How can I benefit from a pre Ayahuasca consultation?

We see that it is quite difficult for people who start feeling drawn to Ayahuasca, to find good and clear information and to be educated before actually deciding to enter any ceremony space at all. It can be confusing at times. Since the Ayahuasca brew is an illegal substance in most western countries, many facilitators operate their practices below the radar. Hence it is hard to find someone impartial and who has the right knowledge and skills to assist you in this decision-making and preparatory part of the process. Instead, you just have to find a facilitator, which is already a challenge in itself, and you just go with what he or she offers. In the best case this leaves you with feeling insecure or just a bit stressed. In worst case this might trigger anxiety and distress. Needless to say that this isn’t the best possible state to be in when embarking on an Ayahuasca journey. In our opinion integration already starts the moment you decide to drink Ayahuasca. By following a few basic steps in this first part of the process, it becomes more likely that you will have the most beneficial experience. A pre Ayahuasca consultation with us offers you the possibility to talk with someone impartial who has only your best interest at heart. So we have no commercial interest in whatever your decision may be. We are thoroughly trained and we have many years of experience in all parts of the process. So we can provide you with the information you need, answer your questions and address any concerns. We will inform you about all the important questions you need to ask to decide whether you want to drink Ayahuasca. And if so, why you would want to do it, when would be the right moment, where to drink it, with whom, with which brew and finally how to work with it during ceremony. Of course we cannot predict what you will experience internally during your journey. But if the right internal and external conditions are in place and you know you are taken care of in a way that matches your needs, and you know how to navigate the inner and outer spaces, you increase the chances of having an experience that meets your needs. And that helps you creating the outcome you are looking for. So investing in this first part of the process gives you more clarity, and makes you feel more secure about the journey that you may or may not embark on.

What do you mean by the integration process?

The online Cambridge English Dictionary defines integration as: “the action or process of combining two or more things in an effective way”. In the context of Ayahuasca integration, this would reflect the process of combining the experience of drinking Ayahuasca with one’s daily life. On the surface this may sound like a simple task, and yet the experiences elicited by Ayahuasca can be so transformational, profound, mysterious or challenging (or all of these at once) that figuring out where you fit it into your own day to day life can be difficult or become an issue if you lack support or if you do not understand the process. This is where integration counselling can be very helpful. You can talk to someone who has been there before and who is trained so he/she can assist you in locating yourself on the ‘map’. And give you a compass and a reference point towards which you can start walking. This can be extremely relieving and can save you from distress or even anxiety and fear.

What does integration involve?

The integration process is unique to everyone, but it usually involves a number of phases as the knowledge, insights and experience sink deeper into your reality. However, for many people, this is only possible when consciously ‘working with’ the Ayahuasca experience in various ways. These could range from meditating on the experience, to journaling, to observing personal patterns (e.g. thoughts, emotions, behaviours) and to adjusting them. Or to making bigger life changes such as changing your job or social circle or to going into therapy for a while. Again, it is different for everyone, but most of the time it does involve work and reflection. Otherwise the Ayahuasca experience can become a highlight or nice memory or something which now causes you pain to look back on, but not a catalyst for lasting change. Dr Gabor Maté, a renowned Canadian physician, explains that it “takes daily work. The post experience integration is at least as important as the experience itself. Otherwise you are just going to go back looking for the same experience over and over again, and nothing will have necessarily shifted for you. There are some people who are able to have transformative experiences that really rewire people. But I have met very few of those people, if any…. But for most of us, it’s on-going work”.

How long does integration take?

It is different for everyone and in some ways it is never done! From what we see in others and what we have experienced ourselves, it is quite normal if it takes months to years, just after one Ayahuasca ceremony. Let alone if you had several ceremonies in a row, for example during an Ayahuasca retreat. Factors that can affect the length of time it may take are:

• The nature of the experience that you had.

Is integration the same for everyone?

No, it is not, and could not be the same for everyone. However there are often similarities in the kinds of issues that come up. There are also useful tools that can be applied to the process that are almost universal.

How does integration feel?

With Ayahuasca, integration is like a metaphorical journey, where you pass through a hilly and wooded landscape. At times you have a clear line of sight and at times but to make progress, you also have to pass through the tree filled valleys. When on top of the hills (the place where most people start from after a ceremony), you feel on top of the world. Things are clear, simple and obvious and you can see exactly where you want to go. But when you start to descend into the woods, the path is less clear-cut than you thought, and you start to doubt your way or hesitate. As you go even further, the density of the trees increases, and you wonder if you are ever going to emerge from them. You may even start to panic, or just sit down in a state of hopelessness, not knowing which direction to move in. That time when you feel lost or stuck, have forgotten what the clarity was about or how it felt, and have maybe forgotten that you are on a journey (or didn’t know you were on a journey) is where guidance and community support can be the most helpful. Also, if you had coaching prior to and just after drinking Ayahuasca and are well prepared for the journey afterwards, you will hopefully have lots of tools to help you find where you are. And maybe you will have even packed a flashlight, a compass and a few extra snacks to keep you going!

Are there different stages, and if so, what are they?

