Soltara Healing Center

About

Soltara Healing Center operates two retreat locations in Costa Rica — Playa Blanca on the Nicoya Peninsula coast and Goddess Falls in the mountains of the Diamante Valley — offering Shipibo-led ayahuasca retreats within a trauma-informed clinical framework. The center holds a permit through the Costa Rican Ministry of Health to provide alternative and natural therapies, and maintains an on-site health clinic with a fully stocked medical facility. Soltara's distinctive approach integrates traditional Peruvian Shipibo healing, carried by nine master healers with twelve to thirty or more years of ceremonial training, with Western psychotherapeutic support provided by clinical psychologists and psychotherapists experienced in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Notable clinical staff includes Sean Chiddy, a psychotherapist registered as both a psychologist in Australia and a cognitive behavioral psychotherapist in the United Kingdom, and Dr. Javier Tafur, a Colombian American family physician trained at UCLA. The center works with psychotherapists, medical advisors, and local physicians throughout the entire retreat arc — from intake screening through ceremony to post-retreat integration — ensuring continuity of clinical care. Eight to ten healers and facilitators attend each retreat. Soltara also operates a scholarship program to increase accessibility for individuals who lack financial means but demonstrate genuine need for healing. The center positions itself at the intersection of indigenous plant medicine tradition and contemporary trauma-informed psychiatric care.

Depth Orientation

Soltara integrates traditional Shipibo plant medicine healing with Western psychotherapeutic practice, employing clinical psychologists alongside indigenous maestros and maestras to create a bridge between shamanic and depth psychological frameworks. Their trauma-informed approach is supported by on-site psychotherapists who provide integration support, while the ceremonial container is held by Shipibo healers carrying twelve to thirty or more years of traditional training, creating a dual framework that honors both indigenous and clinical epistemologies.

Treatment Modalities

Program Details

Best for

• Trauma and PTSD
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Addiction
• Spiritual exploration
• Healthcare practitioner healing

Notable Clinicians

• Sean Chiddy — Psychotherapist, registered psychologist (Australia), CBT psychotherapist (UK)
• Dr. Javier Tafur, MD — Family physician, UCLA-trained

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