Facilitator Training & Background
Years of dedicated apprenticeship, lived ceremonial practice, and an ongoing commitment to safe, spiritually-grounded ceremony
A Path Built on Dedication and Direct Study
Ceremony facilitation in the Shipibo tradition is not something learned from a book or a weekend course. It is a long path shaped by surrender, discipline, direct relationship with the sacred plants, and years of learning under the guidance of experienced indigenous teachers. The knowledge lives not just in the mind but in the body, the songs, and the subtle awareness that only time in practice can develop.
Both Kano and Brett committed themselves to this path fully. Before facilitating ceremony for others, each of them walked their own deep journey with the sacred medicine, going through their own initiations, learning to navigate difficult experiences, and developing the steady presence that real facilitation requires.
Holding space for others in ceremony is a responsibility they do not take lightly. Every ceremony is supported by years of preparation — and by an ongoing commitment to continue learning, growing, and deepening their relationship with the tradition.
Traditional Apprenticeship Within the Shipibo Lineage
Both Kano and Brett apprenticed under Maestro Enrique Lopez, a respected Shipibo curandero, spending extended periods in the Peruvian Amazon. This was not a structured program with a defined curriculum. It was a transmission-based relationship — the way knowledge has always moved in indigenous ceremonial traditions. You learn by being present, by observing, by sitting in ceremony again and again, and by undergoing your own processes of purification and opening.
Central to traditional apprenticeship is the dieta: periods of withdrawal from ordinary life marked by dietary simplicity, abstinence from intoxicants, sexual continence, and focused prayer with specific master plants. Through dieta, the apprentice forms a direct relationship with plant-spirit teachers such as Noya Rao and Bobinsana. The plants communicate through dreams, visions, and through the songs — icaros — that arise from these relationships. Both Kano and Brett have completed multiple dietas and carry the songs and knowledge those relationships have given them.
Kano brings more than a decade of immersion in the Shipibo lineage. He has mastered the use of icaros as a precise tool for supporting and guiding participants through the inner landscape of ceremony. Brett apprenticed under both Kano and Maestro Enrique Lopez, completing dietas with Noya Rao and Bobinsana and integrating the ceremonial and organizational knowledge that ECC's work requires.
The icaros — sacred healing songs — are the heart of Shipibo ceremony. They are not simply music. They carry intention, energetic structure, and the living intelligence of the plants. A facilitator's depth is measured significantly by the breadth and clarity of the songs they carry.
Modern Safety Awareness for Western Participants
Traditional training provides the spiritual and energetic foundation for facilitation. Our facilitators have also developed a thorough understanding of the safety considerations that are especially relevant for Western participants — many of whom arrive with complex medication histories, particular health circumstances, or limited prior experience with fasting or extended ceremonies.
Our facilitators understand which medications and health conditions present potential contraindications with the sacred medicine. This knowledge informs our intake screening process. We take contraindication review seriously because responsible spiritual stewardship means knowing when it is wiser to wait — and inviting those seekers to speak with their own healthcare provider before they come.
Our facilitators remain awake and fully present for the entirety of each ceremony, which typically spans six to eight hours. They monitor the wellbeing of each participant, offer physical support when needed, and know how to respond to difficult experiences with calm, grounded care. They also know when a situation requires support beyond the ceremonial context and are prepared to act accordingly.
Contraindication Awareness
Our facilitators understand known interactions between the sacred medicine and certain medications and health conditions, and they use this knowledge to guide intake screening decisions.
Ceremonial Safety Protocols
The ceremonial space is arranged to ensure participants can move safely and that facilitators can reach anyone in need. Preparation guidelines include dietary requirements that reduce physical risk.
Emotionally Steady Presence
Difficult experiences in ceremony are not uncommon and are often part of deep spiritual work. Our facilitators know how to remain steady, offer reassurance, and support participants through challenging passages without interrupting the sacred process.
ECC is a religious community in the Shipibo tradition. Our facilitators are ceremony facilitators and spiritual leaders. The training they bring is rooted in a traditional ceremonial lineage and augmented by a serious commitment to participant safety within that sacred context.
Held by Those Who Have Walked the Path
When you join a sacred ceremony at ECC, you are held by facilitators who have given years to this work — not as a profession, but as a calling. Learn more about the people who will guide your experience.