Important note before you begin
This guide is not medical, legal or psychiatric advice. It is meant to help you ask better questions before choosing an ayahuasca retreat. Never change a treatment, especially antidepressants, anxiolytics, mood stabilizers or heart medication, without the agreement of a qualified doctor. If you are unsure, the wisest decision is to slow down, not to force.
This English version is intended for francophone or bilingual readers who are considering a French-language retreat with Connecta Life. Our retreats are held in French; this page is informational and does not promise English-language facilitation.
Choosing an ayahuasca retreat should never be reduced to comparing beautiful photos, five-star reviews or promises of transformation. The real question is much simpler, and much more important: is the setting honest, competent and human enough to support you in a state of deep vulnerability?
Ayahuasca can open very deep inner spaces. It may help some people feel, understand, grieve, forgive, reconnect or integrate parts of themselves. But it remains unpredictable, demanding and sometimes destabilizing. It is not a miracle cure, it does not replace medical or therapeutic care, and it does not become safe simply because a website speaks about love, medicine or tradition.
This guide offers a concrete framework for discerning serious retreats from fragile or unsafe settings. It does not replace your intuition, but it can help make that intuition more precise.
Key points in 2 minutes
- A serious retreat must be able to refuse you or suggest postponing if your medical, psychological or medication situation carries too much risk.
- You should know clearly which plants are served, by whom, under what rules and with what follow-up.
- Guaranteed healing claims, pressure to drink and spiritual language that dismisses risk are red flags.
- The quality of a retreat depends as much on the group, language, integration, music, guardians and emergency plan as on the brew itself.
- Your freedom to say no, not to drink again, not to be touched and to ask questions must be protected before, during and after the retreat.
1. Choose a setting, not only a “medicine”
Many people look for “the best ayahuasca”, “the best shaman” or “the most powerful retreat”. This is understandable, but it is not the right starting point. Ayahuasca is never experienced in isolation: it is experienced in a place, with a team, a group, an intention, music, rules, preparation and integration.
The content of the cup matters, of course. But the container matters just as much. The same plant can be supportive in a mature setting and disorganizing in a confused one. The same dose can be right for one person, too weak for another and too strong for someone else. The same ceremony can become deep or chaotic depending on the competence of those holding the space.
The question is therefore not only: “Do they serve ayahuasca?” The deeper question is: “Can I entrust them with my body, my psyche, my vulnerability and my integration process?”
2. The first criterion: freedom of decision
A serious retreat does not push you to drink. It helps you decide clearly. That difference is immense.
You should hear that the decision must come from you, based on objective information about possible effects, risks, contraindications and the proposed setting. If someone tells you that you “must” take ayahuasca, that “everyone is called”, or that your hesitation is only your ego, this is already a warning sign.
A responsible facilitator knows how to say no. They can also say: “this may not be the right moment”, “your medical situation requires caution”, or “we need a deeper conversation before confirming your place”. In this field, caution is not a lack of faith. It is a form of respect.
Your freedom must remain active until the end: you may come to a retreat and decide not to drink, drink less, not drink a second time, or step out of a practice that does not feel right. A good setting does not turn your “no” into a spiritual problem.
3. Medical screening: what should be checked before booking
The absence of a medical questionnaire or prior interview is one of the most concerning signs. A serious retreat should ask about current medication, psychiatric history, heart conditions, substance use, neurological issues, pregnancy and your current psychological context.
The point is not to collect private information out of curiosity. It is to check whether the setting is compatible with your safety. Ayahuasca involves MAOI activity linked to the Banisteriopsis caapi vine. This can be problematic with some medications or medical conditions. A retreat center does not need to play doctor, but it must know when to request medical advice or refuse participation.
| What to disclose | Why it matters | Serious response expected |
|---|---|---|
| Antidepressants, MAOIs, SSRIs, SNRIs, lithium and psychiatric medication | Possible interactions, especially around serotonin and mood regulation. | Precise questions, possible medical opinion, no casual advice to stop medication. |
| Psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, manic episodes, severe dissociation | Altered states may aggravate some vulnerabilities or trigger difficult destabilization. | Strong caution, deep conversation, clear possibility of refusal or postponement. |
| Heart disease, unstable hypertension, neurological history | A ceremony can be physically intense: vomiting, stress, rhythm changes, fatigue. | Detailed questionnaire, medical advice if needed, realistic emergency plan. |
| Pregnancy, breastfeeding, severe eating disorders, exhaustion | The body may be more vulnerable and the process may ask more than can be integrated. | Prudent, individualized answer without trivializing the situation. |
| Recent use of alcohol, stimulants, cannabis, opioids or other psychedelics | Interactions, nervous-system fatigue and expectations can change the experience. | Clear rules, appropriate abstinence period, honest discussion. |
A questionnaire alone is not enough. What matters is what the team does with the answers. If you disclose an important medication and receive two lines saying “the medicine knows”, that is not reassuring. A center that asks questions, requests time or consults a health professional shows that it takes responsibility seriously.
