John of God |John of God Brazil | João de Deus | Casa de Dom Inacio | Abadiania | John of God Brasil

My Groups

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My name is Phyllis Bennett, I am an experienced Medium and I recently trained in Trance Mediumship at Stansted Hall in Essex. I am also a mother and grandmother so my people’s skills have been honed over a long period. This is my way of explaining my adopted motto above ‘Kindness, Compassion & Spiritual Understanding to Everyone’.

I first went to Abadiania in Brazil in January 2003 and have been back many times since as you will read in “My Story” and “Robin’s Story”. In July 2003 I met the criteria laid down by The Casa hierarchy and was accredited by them officially to take groups to The Casa de Dom Inacio in Abadiania. I feel that this is my vocation in life now, to take small groups of people to this magical healing place so that they can experience what many of my friends and I experienced.

At the time of this update 5 of the 24 people I met in January have returned to Abadiania and 4 more are waiting for the right time, this is more than one-third of the two groups that bonded out there and this number excludes the group leaders.

I book my groups into a small (30+ rooms) family run hotel, these small hotels are normally called Pousada’s in the area,
The owners who speak some English have a friendly attitude to all guests. It is the closest Pousada to The Casa, perhaps 250 yards walking distance. However, this is not a western style hotel in any sense, it is clean and basic but it could be a cultural shock to many. There are single rooms and double rooms, obviously partners will want double rooms but so will people with carers and the same applies to a parent and child.

Having described my favourite, I also have close connections with 4 other good quality Pousada’s, which I would be happy to book people into if necessary, they are also within walking distance of The Casa. I would just have to herd up my flock each morning on Casa days to get them there for the 8 am start.

The costs of the various lengths of visits is explained on the Booking Form,
There is no alcohol within the Hotel mainly because The Casa rules say that it retards healing. The local shops of course sell alcohol but this is usually to take home, most people meet for drinks at the local Juice Bar but that is exactly what it is, non-alcoholic juices, very very nice and cold.

With regard to inoculations you should be guided by your own doctor but I can categorically state that the vast majority of people visit Brazil without any inoculations. Doctors refer to their books which lump the whole of Brazil together including the rainforest areas where there is a need for protection against Yellow Fever and Malaria, but you are not going anywhere near there. The one inoculation which might be right for you is “Hepatitis A” which protects you against water-borne diseases, in my experience your own surgery can give you this at no cost. There is a very good reason for recommending this jab, salads are washed, vegetables and some meat are cooked in water and you may drink their tea or coffee. The golden rule in Brazil is to drink only bottled mineral water, make your own tea or coffee with mineral water and even clean your teeth with bottled water. This may sound over the top but most people go to Abadiania for health reasons and the very last thing you want is an upset tummy that stops you attending The Casa. There are mosquitoes in Abadiania which appear in the mornings and evenings but they do not carry malaria and if you are unlucky enough to be bitten it will probably be no worse than a knat bite, there are many effective remedies in your local supermarket to take.

Every week you will have four days (Saturday through to Tuesday) to chill out and do your own thing although there are a few organised events. There are many places of interest and if the demand is sufficient organised tours can be arranged. A firm favourite is an all day Sunday tour to Brasillia, the Capital of Brazil, where there is a fantastic open air market , the world famous Temple of Goodwill, you can visit the Dom Bosco Chapel which famously has blue stained windows
. There is also an ultra modern shopping mall comparable to any in England. Unless this activity on a Sunday is against your beliefs it is a marvellous day out and a chance to purchase presents and souvenirs, the shopping mall has plenty of good eating houses. Obviously the cost of any tour or meals taken outside the Pousada are extra.

Visas are not required by British citizens to visit Brazil. It is impossible to advise on how much spending money to take, but whatever you take it should be in U.S. Dollars . Do not take Brazilian money and try not to bring any back, Sterling is acceptable but much more difficult to exchange than dollars, Travellers Cheques are not a good idea. The current rate of exchange varies between 1.5 to 1.6 dollars to the pound sterling. You can get by quite happily on £50 ($75) per week spending money, the regular outgoings are for phone calls home, mineral water, juice drinks in the Juice Bar, herbs prescribed at The Casa and any donation to The Casa. However, I have known people to spend £500 ($750) during a 2 week stay, there are many temptations but it is solely down to you how much you spend, for instance you may love shopping and take frequent taxi rides to larger local towns.