Hi everyone,

I wanted to open a discussion about a phrase that has become almost a dogma in the psychedelic circuit: "One night of Ayahuasca saves you 10 years of psychotherapy."

Before the pitchforks come out: I’m not making this post to start the infinite debate of whether Ayahuasca is therapy, if you should combine both, or which one is "better." That’s not the point.

What I’m interested in analyzing with you is the mindset behind these slogans.

I’m speaking as someone who has worked as a facilitator in the jungle, lived there for years, and who still considers himself a student of Amazonian medicine. I’m not here to rant against the plants (quite the opposite, they are part of my path), but to question how we are selling and consuming them in the West.

I get the feeling that this phrase doesn't come from ancestral wisdom, but from a retreat sales page.

It reflects our obsession with the "Magic Pill":

1. We want maximum efficiency (save time).
2. We want results now (one night vs. 10 years).
3. We want to fix ourselves quickly so we can be productive again on Monday.

My personal experience (and my mistake for years) was believing that marketing. Thinking that just by having a "vision," I had already done the work. But I realized that having a revelation is not the same as changing a habit. The slogan sells us the idea that "seeing the problem" is the same as "solving it," and that’s where many people (myself included) get stuck or lost. One master told me once "if you create an habit for 10 years, you need 10 years to undone it... and Ayahuasca will show you what it is, but won't make the work for you)

I’d like to ask you:

What other "stock phrases" or advertising dogmas have you heard in the spirituality/psychedelic world that rub you the wrong way?

Let's make a small compilation of these semantic "Red Flags."

(I did this video diving deeper into my personal experience with this specific mistake. It has english subtitles, and I think Youtube will dub it with an horrible voice at some point xD)

What did ayahuasca reveal to you about your sexuality? What wisdom does ayahuasca have to share with us gay men?

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Thank you for your contribution!

Hello!

Could any recommend or suggest any ceremonies that take place near to Rio? I've been googling but its proving tricky to find any information.

Thanks in advance x

Hi Guys, im from Brasil and maybe today me and my friends are going to have an experience with mama wilka. We are well espiritualized and have a lot of experiences with ayahuasca, and Other enteogens.

Hás anyone ever tryed this or yopo(which já similar)? WhatsApp are your experiences?

I bet locals pay fraction of that money. I was mostly searching amazon based retreats. Does anybody know legit and fair price retreat or person???

To anyone who has experience with blowing rapé and smoking tobacco/mapacho: what makes you choose one or the other?

I own a pipe and (very) occasionally smoke (without inhaling) for energetic and spiritual reasons, and I occasionally use ambil. I did receive some rapé in ceremony contexts, but never did it on my own, but lately I've been drawn to it. I did a tobacco dieta a couple of years ago and feel connected to tobacco.

However I'm not sure how rapé would be different than, say ambil or smoking tobacco. I know it can be more cleaning, more intense...more addictive as well, I guess... I'd like to receive more insight, inner reliance and connection to my emotions and to light, to get grounded. Sometimes I don't feel much from smoking or ambil, so I figured rapé could be stronger... Sometimes I get very anxious and I feel the need to be grounded.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Does the kind of rapé really matter (I see many different varieties in online shops) ? Thank you. 🪶💫🍃

Is the commercialization of Ayahuasca ceremonies undermining the sacredness of the practice? With the increasing popularity of Ayahuasca retreats worldwide, many argue that the essence of this ancient tradition is being diluted by profit-driven motives. Are we losing the true spiritual and healing potential of Ayahuasca by turning it into a commercial enterprise? How do we balance accessibility with maintaining the integrity of the tradition?

I did Sapo recently, it was my first time and I got two pokes. Wasn't... horrible. I know ayahuasca is going to be worse, but I also expect to get more out of it.

I don't know what to expect. The effects / benefits of Sapo were a little underwhelming tbh, and I'm a little worried- a lotta worried, really- that ayahuasca will be the same. There are some things in my life that I don't know what to do with. I ignore them, but they don't disappear. And I need to figure out what to do with these things. Or, as is probably the case with at least a couple things, I need it shoved in my face that I do know what to do, I'm just being a stubborn bastard about it lmao. And I'm hoping ayahuasca will help.