4. Red flags before you even book
No real screening or no mention of risks
A place that accepts everyone too easily gives a false impression of simplicity. Ayahuasca carries common risks such as vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, fear, insomnia or an emotionally agitated period after the retreat. It also carries rarer but more serious risks, especially in cases of contraindication, poor facilitation, medication interaction or unidentified psychological fragility.
Large international survey data published in PLOS Global Public Health showed that difficult physical and psychological effects are common, even when many participants later interpret them as part of an integration process. This should not create unnecessary fear. It should remind us that a serious retreat does not sell ayahuasca as risk-free.
Guaranteed healing promises
Be cautious with statements such as “you will heal your trauma”, “your life will change in one night” or “the medicine always gives exactly what is needed”. Sometimes miracles happen. But a serious center does not sell miracles as a product.
An intense experience is not automatically healing. A vision is not automatically truth. A purge is not automatically liberation. The real work often begins afterward, in how you integrate what was experienced.
Lack of transparency about what is served
You should be able to know which plants are served. If a place refuses to answer, changes the subject or uses vague language, be careful. There are analog preparations sometimes called “anahuasca”, “jurema” or other names depending on the plants used. The issue is not that they are necessarily ineffective. The issue is honesty.
Calling every DMT-analogue and MAOI-containing preparation “ayahuasca” blurs your consent. You cannot make a free decision if you do not know what you are going to drink, or if the composition changes between ceremonies without explanation.
Perfect reviews collected too quickly
Asking for a review during a retreat, just after a ceremony or in the emotional high of departure is not healthy. After ayahuasca, some people are open, suggestible, grateful or shaken. That is not the best moment to ask them to produce social proof.
Look at external reviews: Google Business Profile, Trustpilot, retreat platforms, long and nuanced testimonials. Internal testimonials can be useful, but they should not be the only mirror. Also be wary of repeated recommendations by anonymous accounts, bots or fake information websites that always point to the same centers.
Aggressive spiritual marketing
In a sacred field, aggressive marketing is out of tune with the nature of accompaniment. “Two seats for the price of one”, exceptional discounts before midnight or psychological pricing such as 790, 999 or 2390 euros do not automatically prove a scam, but they should make you examine the whole setting more carefully.
Teams should be able to live properly from their work. They should not exploit underpaid assistants’ desire to help, nor turn the medicine into a sales funnel. The question is not whether a price is “spiritual” or “not spiritual”. The question is whether money circulates with transparency, fairness and coherence.
Dogmatic or simplistic language
Spiritual language without nuance can become dangerous. “Everything is love”, “risks exist only in fear”, “the medicine knows better than you”, “our lineage is superior”: such phrases may sound inspiring, but they often close the discussion exactly when it should remain open.
A mature setting accepts questions. It does not ridicule your concerns. It does not place itself above other traditions. It does not claim to save the world with ayahuasca and does not encourage you to recruit other people to drink.
Facilitator trainings sold too easily
Training facilitators is not a small matter. This work requires years of personal process, supervision, humility, group experience, crisis literacy, stable presence and a clear understanding of limits. A center that offers facilitator training to almost anyone, especially as a quick commercial product, sends a worrying signal about its relationship to responsibility.
5. Yellow flags: not always disqualifying, but worth clarifying
Not everything is black and white. Some elements do not mean a center is bad, but they deserve discussion before booking.
- A very strict diet imposed on everyone: dietary preparation may be useful, but if it becomes dogmatic or guilt-based, ask why.
- A very large group: it can be well organized, but only with a solid team ratio, an adapted room and clear rules.
- A team that changes often: this can happen, but the center should explain who holds what and with what experience.
- Little public information: some places remain discreet for legal or cultural reasons, but discretion toward the public should not become opacity toward participants.
- A very low price: it may make access more inclusive, but check accommodation, food, guardians and team payment.
- A very high price: it may be justified by the place, intimacy and follow-up, but ask exactly what is included.
A yellow flag becomes red when it comes with avoidance, pressure or contempt for your questions.
