Ayahuasca Ceremony
In my personal healing journey, Ayahuasca was the first ancestral plant medicine I connected with. She has revealed deep layers of trauma and societal/ancestral programming that have not been accessible through other means. She has been one of the most powerful tools and allies in my healing path, and contributed greatly to the healing work I provide. I have been on a traditional Shipibo path of apprenticeship since 2016 and serving the medicine in intimate settings since 2017. If you are new to Ayahuasca, please review the information on this page, and contact me with any further questions. If you are familiar with this work already, you can skip here to learn more about the unique way I work with this medicine.
What is Ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is a brewed tea consisting mainly of two plants that has been used in the Amazon forest for thousands of years for purposes of healing a wide variety of physical diseases and mental disorders, spiritual connection, and receiving information and insight.
The Chacruna leaf contains naturally occuring DMT, a hormone that is produced naturally in our brains during three points in life; in the process of birth, in the process, of death, and while we are dreaming. In our normal waking state, our brain also contains an enzyme that breaks down DMT.
The Ayahuasca vine is an MAO inhibitor that prevents this enzyme from working so that we can produce higher levels of DMT than normal. In some cases, other plants are added to this mixture, but I only work with a pure mixture of these two plants, as some of the additions can have dangerous chemical effects. The Chacruna leaf is responsible for the visionary aspect of an Ayahuasca experience, and the Ayahuasca vine is what produces the cleansing and purgative effects.
Ayahuasca works very deeply on every level of our being. On the physical level, the medicine circulates throughout the body, removing toxins, and in ways impossible to explain through science, commonly helping to heal many physical diseases.
On a mental level, Ayahuasca helps to reveal negative beliefs that we hold onto from the various layers of conditioning we have been exposed to from a small child. She helps to clear away false parts of our identities and the "roles" that we take on in different stages of life to reconnect us with what we are at our core. Root causes of deep seated fears, insecurities, and judgment of ourselves and others can be released through this work.
On an emotional level, Ayahuasca helps to release built up emotions from all of the times we have been unable to express ourselves, and also helps to delve into past traumatic experiences so that we can see these things from an outside perspective and gain clarity.
On a spiritual level, it helps resolve deep feelings of separation, abandonment and unworthiness as we are more easily able to connect to the God essence within us. This is a very general summary of how this medicine works.
The Purge
Another name for Ayahuasca among the tribes who work with it is "la purga" or "the purge", named for the cleansing effects of the vine.
Purging comes in many, many forms in ceremony and is essentially a release of energy from the body. One of the most common ways of purging is through vomiting. In our culture, we have a very negative relationship with vomiting; relating it to previous experiences of being ill, drinking too much alcohol, or sometimes mentally related to an eating disorder. In the case of Ayahuasca, the vine is not doing harm to the body. The liquid that is expelled is a carrier for the energy being released!
This can be physical toxins built up in your body, a manifestation of "mental" toxins in your mind, pain from previous relationships and traumas in your life, and a number of many other things. Many people are fully aware of what it is they are releasing when they purge, and the feeling after is that of great relief and liberation. Sometimes people feel the purge come from a place in the body other than the stomach. Sometimes purging can come through spitting, sinus clearing, shaking, temporarily feeling hot or cold, or having diarrhea. It can also be mental and take the form of a "funhouse" in the head as we release unnecessary thoughtforms related to media and advertising. When working on an emotional level, crying is a common way of purging.
Approaches to Ceremony
It is said that traditionally, Ayahuasca was a medicine that was only physically ingested by the Shaman working with the patient in order to connect to the spirit realm and bring through the chants used for healing. In today's world, it is used both in private and group settings in a growing number of countries.
When working with indigenous shamans in the Rainforest, ceremonies are generally held in a screened maloka in complete darkness, and the shaman uses only their voice to channel songs called "Icaro". They also work with tobacco smoke and a special form of bodywork.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are people around the world holding Ayahuasca ceremonies in very large groups of people, here in the Valley I have seen ceremonies of 100 people. In these larger ceremonies, the space is held through music and each person is expected to be independent in their process, although help is given if it is really needed. I have worked extensively with the Yawanawa and Huni Kuin tribes of Brazil, who utilize a large fire the entire ceremony, and high energy guitar music, dancing, and celebration into the daybreak. I feel there are advantages to all of these approaches depending on the person, their past, and their intentions, and the way that I have learned to work involves elements of all three.
My Approach
The way I work is a mixture of these two approaches, opening the ceremony in silence and darkness and calling in the plant spirits I have dieted for focused energetic work through channeled Icaros when the medicine is strong, and moving into more celebratory and integrative medicine music in the later parts of ceremony. Sound is the carrier of plant medicine, helping to open the connection between the plants and recipient, provide the cleansing, and convey profound insight and wisdom.
