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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (November 2026). They will be updated if A Return to Self submits its own information.

A Return to Self: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Iquitos, Peru

A Return to Self was a five-week ayahuasca program sold in 2022 and 2023 by a group called Arcana, founded by Mitchell Antoan and Alex Nelson, combining online preparation and integration with 7 or 14 days at a Shipibo healing center near Iquitos, Peru, that its listings describe as founded and owned by Maestra Estela, according to its Third Wave listing. It cost $2,500 to $3,250. Against that, no website, legal entity or activity after September 2023 was found, no medical staff, contraindication list, emergency plan or refund policy was published, and its only three reviews were posted within one week and reused across two directories.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A Shipibo center in the Amazon near Iquitos, Loreto, Peru; the listings do not name the center or give an address.
• Approach: Two weeks of online preparation, three ceremonies with ayahuasca or a medicine called Shamburi, an optional San Pedro ceremony, an individual plant dieta and vapor baths in Peru, then two weeks of online integration with group calls, per its AyaAdvisors listing.
• Suitable For: No one until the operator shows it still runs programs and publishes screening, medical and refund terms. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $2,500 for one week and $3,250 for two weeks in Peru, with a $500 early-bird discount in 2022 and San Pedro extra; groups of 7 to 16. No deposit or refund terms were published.
• Overall Assessment: A structured hybrid program with named Shipibo healers, offset by an untraceable operator, no published safety or refund policy, a thin and reused review base and no sign of activity since 2023. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise the facilitators’ support, sharing circles and relief from depression, anxiety and a breakup.

The negative feedback. No negative review of the program was found.

Who is writing the reviews. All three reviews were posted within one week, the same texts appear on both directories, and one reviewer says they knew the facilitators through an online men’s group. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Spanish-language news for reports involving A Return to Self, Arcana, Mitchell Antoan, Alex Nelson and the healers its listings name.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations against the program or its founders found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

The healers other than Maestra Estela are listed by first name only, which limits this search. A US tourist died after a ceremony at a different lodge in Loreto in June 2025, per Swissinfo.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening and medical support. Applicants completed a health and history form and a screening call, but no contraindication policy is published, and the medical staff section of its Third Wave listing names only the two founders, with no credentials. No emergency protocol is described for a forest center that is reached by road, dirt track and footpath from Iquitos.

Who runs it. Arcana gives no website, company, country or biographies for Mitchell Antoan or Alex Nelson beyond a claimed 20 years of combined psychedelic experience. Its listings name Maestra Estela as the host center’s founder and owner, with Maestros Guillermo, Roldan, Daniel, Tsumo and Jaco, but do not name the center itself, so we do not attribute any specific center’s record to this program.

Status. The last scheduled dates were September 2023, the early-bird offer expired in December 2022, and no website, social account or later dates were found. No closure notice or rebrand was found.

Legal context. Traditional ayahuasca use was declared national cultural heritage in Peru in 2008, per the resolution, but retreat centers are not licensed, and the US Embassy warned in March 2025 that they may lack medical supervision, per Panamericana.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Our earlier page said only that the center was potentially closed and being monitored for rebranding. A Return to Self was a program rather than a center, no activity after 2023 was found, and no rebrand was found; closure is not confirmed. The $2,500 price is confirmed as the 2022 to 2023 one-week rate. Our earlier grade was C; the grade is now C-.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No contraindications are published. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes it dangerous with SSRIs and other serotonergic drugs and that it is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

Ayahuasca and a medicine called Shamburi, which no source defines, plus optional San Pedro and an individual plant dieta. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Lowland Amazon rainforest near Iquitos.
• Rooms: A private hut for each guest, per the listings, with traditional dieta meals.
• Style: Shipibo ceremonies with three to five healers, wrapped in a Western online course on journaling, meditation, breathwork and therapy methods.

Practical guidance: Iquitos is reached only by air or river; the listings do not say whether airport transfers were included.

Should You Book?

Not unless the operator confirms current dates, the host center’s name and its screening, medical and refund terms in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Guest photos suggest the first group ran in July 2022, and the last listed dates were in September 2023. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. After you return: The program included online integration; for any retreat, arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

No current dates are listed. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed November 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.