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Healing happens in connection.

Ancestra is a nonprofit offering legal psilocybin retreats in Jamaica and Mexico, guided by ancestral wisdom, modern science, and deep intention.

Explore 2027 Retreats
Nonprofit Organization
Fully Legal & Transparent Operations
Trauma-Informed Practice
Indigenous & Lineage Partnerships
Evidence-Based Approach

Ancestra is a woman- and BIPOC-owned nonprofit organization offering small-group, legally held psilocybin retreats in Jamaica and Mexico. Our retreats are trauma-informed and intentionally designed with a focus on preparation, ethical facilitation, and post-retreat integration. We hold this work with care, drawing on years of experience in service and a deep respect for the medicine, the cultures it comes from, and the people we serve.

We do not treat plant medicine as a consumable experience. We approach it as a lineage-rooted practice in which plants are regarded as teachers, requiring conscious intention, ethical relationship, and respect for the traditions that steward this sacred work.

Everyone arrives to this work with a different story.

  • Grief that lingers longer than expected.
  • Burnout that feels woven into the structure of your life.
  • A growing distance from your body or your own intuition.
  • Trauma that has been understood cognitively but not fully integrated.
  • A transition — loss, career shift, relationship change — that unsettled more than you anticipated.
  • A pull toward greater honesty in how you live and relate to others.
  • A curiosity about what becomes possible when you slow down and listen more closely to your inner world.
  • A quiet call to remember your connection to the earth and the deeper wisdom it holds.

Many paths lead here. Eventually there comes a recognition that change is not only psychological, and not only individual. It involves a deep reconnection. With your body. With your history. With the land beneath your feet. A remembering of what has always been yours.

Jamaican coastline at golden hour

From people who've made this journey

Hillary
"During my medicine journey, I was able to access parts of myself that had felt stuck and grieving for years. Maria helped me meet those parts with tenderness and I experienced a level of healing and release that I hadn't been able to reach through other modalities."
— Hillary
Nico
"Ethan's presence during the ceremony felt steady and deeply attuned, which made it possible to stay with intense and challenging emotions. There were hard moments, but there were also moments of real joy and laughter that reminded me healing can be light and even fun too."
— Nico
Tara S.
"I was very grateful to have Sharon Whitefawn as a facilitator recently. Clearly, she has the qualifications, training, vision, and experience to provide an energetic container during journeys and for integration."
— Tara S.

This is an initiatory threshold, a supported arc of change.

This is an initiatory threshold, a supported arc of change. The journey begins weeks before your feet touch the land, as we build the container together through preparation. The depth reached in ceremony is a direct reflection of the care and structure created beforehand. When you leave Jamaica or Mexico, the journey continues through integration, where we support you in translating meaningful insight into embodied change in your daily life. What unfolds here is shaped not only by the medicine, but by the way the entire process is held.

1
Prepare 3 weeks before

Weekly group calls on Zoom to orient you to the work ahead — building the container, establishing trust with your cohort, and preparing your nervous system and intention.

2
Arrive Day 1

A restorative arrival day. Gentle breathwork, mindfulness, and meditation to help you settle fully into your body and the land.

3
Ceremony 1: Microdose & Land Day 2

Connection with the land, local culture and community, and the medicine in a gentle, introductory dose. This is the start of building a relationship with psilocybin and preparing your system for what's ahead.

4
Ceremony 2: A Deepening Day 3

Morning mindfulness yoga and intention-setting workshops. Then, a full-dose psilocybin ceremony, with dosage always guided by your own readiness and choice, held by your facilitators in a carefully prepared space.

5
Integrate Day 4

Somatic work, movement, and workshops to harvest what surfaced. The focus: how do you bring what you encountered back into your daily life?

6
Ceremony 3: Full Immersion Day 5

A final full-dose psilocybin ceremony. For many, this is where the journey's insights deepen, or where something entirely new emerges.

7
Integration & Close Day 6

Breakfast, a final sharing circle, and closing workshops to distill your learnings consciously.

8
Ongoing Integration 8 weeks after

One of the most essential parts of your journey. Zoom integration calls continue for 8 weeks. What surfaces in the weeks following matters — this support exists so you're not navigating it alone.

What Makes Us Unique

We are a nonprofit — structurally and in practice

Ancestra is a fully BIPOC woman-owned nonprofit — that's rare to find in this field. The work is shaped by service, not profit, and held with the understanding that this is more than an experience: it is a responsibility.

Fully legal, fully above board

Psilocybin is legal in Jamaica and Mexico. We operate openly, with no legal ambiguity, no gray areas.

Rooted in Indigenous and lineage partnerships

Our work is built on genuine, ongoing relationships with Indigenous and lineage holders, including some of our facilitators. We cultivate relationships of reciprocity, not extraction.

Support before, during, and long after

One month of preparation. A structured on-the-land program. 8 weeks of integration included, with the option to continue beyond this timeline.

