Complaint Review: Sivana Bali

I had to leave the program 2 weeks early. due to medical issues & was not issued any refund, despite their claims to issue a % refund due to emergencies. They are dishonest & do not have integrity.

In March I returned from a recovery trip to Bali in worse shape than when I went. Sivana Bali is not what it claims to be. I screened them for 3 weeks to make sure it was a good fit for me & had the necessary set up to participate in their 28 day program. I was looking for a holistic program that could accommodate my health needs.

They promote themselves as a holistic program, but don’t live up to that. In trying to seal the deal & get payment for the program, they are misleading & dishonest on multiple levels. The biggest underlying issue of Sivana, it’s apparent it’s $ driven vs. 1st priority being the client. There are some very good therapists/facilitators/programming, but things that are just not right.

There’s a contradiction that they’re claiming to educate clients to live in integrity, when there’s a lack of integrity at core level. No doubt they will tell you what you want to hear to get you to sign up & pay the $ & then don’t & cannot hold up their end of the bargain & what they claim to be. It's wrong on many levels, but effected me on a physical level, due to health.

On my 3rd day, I started to get sick from rampant cigarette smoke. I went to bed that night with trouble breathing & didn’t sleep all night. The next couple of days I started to feel an infection coming on & could taste cigarette smoke in my lungs & mouth. I communicated to the staff about my issues & they said they would work on the smoking areas.

I communicated about other issues & was told these things would be addressed at the beginning of the next week. By the next week, things weren’t addressed properly & I could feel myself getting more sick & broken down. I told them I didn’t think I’d be able to stay at the facility w/out a major shift. I was told they’d circle back to me asap & then that the issues would be addressed within 24 hours.

By the end of 2 weeks, my health had completely manifested into full on illness in various ways. I told them I’d need to leave the facility as they couldn’t accommodate what they’d promised..I needed to get to a safe & quiet place to recover.

They said I’d need to see their MD, which I was happy about. After a consultation, my condition was corroborated: “lethargic & stressful..tightness in her lung/shortness of breath due to highly smoking environment….due to her autoimmune condition: immunity cells attacking…affect the body & affecting overall immunity…..possess a risk of lungs infection in highly smoking environment.

Also, during her program in Sivana…highly compact exacerbated her condition to get worse.” Per the visit with the MD who’s extremely knowledgeable & discussions with my family, it was clear & imperative that I leave Sivana & get to a better environment, along with other measures to support my health. It took them 2 days to make my exit happen as they were trying to get me to stay, all while I was the sickest I’ve been.

I’m beyond disheartened by my experience at Sivana. As many people seeking recovery know, it’s a difficult decision & commitment & one I made on my own. I was so proud of myself & excited to do this work in what seemed like an amazing place that could foster & support my recovery journey. What a massive let down & blow to have to walk away from this personal investment.

I’m happy to report after leaving, I have continued my recovery on my own, no thanks to Sivana. In the process of becoming ill under their care & messaging owner/financial person Garth, it’s abundantly clear what his & their main drive is = $.  In needing to exit early for medical purposes, I emailed asking them to have integrity & do the right thing & to issue me a partial refund for the 2 weeks I missed.

I never got a direct response from my emails from Garth, who was quick to respond prior to me signing up for the program & sending my $. I finally received a response with no apology about any of this ocurring during my stay…only him deflecting responsibility & ownership about their short comings . There’s a clause stating partial refunds for “family emergencies” & this was a medical emergency…they could accommodate me, but clearly will avoid doing the right thing to hold onto $!