HOW IT WORKS
As discussed elsewhere on our site, the Shipibo plant medicine tradition is built around many plants, not just ayahuasca – and the practice of using icaros, fasting, and stillness to catalyze the overall process. Then add sweat lodges, movement, and guided introspection to have the full Amakaya toolkit.
Before we describe just how surprisingly versatile this toolkit can be, let’s acknowledge two important things:
As a powerful psychedelic, ayahuasca is not for everyone. Certain physical and mental health conditions should not be mixed with ayahuasca. Certain pharmaceutical medicines cannot be safely taken within days or weeks of having ayahuasca.
To read more about these safety guidelines and contraindicated medicines, click here.
Not Medical Advice Disclaimer
While ayahuasca and other plant medicines are definitely not miraculous cure-all treatments or suitable for all people, they are amazingly versatile tools. Though They don’t heal us or show us some kind of absolute truth, but they do have the potential/ability to can help us in some very fascinating ways.Everything that follows is based on our own personal experience with these medicines and what we have heard from our guests over the years.
WORKING WITH AYAHUASCA
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic mixture of two plants native to the Amazon Rainforest — a vine and a leaf. Consuming ayahuasca strongly alters our state of consciousness for a number of hours after it is consumed. We refer to the experience as a ‘ceremony’ and to the brew and the process as ‘medicine’.
Drinking ayahuasca can sometimes feel extremely unpleasant. We often vomit or have diarrhea during the process. We may re-live old traumas or be faced with a barrage of difficult or unwanted thoughts and feelings. We may feel like nothing productive or beneficial is happening for hours or even days.
However, this is exactly how ayahuasca does what it does. Our bodies and minds are releasing built up tension and other forms of detrimental accumulation. Our trauma and memories, thoughts and emotions, are coming up to the surface where they can be processed from a new perspective. The end result, for most people, is that the troublesome things inside of us are no longer deeply buried or hidden in the shadows, no longer festering and growing worse with time. This is the first big piece of the breakthrough puzzle.
WHO SHOULD NOT DRINK AYAHUASCA?
Ayahuasca is not appropriate for everyone. We will help you decide if it is right for you.
There are certain physical health conditions, such as major heart problems, extremely high blood pressure, or certain kidney disorders that should not be mixed with ayahuasca.
There are certain contraindicated medications that can have serious, even fatal consequences if mixed with ayahuasca. The prime example is that all SSRI and SSRN antidepressants must be discontinued for at least two weeks before the retreat (some for longer).
There are certain mental health conditions that can be exacerbated by ayahuasca and pose serious, potentially dangerous risks to the person consuming the medicine and the people around them. These include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, or a strong family history of any of these.
If you are on medication that is contraindicated, we will help you decide if stopping the medication before the retreat is feasible and create a schedule for you to do that safely based on the half life of the drug, your personal circumstances, and any medical advice you receive from your doctor.
- C.G.Jung
"I am not what happened to me,
I am what I choose to become."
TESTIMONIALS
If you think you may be interested or would like more information, the first step is easy. Send us a message through our contact portal below or at hello@amakaya.org. We will set up a short face to face call to discuss what may be next.
For more in-depth information on ayahuasca, ceremonies, retreats, and Shipibos, see our Informational Video Series.