6. Green signs of a serious setting
A good retreat does not try to impress you. It tries to inform you.
- It explains that ayahuasca carries risks, some common and others rarer but more serious.
- It recognizes that effects are unpredictable and vary greatly between people.
- It reminds you that you may become vulnerable and suggestible during and after ceremonies.
- It invites you not to make major life decisions during or immediately after the retreat.
- It clearly distinguishes intensity, insight, healing and integration.
- It speaks about setting, group, sleep, food, silence, music and post-retreat follow-up.
- It answers questions simply, without making you feel inferior, too mental or “not ready”.
- It knows how to say no, not only how to sell a seat.
Humility is often the best sign. Truly experienced people rarely need to play a role of superiority. They know this work is larger than them too.
7. Consent, touch and relational safety
This topic should be much more present in ayahuasca retreats. A person under medicine may be vulnerable, suggestible, disoriented, overwhelmed by gratitude or unable to defend boundaries clearly. Consent must therefore be thought through before ceremony, not improvised in the middle of a process.
You should know in advance whether the team may touch you, in what situations, on which parts of the body and with which limits. Touch must always be optional. Intimate touch has no place in ceremony. Sexual or ambiguous relationships between facilitators and participants are incompatible with responsible facilitation, even when presented as “sacred”, “tantric” or “healing”.
A serious center gives simple rules: no physical contact between participants during ceremony, no sexual propositions, no isolation with a facilitator without clear reason, the possibility of speaking to a reference person, experienced women in the team when possible, and a procedure in case of relational discomfort.
This is not a moral detail. It is a safety issue.
8. The group, language and collective integration
The ceremony experience is intimate, but a retreat is also collective. Other participants can become precious support: hearing their understandings, sharing your own experience, feeling that you are not alone, creating bonds that may continue after returning home.
For a first retreat, very small groups can lack supportive group dynamics. Very large groups, especially beyond about twenty people, can make individual support more difficult. What matters is not only the number of participants, but the ratio between participants, facilitators, guardians and people who are genuinely available.
Language is essential. If you are francophone, being supported in French can change everything. In an intense altered state, searching for words in a foreign language can increase anxiety or prevent you from expressing what is most fragile. It is also valuable for the group to share a common language so that speaking circles become a real integration space.
Be cautious with retreats without genuine sharing circles, or where integration reduces all experiences to a narrow psychological framework. Some visions, sensations or inner encounters go beyond ordinary discussion. They should not be idolized, but they should be allowed to be expressed without being pushed aside.
9. Ceremony rules: the frame that protects freedom
Freedom during ceremony does not mean the absence of rules. On the contrary, clear rules create the trust that allows people to surrender safely.
- No touching other participants.
- No speaking in the ceremony space except to ask for help.
- No leaving the energetic or physical circle without informing a guardian.
- No disturbing others’ process.
- Clear signal to ask for support.
- Dedicated guardians who watch without invading.
- A realistic emergency plan.
These rules are not rigid dogma. They are protection. Without them, the most vulnerable people often pay the price for the most chaotic ones.
10. Dose, continuity and intense cases
Experienced guardians
Most participants go through recognizable processes: emotions, visions, fatigue, peace, resistance. But some rare situations can be disorienting. A person may connect to something they do not understand, speak in an unknown language, make sounds or gestures, or enter an overflow that disturbs the group.
This is not necessarily a problem if the team knows what to do. Ask: who intervenes? How? With what experience? Are there guardians able to contain without humiliating, help without dramatizing, protect the group without abandoning the person?
Connected facilitators, operational team
I am cautious about settings where the people leading the ceremony seem completely outside the state they are accompanying. To hold a space energetically, one must know from the inside, at least partly, what ayahuasca opens.
But that does not mean the whole team should drink strongly. A serious retreat must also keep operational capacity: guardians able to stand up, intervene, understand an emergency, call for help, protect a person and protect the group. Maturity means distinguishing connection to the process from loss of lucidity.
The question of dose
The right dose is neither a standard amount nor a performance. It depends on the person, their story, their state that day, their mind, sensitivity and the ceremony’s dynamic.
In some contexts, too much can be given too quickly without considering the integration required afterward. In others, especially in large groups, too little may be given out of fear, and the participant is then told that the lack of experience comes only from frustration or mental resistance. In both cases, refined listening is missing.
The person serving ayahuasca should ideally be the same throughout the retreat. This allows them to observe, adjust and feel how each person responds from one ceremony to the next. Always ask who serves, and whether that person will remain the same.
