Laura’s Shipibo name is Chononyabi, meaning “swallow bird that flies in unity.” Born in the Shipibo community of Roaboya, she comes from a long line of Shipibo-Conibo healers and was destined from birth to walk the path of a curandera. Both of her parents are respected Onanya, and her grandfather was a Meraya, the highest level of Shipibo healer. For generations, her family has offered healing to their village and nearby communities.
Like many young Shipibo raised in a healing lineage, Laura began receiving small dietas from her grandparents at the age of ten. At sixteen, her apprenticeship deepened as she started working with ayahuasca. By twenty, she was traveling throughout Peru with her aunt, sharing healing in both mestizo and Shipibo communities. She has also studied with and worked extensively alongside her mother and teacher, Ynes Sanchéz Gonzalez, in Peru and abroad.
Laura has been part of the Temple of the Way of Light since 2011 and has worked at her mother’s healing center, Niwe Rao Xobo, since its founding in 2015. She carries a remarkable depth of multi-generational knowledge and is especially known for warmé ikaros, which are used to help release emotions and support the healing of relationships. Her contagious laughter and deep devotion to healing make her deeply loved by many.