Ayahuasca Ceremony in Ecuador: What Happens Step by Step

A person preparing for a first ayahuasca ceremony often finds it difficult to imagine what actually happens throughout the night: how many times the medicine is served, how the shaman works, what is and is not permitted, what an individual cleansing means, what the assistants do, and how we know that the night has come to an end. On this page, we would therefore like to explain how an ayahuasca ceremony in Ecuador unfolds, based on our daily work in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

For us, ayahuasca is a sacred medicine, and we approach every part of this work with respect. In the traditional Amazonian understanding, it is not simply a drink that produces an altered state of consciousness. It is part of a relationship between the person, the healer, the plants, and nature. If you would like to learn more about its origins, composition, and effects, you can find a detailed explanation in our main guide to ayahuasca in Ecuador. Here, we focus primarily on what a person experiences during an actual ceremony.

Preparation During the Day and the Pre-Ceremony Meeting

The ceremony does not begin only when a person drinks ayahuasca. Preparation during the day is already important. To prepare participants well, we have created a comprehensive PDF guide to the entire retreat, with a substantial section devoted specifically to the ayahuasca ceremony.

On the day of the ceremony, a light lunch is the final main meal. We continue drinking water as usual and make sure that people do not enter the night dehydrated or unnecessarily exhausted. A traditional drink made from guayusa may also be available before the ceremony.

During the afternoon, we gradually become quieter, speak less, take in less content from media and social networks, and ideally try to connect with nature and reflect on our lives. Above all, we rest well and may take a nap so that we arrive at the ceremony refreshed.

About an hour before the ceremony begins, we meet as a group and go through the course of the night, the safety rules, and the practical details that can help people feel at ease. There is time for questions and for reporting any change in physical or psychological health. We do not want anyone to enter the ceremony feeling uncertain.

Each participant has their own mattress and personal space inside the circular temple. Anyone who feels uncertain may choose a place closer to the assistants or to the exit. This simple choice often helps because the person knows where they are, whom they can turn to, and that they will not be left without support during the night.

Entering the Temple and Beginning the Ceremony

After dark, we gradually gather in the temple, which stands at the center of the retreat grounds among the cabins. At the beginning, the healer presents and blesses the medicine according to their tradition. Participants then come before the shaman one at a time. Ayahuasca is served in a transparent cup so that each person can see the amount they are receiving before drinking it. The ceremony organizer, who also serves as the interpreter and knows every participant from the prior screening, is present while the medicine is poured.

Drinking is not compulsory. Before drinking, a participant may request a smaller amount, a symbolic dose, or decide not to drink at all. Consent can be changed up to the moment the medicine is taken. Conversely, if we set a maximum amount for safety reasons, it cannot be exceeded simply because someone wants a stronger experience. Safety comes first.

Participants observe silence from the beginning of the ceremony. During the effects of ayahuasca, sensitivity to sound can become very strong. Silence also creates space for the healer’s songs and for each participant’s own inner process.

When Ayahuasca Begins to Take Effect

The onset of the effects is highly individual. Some people notice changes quite soon, even after fifteen minutes, while others may need much longer, sometimes several hours, before they clearly feel the medicine. The experience may include physical sensations, nausea, emotions, memories, visions, auditory impressions, changes in the perception of space, or a very quiet and subtle inner process.

Strong visions are not a requirement for a good ceremony. Sometimes a person mainly experiences emotions, physical cleansing, or deep calm, and begins to understand the meaning of the experience only later. We discuss the different forms the experience may take in more detail in our guide to the effects of ayahuasca.

What an Indigenous Shaman Does During the Ceremony

The role of the traditional healer is very important in our context. A shaman is someone who has spent many years learning to work with energies, plants, songs, dietas, and different forms of cleansing. This learning usually takes place under the guidance of elder healers and is not something that can be acquired in a single year, much less through weekend courses.

Every experienced healer has their own way of working and their own relationship with the plants and forces of nature recognized within their tradition. The shaman perceives the person as a whole, senses their energies, and observes what they need and where they are in their process with the medicine.

Individual ceremonies may differ depending on whether they are led by a healer from the Kichwa or Shipibo tradition. There is no single universal “ayahuasca technique,” but rather living traditions that have developed differently in different parts of the Amazon.

