The Retreat Is Not a Single Night.
It Is a Journey.
Meaningful change does not come from ceremony alone. It emerges through preparation, experience, and integration over time. At MahaDevi, all three are held with equal care, across roughly six months in total.
How We Think About This Work
We do not view ayahuasca as a magical cure or a one-time experience. Transformation emerges through the relationship between three things: how you arrive, what happens in ceremony, and what you do with it afterward.
We hold all three. The retreat itself is the center, but the weeks before and the months after are where most of the real work takes place.
Most participants spend roughly six months with us in total. Forty-five days of preparation. The retreat itself. Ninety days of structured integration. We are present throughout.
"Preparation, experience, integration, and time. Four parts. None of them works alone."
An Adequate Window of Preparation
For most people, the forty-five day preparation window is the right amount of time. The portal, the practices, the calls, and the integration with your daily life all settle into a rhythm that lets you arrive ready.
Not for everyone. Some situations call for a longer runway. Active trauma. An ongoing medication washout. Recent surgery or injury. A current mental health crisis. Significant relational conflict at home around your decision. A pregnancy or fertility situation.
None of these automatically disqualify you, but they do require careful review. In these cases we work over a longer arc and, where appropriate, coordinate with licensed healthcare professionals. We have access to psychologists and psychiatrists familiar with this work who can collaborate with us when it serves your safety.
We are not medical providers, and ayahuasca is not a treatment for any medical or psychiatric condition. Our screening process exists to assess fit and risk, not to diagnose or treat. If you are managing a health condition, your own doctor remains your primary point of care.
Complete your medical screening and book your discovery call early. The sooner we understand your situation, the more accurately we can set a preparation window that fits your life and supports your safety. For some that is forty-five days. For others, three months or longer. We are not in a hurry.
For full detail on health conditions, medications, and contraindications, see our Medical Considerations page.
Before You Arrive: Preparation
Once you are accepted into a retreat, preparation begins. Not with a checklist, but with a conversation. We get to know you before you arrive. Your history, your intention, what you are hoping for, and what you are carrying. That understanding shapes how we hold you during the retreat.
Our preparation approach is fluid. Some people need more support, some need less. We meet you where you are.
The Ayahuasca Framework
Covers preparation in depth: the reasoning behind every guideline, how to assess your readiness, and what separates a safe retreat from an unsafe one.
What You Stop, When You Stop, and Why
The preparation guidelines exist for two reasons: to protect your physical safety given the pharmacology of the brew, and to help you arrive with the internal space the medicine needs to work.
What you stop consuming, and when, is specific. We provide clear, tiered guidance with the reason behind every restriction. The guidelines cover food, substances, sexual energy, media, and mental habits in the weeks before ceremony.
Most of what circulates as preparation advice is either incomplete or overly restrictive. Our guidelines are honest about which rules are pharmacologically critical and which are about arriving in the best possible state.
For the full guide, see the Ayahuasca Diet page.
The Five Pillars That Hold the Work
Across preparation, retreat, and integration, we work with five qualities. Five doorways into the same room. Cultivate any of them and you cultivate presence itself. These pillars are woven into every module, every call, and every ceremony.
Openness
Willingness to feel what you have been avoiding. The Explorer.
Regulation
Nervous system awareness, breath, body. The Stabilizer.
Compassion
Toward yourself first. Then others. The Caregiver.
Integrity
Honesty with yourself. Following through. The Aligner.
Gratitude
For the lineage, the medicine, the chance. The Appreciator.
When You Arrive: The Pre-Ceremony Protocol
Preparation does not end when you land. The days between arrival and the first ceremony are part of the journey.
A group session covering what to expect from ceremony, etiquette, the ceremonial space, and how we hold the nights together. Questions answered. Concerns surfaced before anything begins.
Before the first ayahuasca ceremony, we hold a rapeh ceremony. Rapeh is a sacred tobacco preparation used to settle what arrived with you on the journey, clear accumulated noise, and bring you into alignment with the ceremonial space.
For selected participants, we hold a Dragon's Blood or Kambo purge ceremony before the first evening ceremony. This is a selective process, not every participant takes part. It ensures the body arrives to the first night as clear as possible.
A light breathwork session a few hours before the first ceremony bridges the ordinary state and the ceremonial one. It opens the breath, loosens the body, and creates a natural transition.
During the Retreat
The ceremonies are led by Taita Miguel Mavisoy, a Camsá healer from Putumayo with twelve generations of unbroken lineage.
