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We have been hosting ayahuasca retreats since 1996. Our center is based in the midst of the beautiful Atlantic Rainforest along the coast of Bahia in Brazil. We facilitate a safe and comfortable space for you to achieve harmony in your everyday life by aligning your mind, body, and heart with your true self.
Our 9 day and 11 day ayahuasca retreats are designed to give you a balanced experience. We have ayahuasca ceremonies every other night and in between there are activities to integrate your experiences and insights. There is also ample free time to reflect, to enjoy the beauty of the jungle, to visit the gorgeous beaches, and just to relax, let go, and enjoy the pure bliss of the moment.
Calendar and prices on our website
We have extensive experience integrating ayahuasca, psychology, shamanism, self development, modified states of consciousness, and various other modalities. We are present at all times and are dedicated in supporting you with loving care, attention, safety, and respect.The activities include workshops focused on spiritual development. The techniques covered in the workshops can be practiced even after the retreat to continue the journey of personal growth. Some of the topics include inner child integration, life progression, discovering the source of your blockages and the resources to overcome them. Another very important part of the retreat are the Yoga sessions in the morning which greatly enrich the ayahuasca experiences at night.
Spirit Vine & TheVine Center previously known as Ayahuasca-Healing have been created by Silvia Polivoy. She received her license in clinical psychology and had a private practice in Buenos Aires, Argentina for several years until she began to feel the need to make a transition from studying and healing the mind to exploring the worlds of Spirit. This took her away from the busy city streets to the more tranquil life in the jungle, moving to Brazil where in 2004 she co-founded the TheVine Center, a trans-denominational and inter-faith spiritual center located in the state of Bahia.
The nature of our nonprofit center is philosophical, religious, mystical, spiritual, educational, and cultural. All the retreats’ income’ serves to maintain the center grounds, create employment for the local community, and help preserve the jungle, having replanted thousands of native trees over the years to give but one example.
The retreats take place inside of 39 acres of lush preserved area. It is about 7 miles from Itacaré on the coast of Bahia. Our location is only minutes away from beautiful coastal beaches, which back onto the Mata Atlántica, the second largest rainforest in Brazil.
The experience of sacred tea ceremonies can be challenging for some, deeply religious for others, but profound all around. Please note that we have several programs to offer and the plant ceremonies are always optional and not required to partake in during any of our retreats. The plant ceremonies begin in the evening and go through the night. The group dynamic is very important and there will be facilitators to look after participants throughout. There will be plenty of time for group discussions and also time alone to reflect on the experiences elicited by the spirit vine tea for those that wish to partake in the plant ceremonies.
At the retreat center we grow our own ayahuasca vine and chacruna plants organically! We also have an organic garden to source vegetables for the food prepared during the retreat. We have pure spring water for drinking and also coconut water, juices, and a variety of teas.
During all our programs we follow a strict (though delicious) diet. The meals are completely vegan, gluten-free, and nutritionally balanced, prepared by our in-house chef who has specialized in vegan cuisine and has a post-graduation in functional nutrition. They include plenty of fresh vegetables cooked with delicious herbs and spices, luscious fresh tropical fruits, salads, and grains.
A note about sexual abstinence: this varies from culture to culture; some recommending as long as 30-40 days while others as little as one day or none at all like here in Brazil. For energetic purposes we recommend sexual abstinence during the retreat as well as 3 days before it begins and 3 days after the retreat concludes. As well, a drug free and no salt diet with no red meat, pork or heavy alcohol use for the same amount of time is optimal.
We fully expect you have questions about the retreats, programs and the facilities we offer. Please feel free to explore our website or watch our videos and write to us to come to one of our retreats.
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lachheb_mouad
August 3, 2025 at 7:34 pmWhen I first arrived at the retreat, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I came with an open mind, but also with many doubts especially about myself. I’ve never been a very social person. It’s always been hard for me to connect with new people, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to feel comfortable around others in such a vulnerable setting.
But what happened during those days truly changed something inside me. From the very beginning, I was welcomed with warmth and acceptance. Slowly, I started letting go of the social anxiety that had been holding me back for so long. I realized I had built walls around myself that no longer served me and the people around me helped me feel safe enough to lower those walls. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged. And that opened the door to a deep personal transformation.
Each ceremony brought something new. Even when I didn’t “feel” much on the outside, I now understand that there was a lot happening within. One particular ceremony hit me deeply. I felt a powerful emotion rising a moment of forgiveness, of wanting to release everything I had held onto. It was as if I saw my life flash before me, and I was finally ready to stop hurting myself with old habits. That one night gave me clarity I had been searching for for years.
The environment created by Silvia and Elvis made all the difference. Silvia is not just a facilitator she’s a true guide. Her energy is calm, caring, and completely grounded. She knew exactly how to support us, when to step in, and when to simply hold space. I felt seen, heard, and respected at all times. Even after the retreat ended, Silvia continued to check in and respond to my questions. That level of care and commitment meant the world to me. She didn’t just do her job she truly stayed with me on this journey.
Elvis, her assistant, was also such a gift. Always present, supportive, and full of positive energy. He made me feel safe and taken care of throughout every part of the experience.
I also want to mention the food it was incredibly good. You can tell it was made with love and attention. Clean, nourishing, and fully aligned with the work we were doing. It made me feel supported on every level, not just spiritually, but physically too.
The workshops offered throughout the retreat were so helpful. They prepared us mentally and emotionally and gave us tools that I know I’ll keep using in my life going forward. Each activity had a clear purpose, and they were all delivered in a way that felt natural and honest.
This retreat helped me reconnect with myself in a way I didn’t think was possible. I faced parts of myself I had ignored for years, and I came out stronger. I still don’t have all the answers, but I now feel like I have a direction and a deep trust in the process.
