What to Expect During Ayahuasca Ceremony

Before We Begin

Every ceremony is different. What follows describes common patterns, but recognize that your journey will be uniquely yours.

There are no “right” experiences. Profound healing can happen with or without visions.

Timeline of a Typical Ceremony

Pre-Ceremony (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)

• Arrive and settle in - Find your spot, arrange your space
• Group gathering - Introductions, setting intentions, guidelines
• Quiet preparation - Meditation, centering yourself
• Last bathroom break before ceremony begins

Opening (8:00 PM - 8:30 PM)

• Sacred space opened - Prayers, songs, tobacco blessing (varies by tradition)
• Medicine served - Usually in small cups, tastes earthy and bitter
• Waiting - Medicine takes 20-60 minutes to begin working
• Lights are dimmed or turned off completely

First Wave (30 min - 2 hours after drinking)

Physical sensations:

• Tingling in your body
• Warmth or cold flashes
• Nausea building (this is normal)
• Sense of heaviness or lightness
• Auditory changes (sounds become amplified or strange)

Mental/emotional:

• Awareness shifting
• Thoughts becoming fluid or nonlinear
• First wave of emotions or memories
• Resistance or fear (common, will pass)

If nausea comes:

• Breathe through it
• Don’t fight it
• Purging often brings relief
• The bucket is your friend

Peak Experience (2-4 hours after drinking)

This is where the deepest work usually happens.

You might experience:

• Visions (geometric patterns, scenes, beings, memories)
• Profound insights about your life
• Emotional releases (crying, laughing, shaking)
• Sense of connection to something larger
• Ego dissolution (loss of sense of separate self)
• Re-experiencing memories or trauma
• Physical purging (vomit, sometimes bowel movements)

You might NOT experience:

• Visions (and that’s completely valid)
• Dramatic revelations (subtle shifts are also healing)
• Purging (not everyone does)

How to navigate intensity:

1. Breathe - Return to breath when overwhelmed
2. Surrender - Fighting makes it harder
3. Trust - Even difficult moments can be healing
4. Ask for help - Facilitator can sit with you
5. Remember - This is temporary

Second Cup (Optional)

Around 1-2 hours into ceremony, facilitators may offer a second cup.

You can always say no.

Consider a second cup if:

• You feel ready for deeper work
• First dose was mild
• You feel called to go further

Skip the second cup if:

• You’re already overwhelmed
• First dose is still building
• Your gut says no
• You’re feeling complete

There’s no shame in either choice.

Integration Wave (4-6 hours after drinking)

As the medicine begins to release you:

• Intensity softens
• Insights crystallize
• Sense of peace or clarity (for many, not all)
• Physical body begins to feel normal again
• Gratitude or exhaustion (or both)

This is a good time to:

• Journal if you’re able
• Rest
• Integrate what you’ve experienced

Closing (Around 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM)

• Sacred space closed - Gratitude, prayers, songs
• Gentle return to normal consciousness
• Light snacks usually offered (fruit, crackers)
• Rest or sleep in ceremony space

The Purging Experience

La purga (the purge) is considered part of the healing process in many traditions.

Types of Purging

Physical:

• Vomiting (most common)
• Diarrhea (less common but normal)
• Sweating
• Yawning, burping
• Shaking or trembling

Energetic:

• Crying
• Screaming or shouting
• Laughing
• Toning or singing

All of these are normal and welcomed.

How to Purge Gracefully

1. Don’t fight it. Resisting makes it worse.
2. Use your bucket. Everyone has one, no shame.
3. Breathe through it. Slow breaths help.
4. Rinse your mouth after (water available).
5. Return to center. Purging often brings relief and clarity.

Remember: The person next to you is focused on their own journey. No one is judging you.

Visions and Insights

Types of Visions

Geometric patterns:

• Sacred geometry
• Spirals, fractals, mandalas
• Intensely beautiful colors

Scenes and stories:

• Past memories (from this life or “others”)
• Symbolic teachings
• Encounters with “beings” or “teachers”
• Natural imagery (jungles, animals, plants)

No visions at all:

• Purely emotional or physical experience
• Deep meditative state
• Just darkness and insight
• This is equally valid

Working With Visions

• Observe without attachment. Visions are symbolic, not literal.
• Ask questions. “What are you showing me?” “What do I need to learn?”
• Don’t grasp. Trying to hold onto visions makes them slip away.
• Write it down after - much will fade by morning.

Navigating Difficult Moments

It’s normal for ceremony to be challenging.

If You’re Overwhelmed

1. Focus on breath - In for 4, out for 4
2. Call the facilitator - Seriously, that’s what they’re there for
3. Remember this will pass - Usually within 20-30 minutes
4. Surrender to the process - Fighting creates more suffering
5. Trust you’re safe - If you’ve screened properly, you are

If You See Scary Things

• They cannot hurt you. Even terrifying visions are symbolic.
• Face them with curiosity. “What are you here to teach me?”
• Call for protection - Prayer, guides, however you understand it.
• Remember you’re in control. You can open your eyes, move, ask for help.

If Nothing Is Happening

• Give it time. Some people are “slow metabolizers.”
• This is not failure. Sometimes the medicine works subtly.
• Stay present. Healing can happen without fireworks.
• Trust the process. You’re exactly where you need to be.

After Ceremony: The First 24 Hours

You will be exhausted. This is normal.

Common immediate after-effects:

• Deep fatigue
• Emotional rawness
• Continued insights or downloads
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Changes in appetite
• Feeling spacey or “not quite back”

How to care for yourself:

• Rest. Clear your schedule for at least one day.
• Hydrate. Gentle reintroduction of water and food.
• Journal. Capture insights before they fade.
• Avoid screens as much as possible.
• Be gentle. Your nervous system has been through a lot.
• Don’t make big decisions. Wait at least a week.

The Real Work: Integration

The ceremony is maybe 10% of the healing. Integration is the other 90%.

You can have the most profound visions and insights, but if you don’t integrate them into your daily life, nothing changes.

What Integration Looks Like

• Therapy with integration-informed provider
• Daily practices to embody insights
• Community support and accountability
• Time and patience (months to years)
• Small consistent actions repeated over time

See our Integration Resources for comprehensive guidance.

Final Reminders

What you experience is yours. You don’t owe anyone an explanation or story.

There are no “bad” ceremonies. Even difficult experiences often reveal themselves as healing over time.

Be patient with integration. Real change happens slowly.

You are exactly where you need to be.

Resources

• Integration: Daily Practices
• Recovery Timeline
• Crisis Resources - If you’re struggling
• Community Support

The ceremony is just the beginning. The real transformation happens in the days, weeks, and months that follow.