Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic plant medicine that creates induced audio and visual hallucinations for treating various mental health and substance abuse issues. But before you attend an ayahuasca retreat in the USA, you should prepare for this difficult experience.
Be Really Ready
Before taking part in this Ayahuasca ceremony, you should ensure that your body and mind are in a good place. Remember that attending Ayahuasca ceremonies is like facing your worst demons. So it’s going to be super uncomfortable. You will puke your guts out, roll around with your subconscious, and cry for a few hours. Practitioners believe that ayahuasca ceremonies are like a leap of faith in which you need to filter your rational thinking before consuming it to make your journey successful. It would help if you were wise enough to listen to your Ayahuasca calling before you attend an ayahuasca retreat in the USA. Although there is no definitive rule for who can attend it, some people should certainly not consider it, like those who are on antidepressants.
Remember That It Is a Ceremonial Experience
Once you decide to go for an Ayahuasca retreat, everything about the ritual, the setting, and the state of mind will affect your Ayahuasca experience. In terms of formality, all spaces will be the same. You will get a bucket, mat, blankets, and sometimes Agua Florida to cleanse and purify. The room will mostly be silent, apart from the shamanic chanting and the occasional check-ins from the facility professionals. No talking or touching is allowed, and the session is compulsorily led by a shaman, healer, or therapist, all of whom have extensive experience with Ayahuasca. They should be professionals who know how to lead the sessions.
Get Legit Professionals and Shamans
The ceremonies can go terribly wrong without a shaman or any other Ayahuasca professional to oversee the ceremony. So make sure you research the shamans and the retreat centers you have chosen for your Ayahuasca experience rather than just accepting the first one that comes your way.
Remember that the shaman will guide you on your trip while confronting your darkest traumas. Hence, they should be the ones that can be completely trusted.
Make Your Intention
Before starting the session, each participant will be asked to share the reasons for participating in the Ayahuasca ceremony. The reasons can be many, from going through a bad breakup leading to trust issues, getting a physical ailment that conventional medicines have failed to alleviate, eating disorders, to addiction. The important part is to approach the experience with intentions and not expectations. Sharing your issues before the ceremony is believed to help you think about your goals and help you focus on your attention while your mind is slowly stumbling out of control.
It Is DMT
Ayahuasca tea is a bitter brew that is a combination of leaves and vines. The plant contains chacruna, whose quintessential ingredient is dimethyltryptamine or DMT. It naturally occurs in our bodies in small amounts. But higher doses can stimulate altered states of consciousness. Hence, Ayahuasca is seen as a pathway into another dimension. When taken by itself, DMT stays in the body for 8-15 minutes. Ayahuasca combines two plants that mix DMT with monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOI, which prevents your gut from neutralizing the DMT so that the psycho-spiritual effects can last for hours.
It Is Not a Pleasant Experience
Keep in mind that your divine experience can get so high that you may see streams of electricity shooting back and forth between your eyes and brain. There is also a possibility that you will be purging in any direction and from multiple orifices. Also, Ayahuasca may not taste as good as you think.
You Have to Listen to That Music
There is a specific style of music that has been developed for Ayahuasca ceremonies, and this music can be painful. It is sung or chanted by the shaman and is called icaros. It is an integral part of the ceremony and is one of the tools that will assist you in connecting on a deeper level.
It is said that chanting has the ability to take you from feeling a disconnect to having a full-blown visual. It affects your psychedelic experiences on a neurological level.
Following a Strict Diet
Once you are in the retreat center, your mornings may start with green juice. You will have a gluten-free, mildly vegan diet throughout the day. Your shaman may customize your diet as per your individual needs. You should strictly adhere to the diet. If not, the Ayahuasca consumed will work to eliminate the chemicals in your body due to the food you eat, thus leading to purging. The participants should also refrain from sexual activity since it is believed that their sexual energy should be at its peak during hallucinations.
Concluding
So make sure you consider all these issues before enrolling for an Ayahuasca retreat.
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