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Market => Rumor mill => Topic started by: Dutch Pride on September 07, 2013, 03:38 pm

Title: AYAHUASCA!!!...What to expect the first time...
Post by: Dutch Pride on September 07, 2013, 03:38 pm
I am often asked what drinking ayahuasca is like, not only by people who know very little about it but also by people who have read about it or have seen videos about it but have yet to try it. I usually respond that it is a lot like asking someone what sex is like before you’ve lost your virginity. It’s difficult to describe. I do think that there are a few things that someone could expect the first time drinking ayahuasca. But, just as with a first sexual experience, there are many factors involved and those factors greatly influence the perceptions and feelings involved in the experience.

Of course, one important factor is the ayahuasca itself. Because ayahuasca can be prepared in many different ways, the particular method of cooking and ingredients in the brew can produce a wide variety of different sensations and effects. There are even different kinds of ayahuasca vine, the one consistent ingredient in the brew, which produce singular effects as well. This may seem like the most important factor, but I think that too much attention is given to the chemistry of the brew. Ayahuasca is a medicine, but it is not like the medicines with which the western world is familiar. The science of medicine within which ayahuasca is used, called curanderismo, is also quite different from the western world. In curanderismo, the spirit, not the chemical composition, of a plant is what heals an illness. The doctor, or curandero, connects and communicates with these spirits to help cure a patient, so ayahuasca can best be considered as a key to open that connection. What you do with it is the determining factor in the healing process.

I think that new forms of healing practices will be developed due to pioneers exploring their own way of doing things. Of course, if you are looking to be healed it would probably be best to seek out a true healer. Imagine needing surgery and trying to do it yourself with no guidance. While the patient in need of healing plays a much bigger role in the healing process within curanderismo than in western medicine, the curandero still plays the central role. Not everyone drinks ayahuasca for the same reason, though.

This leads me to what I feel is the most important factor, which is the way you feel about the experience going into it. If you are in need of healing and excited to drink because you know that it will help you find the solutions to your problems, then your experience will most likely be more beneficial than if you are doubtful that drinking is a good idea and are fearful that bad things might happen to you. If you are drinking with a guide you trust in a place where you feel safe, obviously your experience will be better than if you are drinking with someone you don’t trust in a place where you don’t feel safe. These are very basic examples of what is actually a much deeper and more complicated topic, but basically, I feel that you determine your own experience more than anything, or anyone else. Controlling that experience can be quite difficult, however, as it means controlling who you are, how you feel, and what you think, which is a real challenge.

So, with all that said, I think this was supposed to be about what to expect the first time you drink ayahuasca. I hope, by now, you see how difficult it is to describe, but I will do my best. Let me just say one more thing, which is that I am basing my descriptions on my personal journeys with ayahuasca and conversations about the experiences of the many participants of the retreats and courses that I lead for the Ayahuasca Foundation. All of these experiences over the years have always been led by skilled curanderos in ceremonies at jungle camps in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru. Ceremonies have always been in the dark and surrounded by a multitude of plants. I have led over thirty retreats and courses and have drank ayahuasca over five hundred times, but I am still just doing my best to describe what is, often times, simply indescribable. Ok, here goes…



There is usually some anxiety prior to drinking, as we never know how things will go. It can also be exciting for the same reason. When the brew actually does reach our lips, it has a peculiar flavor and can often burn a bit as it goes down. That burning sensation can then be felt spreading throughout the body. Often times it is subtle, but due to the combination of anxiety and excitement we are often more aware of sensations. We most likely will notice that we have begun to sweat, and there will be an unusual sensation in the stomach that is neither painful nor pleasant. The burning and sweating will subside, or at least become less noticeable, but the feeling in the stomach will most likely persist. Minutes pass by rather normally before the actual effects of the ayahuasca, rather than the effects of our own reaction to drinking, begin to change our perceptions.

Our thoughts often become more rapid and somewhat scattered, with more than one line of thinking taking place at the same time, but not in a panicked way, just like hearing two or three people speaking at the same time. Our heart rate gets a bit faster too (it is not a good idea to drink ayahuasca if you have any heart problems) and tingling feelings become perceptible on the interior of different parts of our body, including our head. It is not uncommon to hear an electric hum as our brain activity increases along with our sensory abilities, most especially our hearing. As our eyesight becomes more sensitive, allowing us to see beyond the normally visible spectrum, we begin to see colors and flashes of light. These colors take form into patterns as our consciousness slips into what could be described as a trance state. It is during this state that the majority of the experience takes place.

