Who We Are

Spirit Vine Retreat Center is a women-led, trans-denominational space that serves a global community of people who are seeking to heal from emotional wounds. Carefully developed programs focus on supporting participants in facing what they need to face in order to reconnect with the universal intelligence that will help them reclaim power over their own lives.

How It Started

Spirit Vine, formerly known as TheVine Center, was founded in 2004 to host spiritual retreats. It began as a place where people from all over the world could come and meet others interested in reconnecting with the higher selves and spiritual development, working with a variety of meditations, regressions, art, yoga, talks about ayahuasca and ceremonies.

Silvia Polivoy, Ph.D.

Co-Founder and lead facilitator, Silvia Polivoy, has been investigating modified states of consciousness for over twenty-five years. She has carried out field research in the Amazon with Shipibo shamans and Mexico with Mazatec shamans, as well as worked extensively with Ayahuasca, San Pedro, and other sacred plants in their native habitats. She has a postgraduate degree in clinical psychology and had a private practice in transpersonal psychology for over 20 years.

“My work is in the spiritual realm. Integrating my expertise in psychology, modified states of consciousness, shamanism, and other spiritual practices resulted in an effective method for spiritual unfolding and ayahuasca integration.”

-Silvia Polivoy, Ph.D.

Our Community

The nature of our not-for-profit center is spiritual, philosophical, mystical, educational, and cultural. All income from the retreats go towards the upkeep and maintenance of the grounds and facilities, creating employment for local workers, and forest conservation projects, including the planting of thousands of native trees on the land.

Training Program

Many participants decide to extend their stay at Spirit Vine by joining the work study program where they act as a guest facilitator helping Silvia with the ceremonies and workshops.

Apply For Training Program >

Support Local Workers

We employee workers from the area to help ensure the accommodations remain clean and tidy throughout your stay. Local chefs, massage therapists, and yoga instructors contribute to the world-class retreat experience.

What Makes Spirit Vine Unique >

Secure Transportation

We partner with local taxi drivers to ensure each participant is picked up from the airport and dropped off in the correct location. While not at the retreat center, enjoy options for local boating excursions in Itacare.

How To Get To Spirit Vine >

Silvia + Ram Dass

1996 | Mexico

Ram Dass, world-renowned spiritual teacher and author of  Be Here Now, known for bridging Eastern wisdom with Western seekers, and Silvia Polivoy at a workshop discussing consciousness and healing.

Early Days

1998 | Brazil

Silvia hosted her first ayahuasca retreat in 1996 in the Peruvian Amazon. in 2004, TheVine Center was opened by Silvia and co-founder, Zoe7. They hosted workshops and guest lectures to participants encouraging group healing and therapy.

Silvia + Buddhist Monk

2012 | Thailand

A Buddhist monk shares a lighthearted, playful moment with Silvia Polivoy, reminding us that joy and laughter are also part of the spiritual path at the heart of Spirit Vine’s mission.

Silvia + Shipibo Shaman

1997 | Brazil

A Shipibo shaman, guardian of ancestral Amazonian wisdom, stands with Silvia Polivoy, honoring the mission of sharing the healing traditions with participants at Spirit Vine.

Silvia + Zoe7

2004 | Brazil

Zoe Seven (consciousness researcher) and I co-founded Spirit Vine Spiritual Center in the Atlantic forest of Bahia, Brazil, to host retreats for those interested in spiritual pursuits, ayahuasca ceremonies, and workshops.

Silvia + Alex Grey

2004 | Brazil

Alex Grey, former facilitator and visionary artist famed worldwide for his spiritual and psychedelic paintings, with Silvia Polivoy as they explored art’s power to heal and expand consciousness, inspiring Spirit Vine’s mission.

Silvia + Terence McKenna

1997 | Mexico

A meeting of minds exploring consciousness, mysticism, and nature’s intelligence, rooted in McKenna’s pioneering work with psychedelics, philosophy, and humanity’s evolving relationship with the Earth.

Past Facilitators

Throughout the years, we’ve been honored to host experts in a wide variety of areas in our workshops.

Rick Doblin, Ph.D. Founder & President of MAPS

Robert Venosa Painter, sculpter and film designer

Alex Gray Visionary artist, Founder of CoSM

Pablo Amaringo Visionary artist, Shaman

Alistair Appleton English broadcaster, psychotherapist  and meditation teacher

Jon Hanna psychedelic consumer advocate, Co-Founder of Mind States conference series

Christine Page, M.D. Mystical physician, holistic healthcare, particularly for women

Frank Echenhofer, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)

Richard Glen Boire specializSpecialist in cognitive liberty, dissident thinking, and control theory

Sue Minns College of Psychic Studies, past-life regression therapy

Isabela Hartz Fashion designer and visionary artist

Adriano De Carvalho Chemist and essential oils expert

Zoe 7 Consciousness researcher and co-founder of Spirit Vine.

Jonathan Ott Ethnobotanist, writer, and researcher of psychoactive plants and their cultural and historical uses.

Martina Hoffmann Painter and sculptor

Andres Hu Director of the Yoga Foundation of the Philippines

Simone Ribeiro de Paula Sustainable communities and biodiversity expert

Building Spirit Vine

The center is located in the richly diverse Mata-Atlantic forest on the east coast of Brazil in the state of Bahia. This region was chosen due to the natural beauty of the landscape, astonishing beaches, good accessibility, spirited local culture and the abundance of natural foods. An ideal setting for a safe and profound experience.

The center includes facilities that are purpose built for Ayahuasca retreats and include a beautiful ceremony room, or maloca, within the jungle, and extensive landscaped gardens that enchant the senses and invoke the imagination. Nature is ever present and the spaces are comfortable and safe with modern amenities designed for beauty, function and comfort.

We built pathways that light up at night and lead from the restaurant area to lagoon, ceremony space, and each suite. Participants are encouraged to explore the area during the day and are even shown the plants that makeup the ayahuasca tea after the final ceremony. Many of the foods during the retreat are prepared with fresh ingredients directly from our gardens.

One of the unique attributes that Spirit Vine Retreats offers their participants is the experience to see where the plants that make the ayahuasca tea grow on the property. Whether you are interested in the biochemical process or paying respect to the spirit of the plants themselves, it is sure to be a memorable part of your journey.

Honoring The Roots of the Medicine

We recognize ayahuasca as a gift from the forest and its guardians, understanding that the vine itself is a living teacher.
At Spirit Vine, we honor and respect the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon who have been practicing this tradition for centuries. Our ceremonies are guided in partnership with trained Shipibo healers, who carry songs (icaros), prayers, and practices into each brew.