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What Is Ayahuasca?
What Is Ayahuasca? Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Ceremony
If you have found yourself searching “What is Ayahuasca?”, chances are something has already sparked your curiosity.
Perhaps you have heard someone speak about an Ayahuasca ceremony. Perhaps you have watched a documentary, listened to a podcast or heard about someone whose life changed after attending an Ayahuasca retreat. Or perhaps you are going through something in your own life and have found yourself looking for another way to understand, heal or reconnect with yourself.
Whatever has brought you here, I believe the first step should always be education.
Ayahuasca is powerful plant medicine, and it is not something I believe should be entered into lightly. Before attending your first Ayahuasca ceremony, it is important to understand what Ayahuasca is, what may happen during a ceremony, the possible risks, how to prepare, and perhaps most importantly, how to choose the people who will hold the space for you.
What Is Ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian plant preparation that has been used ceremonially by Indigenous communities for generations. The brew commonly combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing plant such as Psychotria viridis, although traditions and preparations differ.
DMT, or dimethyltryptamine, is a powerful psychedelic compound. The Ayahuasca vine contains compounds known as beta-carbolines that inhibit monoamine oxidase, allowing orally consumed DMT to become active.
But that is the scientific explanation.
For me, after many years of working with this medicine, Ayahuasca is incredibly difficult to reduce to chemistry alone.
People may experience vivid imagery, memories, emotions, physical sensations, insights and altered perceptions of themselves and the world around them. Some people revisit experiences from their past. Some become aware of behaviours or patterns they have carried for years. Others experience grief, fear, love, forgiveness or an extraordinary sense of connection.
And sometimes, the journey is simply quiet.
There is no single Ayahuasca experience, because no two people arrive carrying exactly the same life.
Why Do People Attend Ayahuasca Ceremonies?
People come to Ayahuasca retreats and ceremonies for many different reasons.
Some are looking for greater self-understanding. Some are working through grief, trauma, relationship patterns or major transitions in their lives. Some feel disconnected from themselves. Others have done years of personal development and feel there is something deeper they are ready to explore.
And some cannot really explain why they feel called to the medicine at all.
One thing I have learned is that expectations can become one of the greatest obstacles to the experience.
You may hear somebody describe beautiful visions, extraordinary insights or a life-changing breakthrough and naturally hope that the same thing will happen to you.
But Ayahuasca is not a performance and there is no prize for having the biggest journey in the room.
Your journey is your journey.
What Happens During an Ayahuasca Ceremony?
Every centre and tradition will conduct an Ayahuasca ceremony differently, which is why I encourage people to ask questions before choosing where they attend.
At Our Heart Centre, preparation begins before anybody drinks the medicine. We believe you should understand what you are entering into, what is expected of you and what support is available should your experience become difficult.
During the ceremony, participants are given their own space to lie down and journey while experienced facilitators remain present throughout.
Our role is not to direct your journey.
It is to hold the space while you have your own experience.
This distinction is incredibly important to me. There are moments when somebody may need reassurance, grounding, physical assistance or support. But there are also moments when the most loving thing we can do is allow somebody the space to move through what is arising without unnecessarily interfering with their process.
What Does Ayahuasca Feel Like?
This is probably one of the hardest questions to answer because an Ayahuasca experience can vary enormously.
You may experience visual imagery, changes in perception, emotional releases, memories, insights or strong physical sensations. Time may feel different. Thoughts can become incredibly clear, or you may temporarily find yourself moving through thoughts that feel confusing.
Some journeys feel beautiful.
Some are incredibly challenging.
Many contain both.
Ayahuasca is sometimes spoken about as though you drink the medicine, have a beautiful spiritual experience and wake up healed.
That has not been my experience of this work.
Sometimes the medicine brings us directly to the parts of ourselves we have spent years avoiding. That can be uncomfortable. But being uncomfortable does not automatically mean something has gone wrong.
At the same time, genuine distress should never simply be dismissed as “part of the medicine.” This is why experienced facilitation, appropriate screening and a safe ceremonial environment matter.
What Is Purging During Ayahuasca?
One of the biggest fears people have before their first Ayahuasca ceremony is purging.
I understand this one personally.
Before my own experience with purging, I was absolutely determined that I was not going to be throwing up into a bucket in front of other people.
Then my first real purge came.
The only way I could describe what followed was that it felt as though I had been wearing layers and layers of heavy jackets while standing in a blazing hot desert, and suddenly somebody removed them all.
