Preparation and what you need to know
Everything you need to know for your trip mentally, physically and spiritually
Everything that you need to know to prepare your trip mentally, physically and spiritually
Ceremony
During the week we will held 4 ceremonies that will take place overnight. In our maloka, there is room for up to 12 people, a small group, but because of that the energy of the site is reduced, so it gives a greater depth to your experience and it gives the opportunity for our shaman to work directly with you, guide and help you through the entire ayahuasca experience.
The ceremonies will be held after 7:30 p.m., after a long day of activities or rest, that it is up to you, and will last 4 to 5 hours. Every morning we will have a group chat, where each of you may share your last night ayahuasca experience and you will talk directly with our shaman, Wiler, which will give you a deeper understanding of the meaning of your experience and will guide you on how to continue on the path to healing, how to emerge in your spiritual enlightenment and how to embrace the power of the ayahuasca medicine. Please look here to find more useful information.
See below a tiny view of what to expect while you are in our hands:
Our center in Europe has a psychologist that will be available at any time of the day if you need advice or guidance or support. In Peru she is available upon request, via a wasapp call.
We will be there to make sure your experience is complete and holistic and that once you are home you will be able to apply it, in your day to day life and continue to be the new person that you will become after spending some time here, with us and after ayahuasca will guide you and show you your path.
- Pre-trip
Pre-trip preparations really center around starting to reflect more inwards and spend time with yourself and your thoughts and emotions. This can be quite uncomfortable at times as we live in a society which inundates us with outside stimuli and is constantly draws our attention outwards. Ayahuasca however, does the opposite; it gives us only one option, which is to go within.
Starting a slow disconnection about 2 weeks prior to your trip from all technology (i.e. TV, phone, computers) as much as possible is something we highly recommend. Reading books on spirituality or healing and spending your time meditating, listening to uplifting and enlightening podcasts is what we recommend as a substitute. For those that really want to go the extra mile, reducing or eliminating idle chit-chat and possibly even taking a vow of silence when not at work for example, will only add to your experience while at the center. We understand this is not always possible, but being aware of when you speak, what you’re speaking about and to whom, is just as good of a place to start.
Journaling about your intentions for your journey and directly communicating with Ayahuasca through inner dialogue or written word is highly recommended. The medicine knows the moment you decide you will work with Her and so you may notice things in your life starting to shift even before you get to the center. This is all normal and to be expected. Be mindful of anything that may be taking place and make note of the shifts that you’re experiencing.
Please check our safety page for more information.
What to bring:
When you are packing try not to bring the whole closet, remember you are only coming for a short while and here in the jungle is really warm J
We have made a packing list for you not to miss the essentials:
· Water bottle
· Journal & pen
· Red Flashlight
· Lighter
· Books to read
· Toiletries for your personal use (we provide soap for hands and toilet paper)
· Water proof shoes
· A pair of warm clothing
· Poncho or rain jacket
· Phone Charger adapter https://www.peruforless.com/blog/peru-outlets (most are hybrid of Plug Type A and C, some just Type A and some just Type C so prepare to have one for each)
· Sunglasses, hat (optional)
· Mosquito repellent
· Head lamp with a red light option with batteries for it
· Mapacho (any size, first timers I recommend medium. Pack of 100 is 25 soles. Can purchase in Mercado in Pucallpa) and aqua de florida (one bottel is 10 soles)
· Lighters (3 recommend BIC, Clipers, a good brand)
· Cash (soles or dollars, recommended at least $100/370 soles on hand to buy more supplies or purchase items from feria-market)
· Artistic supplies (if you enjoy painting)
· Ear plugs (if you are a light sleeper)
· Ceremony clothes: very comfortable clothes so you can move freely and can enjoy the experience. We advise long pant / sleeves really thin and comfortable, for the ceremony
· Tee tree oil used for:
Cleaning the mouth, hands, cuts and abrasions and insect bites. The oil possesses antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antifungal properties.
And because it is antifungal, you can use it to clean your pillow or freshen your clothes if they get a moldy jungle smell on them
Post-trip
Post-trip integration is arguably the most important piece of your healing journey. Think about it like this, when you are in the jungle, you are going to grow, heal and expand so much on all the different levels possible (mental/emotional/physical/spiritual) and the safety, understanding and sense of connectedness you will feel with everyone else at the center will be almost utopic. When you arrive home however, the people/places/things that you left behind, will all still be there; un-evolved and un-changed. The difference will be that you have changed and at a rapid speed.
