About Us
“Anam Cara,” derived from the ancient Celtic language, means “soul friend”… a guiding light in the darkness -
a reflection of what we aspire to be for every individual who enters our ceremonial retreat space.
Co-founders Neils Poole and Francesca Barone have been walking their own healing paths for many years.
Profound experiences in ceremony and a shared passion for the transformative healing technologies of the Shipibo-Konibo Nation inspired them to establish Anam Cara Healing Retreats.
Neils and Francesca seek to gracefully bridge the wisdom of ancestral Amazonian Shamanism with a diverse range of therapeutic techniques and healing traditions they have gathered throughout their lifelong journeys on the medicine path.
While varied in approach, these ancient and modern practices are united by their focus on embodiment, devotion to the spirits of nature, and alignment with the heart and true self. Their heartfelt mission is to guide others toward tending to the longings of the heart and achieving self-liberation through root-cause healing.
At Anam Cara, every retreat is curated with the utmost integrity and deep respect for the Shipibo curanderos (traditional medicine practitioners) and the indigenous plant medicine they steward.
We are honored to work in close, life-long friendship with 3 families of Shipibo healers who are like family to us— relationships built on deep trust, reciprocity, and love. These maestras and maestros are among the most highly-experienced and respected lineages of the Amazon region, and their presence and ancestral wisdom is at the heart of everything we do.
Our intimate retreats foster a space for deep connection and heartfelt nurturing.
They bring together willing souls to restore the medicine of ritual, oneness, and nature—essences of life that many have forgotten.
With integrity and devotion, we invite you to embark on a profound journey of healing, self-discovery, and connection.
Unlike commercial medicine centers, we are focused on:
Highly intimate group size and high-touch care
Longterm relationships and life-long integration support
Depth over volume
True reciprocity and sustainability with the Amazon and Shipibo wisdom keepers
Always serving 100% wild-grown Amazonian Ayahuasca, sustainably raised and harvested
Trauma-informed, somatic integration that supports you well beyond the ceremony space
Co-creating intimate spaces where retreat guests become family
Deep healing practices beyond the ceremony work, using embodiment, voice, dance, mantra, yoga, breathwork, qi-gong, and music to help you come alive.
We are Anam Cara Retreats, a boutique Shipibo-led Ayahuasca Center co-founded by Francesca Barone and Neils Nahm. With over 20 combined years of apprenticeship with Ayahuasca medicine and Amazonian Shamanism.
