You can email us for our current list of shamans that we’re aware of in Canada or for advice about finding a shaman in the Amazon.
Also, please be aware of recommendations regarding Ayahuasca and prescription drugs. You can find some of that information in our Ayahuasca Decision-Making Guide under “Physical Risks.” Click here. If you are taking prescription drugs, DISCUSS THIS with your facilitator prior to undertaking a ceremony.
If you decide to undertake an Ayahuasca ceremony, there are a number of recommendations to help you get the most out of your ayahuasca ceremony. Preparing for a ceremony usually means undertaking a special diet. Contact your ceremony facilitator for their recommended diet prior to your ceremonies. For a SAMPLE DIET CLICK HERE – (PLEASE NOTE – this is a sample diet – contact your ceremony facilitator for his/her recommended diet) for at least a week before the ceremonies, which should also be followed for a week after the ceremonies. Having said that, some people go into ceremonies without any special dietary preparation at all.
Another part of preparation is usually setting an intention for your ceremony. This can be a very personal intention or a “general” intention such as asking the medicine to show you what you need to heal.
The intention is what you hope to accomplish by opening a relationship or conversation with Ayahuasca. Our best advice is to try to concentrate on something specific that will have meaning to you and what you would like to accomplish. The other recommendation is to keep the intention generic – asking for the medicine to show you what it is you need to work on.
The other thing that will greatly enhance your ceremony is giving the plant permission to heal you. Nothing happens to you in an ayahuasca ceremony without your permission. So actively letting the plant know she has permission to work on you will result in a greatly enhanced relationship with Ayahuasca. If you can remember to do this inside the ceremony it will greatly enhance the teachings and healing.
As indicated in other parts of this website but which bears repeating here is that until you take your first Ayahuasca journey speaking to someone about what the ceremony will be like may not be very useful. There are really two groups of people in the world – those who have taken Ayahuasca and those who haven’t.
Talking to people who have taken Ayahuasca if you haven’t and vice-versa is like speaking two different languages. And oftentimes words are not adequate to describe exactly what your Ayahuasca journey was like or what it actually meant to you. However, two people who have taken Ayahuasca can have a great conversation that goes into a lot of detail and that may seem unbelievable or impossible to someone who has no experience with the medicine.