Throughout each ceremony, the facilitation team is present. Between ceremonies, there are group sharing circles, one-on-one conversations with facilitators, grounding practices, and time in nature.
The retreat is designed as a container, not a sequence of events. What happens between the nights matters as much as the nights themselves.
Cohort and care ratios:
- Maximum 10 to 12 participants per retreat
- 2 facilitators with the group throughout
- 6 to 8 facilitators present during ceremony
After You Leave: 90 Days of Integration
The ceremony opens something. Integration is the sustained work of understanding what opened and allowing it to become real change in how you live. We do not believe that insights automatically translate into change. Integration requires engagement, honesty, and patience.
Our 90-day integration program is included for everyone we work with. The arc is front-loaded. The first two weeks carry the most contact, because that is when the nervous system is most porous. The cadence settles into a steady rhythm through months two and three.
What is included
- Arrival check-in within 48 hours of departure
- Three monthly one-on-one calls with your facilitator
- Four group calls with your retreat cohort
- Twelve integration modules in the portal
- Daily check-in chat throughout the 90 days
- Priority on-demand access to your facilitator
- Group breathwork session in early integration
- Cohort online sharing circle within first week home
The 90-day cadence
Personal check-in to confirm you arrived home safely.
Cohort reconnects. What is emerging gets named.
The first private check-in with your facilitator.
Active integration through the body, not just conversation.
Continued personal and cohort support.
The landing call. What has settled. What is still in motion.
The cohort closes its 90-day arc together.
Emergency one-on-one support is available throughout all 90 days. If we do not hear from a participant during a scheduled check-in, we contact their emergency contact directly. A clinical psychologist and psychiatrist with plant medicine backgrounds are available when needed.
Integration archetypes — how you integrate is personal
People integrate in different ways. As part of our integration work, we use integration archetypes to help participants engage with practices that genuinely serve them.
The Explorer
Meaning through insightJournaling, nature, creative expression.
The Doer
Change through actionBehavioral goals, somatic practices, accountability.
The Rational
Understands through frameworksResearch, structured reflection, clinical frameworks.
The Apprentice
Grows through relationshipOne-on-one sessions, mentorship, community.
The Initiate
Moves through ritualCeremony, prayer, lineage connection.
The Integration Portal
Twelve integration modules become available in your portal after the retreat. Each one is built to be moved through at the pace of the 90-day arc, organized into four phases. Each module includes a video, a PDF workbook, and a practice you can do at home.
Welcome Home
The first 48 hours. Honoring the homecoming setup. Why rest is the first integration. The afterglow and what is happening in your nervous system.
In developmentGrounding First
Somatic practices for re-entering daily life. Sleep. Hydration. Nutrition. Plant tools to take home including tobacco bath, sweet bath, cacao at home.
In developmentThe Afterglow Trap
Why the glow fades and that is not a failure. Don't make major decisions while it is still active. The trap of chasing the medicine.
In developmentSharing the Experience
Who to share with, when, and how. The two-week rule of selective sharing. Religious family conversations. Telling your kids.
In developmentThe Five Pillars in Daily Life
Openness, regulation, compassion, integrity, gratitude as a daily practice. The five-pillar daily check-in challenge.
In developmentDifficult Experiences and Spiritual Bypassing
What if your ceremony was hard. What if you didn't get what you came for. The signs of spiritual bypassing. Honest naming.
In developmentRelationships as Integration
Relationships as the greatest teachers. Re-entering with partners, family, kids. When relationships need to evolve or end.
In developmentMother / Father Wound and Lineage Work
Working with what surfaced about your maternal or paternal line. Honoring it without performing it.
In developmentBuilding Your Integration Plan
The transformation formula in practice. Small daily commitments, weekly rhythms, 90-day plan. Don't over-plan; pick one or two things and stick to them.
In developmentThe Long Arc Reflection
Time capsule practice. Journaling for the long view. How we measure growth at MahaDevi, by the five pillars.
In developmentWhat Now: Continued Work and More Medicine
The 6-month and 1-year question. Considering more ceremonies, considering not. Reciprocity. The pull to facilitate.
In developmentMahaDevi Community and Reciprocity
Closing the 90-day arc. Joining the broader community. Monthly calls for past participants. Books, resources, how to give back.
In developmentOptional and on-demand modules also unlock based on your situation. Women's integration, integration for high-achievers, integration for grief and loss, and difficult-experience companion modules are all available when needed.
The Day 90 Self-Assessment
A short reflection at the close of your 90-day window. Not a test. A mirror. Five short questions, one per pillar. There are no right answers, and no scores. The honest answer is the one that serves you. Bring it to your final call.
