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.
Sommige medische en psychiatrische omstandigheden kunnen een contra-indicatie vormen voor deelname, of maken dat deelname alleen onder bepaalde voorwaarden mogelijk is. Daarnaast gaat ayahuasca niet samen met een aantal medicijnen en stoffen. Doordat ayahuasca het enzym MAO in je lichaam remt, kunnen bepaalde combinaties anders en soms onveilig reageren. Om dezelfde reden werken we met voedingsrichtlijnen in de dagen rondom de ceremonie.
That is why it is important that you are always honest about your situation and your use of medication. At SunGaya this is carefully assessed and, where necessary, discussed with an advising physician. On that basis we determine whether participation is appropriate and safe at that moment.
Tapering off antidepressants is not without risk. I do not create tapering schedules and do not advise stopping or changing medication. If tapering is being considered, this always happens in consultation with your doctor or prescriber.
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. Perhaps you have felt the call for years, or perhaps it arose only recently. Perhaps you have already tried many things and the conventional path no longer takes you further. You want a deeper connection with the truth hidden within you, so that you can see more clearly where your patterns, thoughts and actions come from, both conscious and unconscious.
“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
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 on the way short. Take your moment of reflection. Doubts just before the start are more common than people think. That is not strange or odd. You are never fully prepared for what arises.
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.
© 2026 | SunGaya.nl | Sacred Transitions | Capelle a/d IJssel