TEO is a deeply transformative process that spans two months and integrates a powerful shamanic healing ceremony with somatic practices and coaching.
TEO leverages profound states of adaptive brain plasticity and nervous system recalibration to bring about lasting personal and collective change.
TEO is medicine. TEO is movement. TE is a contemporary approach to healing ceremonies with roots in the ancient Peruvian wisdom practiced for thousands of years. We integrate modern trauma theory, neuroscience, developmental psychology, somatic practices for preparation, trauma (and entity) release, and integration. It is a powerful and beautiful journey through healing states guided within the safe space of a mesa (shamanic altar).
Held in complete darkness and structured through ritual and sound, our healing ceremonies engage the senses and heal the mind, heart, and body.
We are profoundly committed to providing comprehensive preparation protocols and integration support. We provide all participants with a daily practice program to follow for four weeks before the ceremony*.
This program includes various somatic protocols as well as dietary recommendations, aimed at increasing nervous system resiliency to deepen the work achievable during the session while prioritizing safety. As part of the preparation process, we conduct an in-depth intake to explore the participant’s past, developmental background, challenges, and goals. After the ceremony, we remain available as needed for a month of integration, during which we highly recommend continuing the daily practice.
Safely held within the sacred rituals of ancient Peruvian lineages, TEO ceremonies are profoundly transformative journeys. We are experienced paqos (shamanic priests) formally trained in a blended lineage that combines the ancient traditions of coastal Peruvian curanderismo and the Andean traditions of the Q’ero people. Honoring sacred practices of indigenous wisdom, we respectfully offer these powerful modalities through our unique approach.
For many years, TEO ceremonies were hosted at the beloved Maryposa Healing Center in Atlanta, GA, and served as the heart of a vibrant healing community. We have since relocated to San Antonio, Texas, and are offering this powerful modality to people around the world who are on a committed healing path. If you are coming from out of town, we can help you plan your trip.
* Due to safety concerns and our desire to provide the most benefit from this work, we are choosing to not perform ceremonies for people who cannot commit to a daily practice routine.
What to expect.
PREPARATION
First, we would need to schedule a discovery session with you to discuss your background, experience, intent, and current challenges to determine if this type of work is right for you. If it is, we will ask for a 50% deposit to secure the ceremony date and provide you with the preparation protocol to follow a minimum of four weeks before the ceremony. This protocol will include daily somatic practices to train and prepare your nervous system. We will also set a date for the intake session, which typically takes several hours (this can be done in person or remotely).
CEREMONY
One ceremony requires a minimum of three days without any distractions. The day of the ceremony should be restful to ensure you have more energy going in. A nap or non-sleep deep rest is recommended in the mid to late afternoon.
On the night of the ceremony, we will meet around 6 p.m. at a local biohacking center to prep our minds and bodies with a cold plunge, red light therapy, massage chairs, and other wellness practices. Afterwards, we will gather at our residence to get settled, clarify logistics, engage in breathwork, and perform Earth-honoring rituals before entering the mesa. The journey begins by opening the sacred space and invoking our spiritual allies and elemental forces. Once the field is open, all lights in the space are turned off, candles are blown out, and the “shadow” work begins. Deep clearings and empowerment rituals are performed to restructure ourselves from the inside out. Emotional processing, trauma healing, cord-cutting, and revitalization are common themes of this work.
Often, we are up until sunrise, depending on the processes necessary to close the ceremonial portal after deep and extensive work. A meal or light snacks help to ground us before we rest for a few hours at our residence, and we reconvene the following morning in the mesa to debrief the experience and share some recommendations based on the visionary work.
INTEGRATION
The remainder of the day will be devoted to rest and integration. You are warmly invited to join us for a nourishing meal to replenish the body and gently reconnect, or you may choose to retire early into solitude and silence, honoring whatever feels most supportive for your nervous system.
