Is It Safe?
I'm Jim, and I've owned and led ceremonies at Hummingbird since we opened in 2010. I personally read every application and screen every guest myself — I've done that for over 1500 guests across 380 retreats, and I've never delegated it. The Hummingbird Center has had no medical emergency related to drinking ayahuasca since opening.
Screening is where safety actually happens, and most of it is saying no. The most common reason I decline someone is high blood pressure. Our Working With Ayahuasca Safely page lists the full set of conditions that rule out drinking, including the medication interactions — SSRIs, SNRIs, tramadol, stimulants — that make ayahuasca genuinely dangerous rather than merely difficult. I don't make exceptions to that list.
For guests coming with depression, anxiety, or trauma, I use validated screening instruments alongside my own questions: the PCL-5, developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, along with the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. I decline anyone scoring above a defined threshold on the PCL-5. Severe, active trauma symptoms need clinical care, and a retreat in the Amazon isn't that.
I want to be direct about what I am and am not. I'm not a doctor or a therapist. Screening here is not medical clearance, and nothing I do replaces your own physician — particularly if you're on medication, since tapering is a decision for your prescriber and no one else. What I bring is the experience of being the person responsible for screening and evaluation since 2010, and a willingness to turn away people I'm not confident about.
Onsite, groups stay small enough for real attention. Sober support staff are present through every ceremony and stay with guests afterward — no one is left alone while still under the effects. Our curandero Manain has over 45 years of experience and has worked with us for over 8 years. In the event a person does need medical attention, the hospital is 45 minutes away. If a real emergency arises, we would call an ambulance and meet it enroute to shorten the time to receive medical attention.
Dosing is conservative by default. Your first cup is a moderate dose meant to introduce you to ayahuasca clearly without overwhelming you. You can always drink a second time if you want to go deeper, and we'll increase your dose on subsequent nights until you reach the intensity you're looking for. No one is ever pushed to drink more than they want.
I came to this work through my own thirty years of depression, which lifted in my third ceremony. Since then Hummingbird has drawn a lot of people carrying depression or anxiety for fifteen years or longer — more than 250 through our Immersion program and extended stays of three to four weeks with multiple master plant dietas. I won't tell you what ayahuasca will do for you. I will tell you I screen carefully for who it's a reasonable thing to try.
More about Ayahuasca Safety →Responsible Ceremonies →
