Derek Januszewski

About Derek Januszewski

Derek Januszewski is the founder and Lead Pastor of Pachamama Sanctuary, an ayahuasca retreat center dedicated to spiritual healing, emotional mastery, and the expansion of collective consciousness. Having moved through addiction, trauma, and personal loss himself, he has transformed hardship into a path of service, supporting thousands of people as they face their shadows, reconnect with their authentic selves, and create meaningful change. Today, he is known as an integration-centered spiritual leader who offers a grounded and compassionate space for deep inner work in a world full of distraction.

Personal Journey

Raised between Florida and New England, Derek’s early years were shaped by instability, self-doubt, and pain that often remained hidden beneath a capable exterior. He later built a successful career and conventional life, yet privately struggled with addiction, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. These challenges eventually brought him to a breaking point and opened the door to plant medicine. His first experiences with ayahuasca were more than mystical; they served as powerful interventions that helped him uncover years of trauma, confront the roots of destructive coping patterns, and begin a long process of self-acceptance. That path became the foundation of his life’s work.

Founding Pachamama Sanctuary

In 2019, Derek created Pachamama Sanctuary as a small, grassroots retreat space—more a gathering of seekers on pushed-together couch cushions than a polished wellness resort. From those modest beginnings, he has built a sanctuary that now welcomes people from many walks of life seeking healing from addiction, grief, PTSD, and harmful cycles. Under his leadership, Pachamama has grown into a community-centered retreat model where ceremony, integration, and ongoing support are treated as essential parts of the journey. His mission is to help people reconnect with inner wisdom, release limiting beliefs, and step into lives of purpose and authenticity.

Teaching Style & Philosophy

Derek brings a rare blend of humility, directness, and spiritual depth to his work. Having sat with ayahuasca more than 150 times, he emphasizes that the medicine is not a quick fix or a fashionable psychedelic experience, but a sacred tool that must be paired with honest shadow work and disciplined integration to support lasting transformation. At Pachamama, he is known for meeting people exactly where they are—whether they are skeptical high performers, deeply wounded survivors, or spiritual seekers who have tried everything else—and inviting them into radical honesty, self-responsibility, and compassion.

Family & Advocacy

As a father of three, Derek’s work is also grounded in his commitment to building a better future for the next generation. He continues to share his story through interviews, writing, and talks, not to present himself as a guru, but to normalize conversations about trauma, addiction, spirituality, and the courage required to begin again. Whether he is holding ceremony, guiding breathwork, or supporting a guest through the delicate days after a retreat, Derek stands as living proof that even the darkest chapters of a life can become the raw material for service, meaning, and profound inner freedom.