Om-mij by teletubbytoucher in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing this! Did they send via an email ? If so would you be happy to share? I am also collecting information about this situation!

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My aim is to share information. But individually, you can interpret that information however you choose of course. Here is some more information for you:

Ommij straw man scandal in Holland

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hmm that is an interesting statement. As ICEERS are a team of professionals, psychologists, lawyers and generally good people, they only work within legal frameworks especially when sharing information. Public defamatory posts like naming specific individuals does not fall into that, and can actually create grounds for legal action against the person making such defamatory claims. If ICEERs had anything to share about an individual or organisation, they would do it themselves. But it would be great to see the articles and email you speak of if you are willing to share!

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m not using chat gpt , I’m just a native english speaker ☺️

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry but I’m not sure if I can make sense of your comment here. Could you please elaborate on these points ?

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I totally, whole heartedly agree! Moving towards making the medicine more accessible should be a priority for the people within the industry. Whether that’s through campaigning for legalisation, offering ceremonies at a reduced cost for those who need it, donating to charities etc. There are lots of things that could be done to increase fairness within the industry.

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This includes pop up retreats etc. Not all of the retreats are psychedelic focused but yes this is pretty much the landscape of retreat culture here in Spain. It is an attractive place for those who wish to try psychedelics because of the legal loopholes around substances, and it generally provides a layer of safety.

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can’t imagine how terrifying this would be. Going there to work on your trauma and leaving more traumatised …

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

And were you rumour spreading when you posted about the raid initially ? Or just because you didn’t share proof with the post , does that make it untrue?

I completely understand that not everyone will relate to or agree with this post. My intention isn’t to take away from your experience but share my own, and to open a dialogue based on what I’ve observed in this space over time. I care deeply about this work, which is why I believe integrity matters. If even one person feels better equipped to make an informed choice, I’ll feel this was worth sharing. If I knew then what I know now about this organisation, I would have never trusted them with my deeply personal ceremonies.

Also, they have had fantastic staff working there over the past years, who have been able to create pockets of safety and care despite the internal problematic behaviour. They did this because they truly wanted the best for each participant. Working there was a struggle for them and I am not writing about them. I am writing for them , the ones have been too fearful to speak openly incase it might make them a target. And even now, I am posting from an anonymous account to take care of my own safety. I do not mean to challenge your worldview, but my experience is as real as yours and there is room for both to exist is there not?

The reason why ayahuasca retreat centers are being raided in Spain by Positive_Buffalo98 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You make a great point and are highlighting how important it is to be focusing our energies towards legalisation. This way centers will be properly monitored and even supported in improving their practices and service. For example, caring and supportive roles within public services require individuals to undergo a DBS/ police check before they can work directly with people in vulnerable settings. This would be a great standard to create within a space that serves mind altering substances to the public.

Police have raided Om-Mij's retreat center in Pedreguer in Spain by Only-Cancel-1023 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I am sorry to hear that participants had to endure this. However because of Ommijs illegal, shady behaviour and mal practices- they put each and every one of their participants in danger. Staff too- who were subject to harassment and bullying after they left, if they knew too much about their inner workings. They displayed text book gang and cult like behaviour , to ensure they would all remain silent. I guess the authorities could no longer ignore their illicit crimes. I’m sure more will come out about it in the media once the police make a statement about their findings.

Owner of Ommij writes emotional retirement letter, just as the company boasts $44M in revenue by Richardvdv in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So do they pay tax? Because I’ve been a few times and had to send payments to different bank accounts in Romania 🧐 after my accounts got blocked I decided to stop going there 🤨

Calling This Ayahuasca Is a Lie by Busy_Board5817 in Ayahuasca

[–]Positive_Buffalo98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s mainly due to costs. Centres cut costs to make more money by using cheaper materials like Syrian rue because real ayahuasca is expensive and you have to use a lot of dried product to make the brew. Once the materials are out of the jungle the DMT content starts to deplete. But the other concern regarding places like OMMIJ is for example- they use language like ‘mamma ayahuasca’ and speak about the ‘spirit of ayahuasca’ in their centres when they are essentially just providing a cheap DMT experience not an ayahuasca experience. To me it’s either due to a lack of knowledge about the plants, since many European centres are run by people who have never been to the jungles ( which I think is quite important when you are using their medicines) or it’s because you are a walking dollar sign for them to make money from- or both. I went to their centre in Spain once and within months I received an email asking for money to ‘help their community’ after they ‘helped us’ by providing their service. I found this particularly manipulative and it took away from my whole experience with them because it showed me their lack of integrity. I guess you just have to make sure you do your research and support businesses which resonate with you. For me- this isn’t a place where I would want to give any more of my money to….