- Openness
Where in my life right now am I leaning toward what is true rather than what is comfortable? Where am I still closing off?
- Regulation
When something difficult arises in my body or my relationships, can I stay present with it? Or do I check out, distract, react?
- Compassion
How am I talking to myself when I fall short? How am I meeting other people when they fall short?
- Integrity
Where in my life am I keeping the small promises I make to myself? Where am I letting them slide?
- Gratitude
What in my life right now do I notice without being prompted? What gets the gratitude I forget to express?
A second optional reflection: if I read this answer two years from now, what would I want my future self to know about where I am right now? That is the time-capsule prompt. One paragraph. Saved for the long arc.
Extended Integration
For those who want continued support beyond the 90 days. These are paid programs, optional, not included in the standard MahaDevi arc. They are offered by Ania, by trusted partner practitioners, and through ongoing community calls.
Ania's 16-Week Extended Integration Program
A deeper structured arc of personalized integration work with Ania. Available to anyone in or beyond the standard 90-day window. Designed for participants who want to continue the work over a longer horizon.
Liz's 6-Month Integration Program
One of our trusted partner practitioners. Liz runs a deeper 6-month integration program with her own focus and modality.
Monthly MahaDevi Community Calls
Cacao circles, sharing circles, breathwork sessions, and themed integration teachings rotate through the calendar. Open across cohorts. Offered both during your 90-day window and long after.
A Note on Over-Preparation
The most common challenge we see in preparation is not under-preparation. It is over-preparation and attachment to a specific outcome.
Ayahuasca will take you where you need to go, not necessarily where you planned. Setting a clear intention is right. Demanding a specific result from the medicine is a different thing, and it becomes a block.
Our guidance is simple: eat well, sleep well, and stop putting genuinely harmful things into your system. Keep an open line of communication with your facilitator. The rest will unfold in the ceremony.
Do not spend hours reading forum reports about other people's experiences. False expectations are the most common preparation failure mode. Use the resources we provide. They were built for this.
Your Role in the Journey
We bring everything we have to this work. The lineage, the facilitation, the preparation resources, the integration structure. What we cannot do is the work for you.
Integration requires engagement, honesty, and patience. Participants are encouraged to continue self-reflection and integration practices after the formal 90-day period ends, allow insights to unfold naturally rather than rushing to conclusions, and seek ongoing professional support if the work calls for it.
Meaningful change takes time. What the medicine showed you does not expire. You have as long as you need.
Common Questions
For questions about specific medical conditions, medications, or situations not addressed here, please contact us directly or see the Medical Considerations page.
How long is the preparation period before an ayahuasca retreat at MahaDevi?
For most participants, the preparation window is approximately 45 days from acceptance to retreat start. This includes medical screening, a discovery call, access to the MahaDevi Education Portal with twelve preparation modules, a one-on-one preparation call, a group preparation call with your retreat cohort, and a group breathwork session.
Some participants need a longer runway. Active trauma, an ongoing medication washout, recent surgery, mental health crisis, or significant relational conflict can extend the appropriate preparation window to three months or longer. We assess fit and timing during the medical screening and discovery call. The earlier you complete those, the more accurately we can set a window that fits your specific situation.
What medical conditions might delay or prevent participation in the retreat?
Hard exclusions: Pregnancy. Active psychosis or schizophrenia. Recent psychiatric hospitalization. Significant uncontrolled cardiovascular disease.
Likely exclusions pending medical clearance: Recent heart surgery, uncontrolled hypertension, seizure disorders, history of stroke, certain neurological conditions.
Conditions that may require a longer preparation window without disqualifying: Recent major surgery, active acute trauma within the last six to twelve months, active eating disorders, current major depressive episodes requiring stabilization, active substance abuse in the using phase.
We coordinate with your healthcare provider when needed. The medical screening at intake covers your specific situation in detail. For full detail see our Medical Considerations page.
Can I drink ayahuasca if I take antidepressants or other prescription medications?
Several classes of medications must be tapered before participation under the supervision of your prescribing physician. Do not stop any medication without consulting your doctor.
Require taper before participation:
- SSRIs and SNRIs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor, and Cymbalta — typically 4 to 6 weeks
- MAOIs — extended washout, critical contraindication if not properly discontinued
- Lithium and certain mood stabilizers — specific protocols required
- Tramadol and other serotonergic pain medications — minimum 2 weeks
- Stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin — minimum 2 weeks
- Recreational substances and other psychedelics — minimum one month
Generally compatible (but disclose during screening): Most blood pressure medications, thyroid medications, hormone replacement therapy, hormonal birth control, IUDs, common antihistamines.
