Preparation
Within the Amazonian plant medicine tradition it is considered beneficial to prepare oneself physically, emotionally, and spiritually in order to receive the most benefit from working with sacred plant medicines. There are probably just as many ideas and thoughts on how to prepare for plant medicine journeys as there are people facilitating them. They range from being very strict dietas lasting for several weeks both before and after to being very loose or even non-existing. However, the common denominator is flavorless food (no salt, sugar or spices), no pork, no sexual stimulation and no alcohol.
At Deep Spirit we recognize that this is your journey and your connection with the medicine. We will not put up any strict rules or regulations in advance that you have to follow but will instead let you choose for yourself. As one of our teachers said: “It is important that your preparatory work is a positive experience and you do it because you wish to do it. If you force yourself to follow many restrictive rules your relationship to the medicine is built on negativity.”
As it is with every relationship you enter, the more you put into it the better and more positive the outcome. For this reason it’s very important that you take responsibility for your own preparations and find out what works for you.
There are 3 main areas of concern that you need to be aware of in regards to your preparatory work:
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- Dietary guidelines and food restrictions
- Spiritual preparation
- Medical contraindications and dangerous drug combinations
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Dietary Guidelines
You might have heard people talking about the Ayahuasca Diet or using the word Dieta when talking about their preperation. There are many opinions on how strict a diet should be before working with the medicine and so here is our view on it.
The very strict Dieta is a diet you undergo while you are dieting with a teacher plant. This dieta can last from anywhere from 1 week to several months. On these dietas you avoid all kinds of sugar, salt and oil and fasting is usually a big part of it. You do this in order to give the plant the opportunity to grow inside you so you can build a relationship with the plant and receive its teachings. Although dieting with a plant has nothing to do with entering a plant medicine journey it can be beneficial to clean your body as much as possible before your journey.
Furthermore, the banisteriopsis caapi is an MAO-inhibitor, which means it temporarily inhibits the activation of the monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the body. This enzyme is essential to process the amino acid tyramine, which is why we want to refrain from eating foods high in it. The amino acid can reduce the effect of the medicine and your body won’t be able to process to full potential. It can also lead to headaches, hypertension or just hours of subthreshold nausea.
Many online warnings about tyramine interaction tend to sound very serious, because they are adapted from warnings about interactions with pharmaceutical MAOIs. There are nearly 100 fatalities on record from food interactions with pharmaceutical MAOIs. However, food interaction with the medicine is not as serious a matter as it is with pharmaceutical MAOIs because the MAOIs in the medicine is a reversible (short-acting) MAOI.
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Foods with high levels of tyramine that you might want to avoid are:
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- Aged cheeses and meats
- Overripe fruits
- Soybean products
- Fermented foods like kimchee and sauerkraut
- Alcohol
- Nutritional supplements like protein powders
- Shellfish
- Chocolate (in large amounts)
- Coffee (in large amounts)
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We suggest that you are very conscious of what you decide to put into your body in the weeks leading up to your journey. Where did the food come from and is it something your body will appreciate? Being aware of what you consume is a great way to also mentally prepare for your journey.
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Spiritual Preparation
Your preparation is not just about what you consume but also concerns the energies you surround yourself with. In old times curanderos of the Amazon would go into the jungle on extended solitary retreats in order to be free from human interactions while dieting a plant. In industrialized countries a modern adaptation of this would definitely include avoiding (or cutting down) television, radio, movies, news and social media.
Instead we suggest that you spend as many days preceding your ceremony as possible engaged in activities like yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices. Whatever works for you. It can also be a good idea to spend more time in nature if that is not already a part of your routine.
In the Amazon it is believed that each person walks around with an entourage of spirits who are connected to them in some way; some are demonic or parasitic and could very well me linked to addictions, some are karmic and others again are ancestors, guides and protectors. According to these beliefs you can also pick up entities while going about your daily business. This can be from other people or the areas you find yourself in. So a general rule of thumb is to be very mindful of the people you surround yourself with and avoid hanging out in shady places. Try to stay clear of arguments, gossiping and negativity in general.
Sexual activities (including masturbation) is another common denominator recommended by all traditions. Having a sexual relation with someone else involves a powerful energetic exchange. If you are sexually engaged with someone in the days leading up to ceremony, there is a strong possibility that your energy will get mixed up with theirs. This can be confusing and be in the way of your own healing and personal work. Furthermore, having an orgasm is a very strong energetic release and it is recommended that you contain your own energy as much as possible leading up to a ceremony. A ceremony is about your spiritual work and your healing, so keep your energy as clear, contained and free of other people as possible.
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Medicinal contraindications
As modern civilization has evolved to expand the range of foods, drugs and other substances we can put into our bodies, the list of things to avoid when preparing for a ceremony has grown longer. In particular, a long and growing list of synthetic drugs are found to be dangerous to use in conjunction with plant medicines. These are important to take very seriously as they can provoke unwanted reactions. For most medications you need to be off of them maximum 2 weeks in advance – for some it is earlier.
