Santa Elena, Costa Rica

Plant Medicine & the Power of Creativity

Featuring James McCrae (WordsAreVibrations)

November 1st-November 9th, 2025

Retreat Summary

A combination Plant Medicine portal and creativity retreat, meant to help all participants tap into and greatly expand their creative potential and voices. Come connect with your muse in the most magical setting, led by Kat Courtney, an Ayahuasquera with 20 years of experience in the Shipibo-Conibo lineage, an indigenous maestro from the Mestizo tradition, and the amazing James McCrae, known as WordsAreVibrations on IG.

Working with Plant Medicines helps us to expand beyond our mental shackles, and with the power of intention and the ability to be an open channel, this process can awaken indescribable potency into our creative potential. Whether you are a a visual artist, writer, poet, dancer, singer, musician, photographer, painter, or any other form of an artiste, Aya can help you truly embody your talents and potentiality. This one-of-a-kind retreat will combine the incredible energies of MamaAyahuasca, and the creative gifts of James McCrae, known as WordsAreVibrations on social media channels. Ayahuasquera Kat Courtney and Maestro Moises Llerena will lead traditional Plant Medicine ceremonies by night, and James McCrae will take participants through some incredible creative workshops by day. This retreat is absolutely perfect for those who want to deepen their capacity to channel and express their creative gifts. 

We all have an inner artist. You don't need amazing talent. Creativity is about returning to your nature and bringing your imagination to life in whatever form that takes. In this interactive workshop with author James McCrae, we will utilize the lessons of our Aya journeys to channel the muse and transmute our emotions and subconscious mind into creative expression. This is an opportunity to integrate the medicine and awaken the inner artist.

This retreat features 3 ceremonies with Aya, 1 traditional Temazcal experience, 1 Cacao ceremony, and 3 creativity workshops. We offer an equal mix of medicine work, integration, creative workshopping, and REST. This retreat celebrates the artiste in all of us; it’s not about being hyper-talented or the best at anything, but rather an opportunity to connect with our authentic truth, and to channel those gifts in connection to spirit. If you’re aching to get out of your head and find what you’re made of, and to awaken your ability to co-create with the world, this retreat was made for you.

Price includes preparation support and 4 weeks of integration; when you return to your lives, we will support each other for a full month as you come back into your dance with the world.

All PMP retreats are fully focused on safety and the creation of a beautifully healing container. This adventure includes 4 deep and transforming ceremonies, daily offerings with Rapéh, Temazcal ceremony, as well as waterfall walks, a tree planting ritual to give back to the land, daily integration, and so much more! We create a truly safe and nurturing container so you can let go and explore your psyche and heal your body and spirit.

Phase 1 pricing, through March 17th 2025: $3150 (Shared), $4250 (Private)

Phase 2 pricing, March 18th through September 30th 2025: $3450 (Shared), $4550 (Private)

Phase 3 pricing, starting October 1st 2025: $3750 (Shared), $4850 (Private)

$250 cash for plant medicines (One time in-person fee for ALL medicines)

Transportation, Schedule Facilitator, and Registration

Getting to Santa Elana, Costa Rica

The retreat price is all-inclusive outside of air travel and a single night accommodation at a hotel in San Jose our first night of the adventure (plus in-person cash fee for medicines). We procure a group rate for the hotel so that we can all leave together in the AM to our retreat home. Participants will fly into the San Jose, Costa Rica airport anytime on November 1st, 2025. We will then provide transportation to the retreat at 7 am on day two (November 2nd) via a luxury shuttle. We also provide transportation back to the San Jose airport on the last day of the retreat. Please do not book your plane travel until after your application has been accepted. Thank you!

Schedule

DAY 1 (November 1st) - All participants will arrive on at any time to the San Jose, Costa Rica airport. You'll procure your own transportation (cabs are inexpensive, or you can pre-arrange transpiration to meet you outside of the airport) to a local hotel; we reserve a discounted block of rooms and share the location with each participant. Everyone is encouraged to get a good night's sleep, as the shuttle leaves at 7 am the next morning from the hotel.

