Ayahuasca Preparation

If it is your first time to come and work with the medicine ayahuasca, it is wise to take some steps to prepare yourself for your journey.

Though there are boundless lists online about ayahuasca preparation of what to do and not do, here are our suggestions:

  1. Connection

    • One of the first things we encourage people to do when they decide to come is to begin communicating with the spirit of ayahuasca is to take a moment and honour this ancient benevolent spirit in some form or another. Take a moment of silence and make an offering of your heart.
    • Time and time again we have seen the people who do this, often connect in ceremony much quicker and go much deeper as they have allowed for a relationship to begin to build.
    • As much as western culture likes to pinpoint the mechanics on how things work. When it comes to Ayahuasca Preparation, a lot of these ideas get thrown out the window.
    • Ayahuasca is a spirit beyond anything else. And when working in the Amazonian Shipibo shamanic context, the spirit world is a very real place to do deep meaningful powerful work.
    • Preparing to come and meet with Ayahuasca is a big commitment to ones personal work and journey and taking a moment to connect with Ayahuasca before you come can be very helpful.

  2. Intentions

    • We encourage people to sit with their intentions for coming on retreat. To ask the deeper questions and reflect on what it is that has called you forward. At the same time we also ask people to trust the medicines wisdom to guide and show that which needs to be revealed. Even if it plays out not in the ways you expect it to, as is usually the case.
    • Intentions are very helpful, but not being too attached to those intentions is very important as it can stop you from surrendering to the process in the way that it needs to unfold in order for deep healing to take place.

  3. Ayahuasca Diet

    • Once on retreat with us, all food served will be a menu that is in line with what is most easeful on the system and best for ceremonial Ayahuasca work.
    • All food is healthy, mindfully created, as well as gluten-free.
    • Your physical ayahuasca preparation before retreat is up to you. However we encourage you to begin preparing 2 weeks before hand if possible.
    • If you have questions about any of these suggestions, please just ask!

  4. Foods to eliminate prior to retreat

    • Highly processed foods and foods with chemical additives.
    • Caffeine.
    • Pork and Red meats.
    • Cheese & dairy
    • Sugar
    • Heavily fermented foods
    • The reason for eliminating processed foods, and most importantly fermented foods is because of the high Tyramine content in these foods which do not mix well with the medicine.

  5.  Pharmaceutical Medications

    • If you are on any type of Pharmaceuticals it is best to come off of them unless otherwise suggested by your doctor.
    • Pharmaceutical forms of birth control. All women on birth control are asked to stop taking it simply for the duration of the retreat. It is encouraged that women come off of birth control 2 weeks before hand if possible.

  6. Sexual Activity

    • We suggest participants only engage in sex in committed loving partnerships and no casual sex at least 2 weeks before hand. The reason for this is because sexual energy is a very strong powerful energy and when people have sex their energy fields merge.
    • With plant medicine this energy can magnify and so its best to just be mindful of the type of sexual energy you engage with prior to attending retreat.

  7. Note on SSRIS

    • We are unable to take anyone on any form of SSRI medication. This includes anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication, and anti psychotics. SSRI medication is not safe to take alongside ayahuasca and can cause permanent damage to the pineal gland in some cases.
    • For those on mild forms of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication we have had many people come work with us who have weaned themselves off before retreat and not returned to their use post medicine work.
    • For anyone who has more severe diagnosis and mental health history or any form of demanding health concern, mental or physical, we recommend one on one work for this with certain curanderas/curanderos. More personalized and attentive care is needed and a group setting is not the right environment for this.