With the popularity of Ayahuasca surging, it’s becoming more and more challenging to know if the retreat you're interested in is founded on traditional practices. Although Ayahuasca ceremonies can vary slightly across different tribes, it's important to look out for some of the fundamentals that make a retreat authentic.
We’ve broken down 5 key indicators to help you choose the right one. Keep an eye out for the red flags when doing your research!
1. Healers
Indigenous communities and plant medicine have been interconnected for thousands of years. Each generation accumulates knowledge from the previous one. The specific rituals that each healer uses, are a direct result of this compounded learning. Because they've worked with hundreds of people, they understand deeply how different plant medicines impact the body and the psyche.
By working with healers of vast lineages, you are sure to get the best experience. You'll find ceremonies catering to a western audience by including practices not rooted in indigenous culture. Although we recognize that culture is an ever-changing landscape, the inherent wisdom that comes from living in connection to ayahuasca as a cultural cornerstone adds layers of depth that are undeniable.
We work with local Shipibo and Wixárika people in a reciprocal way. Supporting their communities by giving back is a core principle to ensuring a healthy enduring relationship.
2. Icaros
Music is a sacred part of ayahuasca ceremonies and a vehicle of her powers. During ceremonies, healers sing live personal Icaros to support your journey. They are songs that are seen as the language of Ayahuasca, transmitters of the energy of the plants. They can be passed down between healers, or come directly from the plants. Mastering Icaros can take years, and some healers are able to recite hundreds of songs.
Icaros can be a driving force as your perception expands. They need to be delivered with a heartfelt intention, disconnected from ego, and without a need for performance.
A red flag is definitely a ceremony that just puts on a playlist and calls it a day. This is a far cry from the way Icaros helps reweave people's energy. When a curandero (traditional healer) comes to sing an Icaro to you, it can completely transform blockages or lower vibrations to guide you on your healing path.
3. Amount of people
When booking a retreat, you're trusting that you'll be fully supported during the ceremonies. When there's no limit set to the number of participants, this can become a massive hindrance.
At Arkana, intimacy at retreats is a pillar of ensuring safety and quality throughout everyone's stay. Nurturing attention is given to every single person during the ceremonies. The same goes for the time spent during the integration of people's experiences.
We aren't surprised when new groups walk away as tight-knit life-long friends. Keeping groups small plays a key role in this.
4. Location
Traditionally ayahuasca is part of indigenous life, so taking it out of this context can create vastly different outcomes. With clinical studies of psychedelic substances on the rise, they most often show conclusions that exclude the cultural setting.
Because Ayahuasca is so culturally significant, it's wise to let the most experienced people guide you through it. Plus, being connected to the place where it's brewed, you can submerge yourself into its natural surroundings.
5. Preparation
Ayahuasca is not for everyone. That's why clear vetting and team support beforehand is very important to any serious retreat. If you're not being asked questions by staff about your situation or medical history before heading to a retreat, we encourage you to beware.
Ask these questions before coming:
Am I mentally preparing myself? Setting intentions, meditating and fully realizing that you're in for an experience that is about to deeply change your life, are key steps to ensure mental readiness.If you're seeking help for anxiety, addiction or trauma, it's clear that dealing with them is hard work. A break from your daily reality without taking essential time to integrate your internal transformation afterward can cause unintended issues. That's why we not only encourage group conversations the day after each ceremony, but we always work 1 on 1 as well to ensure that you're fully comfortable embracing the realizations that ayahuasca has shown you.
Am I able to follow a clean diet before coming? If not, you might purge more than usual or feel worse than necessary during a ceremony. The ayahuasca dieta has been shaped through lifelong experience, so following them sets you up for success.
Have I done enough research? When you're traveling to take plant medicine, you not only need to prep the necessary logistics to arrive safely but also the mindset you're traveling with. Are you coming from a place of humility, curiosity and respect when interacting with cultures different than your own? Are you fully open to deeply connecting to the messages that the plants will share with you? Are you aware of what your expectations are and are you making sure they align with a retreat you pick?
At Arkana, we don't take our values of "authenticity, safety and transformation" lightly.
We'd be honored to become a part of your story.
We're here to help in any way we can.