Healing Songs Are Not Musical Accompaniment

Healing songs are among the most distinctive elements of a traditional ceremony. To someone unfamiliar with Amazonian traditions, they may initially sound like musical accompaniment, but for the healer they have a much deeper meaning. In the traditional understanding, song is one of the principal tools of the work.

The shaman sings in response to what they perceive in each individual and in the group as a whole during the night. In the Shipibo tradition, these songs are known as icaros, while Kichwa healers have their own forms of singing, including songs called taki, as well as prayers and ways of working with plants. The songs may calm a person, guide their attention, or accompany individual healing work.

In the Indigenous understanding, the shaman uses these songs to enter into relationship with the healing forces of plants and nature that they came to know during their long training. Not every participant needs to share this understanding, but it is an important part of the cultural framework from which our ceremonies arise.

Individual Cleansing — the Limpia

One of the most important moments of the night is the healer’s personal work with each participant. During the ceremony, the assistants gradually invite people to sit before the shaman. We use dim light so that the processes of the other participants are disturbed as little as possible.

The person sits in front of the healer for an individual cleansing, which usually lasts about twenty minutes. The shaman sings and, depending on their tradition, may use a bundle of leaves, blowing, prayers, or other techniques. When the cleansing is complete, the assistants safely accompany the participant back to their place.

In the traditional Amazonian understanding, this work cleanses and harmonizes not only the body, but also what Indigenous healers understand as the energetic and spiritual dimensions of a person. For many participants, this personal time with the shaman is one of the strongest parts of the entire night.

Energetic transmissions are also an important part of the work. During them, the shaman works with the participant’s body by placing their hands on the head or shoulders, never on intimate parts of the body. The healer also uses their breath and, through a blowing technique, transmits energies of nature to the person. In visions, the shaman may perceive this work as “cleaning” energetic dust or dirt from a person and “clothing” them in beneficial energies. A characteristic feature of the work of Ecuadorian shamans is also a forceful coughing sound that accompanies both energetic transmissions and the “extraction” of illness.

Vomiting and Other Forms of Cleansing

Nausea and vomiting may occur during a ceremony, but they are not the objective. Some people vomit, while others do not. Not vomiting does not mean that the medicine is not working or that a deep process is not taking place.

In the traditional Amazonian understanding, vomiting may be regarded as one form of cleansing. From a practical perspective, however, we also pay close attention to the person’s physical condition. If nausea is unusually strong, the person becomes very weak, or anything arises that requires closer attention, an assistant remains with them and we respond according to what is needed.

Sober Assistants Remain Present Throughout the Night

Alongside the shaman, a sober support team is present during the ceremony. Its role is very practical: to help someone who needs water, a blanket, a change of position, help orienting themselves, or a safe walk to the bathroom. It is completely acceptable to ask us to stay beside you during a difficult moment or even to hold your hand if that is what you need.

If you need to stand up during the ceremony and do not feel steady, there is no reason to go anywhere alone. Simply call an assistant. To request the bathroom, you can say “baño,” and someone will accompany you. The bathrooms are very close to the temple, so no one has to walk far while in an altered state.

We ask participants not to intervene directly in another person’s process while the effects are strong. If they are concerned about someone, they should call an assistant. Even well-intentioned help can feel disruptive or confusing in an altered state, whereas the team knows how to assess the situation safely.

At least one member of the team stays awake and available until morning. No one therefore needs to feel that they are left alone with their experience once the main part of the ceremony has ended.

What If Fear or a Very Intense Moment Arises?

A difficult moment does not necessarily mean that something has gone wrong. Ayahuasca may bring up fear, sadness, memories, or very strong physical and emotional experiences. Sometimes a person mainly needs time and quiet; at other times they may need the presence of an assistant or the healer’s individual work.

The shaman watches over the entire process and attends to it from the energetic and spiritual perspective. The organizer and assistants take care of practical matters. You can ask for help at any time. If confusion or panic arises, someone can remain nearby, help you orient yourself, and guide your attention back to your breath, the space around you, or the healer’s voice.

You can read more about these concerns and how we approach them in our article Ayahuasca and Fear.

