What You May Experience in an Ayahuasca Ceremony

People usually feels a sense of apprehension or nervousness before drinking ayahuasca. This is normal as we cannot predict what will happen when we drink ayahuasca. It will be different each time.

When we come to the mesa to drink, pick up the cup and mentally state the intention for the night’s ceremony, asking mother ayahuasca to bring the healing and teaching we have come for, then drink. Many are surprised by how pleasant it tastes, a mild sweetness. Our ayahuasca is cooked with Huambisa, and is much easier to drink than that cooked with Chacruna. The taste is often compared to red wine, a dark beer such as porter or stout, even Jägermeister. After drinking we may feel it clearly in our stomach. An unusual sensation and perhaps some mild nausea. This will pass in 5-15 minutes. As the medicine begins to take effect we may experience a glow in the body, a tingling sensation, energy beginning to move.

As we begin slipping into an alter state of consciousness, we may find the mind drifting, wandering. A lazy feeling may arise as though we could easily sleep. Colors and patterns may be seen in our mind’s eye. There might be an increase of energy flowing through the body. The movement into a different state of consciousness may be accompanied by some very unusual sensations. This may include the body feeling agitated, some nausea, feeling out of sorts. The discomfort often passes as we move deeper into a trance state, but may continue building until the purge comes. What ever the experience, hold the knowledge that all is well and allow the medicine to work.

The peak of the experience usually comes around an hour after drinking. It may include bright colorful visions, and it is also common for people to not have any visual visionary experience. Sounds and smells and tactile sensations on the body may felt.

One of the benefits of working with ayahuasca is its ability to unlock the subconscious mind. Memories of early childhood may return, of things we have not thought of for 15 or more years. We may clearly see beliefs and thought patterns that have been shaping our perception of life without our conscious awareness. It is possible repressed memories and emotions arise, and we may feel like we are reliving past traumatic events. These may be powerful and frightening, and it is best if we surrender to the experience and trust the medicine to do its work. Part of healing, is feeling, especially that we often would rather avoid.

There is an incredible variety of ayahausca experience, and the overall character of the journey may, and likely will be, very different from one ceremony to another.

We all arrive to ayahuasca in a different physical, emotional, energetic and spiritual state. While the above scenarios are common, your experience may be very different. It could be you do not have any visions at all, no sense of communication with the spirit, nor of any kind of healing or benefit. For some, the first few ceremonies are mostly about cleansing the body, and that can be unpleasant. Our own fears may be blocking the work of ayahuasca. Some who experience this think ayahuasca is simply not for them, or what they are going through is not worth it. If they persist with the medicine and find a way to trust and surrender to the experience, this does eventually come to an end. The body needs to be at certain level of purification before ayahuasca can give the beautiful, rich teachings available. It is possible the visions are overwhelming for a while, chaotic, where nothing is making any sense. Just breath through it and it will pass.

Deep, old pain and sorrow may arise, and you could find yourself sobbing like a child as heavy emotional energy is released. You may cry for joy, overwhelmed by the magnitude of love you feel. Laughter may bubble up. Perhaps you will sit quietly is a state of profound peace and tranquility. In truth, anything is possible with ayahuasca, and we cannot predict what any given ayahuasca ceremony will bring. That is just the way it is, and the key is to trust the medicine and surrender to the experience. Trust that what ever comes, it is a necessary part of your healing process, and is ultimately for your good.

With any psychoactive plant medicine, be it ayahuasca, huachuma, peyote, magic mushrooms or others, working with them can be summed up simply. We take the medicine, then accept what comes.

Ayahuasca can have some unpleasant, or simply odd and unusual physical effects. Foreknowledge can help one relax into the experience, accepting it as part of the possibilities of working with ayahuasca. Most people will are aware of the vomiting and diahrea, but there are many other physical side effects, including, but not limited to, the following list.

• Trembling and shaking of arms and legs. You may find your arms or legs moving in patterns without your conscious control.
• Very long yawns where your mouth feels a foot wide.
• Tears falling without feeling sad. You may start sobbing uncontrollably as deep pain and sorrow is release, though you may not know what you are crying about.
• Feeling very cold.
• Feeling very hot and dripping in sweat.
• Feeling completely drained of energy and that you do not have the strength to move.
• Feeling very heavy, pressed into the floor as if the force of gravity had doubled or tripled.
• Feeling highly energized, wanting to get up and dance to the singing or music.
• Very strong surges of energy moving through the body.
• Feeling dissociated from your body. Many people say they reached out to touch their legs to make sure they were there. Some people feel they have left their body, and a few say they rose above it and could see their body below them.
• Extreme nausea that may last an hour or more. It is best to not make yourself throw up seeking relief from the nausea and just let the medicine do its work. You will vomit or not in the medicine’s time.
• Feelings of bliss and euphoria.
• Feeling physically strong, powerful and completely healthy and whole.
• Feeling something touching your body, but nothing is there.
• Feeling like insects are crawling on your body. This is an effect of the healing process and is a positive sign.
• Hearing humming vibrating sounds

As you can see, this is a very diverse and lengthy list. All of the above are common physical experiences with ayahuasca and you may have physical effects that are not on this list. You may not feel any of these in a given ceremony, and it is possible to experience all of them in a single ceremony. What is more common is to experience just a few in a given ceremony, and that can vary from night to night.