Ayahuasca — The Amazonian medicine

What is ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is an ancestral Amazonian decoction obtained by prolonged cooking of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with the leaves of Psychotria viridis. The vine provides monoamine oxidase inhibitors (reversible MAOIs), allowing the DMT contained in the leaf to reach the brain orally.

More than a plant, ayahuasca is in the Amazonian cosmovision a « teacher » — a living being that transmits, orients, shows. The traditional chants that accompany the ceremony are called icaros; they are the backbone of the ritual work for the Shipibo, Ashaninka peoples, and other Amazonian traditions.

What is an ayahuasca ceremony for?

The reasons for coming are multiple. Here are those we encounter most often:

• Explore a difficult experience that has remained present for a long time (grief, abuse, accident)
• Move through a period of blockage or exhaustion with a structured introspective setting
• Understand repetitive patterns: relationships, addictions, self-sabotage
• Find meaning again after a loss of life direction
• Deepen an existing spiritual practice (meditation, yoga, energy work)
• Reconnect with the body and emotions after a period of dissociation

Ayahuasca is not a performance or leisure tool. Nor does it replace psychotherapeutic or medical follow-up — it can be a complement, within a coherent framework.

How does a ceremony unfold?

1. Preparation (2 to 14 days before) — dieta: no alcohol, no drugs, no red meat, no refined salt or sugar, no sexual relations. Definition of a clear intention.
2. Arrival at the retreat — welcome, individual interview with the facilitator, final medical and emotional check.
3. Nocturnal ceremony — each person receives an adjusted dose. The effects start in 30 to 60 minutes. The night (4 to 6 h) takes place in the ceremony room, lying down or seated, in silence or cradled by the icaros.
4. Purge — vomiting or sometimes bowel movements, considered in the tradition as a physical release of the « ill » (emotional or somatic).
5. Integration circle in the morning — sharing of the experience, collective listening, putting the lived experience into words.
6. Online post-retreat integration — group video session 2 weeks after returning home, with the participants, to take stock, revisit the experience and anchor it in daily life.

Who can participate?

Ayahuasca is not for everyone. We apply a strict medical screening:

• Absolute contraindications: psychiatric history (schizophrenia, psychosis, unstabilized bipolarity), severe heart disease, uncontrolled hypertension, pregnancy, breastfeeding, minor.
• Medications and psychotropic treatments: SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, certain antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and lithium require mandatory safety evaluation. Sensitive situations are reviewed with partner doctors. Any pause, reduction, substitution or restart must never be decided alone or under pressure from a retreat; the safety interval depends on the molecule, dose and clinical stability.
• Recommendations: no recreational drugs in the previous 30 days, psychological follow-up advised for complex emotional processes.

After booking, a detailed medical questionnaire is sent immediately and an individual interview is arranged before acceptance: exact name of each medication, dosage, duration, date of last change and associated treatments. In case of doubt, we prefer to refuse rather than take a risk.

⚠️ Contraindications: severe psychiatric history, cardiac pathologies, pregnancy, psychotropic treatments, notably SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, certain antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and lithium: mandatory safety evaluation, with partner doctors consulted when a sensitive signal appears. The safety interval depends on the molecule, dose and clinical stability; no treatment change should ever be decided alone or a few days before the retreat. Minimum age 18. Not a medical treatment, does not replace professional follow-up. Read the antidepressants and ayahuasca guide.

Why with Connecta Life?

Our commitment rests on 4 pillars:

• Private and documented setting in Spain — no export, informed consent, supervised ceremonial context.
• Safety framework — health questionnaire, medication compatibility checked with precise treatment details, continuous presence of an experienced facilitator.
• Small groups — 8 to 16 participants per retreat. Individual support possible.
• Integration included — the ceremony is only one step. The real transformation plays out in the weeks that follow, with a group online session 2 weeks after the retreat to support the return home.

Stéphane Lavergé has accompanied participants since 2012, after his own triggering journey (near-death experience, training at the Floresiendo school). More than 500 French-speaking people have passed through Connecta Life to date.

Frequently asked questions