your teeth, not an annual ceremony. You leave with your own tools and a clearer sense of your body, mind and soul, so that you become your own advisor.
“Psychedelics are optional. Transformation is not.”
From the first conversation to a lifelong practice
Every guest’s path is individual: what to work on, which medicine, how to prepare, what to keep practising. The ceremony is one part of it, not the whole.
Preparation
An introductory consultation: we look at what is happening for you and lay out your map. Sometimes the right first step is calming the nervous system, not a ceremony.
Ceremony
A small group, a medicine chosen with you, and facilitators who stay close. Daily sharing circles to put the experience into words while it is fresh.
Integration
An integration call once you are home, when insight has to meet everyday life, and an alumni community that stays in touch.
Self-care
Short somatic and mindfulness practices that take minutes a day and fit a busy life. Rooted in the body, so the change keeps working without the medicine.
For a longer arc of preparation and integration around your retreat: the BioPsyche Renewal Protocol™.
What our guests report, long after they have gone home
We ask our alumni, months and years after their retreat, how it has affected their lives. 82 have answered so far, across four years. We publish the results as they are.
report a positive impact on their lives.
describe the impact on their lives as moderate or life-changing.
notice “quite a lot” or “a great deal” of clarity and positive change in their daily lives.
alongside warmth and care are the number one themes guests mention most.
Plant medicine retreats in Portugal
Every retreat takes place at our house in the Algarve, in small groups, in English with German spoken too. Whichever you choose, the map is the same: an introductory consultation before, circles during, integration after.
5-Day Flexible Plant Medicine Retreat
Five days, two ceremonies of your choice included: ayahuasca, psilocybin, San Pedro or Bufo. Add more, or rest, as you go. Daily sharing circles and integration support after you are home.
2-Day Psilocybin Retreat
One psilocybin ceremony, Friday to Saturday. A gentle first step.
Single 5-MeO-DMT Ceremony
One Sunday, Bufo Alvarius one by one, with two facilitators. Introductory consultation and integration call included.
Traditional Peyote Retreat
Once a year, an all-night Hikuri ceremony with Marakame Juan from Mexico.
Retreat for Therapists
Four days of self-experience for therapists, coaches and helping professionals.
Private Retreats
On your own, as a couple, or with friends, colleagues or family, between the group dates.
Not sure which one?
Start with the Q&A video and an introductory consultation. You leave with your own map and a clear direction, whether or not you book.
What is ayahuasca?
Before choosing an ayahuasca retreat, it helps to understand what this Amazonian plant medicine is, how it works, and what it can and cannot do.
I’m not a shaman. I’m the person who needed this.
I came to this work through my own depression and burnout, after years in corporate consulting. Vine of the Soul Retreats is the offering I wish had existed when I needed it.
100+ five-star reviews from around the world
“Throughout the retreat, I felt safe, supported, and, above all, surrounded by love.”
Franziska K. · Germany“The integration circles after each ceremony were as important and healing as the ceremonies themselves.”
Max M. · United Kingdom“They integrate traditional customs with a more gentle approach for those of us who might find a jungle in Peru a bit much!”
Joka B. · Hungary“Coming from an Islamic background, I initially had concerns … But I realized that Ayahuasca is an inner journey, one that unveils the true essence of oneself.”
ASA · Saudi Arabia“No hidden costs or lack of delivering. No distractions from bells & whistles - just you, fabulous people and a profound experience.”
Harriet M. · United Kingdom“Considering how far we traveled, it was worth every single mile.”
Joeyend · PhilippinesHow to book
- 1
Watch the Q&A video on the Contact page
Most first questions are answered there.
- 2
Book your introductory consultation
75 minutes, €120, credited against your retreat if you book.
- 3
Check your email
After the consultation, you receive an email with your next steps.
- 4
Fill out the intake form
Your health background, so we can plan safely.
- 5
Pay the 50% deposit
You’re in. The rest is paid at the end of the retreat.
A session in its own right, and the first step on your map
75 minutes, one to one with Bianca, certified RTT therapist and hypnotherapist. €120, credited against your retreat if you book. Together we look at:
- what is happening for you right now, and what may lie underneath it
- whether plant medicine is the right next step, or whether stabilising your nervous system comes first
- whether it suits your health history and medication
- which retreat and medicine fit, if a retreat is the right step
- how to prepare, whether or not you book with us
Only a quick question? Send us a WhatsApp message instead.
Message us on WhatsAppPayment by PayPal, Wise, bank transfer (EUR, USD, GBP, AUD) or credit card (small fee). Coming for ayahuasca? See the dietary guidelines.
Ayahuasca retreats in Europe: common questions
Where do your retreats take place?
In a quiet house in the Algarve countryside in Portugal, about 35 minutes from Faro Airport. Groups are never larger than 8 guests.
Do I have to take ayahuasca?
No. On the 5-Day Flexible Retreat you choose two ceremonies, each with ayahuasca, psilocybin, San Pedro or Bufo, and nobody has to take ayahuasca. We also offer a 2-Day Psilocybin Retreat and single Bufo ceremonies.
Which retreat is right for me?
Most guests choose the 5-Day Flexible Retreat. If you would like a shorter first step, the 2-Day Psilocybin Retreat is a good start. The introductory consultation helps you decide.
How is this different from a clinical psilocybin programme?
Our retreats are not medical treatment. We draw on research and a trauma-informed frame, and combine it with the warmth of ceremony: a group of no more than eight, facilitators who stay close in difficult moments, and room for experiences that go beyond the clinical, which we help you integrate.
Will I need to keep coming back?
No, and we don’t want you to. The aim is that you leave with practices of your own and need the medicine less over time. Some guests return later, by choice, but the retreat is designed to be enough on its own.
Who comes to your retreats?
Guests from all over the world. The retreats are held in English, and German is spoken too, so you only need to be comfortable in one of the two.
What happens after the retreat?
Integration circles during the retreat, an integration call once you are home, short daily practices, and an alumni community. For a longer arc, the optional BioPsyche Renewal Protocol™ adds further preparation and integration sessions.
Vine of the Soul Retreats offers retreats for personal development and wellbeing. We do not provide medical treatment, psychotherapy or diagnosis, and our work does not replace them. If you live with a physical or mental health condition, please speak to a qualified professional before you book.
We do not sell, ship or supply any substances, and nothing on this page is an invitation to obtain or use them where that is against the law. Taking part in any ceremony is voluntary, after screening, and at your own responsibility.