Land-based and ecosystemic

We work with the land itself as medicine. This is a call away from a self-centric approach to healing and back into communal ways of being. This is how ancient and Indigenous communities have long understood healing, not as a process that happens in isolation, but as one that unfolds relationally.

The word heal comes from the root word whole. One way to understand healing is as a return to wholeness. It is not an isolated event, but a restoration of relationship: within yourself, with your history, and within the larger world. This work is not about becoming someone new. It is about returning to a much deeper way of knowing.

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Safety is the foundation of everything we do at Ancestra.

Considering a psilocybin retreat raises real questions. We're here to help make things clearer.

Is this legal?
Yes. Psilocybin is fully legal in Jamaica and Mexico. Ancestra operates openly and transparently in accordance with Jamaican and Mexican law, with no legal ambiguity or risk to participants.
Can I attend if I've never used psychedelics before?
Yes. Many of our participants are new to psychedelic experiences. Our preparation process helps you understand what to expect and arrive feeling informed and supported.
What does the retreat include?
Your donation to our nonprofit covers a 2.5-month transformational program built around a 6-day immersive retreat in Jamaica or Mexico. This includes: 3 guided psilocybin ceremonies with experienced facilitators and therapists · Lodging at the retreat center · Transportation to the retreat center · Food, drinks, and snacks prepared by our chef · 3 weeks of virtual preparation · 8 weeks of virtual integration · On-site wellness experiences such as yoga, meditation, and sound baths · On-site experiential workshops · Support from our team of mental health and medical professionals · Ongoing community access · 50% tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit
Who will be with me?
Our retreats are held at an approximate 3:1 participant-to-facilitator ratio. Our team is trained in trauma-informed care, somatic practices, and psychotherapeutic frameworks, and includes experienced facilitators and medical oversight. You will meet your facilitators and fellow participants during the preparation phase before the retreat begins.
What if I have a difficult experience?
Though not the case for everyone, challenging moments can occur during psychedelic experiences. Our facilitators are trained to support participants through intensity in a calm and grounded way. You will not be alone during the experience, and integration support afterward helps make sense of anything that arises.
Is there a screening process?
Yes. Though psilocybin is regarded to be safe for most people and many mental or physical health diagnoses, every participant completes a detailed intake process that reviews medical history, medications, and mental health background. This helps ensure the retreat is appropriate and safe for you.
What happens after I leave?
Integration continues for eight weeks after the retreat through group calls with our team and your cohort. These sessions help you process what surfaced during the retreat and translate insights into your everyday life.

Upcoming Retreats

Cohorts are kept small by design. Seats are limited.

July retreat coral cove property
📍 Jamaica

Coming in 2027 - dates to be announced soon

Ancestra Signature Group Psilocybin Retreat · 5 nights · Full program arc · Pre and post integration support included

July retreat coral cove property
📍 Mexico

Coming in 2027 - dates to be announced soon

Ancestra Signature Group Psilocybin Retreat · 5 nights · Full program arc · Pre and post integration support included

The people who will hold this with you

Your retreat is guided by facilitators who bring both rigorous training and lived experience with this work.

Mária Osero

Mária Osero, LNMF

Lead Facilitator & Founder of Ancestra
  • State-licensed psychedelic facilitator
  • PhD student in Clinical Psychology — liberation psychology & psychedelic-assisted therapy
  • Trauma-informed, somatic & person-centered practice

Mária's work lives at the intersection of clinical precision and ancestral reverence, bridging the gap between Eastern, Western, and Indigenous ways of knowing.

Rooted in her diasporic lineage and shaped by years working in mental and medical healthcare, she creates trauma-informed spaces that honor both the intelligence of the medicine and the innate wisdom of the body. She is especially committed to cultivating containers that feel safe, inclusive, and affirming for members of diverse or historically marginalized communities.

Grounded in somatic and person-centered practice, Mária approaches facilitation as both personal healing and collective liberation, ensuring that each journey is held with integrity, cultural humility, and deep reciprocity.

Sharon Whitefawn

Sharon Whitefawn, MA

Facilitator & Holistic Counselor
  • MA in Counseling Psychology · 30+ years in transformational healing
  • Certified in Meditation & Psychotherapy, addiction counseling & Reiki
  • Trauma-informed yoga instructor & ordained interfaith minister

Sharon's approach weaves together psychology, physiology, neuroscience, and spirituality, creating innovative and embodied pathways for lasting change.

In recent years, she has focused her work on expanded states of consciousness and therapeutic integration, supporting individuals in navigating profound experiences with clarity, safety, and compassion.

She is proud to identify as a grandmother, an elder, and a teacher to many. At the heart of Sharon's work is a commitment to healing in sacred reciprocity between self, community, and the living Earth.

Ready to begin?

If you feel the call, submit your application to begin a conversation with a member from our team. Each application is reviewed personally to ensure a good fit. We look forward to connecting with you.

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