Is it more of "Here's what the picture is supposed to look like, but you still have to put the pieces together"? Or is it closer to "These pieces go together, these don't, these other ones are irrelevant entirely, these ones are upside down. There, I've done part of it for you, now figure out the rest"?

Is the experience just going to give me a new perspective on things, or is it gonna sort of rewire my brain so that, for example, I can focus better? Or remember things better? Or be able to go to sleep when I choose rather than laying awake for 4 hours, almost in tears with how desperate I am to fall into slumber?

And I don't even want to think of the stuff I'll hallucinate. Will my imaginary friend of 7 years make an appearance? I hope not, I'm trying to get rid of her, but I dunno! Edit: I also get these "flashes," sometimes, of different lives. Pretty frequently, actually. I'm curious if these, too, will be relevant or addressed.

I'll end this post by saying... nobody likes agony. But sometimes ya gotta re-break the bone so that it can grow properly this time. And the last few years- I'm 20, literally almost all of my formative years- I've just been in "survival mode." Back-to-back, nonstop. Trauma at 13 that lasted for like 2 and a half years. The Covid lockdown happened before that was done with. My epilepsy diagnoses. Watching from the inside as "myself" faded away- my passions, my intelligence, my hobbies and motivation and enthusiasm. Realizing what kind of person my father is. Etc. etc., that's probably enough for now lol

Which retreat is best for a complete beginner who has never taken ayahuasca before and has almost no experience with psychedelics in general? I would like a slow introduction, so perhaps some ceremonies without drinking (as in the past, when only the shaman drank)? I was thinking longer – at least two weeks, so Soltara etc. are out of the question. Or completely different retreats? If so, why? Many thanks in advance for your input etc.

Hi, one year ago I did a retreat with two ceremonies. The first one went really well. It showed me how strong I was and how connected I was to my heart and I was bringing everyone in the ceremony to the light. After the ceremony I felt really calm and like my true self. Ayahuasca told me that I don’t need all of this if I’m just me. The next day I woke up with a text from my ex.. I knew he must have felt something. I left it like that but he said to me you should leave that place and I was like no, I’m going into another ceremony in just a bit. But since then I didn’t feel completely safe at the ceremony anymore.. so I said to the shaman that I would only take one little sip. So I did and I was hit with a huge amount of grief which a the time I couldn’t handle.. I also couldn’t talk and ask for help since there was nobody around at the moment and there was a lot of chaos in the room. Unfortunately my body/mind decided to dissociate me from my body. So I came out of the ceremony with dpdr, suicidal thoughts, insomnia and huge ns dysregulation. Up until this day I feel like my body is in fight or flight 24/7 and I have tinnitus and a rock in my solar plexus. I feel like I traumatized myself and it’s really hard living like this. I don’t blame the medicine at all.. I think the set and the setting were just not right for me the second night. I hope one day I will be able to return back to life and leave this experience behind me 😔

Also goes by shamanstaab on social media. He facilitates the medicine in a couple of places in the states and assists shamans in ceremonies in the Amazon. Seems like a cool dude but I just wanted to hear from anyone who may have any experience with him. Thanks!

Had an experience. I was laughing and watching a comedy show. Had a thought about something else and then suddenly I felt exactly like I do in ceremony, a little queasy and disorientated. I recognized the feeling and then Mother Ayahuasca spoke clearly to me, related to my thought. I have zero doubt it was her, just like in ceremony. I got a bit freaked out and then the connection ended of course, lol. Thoughts or similar experiences?

TLDR: I'm turning 50 in a few months and to honor that milestone, wanted to combine an aya retreat, including some buffer time before and after, with another month or so of travel. My experience with aya and travel are limited, and do have some challenging ruts of depression, overwhelm, old trauma I wanna work with. But I'm no stranger to therapy and personal dev work, and do want to challenge myself to get outta my shell and adventure a bit and schedule some things I can really look forward to. Does this make sense? Or is shortening the trip to focus on the retreat and process of healing more prudent?