The relief was enormous.
Purging can include vomiting, crying, shaking, sweating or bowel movements. Not everybody purges and vomiting is not evidence that somebody has had a “better” or deeper journey.
There are also straightforward physiological reasons that nausea and vomiting may occur, so I think it is important that we don’t romanticise every physical reaction.
For some people, however, the experience of purging can feel deeply symbolic and emotionally releasing.
Is Ayahuasca Safe?
This is one of the most important questions you can ask.
Ayahuasca is not suitable for everyone.
There can be significant interactions between Ayahuasca and certain medications, particularly medications that affect serotonin and monoamine oxidase pathways. Certain physical and psychiatric conditions can also make participation inappropriate or require careful professional assessment.
This is why medical and psychological screening before an Ayahuasca ceremony is so important.
Please do not hide medication, medical conditions or mental health history because you are afraid that you will not be allowed to participate.
And please never stop prescribed medication simply because you want to attend an Ayahuasca retreat. Medication changes should be discussed with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional who understands your individual circumstances.
A responsible retreat should be prepared to tell you that Ayahuasca may not be appropriate for you.
Sometimes no is the safest and most caring answer.
How Should You Prepare for Your First Ayahuasca Ceremony?
Preparation is not only about what you eat in the days before a ceremony.
Yes, depending on the retreat, you may receive dietary guidelines and instructions regarding medication, supplements, alcohol, recreational drugs and other substances.
But preparation is also emotional.
Why are you coming?
What are you hoping to understand?
Are you prepared for the possibility that the experience may look completely different from what you imagined?
I encourage people to arrive curious rather than demanding an outcome.
You can have an intention without trying to control the journey.
How Do You Choose a Safe Ayahuasca Retreat?
If you are searching for an Ayahuasca retreat in South Africa, an Ayahuasca ceremony in Johannesburg, or indeed anywhere else in the world, please don’t choose simply because the website looks beautiful or because somebody promises transformation.
Speak to the people.
Ask who will actually be holding your ceremony. Ask how experienced they are. Ask about screening. Ask how many participants attend. Ask what happens if somebody becomes distressed. Ask whether facilitators remain present throughout the ceremony. Ask about emergency procedures. Ask what preparation is required and what support is available afterwards.
Pay attention to how your questions are received.
You should never feel pressured into booking a ceremony.
And I would be very cautious of anyone promising that Ayahuasca will cure you, heal a particular condition or guarantee a spiritual awakening.
Safety should never be an afterthought in plant medicine work.
Why Integration After Ayahuasca Matters
The ceremony ends.
The work often doesn’t.
This is something I wish more people understood before attending their first plant medicine retreat.
You may leave a ceremony feeling as though you understand your entire life. You may see relationships differently. You may recognise patterns you desperately want to change.
And then Monday arrives.
You return home. The phone rings. Work needs attention. Family dynamics return. Old triggers appear.
This is where Ayahuasca integration becomes so important.
Integration is about taking what you experienced and finding a way to live it.
Because insight without change can eventually become another beautiful experience we once had.
The question becomes:
What are you going to do with what you have seen?
Ayahuasca at Our Heart Centre in South Africa
At Our Heart Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, we have been working with people in plant medicine spaces for many years.
Our approach has never been about getting as many people as possible through a ceremony. Our Ayahuasca ceremonies are intentionally kept small because I believe this work requires presence, awareness and the ability to actually see the people in the room.
We also believe strongly in preparation and integration.
And we believe that facilitators are there to hold space, not to become the centre of somebody else’s journey.
There is no hierarchy in healing.
Those of us holding the space must continue doing our own work too.
Thinking About Your First Ayahuasca Ceremony?
If you have reached this page because you are considering Ayahuasca for the first time, there is one thing I would really like you to take away from it.
You do not need to rush.
Research.
Ask questions.
Speak to the people who will actually be holding your ceremony.
Understand the preparation and the risks.
Find out what support is available afterwards.
And most importantly, choose a space where you genuinely feel safe.
Plant medicine is not something we believe should be entered into lightly.
When the time is right, your first step does not need to be booking a ceremony.
Your first step can simply be a conversation.
Our Heart Centre
Johannesburg, South Africa
AWAKEN. HEAL. TRANSFORM.
This article is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical or mental health advice. Ayahuasca can interact with medications and may be unsuitable for people with certain medical or psychiatric conditions. Do not discontinue prescribed medication in order to participate in an Ayahuasca ceremony without consulting an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