DAY 2 (November 2nd) - The shuttle will leave the hotel at 7 am with all participants - it's about a 3.5 hour drive to our gorgeous sanctuary. Upon arrival, everyone will check in and receive a tour of the retreat, as well as access to their assigned accommodations. We will then have a light, nutritious lunch, and gather together for our opening talking circle. We'll get to know each other, discuss the format of the retreat, and connect with the land, asking for permission to do our sacred work. We will have a nourishing dinner, and get some good rest and prep for the week ahead.

DAY 3 (November 3rd) - After a healthy breakfast, we’ll meet for our first creativity workshop - the theme is “Connecting with Your Future Self.” Becoming the ideal version of yourself isn't about striving for something beyond you. It's about sinking into your nature and aligning with your dharma. In this workshop we will learn how to visualize and embody the future self to bring our dreams into the now. We will then have lunch, and that afternoon we will enjoy flower baths and pre-ceremony interviews. That evening, the first ceremony will commence.

DAY 4 (November 4th) - The AM will consist of half of the group heading out to a transformative and traditional Temazcal ceremony, working with the power of fire. The other half will enjoy a walk to the nearby waterfall, and swimming/diving is highly encouraged. After lunch, we will have our second creativity workshop - the theme is “Consulting Your Inner Oracle”. Sitting with Ayahuasca opens your portal of intuition. Your intuition is your inner oracle. Learning to quiet the external noise and tune into your inner wisdom is the ultimate cheat code for life and creativity.We’ll have lunch after the workshop, flower baths and massages in the afternoon, and after dinner, we’ll have our first integration circle.

DAY 5 (November 5th) - After breakfast, part 2 of the Temazcal and waterfall walks will commence, leading into a hearty lunch. In the afternoon, we’ll enjoy flower baths and one on one interviews to prepare for round 2 with MamaMedicine. We will share some additional somatic wisdoms before ceremony, and then the second journey will occur.

DAY 6 (November 6th) - After a heavenly and grounding breakfast, we will have our second integration circle, giving language to the magic that the medicine and workshops are revealing. After lunch, we’ll enjoy flow baths and time to connect with the land. Then we’ll do our final 1 on 1 interviews for the third and final Aya ceremony that evening.

DAY 7 (November 7th) - After breakfast, we have our third and final creativity workshop - the theme is “The Creative Purge.” Creativity is a healing modality, a cathartic release that purges stuck emotions and energy from your system. In this workshop we will awaken the inner artist and alchemize our subconscious mind, emotions, and visions from the medicine into creative expression. This will include a guided meditation, writing exercise, and sharing circle. Then we’l have a big, delicious lunch, followed by our last round of flower baths. We’ll have a festive dinner, and an integration gathering that evening, with an early bed time so we can reset and recover.

DAY 8 (November 8th) - After a light breakfast, it’s time to enter into a powerful, sacred portal with Mama Cacao. We will work with Cacao to embody the lessons of the week, to open our hearts all the more, and to say thank you to the spirits, the medicines, the land, and the people that have made the experience unforgettable. We’ll also have a Tree Planting Ceremony so we can give back to the land. After a big celebratory feast for dinner, we will have a final fire ceremony to prepare for our return to the world the next day, and a closing commitment circle.

DAY 9 (November 9th) - We have one final breakfast together, and a chance to honor the incredible retreat staff - then we will hop on a shuttle back to the San Jose airport. We encourage everyone to book flights home no earlier than 230 pm local time to ensure plenty of time to make our flights. For those that want to explore Costa Rica further, we are happy to offer suggestions and assist with transportation.

Retreat Facilitators

This entire retreat is led by Kat Courtney, PMP CEO and a pioneer in the psychedelic integration space, as well as Don Moises, a jungle-born indigenous Maestro trained in the Mestizo tradition. Kat has worked with thousands of clients in the aftermath of powerful Plant Medicine ceremonies. She teaches a popular course on the subject called the Plant Medicine Integration Course, and she’s also trained in the Shipibo-Conibo way of working with Aya. Kat and Moises will be assisted by four additional compassionate and trauma-informed assistants, with a small participant-to-staff ratio for intimacy, safety, and personal healing. We have 1 facilitator per a maximum of 5 participants.

The retreat price is all-inclusive outside of air travel, $250 in-person cash payment for plant medicines (all are included in the single cash payment), and a single night stay at a hotel in San Jose.