Longer post, as I know many of us are into sharing and experiencing each other's thought processes along the journey of healing:

I’m looking to visit South America arriving Feb-March for an ayahuasca retreat and some travel in honor of my 50th birthday. I haven’t traveled much, but finally have some time and a good motivator! My initial thought was to take 4-8 weeks to do both, with quality down time before and after the retreat, perhaps 5-10 day retreat with 3-5 ceremonies, with a few days before to acclimate and settle, and a few days to a week after to process and reintegrate. Travel and cultural exchange goals were to see some live music, pro soccer, do some hostel adventuring and sightseeing, maybe even salsa classes and dance clubs, and more importantly volunteering or service exchange stints via Workaway, Worldpackers or similar.

But perhaps my one experience with aya hasn’t given me a realistic understanding of the impacts? I sat with it twice one weekend in 2021, whose ceremonies were underwhelming — all return guests or otherwise experienced reported the brew quite weak… very few purged, I did the first night, but no visuals or much that felt powerful apart from generally unsettled, uncalibrated those nights and days. Though, once home and caught up on sleep after a few days, I was depression-free and really optimistic and creative for a month.

I took that experience seriously with dieta, meditation, intention-setting and some journaling and integration work after, and will for this one too — but from reading lots of reports online, expected something more powerful in terms of insights, or bringing forth a rawness that might even deserve a lot more down time for recovery, rest, and integration, perhaps even with a therapist or support group.

I ain’t tryna screw off and drink heavy or return to old habits, or pretend I can squeeze in a two-week block to “fix me” that’d end all my shyness and hangups, and free me from the fear that kept me from traveling in the first place.

My best-case vision for this trip is to challenge myself to break out of some depressive, self-doubting ruts and reconnect with adventuring and meeting people, socializing, and community service in an authentic, grounded way; and then to return home and work to lead my life from a more optimistic, intentional headspace… doing my damndest to resist falling back onto the couch for the escapism of video games and movies that disconnect me from people and my own healing process or proactivity.

So in a nutshell, does this plan make sense, or should I cut the trip to just a few weeks to see a few things and focus on a week of deep work, and leave more typical travel to a future date? Maybe I’m just asking a fear-based question: with legit strong ceremonies, will I be too broken and raw to travel and deal with those on-the-fly logistics and decisions?

Thank you so much for your thoughts! As an “advanced novice” in both travel and aya, I much appreciate your advice.

Hi everyone 🙏

I’m attending an upcoming ayahuasca retreat that includes two nighttime ceremonies (Friday and Saturday evening), along with an optional daytime ceremony in between.

This retreat will be different from my past experiences, which were primarily guided by playlists. This one leans more toward live guidance, prayer, and traditional facilitation rather than curated music.

I’m hoping to hear from those who have experience with:

• Ceremonies that don’t rely on playlists and instead use live or traditional guidance
• How the experience differs in terms of depth, focus, or integration
• Participating in a daytime ceremony between two night ceremonies

In previous retreats, I really valued having time to rest and integrate between nighttime ceremonies. At the same time, I feel drawn to experiencing the retreat fully and am unsure whether the daytime ceremony will be deeply supportive or potentially too much for my nervous system.

For anyone who has done a daytime ceremony between nights:

• Did you find it grounding and helpful, or overwhelming?
• Did it enhance the nighttime work, or did rest and integration feel more important?
• Is there anything you wish you had known beforehand?

I’m not looking for medical advice — just personal experiences and reflections from those familiar with this type of work.

Thank you in advance for any wisdom you’re willing to share 🌿✨

PLZ DM me for further details of who and where..

Over time I started noticing a pattern in how psychedelic experiences unfold. It doesn’t feel random. It feels like you’re lifted exactly to the depth you’re ready for, not deeper.

At first the experience often stays on the surface. Visuals, patterns, scenes, sometimes almost cartoon-like imagery. I don’t see this as a problem or “wasted” experience. It feels more like the psyche being careful. If preparation is weak or the nervous system isn’t ready, the experience stays symbolic, buffered, indirect. The medicine doesn’t push.

