Light and Love Spiritual Center
Atmosphere
Features
Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (November 2026). They will be updated if Light and Love Spiritual Center submits its own information.
Light and Love Spiritual Center: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
Status note (November 2026): We found no website, dates, address or activity for Light and Love Spiritual Center after August 2023; it appears to be inactive. Best Retreats keeps listings so a center’s history stays on the public record. If you have current information, please let us know.
Light and Love Spiritual Center is listed on AyaAdvisors as an ayahuasca center in Las Terrenas, Samaná, run by Nils Patrick, a self-described healer, music therapist and shaman introduced to shamanism by a Peruvian master in 2013, and Tamara Gallardo, a self-described holistic psychologist, with unnamed “Shipibo Onaya” healers. The listing is unverified and unclaimed, gives no website, address, prices or dates, and its only review is a one-star “Avoid!” from August 2023. No screening, contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan has ever been published, the shaman’s bio claims he has healed depression, addiction and OCD, and DMT is a controlled hallucinogen under Dominican law.
🎯 At a Glance
- Locations: Las Terrenas, Samaná, Dominican Republic, according to its AyaAdvisors listing. No street address or GPS is published.
- Approach: Ayahuasca with Shipibo-style healing, Brazilian rapé and a heart-healing ceremony, mixed with music therapy, coaching, biodecoding, NLP, mindfulness and Feng Shui.
- Suitable For: No one, until the operator publishes an address, screening, emergency plan and current dates.
- Costs: No price is published; the listing says to make contact. Our earlier price of $300 is unverified.
- Overall Assessment: An anonymous, apparently inactive operation with one negative review, no safety framework of any kind, unsupported healing claims and legal exposure for DMT in the Dominican Republic. Directory evaluation: D.
💬 What Guests Are Saying
| Platform | Rating | Reviews | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AyaAdvisors | 1.0 / 5 | 1 | August 2023; listing not verified |
| Retreat Guru (teacher page) | None | 0 | No center page or events |
The positive picture. The one reviewer calls Tamara “super sweet.”
The negative feedback. The same August 2023 reviewer adds that this is “about all the good” to say about the experience, and ends: “Avoid!” No details are given. Unverified.
Who is writing the reviews. No one else, publicly. The facilitator bios on AyaAdvisors and Retreat Guru are the same operator-supplied text. 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 Light and Love Spiritual Center, Nils Patrick, Tamara Gallardo and ayahuasca in Las Terrenas.
- Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving this center.
- Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
- Theft and fraud: None found.
- Legal action: None found.
The only adverse item is the unverified 2023 review above. Our earlier profile found no incidents.
If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.
🔍 Critical Notes
Who runs it. No website, address, company or full surname for Nils Patrick appears anywhere. His bio says he trained for a year and a half with a Peruvian master named as “J. Huaya,” has practiced for about ten years in Germany and the Dominican Republic and has led over 300 ceremonies. Tamara Gallardo describes herself as a holistic psychologist, actress and Feng Shui practitioner; no license is given.
Safety. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. Nils Patrick’s bio says he has “healed patients” with depression, addictions and OCD.
Legal context. DMT is listed as a Category I hallucinogen in the Dominican Republic’s drug law, Law 50-88, alongside LSD, mescaline and psilocybin, with prison terms for distribution, according to the law’s text. No legal framework or exemption for ayahuasca ceremonies was found.
Corrections to our earlier profile. The latest review is from 2023, not 2022, and it is negative. Psychotherapy is attributed to Tamara Gallardo, not Nils Patrick, and our earlier profile omitted her. No source connects Bethany Dalton-Kash, also called Bethany Dalton, to this center; her described master’s in Integral Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, women’s studies certificate from Portland State University, Hakomi training, study under Joseph Martinez at the Spiritual Healing Center in San Francisco, work at the Holos Institute and teaching in Light Studies remain unverified. Guest praise attributed to Quora (2022) and a retreat platform (2022) for healing ceremonies and a supportive environment also remains unverified. The Las Terrenas location, ayahuasca ceremonies, Nils Patrick’s ancestral medicine and music therapy, Shipibo traditions, the absence of dates and of a website, and the likelihood that it is inactive are confirmed.
🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks
No screening, contraindications, medical staff or emergency protocol was ever 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
The brew is not described. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. Rapé was also offered.
📍 Location, Setting & Style
- Setting: A beach town on the Samaná peninsula; the property itself is not described.
- Rooms: Not described.
- Style: Ayahuasca mixed with coaching and alternative therapies.
Practical guidance: No contact details, transfers or group sizes are published.
Should You Book?
No. There is no way to verify who runs it or whether it operates, no safety framework, and DMT is controlled in the Dominican Republic. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.
The Team & Story
Nils Patrick also describes youth education work and a children’s charity in Germany, rapé healing and “101” shamanism courses. Tamara Gallardo lists coaching certificates from Chile and training in biodecoding, NLP and mindfulness. The listing appears to date from late 2022. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.
Prep & Integration Tips
Before you go anywhere: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. After you return: Arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Facilitators named by first name | Only review is one star: “Avoid!” |
| No deaths or assaults found | No address, website, entity or safety framework |
| None verified | Unsupported claims of healing mental illness |
| None verified | DMT controlled in the Dominican Republic; apparently inactive |
Book Your Ceremony
No dates or current contact details are published. 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.