What You May Experience in an Ayahuasca Ceremony

Have a clear intention for what you want to get from your time with ayahuasca. It should be simple and specific. Some good examples for retreat intentions are:

• To be free from depression and anxiety
• To fully accept and love myself as I am”
• To have a direct experience of my true spiritual nature
• To remove the false beliefs that have kept me limited

It is also important to have a clear intention for each ceremony. It may be the same as the retreat intention, but it could also be addressing something more specific. We are happy to coach people in forming intentions for their ceremonies. It begins with the simple question, “What do I want?”

Key to getting the most from ayahuasca is to trust the medicine and surrender to the experience. Surrender is not an issue when the journey is joyful, fascinating, beautiful and fun. Surrender comes into play when we do not like what is happening. That is the time to trust that ayahuasca and the doctor spirits are on your side, want to heal you, and know what they are doing. We experience what is being healed in a magnified way, often much stronger than we feel it in day to day life. If it gets unpleasant, go to gratitude for the healing, not to fear.

Our minds have a natural tendency to put meaning on our experience, to analyze it, think about how we will tell our friends about it. We want to not forget, and try to imprint it in our memory. While we are thinking we cannot be fully present to what is happening NOW. We are missing out on much of the experience.

Give yourself permission to experience now, and analyze and document it later. This is a part of surrendering to the experience, trusting that what is important will “stick”. The subconscious retains much more than our conscious mind. We can also move into trust that the information will naturally arise when it is needed in the future, even if we have no conscious memory of it.

If you find yourself thinking about what has just happened, gently move your attention back to the experience itself.

Commit to achieving the change you are looking for. A true commitment means we become willing to do what ever it takes. When we make a commitment, the Universe responds and things begin to happen. With ayahuasca, that often means being willing to step into an unpleasant experience if that is what is necessary.

Don’t come expecting it to be hard. We tend to encounter what we expect to happen, so do not come “looking” for a struggle. An attitude of willingness is all that is needed. If a difficult experience comes, simply say in your mind “I am willing”.

People usually feels a sense of apprehension or nervousness before drinking ayahuasca. This is normal as we cannot predict what will happen when we drink ayahuasca. It will be different each time.

When we come to the mesa to drink, pick up the cup and mentally state the intention for the night’s ceremony, asking mother ayahuasca to bring the healing and teaching we have come for, then drink. Many are surprised by how pleasant it tastes, a mild sweetness. Our ayahuasca is cooked with Huambisa, and is much easier to drink than that cooked with Chacruna. The taste is often compared to red wine, a dark beer such as porter or stout, even Jägermeister. After drinking we may feel it clearly in our stomach. An unusual sensation and perhaps some mild nausea. This will pass in 5-15 minutes. As the medicine begins to take effect we may experience a glow in the body, a tingling sensation, energy beginning to move.

As we begin slipping into an alter state of consciousness, we may find the mind drifting, wandering. A lazy feeling may arise as though we could easily sleep. Colors and patterns may be seen in our mind’s eye. There might be an increase of energy flowing through the body. The movement into a different state of consciousness may be accompanied by some very unusual sensations. This may include the body feeling agitated, some nausea, feeling out of sorts. The discomfort often passes as we move deeper into a trance state, but may continue building until the purge comes. What ever the experience, hold the knowledge that all is well and allow the medicine to work.

The peak of the experience usually begins around an hour after drinking. For some it may come sooner, and for others it may take up to two hours before the full effect of ayahuasca takes hold. For most people the peak ayahuasca experience will last roughly 2-3 hours. Some are extra sensitive to ayahuasca, and may have full visionary experiences that last 6-7 hours. The experience may include bright colorful visions, and it is also common for people to not have any visual visionary experience. Sounds and smells and tactile sensations on the body may felt.

There are a number of experiential elements commonly reported, which include, but are not limited to the following:

• Visual imagery: Visuals won’t appear for everyone. But if they do, imagery can range from mild kaleidoscopic patterns, similar to other psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin, to full dream-like scenarios.
• Encountering other-worldly beings: Many people report meeting spiritual entities, including “Mother Ayahuasca” herself and the spirits of passed-away ancestors.
• Mystical experiences: These subjective, spiritual experiences are characterized by a loss of ego, feelings of oneness with the universe, and connection to a higher or divine source.
• Strong emotions: Intense feelings can range from fear and sadness to bliss and ecstasy and rapidly switch between these extremes.
• Physical effects: Physical side effects include increased heart rate and blood pressure, nausea and vomiting. Diahrea, trembling and feeling very heavy may also occur.
• Time distortion: In general, the drug effects of ayahuasca last about four to eight hours and can take between 30-90 minutes to kick in, depending on the medicine. However, the way you experience time will be different from usual. Passage of time may seem slower or faster than normal. In some instances, participants may also experience time as non-existent.