It is normal to experience some friction when returning home, to have new relationships flourish and others end, to change your life’s course completely in terms of your profession or to gain new awareness and drive in the current career you hold. All of this dramatic change can be overwhelming and so, having an integration program is paramount to your continued and sustained change.
We recommend that upon your return home, for 2 weeks adopting the same rules and practices you adopted 2 weeks before your journey and slowly acclimating back to “life”. It can be challenging to not jump in and hit the ground running as soon as you get home as the level of excitement you may feel, you’ll want to share with the world. Take a deep breath in those moments and sit with that feeling. Let it be yours for a little while longer before sharing it with everyone.
Lastly, pasajeros are highly encouraged to book an Integration session with our recommended Psychologist and Plant Medicine Integrationist, so that you have the need it support going forward. If you would like us to recommend you someone please get in touch with us.
Please check our safety page for more information.
How to get here?
You will need to purchase your plane ticket until the final destination which is Pucallpa.
We know that most international or transatlantic flights arrive in Lima, but from there is possible to find a connecting flight to Pucallpa , as there are at least 3 companies, leaving every day towards Pucallpa and back.
Here we leave the links in case you need to buy your tickets:
http://www.peruvian.pe/pe/
http://www.starperu.com/es/
http://www.lan.com/es_pe/
We advise you to come one day early in Pucallpa, before your time with us starts. In case there are any delays with your flight, you still can arrive in time for us to pick you up and start your amazing journey in the middle of the jungle with us.
The day you arrive one of our staff members, will pick you up at the airport and take you to your already reserved room.
We will meet & greet you at Del Castillo Plaza Hotel at 10:00 am on the morning of your retreat, where you can meet the rest of the crew and your future jungle family, pay the rest of the money cash and once we are all set, you can relax and enjoy the boat trip to the wonderful community of Limongema Pucallpa.
How to prepare your trip?
As you may already know when it comes to the medicine one of the basics is how you prepare yourself for the experience. It is important to be as clean as possible in every aspect of your being, as this will benefit the experience making it easier to connect with yourself and work at a deeper level.
Some of the next guidelines are only recommendations, but there are aspects that are obligatory to follow with the experience. If by any chance you cannot follow any of the obligatory guidelines getting closer to the retreat, please let us know so we can handle your situation adequately.
AYAHUASCA DIET
It is recommended to start the diet at least 2 weeks before taking the medicine.
· It is essential to avoid pork and spicy food.
· It is essential to stop drinking alcohol, taking drugs and antidepressant or anxiolytic medications at least 3 weeks before the first ceremony.
· Avoid products with tyramine as it interferes with the enzyme inhibitors MAOI.
· Avoid eating processed sugar, and industrial pastries.
· Reduce the amount of salt in the food.
· Avoid fried and high fat foods.
· Avoid products with high levels of caffeine.
· It is recommended to avoid red meat and meat in general (if needed you can eat chicken or turkey)
· It is recommended not to have sexual intercourse or to masturbate at least 1 week before the first ceremony.
About Medication
Do not take any medication at least 2 weeks before you come to us. If you have any doubts please check with us so we can ask our doctors.
About Medical history
If you have had any psychotic episode, or family history of schizophrenia please let us know so we can set an interview to talk about the risks of taking medicine with this kind of history.
About Drugs and Alcohol
Stay away from any substances for at least 2 weeks before the first intake, a month would be better. Drugs (including marijuana) and alcohol will block your experience with Ayahuasca. Even marijuana being something that can be used for medicinal purposes has a bad “relation” with Ayahuasca, so if marijuana is present in your system you may find yourself spending the night dealing with that energy and having difficulties connecting with your inner self during ceremony.
It is absolutely forbidden to take antidepressants, anxiolytics or any other medications in conjunction with Ayahuasca.
About Sex
Do not have sex for a week before coming to do medicine (We know… we are sorry!)
When we have sex there is a very powerful exchange of energy, and we recommend for you to stay as clear as possible in order to have the best experience.
SPECIAL REQUESTS & ALLERGIES
If you happen to have a special request regarding food, or any allergies we should know about, then please let us know so we can tell our cooks.
