I have been sitting in ceremony with Shaba since 2018. Since then, I have brought my closest friends and family to sit in his circles. Never once have I ever felt unsafe, unseen, or unheard. His approach to the medicine is passed down from traditional tribes in Peru and Mexico. With that means there is a lot of “far out” perspectives. That said, Shaba always teaches that we are our own medicine, that this journey is ours. Rather than telling us what it all means, he creates space for us to decode things in our own way.

The reviews on here are very disturbing. There are some very legitimate concerns and a lot of nasty rumors. For those of you who were harmed, this is not acceptable. For those of you who engaged in some activities and then later regretted it, my heart goes out to you. That said, I feel it is important that I stick up for someone who I consider not only my teacher, but my close friend.

Shaba’s name is not Carlos. He also has no association with Ayahuasca CD Juarez. It makes me wonder, are people confusing identities? For example, the pictures below are not of Shaba or his group. I do not recognize the location or the people in it.

Not only do I trust Shaba, but I trust his wife. I have had the pleasure to get to know her over the past few years. She is smart, beautiful, and compassionate. The allegations of rape are very serious. I am grateful that the authorities were contacted in this regard. But for those who are accusing Shaba of infidelity with his own private relationships is not our place to say. As someone mentioned, Shaba openly talked about having shifted some of his practices after consulting his wife. As of today, they are still happily married. Being a married person myself, I know the hard work it takes to feel the trust and safety required to have a successful relationship. For the people that were harmed or have regrets, you deserve to be heard. But for the people spreading nasty rumors (most of which I know to be entirely untrue), this is not ok.

While there are a number of negative reviews on here, it is worth noting that Shaba’s facebook has nearly 6000 likes. This accounts for something. I am not accusing anyone of lying. I also see it entirely possible that only a few people could be assaulted or worse off from their ceremony while thousands remain better from them. However, I have to trust my own experience over those of these online reviews. When I saw these, my stomach flipped upside down. I talked to Shaba. I heard his side. I heard about the changes the School made to mitigate these types of atrocities.

I wouldn’t be who I am today if it were not for my time with Shaba. And I’m not talking about giving Shaba credit for this. I am talking about the value in myself that my time with Shaba showed me. I love who I am, I love life, and nobody can take that away from me. I owe that perspective to my time with Shaba and the hard work I have put into my ceremonies.

The different tones on these reviews is quite obvious. Some people are on here to be nasty, saying things that are entirely untrue. When I compare these reviews to my time with Shaba and his company, where I feel I should place my trust is clear.

Ayahuasca is no joke. Ayahuasca is no trip. It is a journey that lasts a lifetime. My heart goes out to each of you along the path. If you ever want to talk about your experience, I am willing to hear you out. There are also other sources of help for integration, like Fireside Project.

Sending love and light to all of you.