I’m truly grateful to Silvia and Elvis for their guidance and kindness, and to the entire group of participants who helped me break through barriers I’ve carried my whole life. I can say with confidence that I’ll be back.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything.
Marc-Henri
July 26, 2025 at 4:06 pmTwo years later, we are at our 4th retreat in this center, and I want to make a new review: This is the fourth time my wife and I have taken part in a retreat at SpiritVine, and each time has been a unique experience — surprisingly deep, and always building upon the previous one. SpiritVine is the perfect place to discover or deepen the path of consciousness that Ayahuasca opens up. The setting is beautiful, and above all, it offers a sense of complete safety — which is essential for surrendering fully to the depth of the experience. Silvia brings the richness of her personal experience, both as a psychotherapist and as an explorer of expanded states of consciousness. We absolutely recommend it.
And here is our review made in 2023 after our first retreat: This place is amazing, a little paradise. Everything is beautiful, from nature to the food and accommodations. But most important, Silvia and her helpers provide such a safe space to enter this journey with the medicine. Her grounded presence, her workshops, and guidance, and the whole setting allow the participants to enter deeply into this experience and give precious tools to integrate it afterward. Taking Ayahuasca is a serious adventure, and I cannot imagine a better place to do it. It was, for me, probably the most intense, healing, difficult, transformative, and mystical experience of my life.
michelle33
July 21, 2025 at 9:09 pmMy experience at Spirit Vine was life changing. I don’t think I could have accessed, and begun to process, childhood trauma without the entire experience. As soon as you enter Spirit Vine, you feel you’ve entered a safe, soul hospital in another dimension where you can rest and find your true self.
As someone with social anxiety, the group setting felt really challenging for me at first, but by the end of the trip, I had a deeper understanding of why I felt triggered by strangers and even came out with life long friends who I shared the depths of my soul with.
Every detail is meticulously planned out so that you can truly focus on healing. The bungalows are immaculate, the food is nourishing and delicious, the nature/pond is restorative, the multiple ceremonies help you cultivate unforgettable experiences with the medicine (you need to do this more than once to learn how to respond) the schedule allows for reflection, the group sessions teach you so much, the workshops give you lasting skills, and Silvia takes the time to go deeper with all who ask for her—making herself available multiple times a day for questions/support. With her decades of experience, she knows how to help you get to the heart of issues and gives ample support in helping you reshape your past to have your best possible future.
I can go an on and on. This experience has truly changed my life for the better. I had major transformations that were not possible after years of traditional talk and EMDR therapy.
Thank you to Silvia, Elvis, and the whole Spirit Vine tribe for holding me while I looked within myself. I’m so much freer now.
ABA
July 20, 2025 at 2:26 pmThis was my first experience with Ayahuasca. Although I was anxious to experiment these 11 days, my fear disappeared as soon as we entered Silvia’s property. A true haven of peace with abundant and beautiful nature.
What a blessing to be able to have 5 ceremonies during the stay as each one is different, each one is so powerful and so healing. All this has been possible thanks to the professionalism and immense knowledge of Silvia and the precious help of Elvis who also took very good care of us all.
Not to mention the delicious food and the housing; it was fantastic.
Thank you so much
fenreer
July 12, 2025 at 2:08 pmI attended Spirit Vine in January of 2024. I waited a year and a half to write this review because I wanted to complete my integration with that experience. My time at Spirit Vine was so transformative that it took me this long to finally feel like I had integrated all of the lessons from it.
When I arrived at Spirit Vine I was suicidal. I had lost my job nearly six months prior to the retreat and I was struggling to find work. I have a lot of childhood trauma that continued to haunt me throughout my period of unemployment which made finding work that much more difficult. I had considered blowing my brains out with a .357 magnum in the back yard, but if I’m being completely honest I didn’t have the “guts” to pull the trigger. I felt even worse at the time that I didn’t have what it took to just end it, but that turned out to be a beautiful blessing.
The retreat was wonderful. The set and setting are as good as you can possibly ask for and I am incredibly grateful that I landed at Spirit Vine for my first (and only so far) Ayahuasca journey. Silvia (the owner and person who runs the retreat) is amazing. I got the best advice of my life while at Spirit Vine just asking questions during meals. I received precisely the right amount of guidance to lead me forward without too many unimportant details. I can’t describe it any other way. In a sentence, I am forever grateful for this experience. It was the perfect blend of everything I needed and it changed my life in the most positive way forever as a consequence.
I won’t lie to you… Ayahuasca can be really hard. Four of the five ceremonies I attended were unbelievably difficult and painful. The more painful these ceremonies were, the more rewarding they turned out to be. I recently realized that I had picked all of the low-hanging psychological fruit long ago. The work left for me includes very painful, uncomfortable and difficult wounds (blockages, as Silvia calls them) that Ayahuasca helped me to slice open with immaculate precision. You have to do the work to clean the wounds, but Ayahuasca can open them for you. That was my experience.
I can’t say this enough… I am forever grateful to Spirit Vine and its staff for the life changing events that unfolded there. I now have my own consulting business make double the income that I did prior to losing my job before the retreat. I feel freer, much less bogged down inside. Prior to that retreat I almost always felt like sandpaper was grinding me from the inside. I often woke up angry and upset, at my wit’s end before the day even started. Since then (and a lot of work) I have been able to release a lot of that gritty sand that had plagued me for decades. I can’t even describe how grateful I am for this.
Ayahuasca changed my life for the better forever, and Spirit Vine was the perfect set and setting to facilitate that change. Thank you forever!
Note: This review was edited for over capitalization, but has otherwise been left in its original form.