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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canela italiana
April 15, 2024 at 10:51 amI have been coming to SV for the past 4 years. This is my 5th retreat. I am amazed to see this place grow and getter better every year. This is the safest environment you can find to go deeper in your personal journey of healing past traumas. The center is magical, the food is vegan, diverse, and really healthy. The team is well trained and prepared to help the participants. Silvia has managed to create something special here. From the land to the workshops and the ceremonies. I definitely would recommend this place to any person wanting to start their Ayahuasca journey.
jake95
December 14, 2023 at 9:18 amI wanted to wait a few weeks before posting a review so that I could integrate the experience a little before doing so. First of all, the location is amazing, the pictures on the website don’t do it justice at all. It’s far bigger than I expected it to be and is so beautiful it’s tough to put into words. Staying at Spirit Vine for 11 days, without the Ayahuasca or workshops, would have been amazing by itself. I still miss lying in the hammock and watching the hummingbirds in the tree next to my bungalow every day.
The ceremonies and workshops themselves are very well thought out. I’ve been through psychotherapy before and the best way I can describe the experience as a whole is it’s like years of therapy condensed into 11 days. The ceremonies were very peaceful and the music really takes you on a journey throughout. The Ayahuasca itself was far gentler than I expected when comparing it to other psychedelics I’ve used, although I think a lot of this can be put down to the very clinical approach that Silvia takes in combining her extensive experience as a psychotherapist along with her work with Shamans in the Amazon. It was far more therapeutic than other psychedelics and I had far more clarity on the lessons it was trying to teach me during and after the ceremonies. The workshops were also incredible and opened my eyes to many things I hadn’t considered previously, giving me a lot to think about during the ceremonies themselves. The guidance from Silvia, Miro, Rick, and Elvis throughout the retreat was amazing. I was lucky enough to have one of the facilitators (Rick) as my room mate, who really helped to guide me through the whole experience and is just all around a great guy.
I could go on and on but I highly recommend Spirt Vine if your intentions are in the right place, and you’re ready to do some inner work. Ayahuasca isn’t for the faint of heart, but I left this place a far more centred and conscious person, and now have a road map for how to approach many things in my life going forward. I will definitely be returning and hopefully sooner rather than later.
Fluid with grace
November 30, 2023 at 11:20 pmThis was my 4th retreat I have done with Spirit Vine. Main reason I return here is because I feel very safe doing ayahuasca with Silvia. Spirit Vine has such a lovely vibe and it is a beautiful place to be when working on oneself. Doing ayahuasca for me is about working on myself and the things I learn about myself happen so organically here. For someone who is anxious and worried, I find myself letting go far easier when working with ayahuasca. Also what helps are the conversations with Silvia, as she has insights that help me uncover why I do the things I do and go away with skills to help me create the life I want. The retreat participants are told instructions that help create a safe environment for sharing and helping us uncover more about ourselves.
I find myself healing, and learning from each other. This is the best place I have been for living life the way I want. Anyone who stumbles upon this review, I hope I can leave you with a sense of security that this is the place you want to be at when working on your traumas and any personal issues you have.
Thank you to Silvia and people she has working with her to helping create this safe and caring environment. Miro, Rick and Elvis, obrigada. Thank you all, and hope our paths meet again.
Surfing the Matrix
November 28, 2023 at 1:14 pmI just finished my 6th retreat here 4 days ago, and the impact of the beauty and miracle of Spirit Vine is still reverberating through my whole mind and body. Never have I felt any “ been there, done that” from the retreats here; I just keep attaining higher levels of gratitude and love and understanding of so many things I previously knew nothing about. Everyone that comes here will tell you about the magnificent Garden-of-Eden-like setting, the delicious food, the roomy bungalows. But it’s the workshops that Silvia puts together, with her decades of experience as a psychotherapist, and her extensive expertise and knowledge of ayahuasca, combined with sacred plant medicine that sets SV apart from the others. Silvia’s love and seemingly boundless insight is the icing on the cake.
Before coming to SV the first time, I did much research on the abundance of retreats around the globe, hoping to sort out and avoid any retreats that may have duplicitous intentions. I feel I’m so very lucky to have found SV. I’m a very different person since coming here, and I’ve seen how SV has helped so many others.
It is also wonderful having Miro there helping out and being so caring and thoughtful.
If you’re looking for a safe place to experience the efficacy and sanctity of plant medicine, this is it.
alexallard
November 3, 2023 at 3:07 pmThis my truly the best experience of my life. If you are looking for growth and a safe space to try ayahuasca, this is the place for you. Coming out of this retreat, I feel like an all new person. My depression is gone, my anxiety is much lower and I feel more calm than ever. It’s not only because of the ayahuasca, but also because of Silvia and the knowledge and tools that she shared during the workshops and group sharing. Silvia is so insightful and inspiring! I would definitely recommend this retreat to anyone who is looking to learn and grow!
Before going to this retreat, I was skeptic about all the 5 stars review, but I assure you that those are all real. There is absolutely no way that you can come out of this experience without it being one of the best experience of your life, believe me!