About this episode
Today’s two-part episode was recorded in the mountainous tropical forest of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, featuring a play-by-play account of my eight-day experience at Soltara Healing Center. These are my raw, intimate, and uncut thoughts after traveling to Costa Rica, dealing with an EMF nightmare of a hotel room, and embarking on four ayahuasca ceremonies, this time in the Peruvian Shipibo tradition — and, to be honest, I had second thoughts about putting these episodes out. I’m pretty much an open book on this show, don’t get me wrong, but it’s hard to be more vulnerable than the morning after an ayahuasca ceremony. In addition to recounting the first six days of my time in Costa Rica, this episode also features an interview with Melissa Stangl, a Founding Partner and the Chief Operating Officer of Soltara Healing Center. Melissa left Corporate America back in 2015 and has since used her background in engineering, science, and management to help advance the plant medicine and psychedelic movements. She’s helping to bridge the gap between the Western world and the incredible healing potential of plant medicines and holistic health, and the way she combines compassion and science definitely helps you feel safe before embarking on this profound inner journey. In part two of my Jungle Journey, which also releases today, I’ll share what happened on my last two days in Costa Rica, plus an interview with Todd Michael Roberts, the lead facilitator at Soltara, and Daniel Cleland, the co-founder of Soltara. But that’s not all! As many of you know, this isn’t my first plant medicine retreat in Costa Rica. And when I came back from Soltara, there’s one question I got more than any other: which is better, Soltara or Rythmia? I can tell you now that neither is better or worse than the other, they’re very different experiences, but this Friday I’ll be releasing a detailed side-by-side comparison of the two Costa Rican retreats to help answer any questions you might have. 07:45 — Field Report #1: Hacks for a long flight + EMF-ridden hotel room I was able to meditate for nearly three hours of my flight with help from the NuCalm Plus a one-hour Joe Dispenza meditation to put myself in a great emotional state before arriving I wore earplugs from the moment I got out of my car at LAX to the moment I left the airport in Costa Rica Clear and TSA Precheck will help you get past a lot of the stress and chaos of the airport To deal with the crazy energetics of the plane, I always bring two devices: the Blushield cube and the Somavedic travel unit . Samina pillow for comfort Comrad compression socks Get Lambs EMF-proof beanie and underwear My secret weapon is my KTC Lab EMF sleeping bag (which isn’t commercially available yet, but I’ll let you all know as soon as it is) Vital Reaction hydrogen tabs (four every 90 minutes while flying) Three Quicksilver Scientific supplements: The ONE Mitochondrial Optimizer , Liposomal Glutathione , and Keto Sleep Protocol Magtech Magnesium Complex Quinton Purified Seawater Solution Kratom for back pain Therasage Heating Pad - also for back pain Realizing I’m sleeping immediately under a cell tower and surrendering to it Sometimes surrendering to the moment will yield a sauna Biohack My Travel online class waitlist: www.lukestorey.com/travel or text BIOHACKMYTRAVEL to 44222 on any US phone 24:15 — Field Report #2: Arriving at Soltara Driving up the coast in my janky rental car Taking a ferry over to the Nicoya Peninsula I found some amber incandescent bulbs at a local hardware store Chilling in the maloca, an indigenous Amazonian structure Anticipating tomorrow’s purging ceremony, a part of the Peruvian Shipibo tradition 29:20 — Field Report #3: Before my first ceremony Recorded two hours before my first ceremony Why I ended up appreciating the vomitivo purging ceremony Our 90-minute orientation The crazy equatorial sun Cleansing in a flower bath Meeting our healing guides 34:15 — An interview with Melissa Stangl Working through shoulder pain during the ceremony It’s so easy to not listen to your body, but it pays to do the work of being grateful for the wisdom of your body The nature of realization on ayahuasca Working to live Vs. living to work Melissa’s first introduction to psychedelics Meeting Daniel Cleland through Reddit Choosing to follow your intuition instead of doing what you feel like you’re supposed to do Letting go of the fear of how you will be perceived Opening up to the possibility that there’s a lot more that we don’t know about life and