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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (November 2026). They will be updated if La Vida Divine Healing Institute submits its own information.

La Vida Divine Healing Institute: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Macas, Ecuador

La Vida Divine Healing Institute is a small plant medicine retreat in the owners’ home near Macas, Morona Santiago, with ceremonies in a riverside hut led by a Shuar healer known as Taita Tsentsek. It has been run since mid-2020 by Jhoselyn, who describes herself as a registered nurse and curandera, and her wife, known as Gaddy, who market it as BIPOC and queer-women-owned, according to LGBTQ Nation. Before that, it operated from at least 2015 as “Ayahuasca In Ecuador.” Its ten-day retreat, with three ayahuasca ceremonies and one San Pedro, costs $2,500 to $2,800 for groups of up to six. It rates 4.9 on AyaAdvisors from 67 reviews. Against that, no contraindication policy is published, the only medically trained person is the owner, reported remote at times, intimate-touch sessions are sold alongside ceremonies, platform reviews appear recycled from press testimonials, and no legal entity was found.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Near Macas, Morona Santiago, Ecuador, beside a road into town, with ceremonies in a riverside hut, according to reviews on AyaAdvisors. No address or GPS is published.
• Approach: Ayahuasca and Huachuma (San Pedro) ceremonies with a Shuar healer, plus temazcal, sobadas, breathwork, yoga, sound healing, art therapy and paid add-ons including tantric and “Goddess Touch” sessions.
• Suitable For: Guests, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ guests, wanting a very small, affirming group, after getting medical screening terms in writing. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: From $2,500 in a shared room to $2,800 in a private room for the ten-day program, with a $515 deposit refundable in full only 60 or more days out, per BookRetreats. Transfers from Quito, about 6.5 hours by road, cost $220 to $350 extra. Our earlier prices of $1,600 and $3,000 are unverified.
• Overall Assessment: A long record of warm, detailed reviews and an affirming small-group setting, offset by thin medical safeguards, intimate-touch services sold beside psychedelic ceremonies, review and identity inconsistencies, and no disclosed entity. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise small groups of two to four, a family feel, the riverside hut, the Shuar healer, home-cooked food, integration follow-up and, since 2021, a space where Black and queer guests felt safe.

The negative feedback. A January 2021 reviewer, in the current owners’ first season, says advertised yoga and sound baths were not offered, the owner appeared only by video while her father ran the site, the healer then serving used his phone in ceremony, and a very large San Pedro dose left the reviewer needing help to walk after the circle closed. A 2017 reviewer, under the previous owners, says no one asked about health or medications. Both unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. Three BookRetreats reviews from late 2024 and early 2025 closely match guest testimonials printed in LGBTQ Nation in May 2024, and all seven are five stars across every category. The AyaAdvisors listing still offers a discount for mentioning AyaAdvisors. 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 La Vida Divine, Ayahuasca In Ecuador, its owners past and present and its healer.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving this center.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

The safety complaints are the two unverified reviews above. Our earlier profile found no incidents.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening. Listings describe an intake form and a video or “clearance” call, but no contraindication policy on SSRIs, MAOIs, heart conditions, psychiatric history or pregnancy is published.

Medical support. Jhoselyn is listed as the medical staff, as a registered nurse with “19+ years,” but no license or jurisdiction is given; one 2022 article says she left nursing, a 2024 article says she works as an ER nurse, and a 2021 review says she managed by video while away. No emergency protocol is published. Hospital General de Macas is in town.

Intimate-touch services. Yoni massage and a “Sacred Spot Tantric Session” are sold as add-ons by the same team that serves psychedelics. No misconduct has been alleged, but intimate touch near plant medicine raises consent and power concerns.

Who runs it. The owner appears as Jhoselyn Catalina Riffo, Jhoselyn Thomas and Jhoselyn Gaddy across listings, the contact number is a US one, and no Ecuadorian company or tax number (RUC) was found. Old listing text on AyaAdvisors still says San Pedro has reportedly healed “cancer, diabetes, and paralysis.”

Legal context. Ecuador does not specifically criminalize ayahuasca in traditional ceremonial settings, but DMT is controlled and there is no retreat licensing, according to Mind Medicine Law.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The center did not start in 2021: the current owners took over in mid-2020 from Ken Johnson and a partner known as Sun, who ran “Ayahuasca In Ecuador” from at least 2015. Current groups are one to six, not seven; prices run $2,500 to $2,800 for the ten-day program, not $3,000; and arrival is through Quito, not Coca. The house sits beside a road into Macas rather than deep in the jungle. A six-day $2,500 program with two ceremonies, “gourmet” meals, testimonials on ayahuascainecuador.com, a 2023 Reddit post describing a positive experience, and 2025 dates of July 22 to 27 and October 8 to 13 remain unverified. The BIPOC and queer-women ownership, Shuar healer, ten-day program with three ayahuasca ceremonies and one San Pedro, somatic work and workshops, trips to La Yantsa waterfall, the Upano River and Tayos Cave, translators, and hosts Jhoselyn and Gaddy are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Screening calls are described but no contraindications are published, and the only clinician named is the owner. 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. Ask for San Pedro doses to be stated in advance. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The brew’s preparation is not described. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. Huachuma (San Pedro) is also served, and a 2023 directory listing mentioned psilocybin.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Amazon foothills near Macas, with a garden, hammocks and a ceremonial hut by the river.
• Rooms: Four named rooms in the owners’ house, two with private bathrooms, plus Wi-Fi.
• Style: Affirming small-group retreats mixing Shuar ceremony with wellness and coaching, including BIPOC-only cohorts.

Practical guidance: There are no direct flights to Macas; transfers from Quito take about 6.5 hours, and buses run from Quito, Cuenca and Guayaquil.

Should You Book?

Only after getting a written contraindication policy, confirming who is medically responsible on site during your dates, and deciding whether you want any intimate-touch service at a plant medicine retreat. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Jhoselyn, an Ecuadorian who says she has worked with the Shuar healer Tsentsek since 2017, and Gaddy, from Baltimore with a background in music and community work, took over in 2020. Earlier healers named in reviews include Alberto, who served until early 2021. Tsentsek is described as a Shuar uwishin with 50 years’ experience; his identity is not independently confirmed. 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 center offers monthly online integration meetings; 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

Dates for 2027 are listed on BookRetreats. 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.