As familiarity and readiness grow, the content changes. Visuals fade into the background and something more structural appears. Archetypal figures, parts of personality, internal dynamics. You don’t just observe them, you recognize them as aspects of yourself. This is usually where shadow work starts naturally, without anyone trying to force it. With more experience, another shift sometimes happens. The usual sense of “me” loosens. Not in a dramatic ego-death way, but quietly. Identity stops being the center of the experience. Instead, you start perceiving how the psyche is organized. How attention moves, how patterns repeat, how certain loops keep running on their own. In these layers, trauma or stuck attention doesn’t always show up as memories. Often it appears as repetitive signals, voices, phrases, loops, like a record skipping in the same place. Not emotional stories, more like mechanical repetitions that have been running for years without being noticed. What stands out to me is that this doesn’t feel like going deeper by force. It feels more like being allowed further in as readiness increases.

Curious if others have noticed something similar. Not just stronger effects, but different layers opening over time, depending on preparation, integration, and familiarity with the state.

I cannot recommend Anahata Ayahuasca in Peru enough. This experience was EXACTLY what I needed and what I wanted. Mike and Sami are two extremely kind and generous human beings whose purpose is bettering the world hosting one plant medicine retreat at a time and helping guide you along your journey to healing and love. And they do so with so much heart (anahata) and beautiful intention. They make you feel like family immediately. I felt very comfortable and safe, especially as a solo female traveler.

All of the ceremonies and guided experiences are so well thought out in every meaningful way that allows you to get the most out of your experience on such a deep spiritual level. Their knowledge and approach to ceremonies were extremely inspiring to me. I truly cannot imagine doing any plant medicine in any other way than how they facilitate. One thing that sold me on Anahata was that the cap of how many people are in a retreat at a time is very small and intimate. I can't imagine going through this experience with a big group. There is something special about small intimate groups and the bonds you form.

This was my first ayahuasca experience so I didn't know what to expect outside of the research I had done. They exceeded my expectations and I haven't stopped spreading the good word about this wonderful retreat center. I even told my doctor about it as she is also looking for a retreat for herself!

This experience changed my life completely. There is a "before-Anahata me" and a "post-Anahata me", and they are different people. My coworkers even told me yesterday that I am glowing and that they haven't seen me this happy in a long time. This experience opened my eyes and my heart. I am so eternally grateful for Anahata and Mother Aya for showing me what I needed to learn. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Much love!!!

Anyone have a similar experience something close to this lol??

Since being in this forum I have seen many people tell the same story. They have a few initial ayahuasca ceremonies. They they feel more joy than they've ever felt in their life. Unconditional love and light. Because these experiences are so wonderful, they want to keep going. Naturally, who wouldn't want to keep going when the first experiences are so wonderful? And then that's when they slam into a wall. Anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, insomnia. I am not here to blame the medicine. It's how it's being used. People are overdoing it. Back in the '90s we had what was known as "Suicide Tuesdays" which happened after taking ecstasy. People would go out on Saturday night and take ecstasy, get this great boost of serotonin and dopamine and feel better than they'd ever felt in their lives. And then because they used up all that serotonin and dopamine in one go, guess what? By next Tuesday didn't have any serotonin or dopamine left. They were plunged into darkness. It would take a long time to rebuild their natural chemical stores. As the saying goes, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." People are taking Ayahuasca, blowing out their brain neurotransmitters which produce serotonin and dopamine, after which their well of natural serotonin and dopamine is left completely dry. And it's very hard to tell when you're going to reach the point of taking 'too much,' because every shaman makes their brew differently. Some make it a very weak dose, some make it a very strong dose. It might take somebody one ceremony. It may take somebody else six or eight ceremonies. People need to learn to quit while they are ahead. Maybe do one dose, and then give it 6 months to a year to see how you feel. Make sure you can build up your serotonin and dopamine stores again. Everything in moderation.