The following morning, we will rise early and embark on a pilgrimage to a sacred natural area beyond the city. There, we will work with Andean practices to deepen integration and healing while offering reverence to the land itself. Expect a full day of hiking, often over challenging terrain, and exposure to the elements. After sundown, we will begin our return journey toward the city, stopping for a shared meal along the way. This evening will mark our final time together in person, though we will remain in close connection in the weeks that follow to support your ongoing integration.
Throughout the entire two-month process, you will be held in the guidance and care of Alejandro Villegas, Desiree Saltkill, and Raquel Karnavas, each devoted to ensuring your experience is as safe, grounded, and transformative as possible.
SCHEDULE
Preparation: 1 Month
Intake session: Approximately 3-4 hours (remote or in person)
Ceremony:
Day 1: Sleep in, biohacking center at 6:00 pm, ceremony at 8:00 pm
Day 2: Rest, integration circle, and restaurant (optional)
Day 3: Nature pilgrimage all day, last meal together
Integration: 1 Month
SELF-INVESTMENT: $3,000
Have more questions? Check out the FAQ below.
Deposit & Commitment Policy
To reserve your ceremony date, a 50% deposit is required at the time of scheduling. Please note that this deposit is non-refundable once a date has been selected. The initial meeting is offered as an opportunity to connect and prepare, but commitment to the process is established when the ceremony date is set. By reserving your ceremony, you are affirming your intention to follow through with the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The mesa serves as a sacred space where the healing journey takes place. It holds symbolic and energetic significance, acting as a focal point for the ceremony and connecting participants to nature and the spiritual realms. Certain sacred objects are used for powerful clearings and empowerment processes.
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TEO℠ ceremonies aim to bring about profound personal and collective transformation. Benefits may include mental and physical healing, increased self-awareness, manifestation, emotional processing, trauma release, and revitalization. They are powerful modalities with an exceptional success rate at treating PTSD, complex trauma, depression, anxiety, overwhelm, and lack of purpose or connection.
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The preparation process includes daily somatic protocols, dietary recommendations, and an in-depth intake session. These aspects aim to increase participants’ nervous system resiliency, ensure safety, establish healthy habits, prepare for the ceremony, and aid with integration. A customized daily practice might include breathwork, cold exposure, exercise, bioenergetic release exercises, meditation, and journaling.
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Examples of this integration include trauma-informed practices, insights from neuroscience on adaptive brain plasticity, and developmental psychology principles to address participants’ past experiences and challenges.
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Safety concerns relate to the potentially intense nature of the release of stored emotions. Daily practice routines are important for increasing participants’ resilience and readiness for the deep work undertaken during the ceremony. They also play a crucial role in ensuring proper integration and lasting change.
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The discovery session involves discussing a participant’s background, intent, and challenges to determine their suitability for TEO℠.
The intake session is more in-depth and explores past experiences, developmental background, and goals. -
Shadow work often involves confronting and processing hidden or suppressed aspects of oneself, such as unresolved emotions or traumas. In the ceremony, it also involves clearing and empowerment rituals.
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Earth-honoring rituals include acknowledging and paying respects to the natural world, invoking spiritual allies, and creating a sacred and safe space for the healing work.
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Follow-up and integration support are provided for a month after the ceremony, with specific details regarding the timing and nature of this support available upon participation.
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A commitment to a daily practice routine and to self-healing, abstinence from any recreational drugs and some pharmaceuticals prior to the ceremony, no history nor family history of psychosis or schizophrenia, and a healthy heart. As part of the preparation protocol, we recommend avoiding sexual activity and certain foods before the ceremony.
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Our mesa is a lineage-activated sacred space that anchors specific healing energies and aids in transmuting energy throughout the ceremony. The space is balanced through the work of a male and a female facilitator (plus an assistant), following the Andean concept of yanantins or complementary opposites. We respectfully honor ancient rituals but have enhanced them with science-based nervous system practices for safety, depth, and trauma healing. Our ceremonies are very active, and we engage somatically with the space, as opposed to a musically-guided session where participants lie down with their eyes covered. The exception to this is during a soul retrieval (shamanic regressive hypnotherapy).