To Apply

Fill out the questionnaire below, and a team member will respond within 24 hours to confirm participation and availability. You do not need to pay a deposit until after your application has been accepted. Installment plans most welcome too - we can create one tailored for your needs once the application is accepted. We are so very honored to have you in the Plant Medicine People Tribe!

More Testimonials From Past Retreats

Those who are a part of Kat's circle and tribe are the most authentic, loving people I have ever met. Words cannot describe what the Goddess Retreat did to change my life, Kat seems to be good at doing that! The intent and love that is put into the retreat creates something MAGICAL. My heart was full the entire retreat and I have been integrating ever since. I learned so much about myself. If you are thinking of attending one of the retreats, DO IT! Kat and her team are authentic badasses to say the least. I can only hope your life is impacted like mine has been by this amazing soul and her tribe!

- Breck White, Sept 2024 Participant

This retreat was everything I hoped for and more! From the amazing staff and accommodations to the absolute dream team for medicine ceremonies! I am blown away by the way PMP holds their ceremonies! So much love, safety, integrity, magic! By far the best group of people I have sat with. I am beyond grateful for this experience, for the magic of the plants, for the medicine, the safely held container, the new friends/family, and ALL of the healing and lessons I get to take with me. PS don’t skip the Temezcal it was an amazing experience as well 💗 Everything was so well thought out and put together and I’m already planning when I can come be with this beautiful group of people again! Gracias 🙏

- Lacey B, July 2024 Participant

Absolutely off the charts! The accommodations and facility was above and beyond what I expected. Everything was exceptionally clean and the food was phenomenal. The location was also stellar with what it provides and its beauty. This is second to the All-Star team of space holders for the retreat. Each one of them is an exceptional human with expert skill sets. I would return in a second. Highly, highly recommended!

- Aaron R, July 2024 Participant

I loved my retreat with Plant Medicine People! The accommodations were wonderful. Food was amazing. I felt safe and supported at all times. There were multiple leaders available for help, and the participants were all wonderful people I'm happy to have met. I'm not an experienced international traveller, but PMP made it easy. Book with confidence!

- Sam T, Nov 2023 Participant

This was the bravest, most radical experience I have yet to encounter, but it was so badly needed for my continuing evolution in this lifetime. EVERYTHING was enriching and amazing! The leaders were candid and non-judgmental; always open to enhance our journey to its highest level. Ever attendee who joined in this experience was loving, kind and supportive. The grounds were tranquil and beautifully landscaped. The food was delicious, interesting and healthy. The staff was warm and accommodating. I pray for the forward movement that ALL can openly experience plant medicine without political or governmental interference. I’m certain there would be much less stress or fear in our world if we were free to allow the gifts from Mother Earth to heal our bodies, minds and souls. I am sending continued love, peace and joy to all those who travel along this path.

- Joyce Smith, NV, Nov 2022 Participant

I am eternally thankful to everyone involved in this journey! I did hardly ANY research, I just trusted the call and dove in head first. If not for someone close to my heart I would never have done this. Every time I think I'm doing an experience for someone else, I find that I get WAY more out of it myself than I realized I needed. I can be skeptical at times and my skepticism gets peeled away one layer at a time, while Mama shredded the remainder of the layers away! I feel renewed, refreshed, and recentered. Thank you Kat and Laura for handling everything and making this experience absolute magic! The food was absolutely incredible! If a cookbook is in the future, you can count me in for that(). Thank you all for being so kind and gentle. I absolutely LOVE huachuma! I felt so comforted and joyful, I had the best, big belly laughs. The breath work was perfect for me as I get some panic attacks with hyperventilating and I think this will help me immensely! Thank you to the guardians for your kindness and patience, you were ALWAYS there for us. You always seemed to know what we needed. This journey was more meaningful than I can express in a single review, but just know that if it calls for you, then do it! If the idea of purging stops you from this experience, maybe you're not ready. But just know that purging was freeing and it absolutely should not stop you from this. In the grand scheme, the benefits far outweigh any discomfort. The support is incredible. I'm in awe of everyone involved. Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me!

- Noly S, Nevada, Nov 2022 Participant