🌿 Ayahuasca: A Heart-Centered Guide

Preparation, Ceremony & Integration

Pachamama Munai

If you are here, something within you is listening.

Ayahuasca is not something we “try.”
It is something we enter into a relationship with.

This guide was created to support you in approaching this medicine with reverence, safety, humility, and love—not fear, fantasy, or force. Our intention is to help you feel informed, grounded, and deeply held as you discern whether this path is right for you, and how to walk it with integrity.

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🌱 What Ayahuasca Is

Ayahuasca is a sacred Amazonian plant medicine, traditionally prepared from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and companion plants. It has been used for generations as a healing sacrament, a teacher, and a mirror for the soul.

This medicine works on many layers at once:

• the physical body
• the nervous system
• the emotional and psychological field
• the energetic and spiritual body

Ayahuasca does not give you something new.
It reveals what is already true.

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🌿 Preparation: Honoring the Medicine Before You Arrive

Preparation is not about being perfect.
It is about becoming available.

Physical & Dietary Preparation

In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, we invite you to simplify and soften the body so the medicine can move more gently.

This includes:

• Eliminating alcohol, drugs, and stimulants
• Stop eating red meat 7 days prior to the ceremony.
• Stop eating fish and chicken 3 days prior to the ceremony
• You can eat eggs and cheese if your body needs it
• Eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole foods.
• minimizing heavy, processed, or overly spicy foods
• choosing simple, nourishing meals
• staying well hydrated

A lighter body allows for a clearer journey.

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Emotional & Mental Preparation

Ayahuasca meets you where you are—not where you wish you were. She supports the becoming of the new self by helping you look into your current self, supporting true transformation.

Helpful practices include:

• journaling your intentions, fears, and questions– no attaching to your intentions but allowing the flow
• slowing down and reducing overstimulation
• spending time in nature
• practicing meditation, yoga, prayer, or breathwork
• Grounding outdoors, connecting to the Earth

You do not need to know what will happen.
You only need to be willing to surrender, let go, and listen.

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🛡 Safety, Medications & Readiness

Your safety is sacred to us.

Ayahuasca contains natural MAO inhibitors, which means certain medications and substances can interact dangerously with the medicine.

For this reason:

• All participants complete a confidential intake form
• medication history is carefully reviewed
• some medications must be discontinued well in advance
• in some cases, ceremony may need to be postponed

This is not punishment or exclusion.
It is care.

Sometimes the medicine says “not yet.”
We honor that wisdom together.
(More on the medications at the end of the page.)

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🔥 The Ceremony Space

Ceremony is held within a carefully protected container.

We will have

• a clear opening with shared intentions and guidelines
• attentive facilitators holding the space throughout the night
• a ceremonial setting designed to support inward journeying
• Icaros, live medicine, music, and sacred songs
• sound healing tools and sacred silence

We ask all participants to:

• remain focused inward
• respect the privacy of others
• Trust the process unfolding for you
• you can dance, move, and be expressive as long as you are respectful to others

Each journey is unique. Comparison only pulls you away from your own truth.

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🌀 What the Experience Can Be Like

Ayahuasca works differently for everyone.

Some people experience:

• emotional release, shaking, crying, feeling through emotion, and the body.
• physical purging, vomiting, or defecation.
• deep memories or visions.
• stillness, silence, or profound clarity
• deep purification, shedding, parts of the self die to be reborn. Phoenix process.

There is no “right” experience.

What matters is how you meet what arises—with curiosity, humility, and compassion for yourself.

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🌙 Integration: Where the Medicine Continues

The ceremony does not end when the night ends.

Integration is where insight becomes embodiment.

In the days and weeks after the ceremony, we encourage:

• rest and nervous system care
• gentle routines and clean nourishment
• journaling and reflection
• honest conversations with trusted support
• Do not make huge choices if possible until after 2 weeks

At Pachamama Munai, we offer integration circles and continued guidance.

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🤍 A Note on Healing & Expectations

Ayahuasca is not a shortcut.
It is not a guarantee.
It does not replace therapy, accountability, or daily practice.

