Sam Believ came to Colombia as a Latvian oil-and-gas engineer with a depression he could not name. Today he runs LaWayra, the highest-rated ayahuasca retreat in South America, and has served close to 3,000 people. I asked him the question I have been trying to answer for my forthcoming book: what does the safety data actually look like when you are not a clinical trial, but a jungle with a shaman and thirty-seven staff. His answer is the most honest field account I have heard. My new book, The Adverse Effects and Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Medicines (Park Street Press), publishes May 5, and Sam's work sits inside it.
00:00 Welcome and the Case for Tribal Community
01:40 From Latvia to Colombia, How Sam Got Here
06:02 Running the Retreat, What's on Sam's Mind
10:59 Running Four Businesses in One Jungle
14:08 Frequency and the Indigenous vs Western Debate
21:53 Dosing, Why You Trust the Shaman Not a Scale
24:10 The Bastardization Argument, Tobacco Cacao Coca
26:17 Adverse Effects, What 3,000 Ceremonies Have Shown
30:58 The Facility, 12 Cabins and a Hospital 10 Minutes Away
33:20 Is Colombia Safe, The Narcos Reframe
39:43 From Oil-and-Gas Engineer to Hippie with a Purpose
43:56 Marxism, AI Unemployment, and Finland's Homeless Solution
52:44 Hydration, Closing, and the Invitation
Sam Believ's work:
- LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat — https://ayahuascaincolombia.com
- Ayahuasca Podcast with Sam Believ — https://ayahuascapodcast.com
- Sam's Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/sambeliev
- LaWayra Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/lawayra_ayahuasca
Dr. Miller's books:
- The Adverse Effects and Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Medicines (Park Street Press, May 5, 2026) — https://www.amazon.com/Adverse-Therapeutic-Potential-Psychedelic-Medicines-ebook/dp/B0FNDPSMJ1
- Master Your Mind — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHWFZ362
Dr. Miller's website: https://drrichardlouismiller.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drrichardlouismiller
