Iowaska Church of Healing

What makes Iowaska Church of Healing different?

For seven years, Iowaska Church of Healing has been courageously navigating the legal, spiritual, and humanitarian path toward full religious recognition and protection under U.S. law. Our work includes a sustained and determined pursuit of exemption from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) through the DEA, alongside our pursuit of 501(c)(3) public charity status from the IRS.

These efforts are not simply bureaucratic milestones; they are sacred acts of preservation. Our mission is to secure full legal protection surrounding the sacramental use of Ayahuasca — laying the foundation for Spirit of Valor, our veteran-centered healing initiative and the heart of our work. While Iowaska Church of Healing will be a guiding light open to all who seek spiritual growth and transformation, our primary commitment is to give back to those who have served. Through Spirit of Valor, we seek to establish a legally protected sanctuary on American soil where veterans can access profound, transformative healing without the need to travel outside the United States.

This vision is shaped by our leadership: BaBa DaDo, himself a survivor of brutal conflict, whose lived experience grants him rare insight into the invisible wounds veterans endure. His embodied resilience, paired with his shamanic gifts and decades of spiritual practice, creates a profound opportunity for restoration — not only for veterans, but for the families who walk beside them. With trauma, PTSD, addiction, and moral injury affecting veterans at alarming rates, the need for alternative and spiritually grounded approaches to healing has never been greater. Spirit of Valor is our commitment to serving those who have borne the burdens of war.

Through legal diligence, spiritual integrity, and unwavering faith, we are on track to become, what we know to be, the first Ayahuasca church in the United States to simultaneously receive both CSA exemption and 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, with a mission centered on veteran healing and transformation. This will set a groundbreaking precedent not only for our church, but for the broader plant medicine and veteran wellness communities seeking safe, legal, and protected pathways to healing.

Our legal journey reflects the essence of our spiritual calling: courage, compassion, justice, and service to a higher purpose. We currently provide support through private healing circles, community circles, integration support, and spiritual mentorship as we build toward our future ceremonial campus.

How does Ayahuasca work?

People turn to Ayahuasca for many reasons. From physical healing to mental health enhancement, increased awareness, spiritual awakening and more. The reasons and the ways in which the medicine works are as unique as the ceremony participant themselves. You can read more about the modes and methods of Ayahuasca healing here.

Why is Ayahuasca used in spitual ceremony?

For thousands of years, Ayahuasca has been honored in Indigenous Amazonian traditions as a sacred plant medicine used by healers and spiritual leaders to support healing, insight, and connection with the deeper nature of life. Passed through generations of ceremonial practice, it has long been regarded not simply as a substance, but as a spiritual teacher that helps illuminate the inner world of the soul.

Ayahuasca is traditionally prepared from two plants of the Amazon rainforest whose unique interaction allows the medicine to work on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels simultaneously. When approached with reverence and proper guidance, ceremony can help individuals access buried memories, release emotional burdens, and gain clarity about their lives and purpose.

Within spiritual ceremony, Ayahuasca is honored as a sacrament — a sacred tool that invites humility, reflection, and transformation. Rather than providing escape, it encourages deep introspection and healing, helping individuals reconnect with their inner truth and the greater intelligence that connects all life.

What is the meaning behind the “Iowaksa” name?

IOWASKA is both a sacred symbol and an acronym — Inner Oasis, Wisdom, Awakening, Sacred Knowledge, and Advancements. It reflects our mission to guide souls inward, toward transformation, truth, and healing.

We also honor the land that holds us: Iowa — the sacred heartland of the United States. Rooted in the fertile soil of the Midwest, surrounded by fields that nourish the nation, our home embodies grounded wisdom, natural abundance, and deep spiritual potential. Our spelling is a prayer of place and purpose — where inner awakening meets earthly grounding.

What kind of church is Iowaska Church of Healing?

Iowaska Church of Healing is a non-traditional spiritual organization rooted in universal truth rather than any single doctrine or religion. We are organized as a church to embrace, support, and enlighten all people — regardless of religious background, culture, location, or perceived societal status. Our purpose is to create a sanctuary where every soul can seek healing, awakening, and deeper connection with the Divine.

We recognize that the world’s great religions are like branches of the same sacred tree — each reaching toward truth in their own way. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Indigenous traditions, and countless other paths all carry wisdom. Iowaska Church of Healing stands at the trunk of that tree, drawing nourishment from the roots of ancient knowledge and spiritual interconnectedness. Our work honors the essence beneath all traditions — the universal presence of God, Spirit, Source, or the Divine by any name.

We are spiritual, not dogmatic. We do not seek to replace anyone’s faith, but to help individuals deepen their relationship with the Divine within their own tradition — whether that be Christ, Creator, the Universe, Mother Nature, or the still, sacred voice within.

Our ceremonies, teachings, and practices guide people toward inner truth, healing, and remembrance of who they are at the soul level. For members of multiple faiths, our work becomes a complement — not a contradiction — to their existing belief. We honor all paths, all scriptures, and all sincere seekers of light.

At our core, we believe:
There is one Source. Many paths. One human family.

We welcome all.
We honor all.
We are all ONE.

Why did you pick Iowa as a location?

Iowa holds a sacred resonance — not only as part of the fertile heartland that nourishes life, but as the only place in the world where the name “Iowa” naturally merges the spirit of Ayahuasca with the name of the land itself. This convergence is more than coincidence; it is a divine alignment. Rooted in deep Native history and blessed by the wisdom of the Earth, Iowa offers symbolic, spiritual, and energetic ground for profound healing and remembrance.

Beyond its spiritual significance, Iowa also provides a central, accessible location ideal for the veterans and families across the nation. As a Midwest hub, it offers easy travel from every corner of the country — no passports, no international flights, and no barriers to entry. Veterans often face physical, emotional, or financial obstacles when traveling long distances for healing programs; a centrally located sanctuary reduces that burden and makes the journey more attainable.

Iowa is also known for its peaceful landscapes, rural serenity, affordability, and community-oriented culture — qualities that create a grounding environment for trauma recovery, integration, and spiritual renewal. Away from the noise of major cities, the quiet of the land itself supports the nervous system, offering the stillness needed for deep work.