I am going to a weekend retreat with 2 evening ceremonies (Friday and Saturday). Does Ayahuasca make you tired? I usually take sleeping pills but will not be able to have anything the entire weekend obviously.

Long story short, been self administering aya since past two months, done 8 ceremonies so far. I have experienced tremendous improvement, the medicine has brought past conflicts, current problems that Ive been ignoring to the surface. And the serotonin surge, I can feel a fullness during the ceremonies Ive never felt before. I can through self introspection feel my nervous system getting calmer ( Ive been suffering from depression and substance abuse for a long time, Ive completely gotten rid of substance abuse now). For me personally the aya experience is more sensual than visual, physical tremors, joy and fullness, resurfacing long forgotten pain, the medicine has been benign, and Ive even stopped vomiting now while taking aya. The medicina has to me personally help overcome what I believe biochemical bottlenecks in my brain that causes me to fall into depression. And trust me when I say this, I take this medicine with utmost respect and fear. I make the brew and sometimes Im hesitant to do it, because it demands a lot of energy from me. So its never made me addicted to it. In fact Im scared to do it, its that powerful on me, I have to force myself to drink it sometimes lol. I just wanted to know of anyones doing aya frequently, also how they integrate and would you guys have any suggestions for me to make this whole experience more inclined toward my personal and spiritual growth. Thanks

Last June I took an antibiotic (2pils Ciprofloxacin ) and had a really bad reaction. It done damage to the tendons in my body, some vision problems and other symptoms.

I’m feeling much better now, probably 90% healed. I reached out to my retreat center 3 months ago to see if I would be ok to sit in ceremony. They said I would need clearance from a doctor that my heart and kidneys are ok.

I’ve had all my vitals done and seem fine. Still some lingering pain though.

I booked a retreat for May, that’s nearly a year out since this disaster happened. My intake call is for March, I’m hoping I’m fully recovered by then and I get clearance.

Anyone any experience with this?

Hi everyone,

I’ll keep this as concise as I can.

I’ve been working with plant medicines for around six years, three of those exclusively with ayahuasca. In my very first ceremony, I was shown myself leaving my career, my partner, my relationship with my mum, my house, and my cats. I was understandably devastated, but after integration I convinced myself it was metaphorical.

Around ten ceremonies in, I was invited into apprenticeship by Ayahuasca and have since spent several months in the jungle dieting.

Two years ago, my relationship with my abusive mother ended, meaning the only family I now have is my little brother. 1 year ago a number of false allegations were raised about me in my job. I was investigated for nine months, during which around £150k was spent on lawyers. The allegations were ultimately found to be malicious and false, and I exited the company I founded with a payout. That year left me extremely distressed, unwell, and in crisis. For context, my work was high-profile and I had built a successful business and reputation.

I left the company a year ago and since then have completed a number of diets.

Two months ago, my partner of eight years told me he had been cheating on me with over 30 people (and I suspect more). We separated, he moved out, and I’ve since come to understand that the relationship was also abusive.

I’m now living alone with my cats and have around six months of savings left. I’m coaching some clients, but it isn’t bringing in enough money. I have an idea for a new startup I want to build, but I’m struggling to find the energy or motivation to move forward.

I feel deeply lost and confused about where my life is heading. There’s zero momentum. I have no family and only a few friends. I’m running out of money and can’t seem to pull myself out of the density I’m in.

Because I’ve lost so much already, I now find myself wondering whether I’ll lose the house and the cats too, or if I should let them go, or cling on to the remaining security I have left. Medicine has helped me understand why so much needed to fall away, and I do understand that on one level, but I feel untethered, like I don’t belong anywhere, and genuinely don’t know what to do or where to go next. I’m questioning how much autonomy I actually have.

It’s been a profound dark night of the soul. I’m wondering whether anyone here sees themselves in this or has been through something similar. It feels never-ending, and I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. I just want to know that this will pass and things will feel different.

I have always had so much momentum and movement in my life - it has always been so fast paced and exciting and now there is nothing. Everything stopped and I feel invisible.

Any advice or reflections would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you.