There are some fairly distinct stages in the process that seem to follow a similar trajectory for many people. However, for some they may be big obvious shifts in perspective, and for others they may be subtle, but with themes that are recognisable. The way I will outline them here will be in the most exaggerated form so that everyone can get the clearest picture of the process. 1. Fresh out of ceremony or retreat Things seem to be pretty clear and feel bright and optimistic. This can also be accompanied by some contrary sensations of being more sensitive than usual to foods, noises, people or environments and the desire to spend time alone. (You may have shifted a decade’s worth of stuff in a few days or weeks, but everyone else in your environment is unlikely to have done so, which can seem really weird and cause you to want to stay in your own love bubble for a while longer!) The flip side of this is of course, that if you experienced a very difficult ceremony and haven’t fully processed the feelings, sensations or mental hurricane that it caused by the time you leave the ceremony space, you may be feeling pretty lost and afraid and not have a clue where to turn. Advice for this time is to consolidate your notes. Try and get down on paper all of the key things that you were thinking and feeling. Meditate on some of the strongest positive feelings and states of being so that you can recall them in your body and mind at will. Make notes about ceremony experiences that you didn’t fully understand. Ask yourself these key questions:

• What did that mean to me during ceremony?

How can you help?

That’s a good question. Regardless of wanting to drink Ayahuasca for spiritual, physical, mental or emotional reasons, this brew has life changing potential. So you really want to be well informed before deciding to embark on this journey. And if you decide you want to drink, you really want to have the best possible education and preparation. And this is where our mission comes into play. We can help you on this journey in various ways: Pre Ayahuasca counselling:

• We provide information and education about Ayahuasca.

What can I do to help myself?

That is a very important question. We strongly believe that, in order to make your life a success, you already have the right resources within you. And the definition of success is, of course, very personal. All you need to do, is to ask yourself the right – information rich – questions so the right – information rich – answers will come up. For example: Why is this happening to me? versus: How can I find the right support while I am going through this? Other things you can do, are:

• Keep a journal.

What can I do if I get lost or stuck on the journey?

As it says on the cover of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “DON’T PANIC!”. It is quite normal to get a little bit stuck or lost. Knowing in advance and then remembering that you are in a process can be a key factor in coping with the sense of stuck-ness. Trust the process, and start to pay attention to the things in your inner and outer worlds and how they affect your emotional states. Refer back to your Ayahuasca experiences and look for new layers of insight in the experience. Meditate on the most positive or clear states of being you experienced during or since your ceremony and feel it, re-experience it to the best of your ability. When you are in that state, ponder your current circumstances again and see what they mean to you. Continually ask the questions: What was my experience then? What does it mean to me right now? What have I learned up to this point? How can I apply what I have learned to my current situation? Ask for help! Don’t panic! Know that this too shall pass, but the only way out is usually through. This can be a big source of fear or procrastination as you can see the way, but are afraid to take it as you don’t know what the consequences will be if you do.

What are the most common integration problems that people face?

The most common integration problems we see in people seeking help with us, are:

• Keeping your energy up.

What are the main things that contribute to problems with integration?

Not being prepared for integration!

• Not knowing in advance that integration is a necessary part of ceremony work, that it can be hard work, and that it can take a long time. All of these can increase resistance and distress as the difficult parts of the process come up.

Integration seems like a lot of work. Is that true?

Yes and no. We understand that you might feel a bit overwhelmed now that you have read what integration may entail. Especially if you thought that your process entirely takes place during the Ayahuasca ceremony. Even more so when you left the ceremony space in a state of bliss. So we do understand that it could be a bit of an unpleasant surprise that there is actually an integration process following after the process you already had during the Ayahuasca ceremony. And that it might take a lot of time. But hey, we have been there too. Integrating your insights, experiences and lessons learned into your daily life does not have to feel like a whole lot of hard work. It can even be a fun thing to do to create the life you deep down have always wanted. Although it can also feel scary to actually give yourself permission to have that awesome juicy life. The rewards of doing the work can be incredibly rich. It really helps if you take just one step at a time. Choose a specific topic or lesson for a while and play with it. Once you get the feeling that you have got this one, then take the next step. Choose another (aspect of the same) topic and start playing with that one. Practice in small and relatively safe situations. Break bigger changes down into smaller ones. And break those down into doable actions that you can plan. Then start doing them one by one. Because: ‘A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action becomes reality.’ Remember to give yourself time and space. And be gentle to yourself. Judgments belong to the past. Treat yourself as you would treat your best friend: with love, care and understanding. Give yourself praise for every little inch of progress. And sometimes progress means three steps forward, two steps back. And sometimes progress also means taking rest and not moving at all.

What happens if I just don’t do the integration part of the process?

As Gabor Maté, a renowned Canadian physician, states on Psychedelics in Modern Healing: “Psychedelic experiences are not transformative without integration.” So this means you would miss out the transformative part of your Ayahuasca journey. Which off course, in cases, can also be a valid choice. Skipping integration might leave you with just a vague memory of a non-ordinary experience. Skipping integration might drive you into feeling worse than before you drank Ayahuasca. Skipping integration might send you into an ongoing loop of attending ceremonies. At the risk of leaving you with a back log of unprocessed matter. Which can result in feeling stuck, heavy, drained, overwhelmed, disconnected, depressed, etc. Also see this FAQ: What are the most common integration problems that people face?