The Hummingbird is a private healing center owned and run by Tracie Thornberry and Jim Davis. In addition to having a live-in shaman, two other individuals living at the center are in apprentiships to become ayahuasqueros.
Tracie Thornberry is a counsellor specialising in drug and addictions therapy who previously ran the Tranquilo Healing Center in Iquitos . Professionally trained and qualified she integrates shamanism, plant spirit medicine, ayahuasca and San Pedro into her healing work. She is very experienced with jungle medicines and has attended many ayahuasca ceremonies with many different shamans, assisting in their ceremonial work. Though not in a formal apprenticeship, Tracie is learning the art of perfumaria from Javier Arevalo. She is also undertaking a series of plant dietas to deepen her understanding of the medicine and enhance her ability to assist our shamans during and after ceremony. Tracie lives at the Hummingbird center, along with her brother Mark, who is currently in an apprentiship to become an ayhuasquero.
Jim Davis comes from Seattle, Washington in the US. He has had an interesting life working at various occupations including commercial fisherman in the Bering Sea, chemist, then software engineer. His study of religion and spirituality eventually bought him to South America where he has experienced a variety of plant medicines. He has participated in over 100 ceremonies with 16 different shaman in Ecuador and Peru, and is currently training to be an ayahyasquero. Jim is a welcome addition to the Hummingbird team. Being on the other side of a life-long struggle with depression, his compassion and understanding of human nature has greatly helped many clients who come to the Hummingbird in search of relief from depression, or simply a reprieve from their busy western lives. Jim lives at the Hummingbird healing Center with his wife Gina, and her two boys George and Jean-Piere.
Maestro Eladio Melendez Garcia has been been working with ayahuasca at age 14 and has been healing for over 25 years. Eladio grew up in the small village of Genaro Herrera on the river Ucayali, and learned the medicine from his grandfather. He is a master ayahuasquero, perfumero, tabaquero and spiritualist, and is one of the few curanderos that works with light to effect healing. Specializing in working with alcoholism and drug addiction, he has helped many people move on to a happier life free from the need to drink or drug. Eladio is also a licensed pharmacist and is able to incorporate his knowledge of western pharmaceuticals in his treatments when it is appropriate. Generous of spirit and open hearted, Eladio's quite confidence inspires trust and affection in those he works with. With a playful spirit and great sense of humor, his ayahuasca ceremonies contain frequent moments of laughter, in addition to serious healing work.
Paul Statton . was playing with energy as a little boy, and thought everyone could do it until he was around 6 years old. Paul is a natural holistic health practitioner, based on KInesiology, who helps people clear body and lifestyle issues using the energetic link between mind, emotions, spirit and body. By reading people's body energy, he quickly identifies what their imbalances are and how to treat them. This is based on the principle that your body is a reflection of where your mind is - people with body symptoms are blocking their consciousness. So Paul helps people understand their blocks and uses many techniques of energetic body clearing to balance their bodies and have them more connected to their divine essence so they can have a healthier body and create a more joyful life. We have seen amazing results with people who have structural imbalances, emotional issues and neurological disorders.
We have found that his sessions have great effect before
ayahuasca ceremonies as they put people into a clearer mind space
with a higher vitality, often enabling them to have a more focused
intention for the ceremony. Paul offers energy work sessions for
/S 125.
Paul's energy workshops provide
simple yet profound techniques for people to personally increase
the vitality of their bodies and mind, along with ways to self
heal. These techniques are valuable before and during ceremonies
and also empower people when they return home after the retreat to
keep themselves in a high vitality state.
Our Ayahuasca
The ayahuasca we use is among the best you will find. We proudly serve ayahuasca cooked by Ron Wheelock, the "Gringo Shaman" of Iquitos. After trying the medicine of over 15 different ayahuasqueros, we have found Ron's medicine to be consistently stronger, easier to drink, and offering a 'sweeter' journery than any others. Nobody drinks this medicine and says it was not strong enough. Instead, people frequently state it was the strongest medicine they have ever had, and often request a smaller dose their second or third ceremony. Ron apprenticed with Don Agustin Rivas Vasquez and Don Jose Coral Mori, the teacher of Pablo Amaringo and Eduardo Luna, and has been a practicing ayahuasquero in Iquitos for over 10 years. He is the only gringo ayahuasquero in the Iquitos area that works alone, without the assistance of his teacher.
