Rythmia at BEYOND Wonderland in Austin

Last week, Rythmia had the privilege of attending BEYOND Wonderland in Austin, and our team is still buzzing from the experience. Hosted by Dave Asprey as part of his BEYOND series, the two-day event brought together clinicians, researchers, shamans, policymakers, investors, and artists at the Omni Barton Creek Resort for a deep dive into psychedelic science, consciousness, longevity, and optimization.

For all of us at Rythmia, it was the first time we’d been able to show up together as a team and share the Rythmia Way with this community. It was also thrilling to soft launch Jack Canfield’s new book, Ayahuasca for the Soul, at our booth, where it felt like there were always at least five people waiting for Jack’s signature. Jack, the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul™ series, has long championed plant medicine, and this book gathers 79 personal stories from veterans, teachers, CEOs, celebrities, and everyday people whose lives were transformed by ayahuasca.

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Dr. Jeff McNairy’s Talk at BEYOND Wonderland

My talk focused on the Rythmia Way and our unique process, with a special emphasis on safety and the data we’ve gathered over 10 years in business, including survey results from more than 24,000 guests showing they continued to report improvements even six months after their stay. What stood out to me most was the curiosity and openness about what we’re doing with our program. Many conference attendees came to us with real questions about safety, integration, and what lasting change actually looks like, and those are the same conversations we have with our guests every week.

The speaker lineup was outstanding, and some of the standouts for us included mycologist Paul Stamets, Jamie Wheal, author of Stealing Fire and Recapture the Rapture, and MAPS founder Rick Doblin. The event itself ran beautifully, on schedule and thoughtfully organized, and the crowd was a refreshing mix of researchers, practitioners, biohackers, and people simply looking to heal and connect.

Our booth became a little gathering place of its own, with past guests, curious newcomers, and old friends stopping by throughout both days. One highlight was a visit from our friend Shep Rose of Southern Charm, whose new memoir about his journey at Rythmia, Nothing in Moderation: A Psychedelic Reckoning With Excess, is now available. It’s an honest and very funny look at his relationship with excess and what it’s really like to sit with ayahuasca in the Costa Rican jungle. Shep’s story also appears in Ayahuasca for the Soul, so it felt especially meaningful to have him there for the launch. Seeing longtime biohackers, first-time seekers, and people who had already walked through the fire all in one space was a beautiful reminder that healing and longevity can look very different for everyone, and that the frontier ahead is incredibly promising.

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Longevity and Psychedelic Medicines

It’s no surprise that psychedelic medicines have a home in the longevity world. Longevity has grown into a defined consumer market focused on extending healthspan, and analysts at TD Securities now size its core at more than $250 billion. Longevity retreats in particular are booming, with one industry report projecting the category will grow from about $9.8 billion in 2025 to $11.1 billion this year. At the same time, psychedelic medicine has had a landmark year. In April, the FDA issued priority review vouchers to three psychedelic development programs following a presidential executive order, and in September the agency held a public hearing on the future therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs. As more people look for ways to live longer and better, plant medicine is a natural fit, because a long life only matters if your mind, heart, and spirit are also fully aligned.

What moved our team most about BEYOND Wonderland is that it felt a lot like what we see throughout our weeks at the center in Costa Rica. People came in as strangers, opened up about what they’re passionate about and what they’re healing from, and left feeling a little less alone. That kind of connection matters more than ever. A 2025 AARP survey found that 40% of Americans 45 and older are lonely, up from 35% in 2010 and 2018, and three in ten say they have fewer friends than they did five years ago. That isolation shows up in the body too, with loneliness linked to a 29% higher risk of heart attack and a 32% higher risk of stroke. It’s no wonder so many of us are craving more reasons to gather in person with like-minded people and talk about what lights us up. Whether it’s a retreat or a conference, those gatherings can be incredibly generative, and they remind us that connection may be one of the most powerful longevity tools we have.

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Hopes for the Future

Looking ahead, our hope is that gatherings like this keep moving plant medicine toward a future that is safe, accessible, and rooted in both science and tradition, and we’re excited to show up at even more events like this throughout 2027.

Thank you to Dave Asprey and the BEYOND team for an incredible event, and to everyone who stopped by to connect with us. We hope to see you at the conference again next year, or better yet, at Rythmia in Costa Rica