the nature of existence Why Soltara practices the Peruvian Shipibo tradition Ikaros healing songs As plant medicines grow in popularity around the world, Soltara is trying to preserve a connection to the indigenous tradition The ultimate way to get the most out of your healing is to feel safe first The role of tobacco in ayahuasca ceremonies + the nootropic effect of nicotine The oldest & youngest people that Melissa has seen take the medicine My visual, physical, and emotional experience during our first plant medicine ceremony Nothing is more powerfully personal than what Mother Ayahuasca shows you Drugs Vs. Medicine Ayahuasca and addiction The founder of the 12-Step Program’s history with psychedelic experiences Working with other plant medicines 01:54:30 — Field Report #4: Reflecting on my first ceremony + preparing for my second My first ceremony was more mellow than I expected, counter to my expectations of a very intense experience… and it was kinda my fault But I’m not making the same mistake on my second tonight! My secret stash of cashews The transformative experience of listening to Joe Dispenza after the ceremony 02:01:20 — Field Report #5: Day five, after my second ayahuasca ceremony Consulting with our two maestros, a wonderful couple who has been carrying on the Shipibo tradition An hour of yin yoga, a very gentle yoga practice that was great preparation for the ceremony The use of tobacco in the ceremony The angelic voices of our guides singing the Ikaros My process of psychedelic, introspective inquiry; talking to “them” and getting answers Exploring gratitude, humility, and inferiority Meeting an awesome listener (shout out brother!) Wild shared visions that were too powerful to be coincidences More about this episode. Watch it on YouTube . Connect with Luke on social media to learn how to take your lifestyle to the next level, plus catch exclusive live interviews & events: INSTAGRAM - @lukestorey // https://www.instagram.com/lukestorey/ FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/MrLukeStorey/ TWITTER - @MrLukeStorey // https://twitter.com/MRLUKESTOREY YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/c/LukeStorey THIS SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: JUST THRIVE. Imagine this: a probiotic that actually does what it is supposed to do! I’ve tried so many different supplements, and when you find the right one — the one that really works — it’s like winning the lottery. So I was psyched when I tried Just Thrive Probiotic, the first and only spore-based probiotics and antioxidants. Their products have been the subject of groundbreaking clinical studies and demonstrated incomparable effects on the gut, even healing leaky gut. It’s super simple and it just works. You can use code ‘luke15’ for 15% off at www.thriveprobiotic.com/luke . AND... JOOVV. 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Sakara makes it easy to feel better, look better, and have the energy to accomplish all your goals this year. Their organic, ready-to-eat meals are made with powerful plant-based ingredients, and they are designed to boost your energy, improve your digestion, and get your skin glowing, plus daily wellness essentials like supplements and herbal teas to support your nutrition. You can get 20% off your first order using code LUKE at sakara.com/luke . HELP SUPPORT THIS SHOW! Love the Show? You’ll really love Luke’s Master Market Online Store! It’s a win/win! Get direct links to all of Luke’s hand-picked biohacking and health products all in one place, get exclusive discounts, and support the show by making purchases through the web store >> SHOP NOW . Other ways to support: SUBSCRIBE >> Apple Podcasts + Stitcher + Google Podcasts + Spotify LEAVE APPLE PODCASTS REVIEW >> Simple step-by-step instructions SHARE >> Spread the word! Tell your family, friends, neighbors, and all your social pals Resources Soltara.co Instagram: instagram.com/soltarahealingcenter Facebook: facebook.com/soltarahealingcenter Biohack My Travel online class waitlist: www.lukestorey.com/travel or text BIOHACKMYTRAVEL to 44222 on any US phone Related Shows: Episode 119: The Psychedelics of Sound & Breath Part One with Elian Zach Episode 120: The Psychedelics of Sound & Breath Part Two with Elian Zach Episode 202: Welcome To The Jungle: My Ayahuasca Journey At Rythmia Part One Episode 203: Welcome To The Jungle: My Ayahuasca Journey At Rythmia Part Two Episode 247: Cancer Cures, 5G EMF Update, & My Next Career Moves Episode 259: The Heart/Mind Connection & Supernatural Healing With Dr. Joe Dispenza