Diabetes, previous heart attack, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, high blood pressure, had heart surgery, aneurysm, stroke, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and infectious disease. These conditions are conditions that would restrict your ability to participate in Ayahuasca Ceremonies because of the risk of complications your health or the inherent risk to other participants.

The purge is an important part of the ceremony, and it usually takes the form of vomiting – but sometimes it can take the form of diarrhea. One of the main aspects of participating in an plant ceremony is purification, so the purge is a way to prepare the body for what is coming.

In the spiritual sense, the purge allows you to shed anything that no longer serves you, anything that is weighing you down, or anything that is holding you back. It is an energetic cleansing that will help clear vibrational imprints and emotional blockages, as well as physical toxins. Many people purge strongly in their initial ceremony experiences and move into deeper experiences as these blockages are removed. Other people experience the reverse: they do not purge early on but have cleansing purges in later experiences.

To prepare for the ceremony and have the best possible experience, it is recommended that participants avoid using alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, drugs, or sex for two weeks before taking part in the ceremony. This is meant to purify the body.

Participants are also encouraged to follow a specific diet, usually a vegan or vegetarian diet vegetarianism or veganism, for a few weeks before the retreat. This will help rid the body of toxins.

The shaman or an assistant will serve the plant brew for each ceremony participant. The dose is calculated individually and is based on responses to a personal questionnaire.

After experiencing intense visions or being in a trance-like state, the effects of the plant brew will start to recede. You may feel tired, and some participants mentioned being unable to describe their feelings during the ceremony. The final stage is the ceremonial offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth). Afterward, you can reflect on your experiences with a retreat facilitator.

The length of time to feel the effects of the plant can vary from person to person, and ceremony to ceremony. It is said that the effects of the brew can last anywhere from a few hours to the whole night. Even when the conscious effects have worn off, the medicine continues to work within the body and energetic fields in ways that are not always perceptible.

There is internet service during the retreat. But, this is a spiritual retreat and immersion and isolation without the distractions of modern technology is recommended and required to benefit the most.