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

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3,000 ceremonies; 0 hospitalizations