ABOUT AYAHUASCA
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT AYAHUASCA
What is ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is a sacred Amazonian brew made by combining two plants: Banisteriopsis caapi (the vine) and Chacruna or Chaliponga (leaf). The combination activates DMT, a powerful visionary compound. However, the experience is more than the chemistry—it is a ceremonial healing led by our trained facilitators, often within the context of prayer, song (icaros), and intention.
What are the benefits of ayahuasca?
Emotional release and trauma healing
Deep spiritual insight and visions
Reconnection with one’s true essence or soul
Detoxification of the body and energetic field
Guidance on life choices and soul path
Enhanced compassion, humility, and self-awareness
Ayahuasca is not a magic pill—it requires courage, surrender, and integration—but it can reveal and catalyze life-changing transformation.
Is ayahuasca safe?
Ayahuasca can be profoundly healing, but it’s not for everyone. When held in a safe, experienced, and ceremonial context—with medical screening and emotional preparation—it is generally safe. However, people with certain mental health conditions (like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder) or those on certain medications (especially SSRIs, MAOIs, or antipsychotics) should not drink ayahuasca unless cleared by our facilitators.
Will I lose control during the experience?
Ayahuasca often takes you beyond the mind’s control, and that’s part of the medicine. But you are always held in your own consciousness. Letting go is not the same as being unsafe—it’s a surrender to something wiser within you. Our facilitators are present to guide and protect the space if difficult emotions or visions arise.
What does ayahuasca feel like?
The experience is unique for every person and every ceremony. Some feel euphoric or deeply connected to nature, God, or their inner child. Others feel fear, sadness, or disorientation as buried material comes to the surface. Visions can be vivid, symbolic, or entirely absent. Some receive downloads, ancestral messages, or profound silence.
Ayahuasca gives you what your soul needs—not necessarily what your ego wants.
Is purging necessary? Why do people vomit?
Purging is common in ayahuasca ceremonies and is considered a cleansing mechanism—not just physical, but emotional and energetic. People may vomit, cry, yawn, shake, or release in other ways. It is seen as sacred: a letting-go of what no longer serves. Not everyone purges, and that’s okay too.
Can I do ayahuasca if I’m on medication?
This is a critical question. Certain medications—particularly SSRIs, MAOIs, benzodiazepines, stimulants, and antipsychotics—can be dangerous or even fatal when combined with ayahuasca. You must always speak with our facilitators and your doctor before drinking.
Will I change after ayahuasca?
Yes. Ayahuasca often initiates deep inner shifts. It may not be dramatic or immediate, but people often describe a recalibration of values, relationships, identity, and purpose. It may call you to live more authentically, more lovingly, and more aligned with your soul.
But this change doesn’t come from the plant alone—it comes from how you integrate and walk with what you learn.
Can ayahuasca heal trauma?
Yes—many people find deep healing for trauma through ayahuasca. The medicine can reveal, unravel, and help release trauma stored in the body, heart, and psyche. But this process is intense and must be held in safe, trauma-informed space. Sometimes it opens wounds before they fully heal—so support before, during, and after is key.
Can I drink ayahuasca alone or at home?
This is not recommended. Ayahuasca is not a recreational substance. It is a powerful, sacred teacher best approached in ceremony with trained facilitators, especially for your first experiences. Alone, it can be disorienting, unsafe, or even dangerous.
COOKING THE MEDICINE
At Sowa Nete, we honor the ancient traditions of ayahuasca preparation by dedicating significant time and care to crafting a potent brew composed solely of two sacred plants: the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the Psychotria viridis leaves, commonly known as chacruna. These plants are carefully harvested and combined in a meticulous process that involves boiling or simmering them for several hours to create a thick, brownish liquid.
Our brew is prepared in Peru, where our experienced maestros oversee the cooking process with deep reverence and intention. Throughout the preparation, they offer prayers and icaros (sacred songs) to infuse the medicine with spiritual energy and guidance. Once the brew is complete, we bring it to Costa Rica to serve in our retreats, ensuring that each participant receives a medicine that is not only potent but also prepared with the utmost respect for its traditional roots.
This dedication to authenticity and spiritual integrity is central to our mission at Sowa Nete, as we strive to provide a safe and transformative environment for all who seek healing and growth through the sacred plant medicines.
AYAHUASCA RETREAT