11. Music: not a detail
Music is one of the pillars of ceremony. It accompanies the collective energy, supports difficult passages, can open deep spaces and can also break a connection when poorly chosen.
A good setting knows how to combine live music and recorded music. Live music can bring cohesion and embodied depth. Recorded music can help you reconnect after the retreat with emotions and insights that opened during ceremony.
But music must serve the process, not the singer’s ego. A ceremony is not a concert. Some singers take up too much space, sing all night, speak between songs, seek attention or project their need for recognition onto the group. Participants are not there to fill an artist’s emptiness. They are there for their inner process.
Volume matters. Under ayahuasca, hearing can be amplified. Music that is too loud can attack instead of support. Some songs or icaros may be too powerful for beginners and open processes that are hard to contain. The order of music, rhythm, silence and transitions requires real sensitivity.
At the end of a retreat, it is legitimate to ask whether the organizers can share the music used. This often supports integration.
12. Price, comfort and ethics
The price of a retreat depends greatly on the venue, accommodation, number of nights, team size, food quality, follow-up and level of intimacy. As an indication, many serious retreats sit around 200 to 300 euros per night in simple shared accommodation, while premium formats with private rooms, small groups and high-quality venues may reach around 500 euros per night. Shorter or more accessible formats may be below that; what matters is understanding precisely what is included.
A high price is not automatically abusive. A low price is not automatically virtuous. Ask: what is actually included? How many participants? How many team members? What accommodation? What food? What preparation? What integration? Are team members paid correctly?
Avoid retreats where you are packed into a dormitory or a ceremony room that is too small. The body needs space to go through what it has to go through. Intimacy needs dignity.
Also examine the cancellation and postponement policy. Cancellations have a cost for the organization, and a non-refundable deposit may be understandable when it truly blocks a place. But all financial risk should not be pushed onto you. There should be a clear and fair rule for postponement or exchange when you cancel early enough.
13. Spain, legality and caution
Because many people look for an ayahuasca retreat in Spain, nuance is important. Recent court decisions have strengthened the idea that ayahuasca, as a complex plant preparation, cannot automatically be treated as an illegal substance simply because it naturally contains DMT. But this does not mean there is a general, simple and totally secure right to organize any use of ayahuasca.
ICEERS reminds us that Spain remains in a legally uncertain zone: situations may be assessed case by case, depending on context, intention, quantity, organization, public-health risk and other civil, administrative or criminal responsibilities. A serious center should not say: “everything is legal, there is no issue”. It should speak with precision, caution and transparency.
Legality does not replace safety. Even when a setting is legally defensible, it must remain medically prudent, humanly responsible and ethically clear.
14. How to check reviews without being manipulated
Reviews are useful, but they are not enough. Look for detailed feedback written some time after the retreat, with nuance. A credible review can say the experience was beautiful while mentioning areas for improvement. A wall of perfect, very short, similar reviews published in bursts should make you attentive.
- Compare official website testimonials with Google, Trustpilot and specialized platforms.
- Look at whether profiles seem real and varied.
- Search for negative or mixed reviews: how the center responds is very revealing.
- Be cautious with insistent forum recommendations from recent accounts.
- Ask whether you can speak to a former participant, without being pushed toward an over-prepared testimonial.
A good center does not need to be perfect. It must be transparent, able to recognize limits and stable enough not to manufacture an artificial image.
15. Your own preparation
Choosing a good center is essential, but there is also personal responsibility. Before booking, ask yourself: why now? What am I expecting? Am I looking for inner support or a magical solution? Am I ready for something different from what I imagine? Do I have support after the retreat?
Avoid coming with the belief that ayahuasca must save your relationship, change your job, erase pain or confirm a belief. The more rigid the expectation, the harder the experience may be to integrate.
Prepare the days after: quiet time, fewer important decisions, less screen time if possible, sleep, journaling, a trusted person, a therapist or an integration space. A retreat does not end when you take the plane home. It ends when what opened finds a place in your life.
