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Preparing for your ceremony or retreat

Please pay careful attention to the details below.  If you have any questions at all please contact us.

Medications

Certain medication is not safe to take in conjunction with Ayahuasca.

Most importantly SSRI and MAOI antidepressants.  

If you are on any form of antidepressant you will need to taper off it prior to ceremony. 

Please make contact and we can assist you with more information. 

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Examples of common SSRIs:

  • Citalopram (Celexa)

  • Escitalopram (Lexapro)

  • Fluoxetine (Prozac)

  • Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva)

  • Sertraline (Zoloft)

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Examples of common MAOIs:

  • Isocarboxazid (Marplan)

  • Phenelzine (Nardil)

  • Selegiline (Emsam)

  • Tranylcypromine (Parnate)


Other medications you should stop before ceremony:

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  •  Decongestants

  • Cold medications

  •  Allergy medications

  •  Antihistamines

  •  Sedatives

  •  Tranquillizers

  •  Amphetamines including Adderall

  •  Hypertensive medications

  •  Sympathomimetic amines including pseudoephedrine and ephedrine

  •  Carbamazepine

  •  Methylphenidate (Ritalin)

  •  Macromerine

  •  Phenelanine

  •  Tyrosine

  •  Tryptophan

  •  Asarone/Calamus

  •  Diet pills.


Recreational drugs

Please do not use any of the following substances for 2 weeks prior to ceremony:

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  • Cocaine

  • Amphetamines

  • Opiates

  • Marijuana

  • MDMA


It’s also best to avoid other psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin.

Diet

The diet is an important part of the sacrifice you make to the plants in exchange for the lessons you will receive.

There are also foods which are high in tyramine which can be unsafe.

Please avoid the following foods as much as possible for 1 week prior and 1 week after ceremony:

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  • Salt

  • Refined sugar and "junk carbs"

  • Spicy food

  • Dairy

  • Oils (coconut oil is ok - use sparingly)

  • Caffeine

  • Pork

  • Red meat

  • Aged cheeses

  • Fermented foods like soy sauce, fermented tofu, and sauerkraut

  • Aged foods (avocado, overripe bananas)

  • Yogurt

  • Alcohol

  • Nutritional supplements like protein powders

  • Aspartame

  • Chocolate (in large amounts)

  • Peanuts (in large amounts)

Other restrictions

The following restrictions are intended to ensure you achieve the maximum benefit from your experience.  These are not safety-related, but are nonetheless very important to the work:

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  • No sexual activity (including masturbation) for 1 week prior and post ceremony. 

  • Avoid discordant stimulus (social media, disturbing television or shows, political discussions).  Try not to consume any material that gets you in your head.

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In general, for at least a week before ceremony, try to devote some time to yourself in quiet solitude.  This can be difficult with our busy lives but it's important to do this as much as possible.  Try to take 30min a day to sit in the garden and just be aware of yourself and where you are.

Setting intentions

You may come to this journey very aware of what you need to heal, or you may be unhappy or unwell and not be aware of why.  Your intentions may be specific (to heal or release a particular trauma), or it may be general (to feel happy or to understand your purpose in life). 

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You may read a lot on the internet about setting intentions for your ceremony.  In my experience this is somewhat misguided.  The way you understand your issues is usually symptom-orientated and we are not usually able to understand the root cause of these issues.  So, setting firm intentions can create discomfort in your journey as you try to maintain your own agenda and not surrender to the process as it unfolds.  The golden rule with this medicine is surrender.  So try to surrender to whatever the journey may bring. You’ll get what you need. 

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It is very common in the week leading up to ceremony for all sorts of issues and triggers to come up.  This is normal! Don't try to solve these issues, ceremony is the time to do that, but sit with these emotions and become as connected to them as you can.  Don't worry about coming to ceremony "down" or "beaten".  Don't try to control or manipulate your state of mind.  Just be true to yourself and come as you are.

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