I only hold intimate ceremonies for individuals, couples, and small groups up to 4 and feel this is the best way to fully focus on the healing aspect of the ceremony and remain in full integrity. My ceremonies tend to be on the longer end of 6-8 hours and multiple doses when desired and deemed necessary. I work extensively with pure mapacho/jungle tobacco smoke in ceremonies for purification and protection, and this is an important aspect of how I hold space.
I also integrate expression through sound and movement and often encourage my clients to dance or sing for themselves in the later parts of ceremony to open the voice and connect more deeply to the physical body, helping to liberate stagnation and physical tension and ground the experience.
I personally brew the same medicine I serve during a 4 day long dedicated process of focused intention and prayer, using freshly harvested Ayahuasca Cielo vine and Chacruna leaves with no additives. Sometimes I will serve another brew including very small amounts of Rose, Bobinsana, and Noya Rao for those who have already connected with these plants in dieta.
The day after an Ayahuasca ceremony is an extremely valuable time to deepen the process and continue to receive insight and understanding, and all of my ceremonies include a (required) day of integration work on site as well as support calls in the weeks following. Generally this takes the form of holding space for a gentle sitting with Cacao in nature and a less active ceremonial space conducive to sitting in introspection and moving remnants of energy from the ceremony process. Cacao can also be omitted if desired. The DMT from the Chacruna continues to circulate in the body for about 24 hours, and the slight MAOI effects of Cacao bring a slight reconnection to the medicine in a much gentler way.
Pricing
1 on 1 $500 USD
Includes:
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Accommodation
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Food
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Integration Day with Cacao
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1 Preparation Call
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2 Integration Support Calls
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Private Taxi to and from Pisac
Couples $700 USD
Includes:
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Accommodation
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Food
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Integration Day with Cacao
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1 Preparation Call
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2 Integration Support Calls
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Private Taxi to and from Pisac
The answers to these questions will not necessarily disqualify you from participating in ceremony, but related to safety considerations.
If you are not comfortable answering these questions online, please type “will contact” and contact me directly.
Dora, Holland
“The whole ceremony is designed around your own needs and all the Icaro are solely for you to help you. I just came back from an Ayahuasca session with Angelica and I can’t recommend her enough. If you are thinking about doing one, I think you should do it with her, especially if this is your first one. I know it can be hard to choose the right place as we all heard scary stories about Ayahuasca and that’s the reason why I want to share my experience. Hopefully I can help others to make the right decision where to do it and what to consider when you choose your place. Let me tell you why I recommend her: - Safety: I think one of the most important things when it comes to Ayahuasca is safety. You have to feel safe in order to be able to let go. I have to tell you that it’s not easy as your mind will resist and it can help a lot if you are in a place with a facilitator like her where you can feel safe. As a girl, this is also important for other obvious reasons, you can hear some crazy stories. - Private session: at first I was not even thinking about having a private session, but I’m so glad I did. First of all, at a 1 on 1 session you have all her attention, the whole ceremony is designed around your own needs and all the Icaro are solely for you to help you. Angelica is there with you to take good care of you. - Integration: many people forget about the integration. Ayahuasca is not a quick fix, you will need to work on the things you saw or experienced and you will need help with it. If you are like me who needs to talk about it to process it, you should not consider a place where there is not integration. Angelica has a full day just for integration! You will spend the night with her house in this beautiful place and the next day you will do different things like cacao ceremony, talking, yoga etc. Anything that she and you feel you will need. Again is specifically designed for your needs. To be honest I think this day gave me just as much (if not more) as the Ayahuasca the night before. Apart from the next day I’ll also have follow up calls with Angelica which is super useful and needed. - The ceremony: as the whole experience is private and only for you, there are no must dos or don’ts. Angelica might encourage you to move or stretch around the end of the ceremony to move the energy in your body. This is not possible with a Shipibo ceremony where you are only allowed to sit or lie down. Also there is no time limit on the ceremony. It’s very personal for everybody how long the effects last and it was very calming as well that we will only finish it when I’m okay and done. - The music: She used different instruments and her voice is just super calming and beautiful. She was singing the traditional Icaro then sometimes some Spanish or English songs. All of them are specifically for me. Also I was lucky to hear her partner, Eugene, play the piano and the drums during our cacao ceremony. I could listen to both of them forever. As you can see there are so many aspects you have to consider before you do an Ayahuasca ceremony. What I also really liked is that before I made my decision we had a call with Angelica where both of us could ask all of our questions. It’s not just my decision, she also made sure I’m doing it for the right reasons. After the call I just had the gut feeling that I should do it with her, although first I thought I want to do it with an authentic shaman from the jungle. I was right to follow my intuition and do it with her. As I said I think your best option if you are in Peru is to do with Angelica in the Sacred Valley. As I heard the nature and the energies are also so much nicer and not overwhelming than in the jungle. Thank you Angelica and Eugene for this experience! I will be back."