What it offers is truth.

Healing happens when you continue showing up—to yourself, your relationships, and your life—with greater honesty and care.

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🌿 If You Are Feeling Uncertain

Uncertainty is not a problem.
It is often a sign of discernment.

If you are unsure:

• reach out to us
• ask questions
• Listen to your body

There are many paths to healing. Ayahuasca is one of them—not the only one.

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Safety & Preparation

Ayahuasca is a powerful ancestral medicine. It works through the body, the psyche, the emotional field, and the spirit simultaneously. Because of this, how we prepare matters deeply—not just energetically, but also physically and medically.

This section exists not to create fear, but to create safety, trust, and clarity.

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🤍 Why This Matters

Ayahuasca contains natural MAO inhibitors(MAOIs) from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine. When combined with certain medications or substances, this can create serious or even life-threatening reactions.

Because we care about you—and about the integrity of the ceremonial space—some medications must be fully discontinued before participating.

This is part of walking this path with respect, maturity, and love.

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🌱 A Gentle but Important Reminder

Please never stop medications abruptly or without the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider.

If something needs time, more preparation, or a different rhythm, we will honor that with you.
Sometimes the medicine says “not yet”—and that is wisdom, not rejection.

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🚫 Medications That Are NOT Compatible with Ayahuasca

1. Antidepressants (Very Important)

These medications must be discontinued well in advance due to the risk of serotonin syndrome, which can be dangerous or fatal.

SSRIs

• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Escitalopram (Lexapro)
• Citalopram (Celexa)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox)

Minimum washout:
• 1–3 weeks
• Fluoxetine (Prozac): up to 8 weeks

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SNRIs

• Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor)
• Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)

Minimum washout:
• 2–6 weeks

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Atypical Antidepressants

• Trazodone
• Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
• Mirtazapine (Remeron)

Minimum washout:
• 2–4+ weeks (varies by person and dosage)

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MAOI Antidepressants

• Phenelzine (Nardil)
• Tranylcypromine (Parnate)
• Isocarboxazid (Marplan)

❌ Ayahuasca is not safe if you are currently taking these.

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🚫 2. Psychiatric Medications

Some medications can destabilize the nervous system or alter perception in ways that are not safe during ceremony.

Includes:

• Antipsychotics (e.g. Abilify, Seroquel, Risperidone)
• Mood stabilizers (Lithium, Valproate, Carbamazepine)
• Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium)

These require individual review and are often not compatible.

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🚫 3. Migraine & Neurological Medications

• Triptans (Rizatriptan, Sumatriptan, Zolmitriptan)
• Certain seizure medications (e.g. Topiramate, Lamotrigine)

These must be discussed carefully and are often not appropriate with ayahuasca.

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🚫 4. Stimulants & ADHD Medications

• Adderall
• Ritalin
• Vyvanse
• Dexedrine

Minimum washout:
• 1-2 weeks or more

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🚫 5. Other Substances to Avoid

• MDMA, cocaine, amphetamines
• Diet pills or fat-burners
• Dextromethorphan (found in some cough syrups)
• St. John’s Wort
• 5-HTP and similar serotonin-enhancing supplements

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⚠️ Medications That Require Individual Review

(Not automatic disqualifiers)

Please disclose if you are taking:

• Thyroid medications (e.g., Levothyroxine)
• Acid reducers (Omeprazole, Pantoprazole, Famotidine)
• Blood pressure medications
• Hormonal therapies

These may be permitted depending on stability and dosage.

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🌀 Our Promise to You

At Pachamama Munai, safety is not separate from spirituality—it is spirituality.

We commit to:

• Reviewing all intake forms with care and confidentiality
• Communicating openly and compassionately
• Recommending postponement or alternatives when needed
• Never rushing your process or pushing the medicine

Your well-being always comes first.

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A Closing Word From Our Hearts

Clear boundaries are not limitations—they are acts of love.
They allow this medicine to be held with reverence, responsibility, and grace.

We are grateful for your honesty, your courage, and your willingness to walk this path consciously.

With love and respect,
Pachamama Munai

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