Preparation for Ayahuasca: Guidelines and Considerations
Summary of Dietary and Medication Requirements
This section is organized to help you understand the variety of physical and practical activities that may be helpful before and during your time in this space. Some of these activities are strongly recommended or must be done (such as observing your diet before your plant medicine experiences), and others are encouraged to enhance your experiences or help you on your ayahuasca journeys.
Dietary and Medical Guidelines
While many healing modalities offered in various settings can be learned and experienced without prior knowledge, working with medicinal plants in sacred ceremonies requires preparation and understanding, both for your safety and to have a satisfying healing experience.
Ultimately, the goal of your preparation is to enhance your experience with the work of medicine. You have invested your time, energy, resources and commitment into your healing, and we encourage you to see your preparation work less as a set of limitations and more as an investment in yourself and in devotion to the plants and Shipibo tradition that guide this. job. Remember to be kind to yourself, and whatever you do, do it with love.
Medical Summary
During your intake process, you will review all medications (including over-the-counter) and supplements (herbal and vitamins) with our support team, who can help you understand if there are medical or psychological contraindications to ayahuasca. We always recommend consulting with your doctor if you have any medical diagnosis and receiving his or her guidance for any reduction program. We do not recommend changing or discontinuing the use of medically necessary medications or supplements without first consulting your primary care physician.
Some medications and supplements are contraindicated with ayahuasca medicine. Interaction with pharmaceutical medications, supplements and medications (including some over-the-counter and certain herbs) can be potentially dangerous. Others are recommended to be discontinued because they interfere with the healers' ability to clearly observe the energy field and address the root cause in the energy work performed in the ceremony, and this is also true for certain energy practices and psychedelic medicines.
Again, it is important to discuss with your doctor and notify us of any medications and supplements you are taking upon registration to ensure your complete safety and well-being. If your medications change before your withdrawal begins, you must inform us.
Dietary Summary
Following dietary requirements in preparation for your retreat helps lay the foundation for the medicine experience, demonstrates respect for the process and commitment to your healing, and prepares your body to receive the medicine. It can also reduce the amount of cleaning that needs to be done at the ceremony, allowing the healing work to proceed more easily. In general, we encourage you to eat whole foods, limiting processed foods and those high in salt, sugar, animal oils and fats, along with the additional foods listed below.
Dietary, Energy and Medical Guidelines
Please avoid the following for at least 4 weeks before your retreat:
- Pork and pork products (including broths).
- Working with other psychedelic or psychoactive substances (including, but not limited to, cannabis, MDMA, ketamine and all psychedelics).
- Work with other healers or energy practitioners.
- Recreational drugs or substances (including alcohol).
- Pharmaceutical or over-the-counter medications (unless specifically discussed on a case-by-case basis with our support team during your intake process).
Note that some medications may require more than 4 weeks of discontinuation, including most SSRIs; Please indicate all medications you are taking during your admission process.
Please avoid the following for at least 2 weeks before your retreat:
- Red meat.
- Sexual and sensual activity with yourself and/or others.
- Limit highly processed foods.
- Limit salt and foods high in salt.
- Limit foods high in sugar and processed sugars.
- Limit foods high in animal oils and fats.
- Spicy foods.
- Blue cheese.
- Peanuts, soybeans and beans.
Please avoid the following for at least 1 week before your retreat:
- Caffeine.
- Refined sugars.
- Pickled, fermented and smoked foods.
- Overripe foods.
- Dairy products.
- Ice and very cold drinks (cold drinks are fine).
- Adrenaline-inducing activities (skydiving, extreme sports, endurance activities, getting a tattoo, horror movies, etc.). Moderate workouts are fine. The general principle here is that your basal energy levels or adrenaline levels should not be in peaks and troughs. Think about maintaining a balance before your retirement. This will help you keep this energy balanced while you are in this space, too.
Here, we maintain a high standard for every aspect of the healing process. We believe that all who feel the calling of medicine, regardless of where they choose to participate, should understand the potential risks, as well as current knowledge, traditions, and recommendations, both spiritual and medical, in preparing for such an experience.
Preparing to Drink Ayahuasca: Tips from Dr. Clancy Cavnar
Intention and discipline are essential to prepare for your ayahuasca experience. Many people like to set intentions for their experience, asking specific questions about topics they want to work with. However, it's important to understand that you may not receive the specific answers you're looking for, and in general, it's best not to have too many expectations set. It's important to surrender to the process and trust that you will get what you need, even if it doesn't always perfectly match your intentions.
Along with mental, emotional and spiritual preparation, there is the physical preparation of choosing a location and ensuring a safe experience. Not only the participants need evaluation, but also those who provide the drink; They must have known reputations for ethical behavior and be trusted suppliers who work within a known protocol. Accepting to drink with strangers about whom you know little is a condition that can lead to tragedy. Cases of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior have been reported as the culture of northern spiritual seekers meets mestizo and indigenous culture in the rainforests, each group with its own cultural presuppositions.
Viewing the shaman or healer as a doctor or psychiatrist in the Western model, or even as a priest or pastor in a religious model, does not offer a useful template for the shaman's role in his community, and may blind participants to the breadth of behaviors that can occur. It is best to wait to drink until mutual trust is established. In the United States, providers tend to be more cautious due to the risk of exposure and possible legal action due to the illegal nature of most ayahuasca activities in the States. In other countries, lack of knowledge of languages and customs can complicate finding a safe provider, even if the medicine is not illegal. It is good to know what is in the preparation you are consuming and avoid mixtures that contain Brugmansia (Toé) or tobacco, which can, in excess, be toxic or even deadly, unless you have worked with the supplier and have a relationship of trust afterward. from various experiences with them.
Ayahuasca is challenging; The more intense aspects may involve extreme emotions, possibly fear or sadness, painful vomiting, diarrhea, waves of chills, tiredness, the feeling of being invaded by external forces, and other phenomena that could be very unpleasant. The other side of the coin is that mystical revelations can be had, hidden ideas can be revealed, and new understanding can be gained. Many times, the best results are obtained after the most difficult ayahuasca sessions. But, for people who, for physical or mental reasons, are not prepared for these challenges, gentler therapies are recommended.