Benefits of Ayahuasca Retreats
Travelers from around the world join with local people in the South American countries where ayahuasca grows wild in river basins of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Madre de Dios, hoping to benefit from this ancient medicine. The name ayahuasca comes from the Quechua language of the Andes and means vine of the spirit, soul, or world of death. The name itself is a testament to the otherworldly nature of the plant, which has long been considered “the most powerful medicinal plant on Earth” by Native Americans, who celebrate its ability to “teach and heal people” (Nižnanský et al., 2022).
We come to retreats filled with hope, curious to see how the vine bestows her benefits on us. Practically, the ayahuasca tea shows noticeable effects “30 min after ingestion, lasting for 3 h, with a peak at 1.5-2h” (de Vos et. al., 2021). Ayahuasca’s main active chemical is DMT, a compound found in the pineal gland and cerebrospinal fluid of mammals that’s often associated with “extracorporeal, mystical and spiritual experiences” (Nižnanský et al., 2022).
Arriving with Intention
Not only does DMT offer us a taste of beneficial magic, it also simulates “synaptic plasticity” and interacts with various brain compounds to offer “antidepressant effects” (de Vos et. al., 2021). Wara, the shaman at Pisatahua’s retreats, reminds us that Mother Ayahuasca will give us what we need – not what we want. We release our expectations while practicing trust, surrendering to the process and drinking the cup with faith.
Studies have shown that “the main reasons reported by participants for attending ayahuasca ceremonies…include the treatment of mental health problems and to achieve psychological well-being (Jimenez-Garrido et. al., 2020). Many participants in my retreat expressed a desire to get to know themselves better, hopes of breaking through anxiety or stress, or a desire to heal some enigmatic physical pains. I came hoping for spiritual breakthrough, an awakening of my personal power, and ancestral healing. Based on the research, ayahuasca has the capacity to benefit us all.
Opening Ourselves to the Medicine
Individual experiences will vary, but one study proved the beneficial nature of the ayahuasca ‘afterglow.’ A survey of 48 participants found that both mindfulness and “cognitive flexibility significantly improved in the 24 hours after ayahuasca use”. This afterglow was consistent for return users and first time users of ayahuasca (Murphy-Beiner and Soar, 2020). Personally, I felt very open to new realizations and breakthroughs in the time between ceremonies. Our shaman encouraged us to journal, to write down all that we learned and saw in the container of ceremonies, and to take time in silence to process and assimilate our insights. Sharing in a circle also offered us space to capitalize on the afterglow. The openness caused by ayahuasca shows the fertile ground the tea creates in our minds for healing and growth.
One study exploring the potential of ayahuasca as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) showed that, by “hyperactivating brain areas involved in the retrieval of memories,” ayahuasca can trigger the processing of repressed trauma memories in an “anti-amnesic process.” Just bringing up these powerful memories might prove scary, but the benefit of ayahuasca doesn’t stop there. Thanks to the particular chemical makeup of ayahuasca tea as prepared for ceremony, painful memories can be reorganized and their associated “fear response[s]… reprogramed and/or extinguished.” Ayahuasca accomplishes this by decreasing inhibitory neurotransmitters and increasing the levels of dopamine in the amygdala. In addition, ayahuasca’s beneficial compounds allow for “synaptic plasticity enhancement and hippocampal neurogenesis,” rewiring those formerly fearful neural pathways and potentially healing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (Inserra, 2018).
Personal Testimony
I can testify to ayahuasca’s healing benefits in this regard. During our second ayahuasca ceremony on retreat, I was faced with memories of my family’s toxic habits during my adolescence. Collectively, we pacified our pain without ever processing it, turning to humor and food in order to maintain a simulacrum of well-being. Deep down, we were all fearful, hurting, and utterly alone. Even in each other’s presence, we were unable to find healing or true comfort. All this flashed into my mind in the safe embrace of ayahuasca. For the first time in my life (I’m 31), I was able to see it all accurately, without any excuses or defenses, and accept it. I didn’t feel scared or embarrassed. Rather, I was overcome with deep compassion for the suffering of myself, my parents, and my siblings throughout these years. Even more, I was grateful for the ways we found to cope in order to make it through. These powerful impacts lasted after the retreat, and I find myself able to treat my family with greater grace than was formerly available to me.
Feeling Safe in the Space
In a study exploring the importance of set and setting in effective results from ayahuasca ceremonies, findings prioritized a nurturing environment in beneficial outcomes. When participants felt supported and safe in the retreat context, they were more likely to report multiple self-insights, a “stronger spiritual experience, stronger ayahuasca community, and reduced likelihood of experiencing extreme fear or integration difficulties” (Perkins et. al., 2021). Thus, choosing a retreat center carefully can be critical in the success of the experience.
Pisatahua’s retreat setting offers a crucial ingredient in the ayahuasca healing journey. Given the afterglow period and the “plasticity-promoting characteristics of ayahuasca” (Murphy-Beiner and Soar, 2020), the days between ceremonies can be just as beneficial as the ceremonies themselves. At Pisatahua, we are offered a whole day post-ceremony to rest, journal, share our experiences in a circle, eat nourishing meals, and integrate. The following day, we can do yoga, meditate, and continue to process before the subsequent ceremony. The whole time, we are ensconced in the jungle, fed nourishing food, and surrounded by the sounds of nature.
The retreat space, coupled with the powerful compounds of the ayahuasca tea, provide documented positive impacts on those who come seeking growth (Inserra, 2018). Many believe that the vine “mediates the connection with the universe and spiritual beings” (Nižnanský et al., 2022). Although this power may be harder to prove scientifically, I can attest to spiritual windows opening and new visions being bestowed on me during ceremonies. The magic of ayahuasca comes to each of us differently, in the way we can receive it. Whether we come ailing or well, we benefit from this powerful vine and its power to enhance “social and cognitive skills such as empathy and creativity…[along with] general well-being” (de Vos et. al., 2021).
De Vos, C. M. H., Mason, N. L., & Kuypers, K. P. C. (2021). Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity: A Systematic review unraveling the biological underpinnings of psychedelics. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.724606
Inserra, A. (2018). Hypothesis: The psychedelic ayahuasca heals traumatic memories via a sigma 1 Receptor-Mediated Epigenetic-Mnemonic process. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.00330
Jiménez-Garrido, D.F., Gómez-Sousa, M., Ona, G. et al. Effects of ayahuasca on mental health and quality of life in naïve users: A longitudinal and cross-sectional study combination. Sci Rep 10, 4075 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61169-x
Murphy-Beiner, A., Soar, K. Ayahuasca’s ‘afterglow’: improved mindfulness and cognitive flexibility in ayahuasca drinkers. Psychopharmacology 237, 1161–1169 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05445-3
Nižnanský, Ľ., Nižnanská, Ž., Kuruc, R., Szórádová, A., Šikuta, J., & Zummerová, A. (2022). Ayahuasca as a decoction applied to human: analytical methods, pharmacology and potential toxic effects. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(4), 1147. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11041147
Perkins, D., Schubert, V., Simonová, H., Tófoli, L. F., Bouso, J. C., Horák, M., Galvão-Coelho, N. L., & Sarris, J. (2021). Influence of context and setting on the mental health and wellbeing outcomes of ayahuasca drinkers: results of a large international survey. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.623979
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