16. Final checklist: questions to ask before booking
| Question to ask | Reassuring answer | Worrying answer |
|---|---|---|
| What medical screening do you require? | Detailed questionnaire, interview if needed, explicit contraindications. | “Everyone can drink”, “the medicine knows”, no precise questions. |
| Which medications are incompatible? | Prudent answer, medical advice requested, no casual stop-treatment advice. | Advice to stop medication alone or trivializing interactions. |
| Which plants do you serve exactly? | Plant names, transparent preparation, clear origin. | Vague answer, unjustified secrecy, confusion between ayahuasca and analogues. |
| How many participants and guardians? | Coherent ratio, defined roles, stable team. | Large group with little team or vague response. |
| Who serves the ayahuasca? | Same person during the retreat, clear experience, capacity to adjust. | Different people without continuity or standard dose for everyone. |
| What are the ceremony rules? | Silence, non-contact, help request, movement frame, respect for the group. | No rules, improvised rules, confusion between freedom and absence of frame. |
| How do you manage a crisis or malaise? | Emergency plan, trained guardians, access to help, clear decisions. | “It never happens”, “the medicine handles everything”. |
| What is your policy on touch? | Consent before and during, optional touch, no sexual ambiguity. | Imposed touch, vague body practices, isolated one-to-one situations. |
| Are there integration circles? | Circle after ceremonies, post-retreat integration, resources. | No follow-up or integration reduced to general phrases. |
| In what language is support offered? | A language you truly understand, group able to share meaningfully. | Improvised translation or inability to express your experience. |
| How do you choose music? | Music serves the energy, adapted volume, balance of live and recorded music. | Concert format, singer at the center, too loud, rigid playlist. |
| What is the cancellation policy? | Clear rules, balance between your risks and the organization’s risks. | No refund or postponement possible, pressure to book quickly. |
How they answer is as important as what they answer. If your questions disturb them, if they make you feel too mental, too demanding or not spiritual enough, listen to that signal.
17. FAQ: choosing a serious ayahuasca retreat
How do I know if it is the right time to drink ayahuasca?
There is no absolute certainty. But the right time is usually not a moment of panic, urgency or search for a magical solution. You should be able to feel a stable call, ask questions, hear risks and accept that the experience may not match your expectations.
Is a strong dose always better?
No. Strong intensity can sometimes open a deep process, but it can also exceed a person’s capacity to integrate. The right measure depends on the individual. A serious retreat seeks precision, not performance.
Is it a problem if I do not speak the main language of the group?
It is not always impossible, but it is a real factor. During a retreat, you may need to express subtle, vulnerable and difficult things. For a francophone participant, being accompanied in French can deeply change the quality of safety and integration.
Can I decide not to drink once I am there?
Yes. Your consent must remain alive. If you no longer want to drink, want to drink less or do not want a second cup, this must be respected without pressure or guilt-based interpretation.
Which medications can be problematic with ayahuasca?
Some psychiatric medication, antidepressants, MAOIs, serotonergic medication, stimulants or heart medication may be problematic. The exact situation depends on the person and treatment. Declare everything, seek medical advice when needed and never stop medication alone to attend a retreat.
Is an ayahuasca retreat legal in Spain?
The Spanish situation is nuanced. Recent decisions have limited the idea of automatic criminality, but there is no simple general regulatory framework. Each situation may be assessed according to its context. A serious center should speak about this uncertainty precisely.
Why is integration so important?
Because the experience can open faster than everyday life can integrate. Integration helps transform a vision, emotion or understanding into concrete, embodied and gradual changes. Without integration, a strong experience can remain beautiful but confusing, or even disorganizing.
Should I trust my intuition?
Yes, but not only that. Intuition is precious in this field. It should be supported by concrete questions: screening, plants served, rules, team, emergency plan, consent, integration and external reviews. A good intuition becomes more reliable when it rests on facts.
18. Intuition remains central
No checklist will ever replace what you feel. You should feel understood, respected and free. Not seduced, pressured or intimidated. Trust does not come only from words. It comes from coherence between words, the setting, the people and the energy you perceive.
This work requires humility. From participants, because no one knows exactly what will open. From facilitators, because they are not the heroes of your healing. They hold a frame. They serve a process. They remain responsible for what they offer.
If you feel called to a retreat, take your time. Ask questions. Check information. Speak with the team. Read external reviews. Feel your body when you interact with the people who may accompany you.
If you need a conversation to clarify your situation, you can contact us or look at the next dates for our French-language ayahuasca retreats in Spain. The right decision is not always the fastest one. It is often the one that lets your inner system breathe.
Sources and further reading
- PLOS Global Public Health - Adverse effects of ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey
- ICEERS - Ayahuasca Good Practice Guide
- ICEERS - Can Ayahuasca Be Used Legally in Spain?
- Toxicokinetics and Toxicodynamics of Ayahuasca Alkaloids - scientific review
- Chacruna - Ayahuasca Community Guide for the Awareness of Sexual Abuse
- MAPS - Psychedelic Psychotherapy Code of Ethics
