Preparation begins with taking an honest look at your situation. If you have any doubts about your medication, your mental or physical health, or the right timing, a check-in is always the first step.
Some medical and psychiatric conditions may be a contraindication for participating in an ayahuasca ceremony, or may mean that participation is only possible under certain conditions.
That’s why it’s important to always be honest about your situation and any medication you may be using.
At SunGaya, this is carefully reviewed and, where needed, aligned with a consulting physician. Based on this, it is determined whether participation is appropriate and safe at that moment.
Tapering off antidepressants is not without risk. I do not create tapering schedules or advise stopping medication. If tapering is considered, it should always be done in consultation with your doctor or prescribing provider.
In some cases, a preparatory trajectory can help build more stability and carefully explore what is needed before participating.
Many people think they need to come with a fixed or perfect intention, or that it’s about tripping, trauma healing, or chasing an experience. To me, that feels like noise, sometimes even like marketing language.
I see a ceremony as a snapshot in your life, a mirror you are about to look into for the first time. You’ve already tried many things, and somewhere that inner call has grown stronger than ever, because the conventional path is no longer taking you further. You’re looking for a deeper connection with the truth that lives within you, so you can better see where your patterns, thoughts, and actions come from, both consciously and unconsciously.
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
Nutrition plays an important role in preparing for an ayahuasca ceremony. To help your body participate more calmly and safely, there are specific guidelines around food and stimulants.
Read all about the ayahuasca diet and nutritional guidelines here
Intention begins with one decision: that you are willing to look, feel, and listen, and that you won’t walk away when something arises that you didn’t expect.
If you get stuck in your head, keep it simple. Write one sentence: “I open myself to receive what I need right now to come closer to myself.”
You feel disconnected from yourself and your direction
You feel stuck and don’t recognize yourself anymore
You no longer know what truly matters
You’ve lost your self-worth or emotional connection
You feel like you’re not really living, and you’re not looking for a quick fix
You see ayahuasca as the solution that will wash your problems away
You want to control or predict the outcome
You use it mainly as a trip or an experience
You are in an active addiction pattern or heavy substance use
You use medication such as antidepressants, or you have doubts about safety
Ayahuasca does not combine well with certain medications and substances. Due to the MAO-inhibiting effect in the body, some combinations can react differently and, in some cases, be unsafe.
That’s why it’s important to always be honest about your medication use and discuss it in advance. If needed, this is assessed in consultation with a advising physician to determine whether participation is appropriate at that moment.
The MAO inhibition also means that certain foods can temporarily affect your body differently. For this reason, dietary guidelines are followed in the days surrounding the ceremony.
Read all about the ayahuasca diet and nutritional guidelines here
Healthy nervousness is normal. These are often fears about what you think could happen. A red flag is something else, and we always discuss that in alignment.
If you feel fear: bring your focus back to your breath. Ask for support if it feels too intense to carry alone. You don’t need to be tough.
And about control: life isn’t predictable. Every journey is unique. Remember this: you never step into the same sea twice.
Sometimes you feel the call, but you notice your system is still too restless. Anxiety, panic, dysregulation, or medication use can mean you first need more stability and capacity before we decide what is wise.
This pre-trajectory is for people who need extra grounding before participation. Not to push you faster toward a ceremony, but to honestly explore whether it fits right now.
What we do in this pre-trajectory
Map what’s happening in your capacity, nervous system, and daily functioning
Work with anxiety and restlessness through practical regulation and clear self-observation
Clarify conditions: support, boundaries, timing, recovery, and integration
Align around medication, always in collaboration with your doctor or prescriber
Important to know
I do not create tapering schedules and I do not advise stopping or changing medication. Never stop medication on your own. If tapering is relevant, it happens through your prescriber. I can support you in preparation, stabilization, and holding the process.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
The diet is part of the groundwork. But preparation isn’t only about food. It’s about how you live.
What I want for you in the week before:
Become more aware of your thoughts, words, choices, and what you do or don’t say
Look honestly at your self-care, especially when life is busy
Practice cooperating with the medicine: less trying to understand, more learning to feel
The most common mistake is thinking it will happen automatically because it’s powerful medicine. It doesn’t. It asks for presence.
Reduce:
Too much social interactions
Scrolling and keeping yourself busy so you don’t have to feel
Building scenarios in your head about how it “should go”
Add:
Nature and walking
Journaling
Music that nourishes your soul, or more silence with what is
Early sleep, healthy food, gentle movement
Arrive with space, not rush. Put away your phone, smartwatch, and stimulation. Come with an open mind.
Keep conversations short on the way. Take a moment of quiet. Doubts right before the start happen more often than people admit. That’s not weird. You are never fully prepared for what wants to reveal itself.
What won’t help that day: neglecting the diet, following negative inner voices, and worrying about everything that isn’t here yet.
Packing list, in short
Comfortable layers and something warm for the night
Water bottle
Toiletries and a towel
Journal and pen
Eye mask and earplugs
Optional: a small power object
You will also receive the full list by email after booking.
Do
Walk, rest, drink water
Journal and spend a little more time with yourself
If possible: eat lighter for a few more days
Don't
Jump back into everything as if nothing happened
Overload your schedule with appointments
Make big decisions in the first days
About 10 days after the ceremony, there is an online integration circle on Wednesday evening with the same group, to land and share what is still unfolding.
SunGaya is a place of stillness and strength where healing is allowed to deepen.
You are seen and supported as you integrate what you have experienced.
Here, everything is welcome, and you find the space to truly come home to yourself.
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