Can I Ask for More Ayahuasca During the Night?

During the night, we announce when participants may ask for an additional amount of medicine and set a specific time from which requests can be made. Another serving is neither expected nor required, and it is never automatic. We first ask how strongly the person feels the ayahuasca, how their process is unfolding, and how much medicine they have already received.

The decision is made individually. We may reassure you that a certain amount remains within a safe range. We may also decline the request if we believe that another serving would not be appropriate or safe. We do not consider the approach of “the more, the better” to be sensible.

How the Ceremony Ends

There is no single sharp moment when the lights come on and everyone goes to bed at the same time. Each person moves through the process differently, and the effects may subside at different speeds.

A participant returns to their room only when the strong effects have diminished sufficiently and they can move safely. If they are still disoriented, very tired, or simply unsure, they remain in the temple and can continue receiving support from the team. There is no reason to hurry.

Once the main part of the night has passed, light food may be available for those who are hungry. Rest and sleep then follow, but for us the process is not yet complete.

The Morning After the Ceremony: Integration

The following day, we give the experience time to settle gradually. One option is to draw an image of what a person saw or felt during the night. This is not an art exercise. Drawing often helps preserve a memory and can also support the conversation with the healer by helping them better understand what the person experienced.

We describe our post-ceremony approach in greater detail on a separate page about ayahuasca integration, where we explain the roles of the shaman, the ceremony organizer, and the psychological perspective.

Integration meetings are part of the retreat. Participants may share their experience and ask the shaman questions. Full English translation is present because the work involves more than translating individual words: it often requires explaining different cultural perspectives. An Indigenous healer may understand certain symbols or experiences differently from a visitor from another culture.

Sharing is voluntary. No one is required to tell the group everything they experienced during the night. Some matters may remain private or be discussed individually. For us, integration does not mean producing a quick interpretation of every image. It means helping a person gradually recognize what is genuinely important and how they can work with it in their life. We consider integration one of the most important parts of the work after a ceremony. Our approach is described in detail on the ayahuasca integration page.

Why Our 10-Day Retreat Includes Four Ceremonies

In our experience, four ceremonies within a ten-day retreat provide the best framework because there is enough time between the nights for rest, conversations, and integration. Everything does not need to happen in a single night.

The first ceremony is often primarily an introduction to the medicine, the space, the healer, and the person’s own way of responding. We begin cautiously and build trust in the process.

By the second ceremony, the person already knows the environment and can usually relax more easily. This may allow deeper work.

For some people, the third night is quieter and may bring a more subtle understanding of themes that opened earlier. After the previous two nights, we also have a better understanding of how particular amounts of medicine affect the person and can adapt our work accordingly.

By the fourth ceremony, our energies are often in much greater harmony, and we can use this for deep work. Different kinds of visions may also arise. The ceremony can help close the process and prepare the person to return to everyday life.

This is not a fixed script. Every person moves through the retreat differently, and some of the most important moments may come at any time. For that reason, we do not want to create an expectation that a particular ceremony “must” unfold in a particular way.

The shaman also decides on which night we will work with a specific intention. Each participant may choose an intention, and the shaman adapts their work to it. The ceremony facilitator writes the intention down and communicates it to the shaman at the time of the individual cleansing. The healer also determines which energy will be called upon to strengthen that intention. Examples include:

• a person wants to sing better: the spirit of the toucan;
• a person wants to find a partner: the spirit of the Amazon river dolphin;
• a person wants to lead their business better: the spirit of the eagle;
• a person wants to cultivate good energy: the spirits of a glacier-covered mountain.

An Ayahuasca Ceremony in Ecuador Within a Living Amazonian Tradition

Our ceremonies take place in an environment where work with ayahuasca remains part of a living Indigenous tradition. This does not mean that every participant must accept the same spiritual explanation. It does mean that we respect the origins of this work and the people who carry its knowledge.

If you would like to understand the entire retreat, the setting of the center, and the other parts of the program, continue to our 10-day ayahuasca retreat in Ecuador. Practical information and current dates are available on our retreat dates and prices page. If you are wondering whether working with ayahuasca is appropriate for you, please also read our health and safety requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions About an Ayahuasca Ceremony in Ecuador