The passing of consciousness into a different state can be accompanied by very unusual sensations, including nausea or physical discomfort, but usually pass as the trance state becomes more established. However, it is not uncommon to vomit at this time. Being unaccustomed to the sensation, our bodies react in different ways. Vomiting does not immediately stop the sensations, but they will diminish more quickly than if you don’t vomit. The peak of the trance will often be accompanied by strong visions, meaning that beyond just patterns there will be dreamlike sequences or recognizable entities, spirits, that may even interact directly with us. Our thoughts may seem much clearer, realizing important information and ways to achieve our goals or find satisfaction in life. We may observe that voices of spirits are telling us this information or showing it to us in visions. After the peak, the visions begin to fade and are usually replaced by pleasant emotions and physical fatigue. Our mind continues to remain connected to spirit even after the visions subside, although it is more subtle. Usually, we sleep very well after an ayahuasca ceremony, once we calm down from reviewing all that happened during the experience.
Now for the exceptions…

Each mind-body connection works differently from another, so while the above scenario might be a typical response to drinking ayahuasca, there are many atypical responses as well. The most common atypical response is to not have any sensation at all, as if the brew were merely an unpleasant drink with no effect. That may be the case but more likely is that your natural defenses denied the effect, preventing the ayahuasca from working. Our fear, anxiety, or mind set can have a tremendous power over what we do and don’t perceive and sense. On the other end of the spectrum, the visions could be overwhelming and incapacitating, causing many sessions of vomiting and uncontrolled emotions. I’m sure some people reading this would disagree and say, ‘that is not what happened when I drank.’ Like I said, it is not easy to describe. Really, the entire spectrum of experiences is possible from crying the whole time in fear to smiling the whole time in joy. So, am I saying that it could be a wonderful experience, a terrible experience, or no experience at all? Well…. Yes. That’s just the way it is. But there are a few things that could improve the odds of it being wonderful.

I think the most important tip is to keep your vibrations high. Love is the highest vibration, so when you drink the brew and are waiting for the effects, start to think about all the people that you love, all the things you love to do, places you love to visit, etc. Say thank you to those people, to the Earth, to the plants and animals, realize and show your appreciation for the miracle of life. Basically, put yourself in the most positive and pleasing mindset possible before the effects set in.

Put your faith in ayahuasca. Know that it will help you, that the guide will protect you, that you will be healed, that you will find the answers you seek. The more faith the better. Having faith is the best way of summing up the right attitude and mindset to drink ayahuasca. Be confident knowing that the spirits will do what’s best for you, that God will show you the way, that everything is meant to be, that it’s all good.

Don’t be afraid. Fear is a very low vibration and also contradicts faith. I have heard the phrase ‘I’m a god fearing man’ as a way of saying that someone is good but I definitely don’t agree. I don’t fear my father. On the contrary, I love him. And I love God. So, keep fear out of your experience. Even if you have visions of things that might be frightening, be strong and know that you will prevail. You are divine. Divine beings have no fear. Divine beings are made of love. We are all divine. We are made of love.

Of course, there are some basics that should be covered, like feeling safe in your environment and with the person or people who will be drinking with you. I think it’s best to be in a dark space, the closer to nature the better, where you won’t be disturbed. There are dietary restrictions that are now well known and the rest of the basics seem to be more readily available for people seeking an ayahuasca experience. What I tried to provide here is a bit more than the basics, but also what I’ve found to be the most important. Does it matter if you have fried chicken the day you drink ayahuasca? Not nearly as much as your personal energy, attitude, and mindset.
Title: Re: AYAHUASCA!!!...What to expect the first time...
Post by: Dutch Pride on September 07, 2013, 05:45 pm
 :)
Title: Re: AYAHUASCA!!!...What to expect the first time...
Post by: Dutch Pride on September 08, 2013, 09:38 am
 :)
Title: Re: AYAHUASCA!!!...What to expect the first time...
Post by: BPM on September 08, 2013, 11:12 pm
You have drank ayahuasca over five hundred times??!!!
Holy Cow! I think it's more than I ever smoked weed!


Can I call you Jesus? :)


Definitely a "must try" journey, but only when the time will come. :)


Also, I think that the dietary restrictions are very important as I've read that prior and after taking MAOI a lot of harmless foods might become very dangerous and even can lead to death.


Peace to you my friend and +1 karma for you :),
BPM