Additions:
- Vapor Baths – Commonly used for detoxifying the mind/body/spirit and are created by boiling botanically infused water and having the pasajero sit over top of the steaming liquid while covered by a thick blanket. The process lasts approximately 20mins and will be offered when required and directed by the shaman. This is an excellent way to discover healing from low vibrating energies that you may be experiencing and instead replace them with a sense of clarity, balance and focus for your ceremonies that await
- Pinon Negro & Hierba Luisa Purgative – Offered on the second day, the purpose of these purgatives is to purify the stomach in preparation for your first and subsequent ceremonies. The Shipibo believe that these purgatives also align you with your intuition/ your “gut feeling”, which can become clouded as we go through our daily lives. This experience (i.e. purging) truly begins the process of letting go and making space for change to flourish within you
See below a quick video on a fishing trip:
Dietary recommendations
Before coming to our center we would like to give you some tips on your diet, so that your experience here with us, is as pleasantly as possible. It is of utmost importance to your health, safety and your forthcoming experience, that you follow the diet guidelines as described below, for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after your journey. We cannot stress enough that your experiences in ceremony can be directly correlated to how diligently you follow the food and behavior diets that we suggest. These diet guidelines are directly from the Shipibo and Wiler specifically who are the experts in the field of successful work with Ayahuasca
- If you’re taking antidepressants, antibiotics or anti-anxiety pills you need to stop taking them at least 10 days before we meet. This is because they interact with the Ayahuasca and you will not be able to see the real power of the Ayahuasca medicine.
- If you smoke marijuana, drink alcohol or you like to enjoy the pleasures of MDMA, LSD, or any kind of drugs, we recommend that you stop using them, at least two weeks before coming. (Marijuana is a powerful medicine however which blocks the effects of Ayahuasca))
- Also we recommend you to lower the dose of prefabricated sweets (donuts, cakes, etc.), any fried products, plus pork and red meet.
- No salt, no sugar and no spicy foods
- No coffee, monster red bull or any caffeine products. This will help in your ayahausca journey a lot.
- We recommend also that you try to eat healthier foods, which your body will embrace and love, but will also benefit your ayahuasca experience (vegetables, fruits, rice, pasta, etc.).
- No sex , no masturbation
- Try to have a very healthy lifestyle at least 2 weeks prior to your arrival and 2 weeks after your journey with us.
Price information
Prices per week including lodging, food, ceremonies, transport from Pucallpa to Limongema and back, plus excursions to know the surroundings and all the activities carried out in this lovely local community are:
• 1 week: $ 1.250
• 2 weeks $ 1.750
• 3 weeks $ 2.250
Ready to book? We are excited to have you as a future guest of Ayahuasca Spirit Healing Center. Please note, that you will be required to pay 50% of the total retreat price to secure your reservation on lien here with us. Once you arrive in Pucallpa, before starting the journey to our CENTER, you will be asked to pay the remaining 50% in USD (cash). Please note that all reservations are NON-REFUNDABLE however should something happen where you are unable to attend your retreat, we will gladly allow you to book for another date within the same calendar year.
Please note that upon receiving your deposit, you must complete our medical/psychological intake questionnaires successfully. Should you be deemed “in-eligible” we will refund you your deposit in full via PayPal.
For more information about the prices and the amazing retreat offering please check the details here.
Mental opening
We want you make the most out of your experience so we ask you to come with an open mind , not only to the experience of ayahuasca , but to the experience of living a week in a Peruvian indigenous village, where life is very different , the amenities are less but you have many more smiles
We encourage you to come open to explore the beauties of this community and its people, to take your adventurous spirit and go out to explore the surroundings of Limongema, to talk to the locals and understand their customs and thus you will enrich your experience here with us!
During ayahuasca ceremonies is likely that, as a result of the different charges that we accumulate throughout our life, the experience intensifies at certain times, thus certain emotions might surface and they might be difficult to control (anger, fear, grief, joy, etc.) But that is ok and actually highly encouraged as that means we are freeing them from them and our body is being purified.
It is important for us to respect the ceremonial space and the shamans. In order for the ceremony to unfold with the greatest success possible, we would like to warn you that you might be hypersensitive to certain emotions. In the case of joy, love, peace or happiness those are a pleasure to feel, but sometimes rage or anger can emerge, is for those moments for which we would like it to be prepared, because, although it does not have to happen, you will need to try to connect with your deeper self, your essence, your light which can master these emotions, not leaving them, however, overpower you.
Therefore, when referring to the ceremonial space, ie, the time spent in the maloka, is important that you submit to the medicine, you embrace her and her powers, you truly believe in her, you surrender and you receive your icaros (healing songs). Under the medicine don’t leave the ceremonial space and don’t miss the morning chat group where everybody will share their different experiences and we all benefit and learn from them.
It is important to think about the work the shamans and facilitators do and all the sacrifice that has been made to arrive at the level of healing we offer.
Try to think which will be your intentions for your first experience with ayahuasca medicine, the main things you want to tackle. After the first ceremony the medicine itself will guide you on your way, helping you see where you have to work. (If you can not choose the most important, do not worry, here we are to guide you)!