Américo Lopez Sanchez
Américo Lopez Sanchez is from a town called Roaboya near Pucallpa, Peru. He also goes by the name Pekon Nima, which in Shipibo means “the many colors of nature.” Américo is one of the healers that has chosen to share his medicine and love here at Soltara. The story goes that Américo’s mother gave birth to him under a Shihuahuaco tree near a rubber plantation where his parents were sent to work at the time. His mother, already having had 3 boys before him, had wanted a girl and thus had decided to bury him. As a result he was rescued…
Angela Sanchez Rioz
Our master shaman, Angelita Sanchez Rioz, comes from a very small Shipibo community called San Francisco close to the Ucayali river, near Pucallpa. Before dedicating her life to the medicine she was an artisan who would sell her art around Peru, which she makes in her free time to reflect the essence of Shipibo culture. She has been working with the medicine for the last 8 years. Her shamanic path started when she met Wiler at a social reunion where they became friends and he encouraged her to start dieting with sacred plant medicines. She connected well with this path…
Dr. Clancy Cavnar, PsyD
Clancy Cavnar has a doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA. She currently works in private practice in San Francisco, and is an Associate Director at the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines (http://chacruna.net), an organization that provides public education about psychedelic plant medicines and promotes a bridge between the ceremonial use of sacred plants and psychedelic science. She is also a research associate of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP). She combines an eclectic array of interests and activities as clinical psychologist, artist, and researcher. She has a master of fine arts in painting from the San Francisco Art…
Dr. Dennis McKenna, Ph.D.
Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines. Dennis also serves on the Advisory Board of the American Botanical Council; as Founder and Executive Director for the Institute for Natural Products Research; as an Independent Research Consultant to the Phytomedicine and Nutraceutical Industry; was formerly on the Editorial Board of Phytomedicine, International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology; and is an adjunct professor in the Center for…
Dr. Joe Tafur, MD
Dr. Tafur is a Colombian American family physician originally from Phoenix, Arizona. After completing his family medicine training at UCLA, Dr. Tafur spent two years in academic research at the UCSD Department of Psychiatry in a lab focused on mind-body medicine. After his research fellowship, over a period of 6 years, he lived and worked in the Peruvian Amazon at the traditional healing center Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual. There he trained in ayahuasca shamanism under master Shipibo shaman Ricardo Amaringo. In his new book “The Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor’s Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine,” through a…
Jessica Begin
Jessica’s passion for exploring the body as a vessel for Spirit has led her on a deep and varied journey of study. She draws great inspiration from her life-time study of yoga and of dance modalities and ritual forms such as Capoeira, dances of the African diaspora, Butoh, 5 Rhythms, as well as diverse indigenous traditions, songs and dances. She has studied voice and sound healing with the school of Yoga of the Voice (Vox Mundi Project), and the Authentic Voice (Sonido Sana). Over the years Jessica has had the privilege of spending time with many indigenous nations and medicine…
Marina Sinti Reategui
Marina Sinti Reategui was born in the Yarinacocha district of Pucallpa, in the Ucayali region of the Peruvian Amazon jungle. She is the daughter of Elias Sinti Magin Doña Exilda Reategui, and her grandmother and mother were both excellent shamans. She learned the medicine work of ayahuasca from her mother, and works with her husband Teobaldo help heal people together, both within their community and in bringing the medicine abroad. She has knowledge of many different medicinal plant remedies, and embodies the feminine aspect of the medicine in order to bring balance to the ceremonies. She and her husband are…
Olga Urquia Rengifo
Maestra Olga Urquia Rengifo comes from Roaboya, a small native community outside of Pucallpa, Peru. She has a natural gift for this work, having been immersed in the world of plant medicine since she was a young child. Olga’s Shipibo name is “Bawan Same.” In her native language, “bawan” is the name of a brightly colored parrot that is known to have the characteristics of intelligence and kindness. Olga indeed brings a keen sensitivity to her work with guests. Her presence is a welcome balance of strength and compassion. Our guests often comment on the quiet power of her icaros…
Sean Chiddy, Psychotherapist
Sean Chiddy is a psychotherapist providing integration support to guests in preparation for their retreats and when they return home. He has also facilitated retreats at Soltara and specialises in combining applied mindful and other psychological approaches to help people confidently navigate the medicine space and get the most from their experiences. With a longstanding interest in healing and wellbeing, Sean trained and registered as a Psychologist in Australia and later as a Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapist in the UK, supporting people working with various common mental health conditions including depression, trauma (PTSD) and various other mood and anxiety problems. He…
Teobaldo Ochavano Lopez
Teobaldo Ochavano Lopez was born in the Ronuya district of Iparía, in the Ucayali region of the Peruvian Amazon jungle. His father, Teobaldo Ochavano Mahua Doña Luisa Lopez Maynas, was the first bilingual teacher and shaman in his community, and his mother used plant medicines to cure and heal. All of his grandparents, on both sides, were also shamans. His entire family was very familiar with plant medicines, particularly ayahuasca, and from a very young age Teobaldo was surrounded by this medicine work. After witnessing its immense healing power, he chose to continue on the path himself, particularly since he…
Wiler Noriega Rodrigues
Our master shaman, Wiler Noriega Rodrigues, is 42 years old and originally from the Shipibo culture. He has been practicing with the medicine for the last 22 years. He started dieting mapacho (wild jungle tobacco) when he was 20 years old due to a fishing accident that took the vision from one of his eyes. In this way he was opened up to the world of plant medicine, and from that moment on has dedicated his life to learning from and working with them, and applying this knowledge to the healing of others. He was born in a small community on…