The medical screening reviews every medication you take and we coordinate with your physician when appropriate. Stopping psychiatric medications without medical supervision can be dangerous. Plan ahead.
What dietary preparation is required before an ayahuasca ceremony?
Dietary preparation typically begins two weeks before retreat. The full guide is provided to accepted participants. The reasoning behind every restriction is explained in the Education Portal.
Hard restrictions (two weeks before):
- Pork — high tyramine content interacting with the MAO inhibition in the brew
- Recreational substances and other psychedelics — for at least one month
Strong restrictions (one week before):
- Red meat — reduce or eliminate
- Alcohol — off completely
- Fermented foods — sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, soy sauce, aged cheeses
- Caffeine — off completely (taper to avoid headaches)
- Sugar — significantly reduce
- Dairy — significantly reduce
- Spicy and processed foods — reduce
Lifestyle restrictions: Sexual abstinence (one to two weeks before, depending on situation). Reduced media intake (no graphic violence, scary content, or political agitation in the week before). Adequate sleep and gentle exercise.
For the full detailed guide, see our Ayahuasca Diet page.
Is ayahuasca safe during pregnancy, while trying to conceive, or while breastfeeding?
Pregnancy is a hard exclusion. Ayahuasca is not safe during pregnancy under any circumstances at MahaDevi. If there is any chance of pregnancy, a test is required before retreat.
Active fertility cycles: Particularly during IVF stimulation, egg retrieval, or embryo transfer, are typically reasons to delay until the cycle is complete. Disclose where you are in your cycle so we can plan timing.
Breastfeeding mothers: We generally recommend waiting at least 12 months postpartum and either weaning or planning a pumping and storing strategy with a break in nursing for the duration of retreat plus several days after.
These topics are covered in detail during the medical screening and discovery call. Women-specific considerations are also addressed in a one-on-one with Ania during preparation when needed.
What integration support does MahaDevi provide after the retreat?
Every participant enters a 90-day structured integration program included in the retreat fee.
What's included:
- Arrival check-in within 48 hours of departure
- Three monthly one-on-one calls with your facilitator
- Four group calls with your retreat cohort (online sharing circle in week 1, group breathwork in week 3-4, themed group call in month 2, cohort close-out at week 12)
- Twelve integration modules unlocked in the portal
- Daily check-in chat with your cohort throughout the 90 days
- Priority on-demand access to your facilitator for messages or extra calls
- Emergency one-on-one support throughout
- A clinical psychologist and psychiatrist with plant medicine backgrounds available when needed
Beyond the included 90 days, paid extended integration programs are available with Ania (16-week) and partner practitioners (Liz's 6-month). Monthly community calls open to all past participants are offered ongoing.
Is extended integration support available beyond 90 days, and what does it cost?
Yes. Three options.
Ania's 16-Week Extended Integration Program. Becomes available after the 30-day mark. Continues a deeper personalized arc of integration work. Available to anyone in or beyond the standard 90-day window. Paid, optional.
Partner Practitioners. We work with a small group of trusted practitioners who run their own extended programs. Liz, for example, runs a 6-month integration program. Each practitioner has a different focus and modality. Paid, optional.
Monthly Community Calls. Open to all past MahaDevi participants on an ongoing basis. Cacao circles, sharing circles, breathwork sessions, and themed integration teachings. Free for past participants.
Pricing for the paid extended programs is provided directly to participants based on the program selected. Contact us to inquire.
What happens if I have a difficult experience during ceremony?
Difficult experiences are part of the medicine and not a sign of something going wrong. Many of the most transformative ceremonies are the difficult ones.
Six to eight trained facilitators are present during each ceremony. They observe each participant continuously, provide one-on-one support during difficult moments, and coordinate with Taita Miguel as needed. The retreat is designed to hold what surfaces.
After ceremony, sharing circles, one-on-one check-ins with facilitators, and harm-reduction protocols are available. If a participant has had a particularly intense experience, additional support and integration time are provided before they leave the retreat. The retreat does not end until everyone is in a stable place to travel home.
A clinical psychologist with plant medicine background is available to consult during retreat if a situation calls for it.
The integration work after retreat continues to address what surfaced. Difficult-experience companion modules are available in the portal when needed.
What if I struggle during integration after the retreat?
Emergency one-on-one calls are available throughout the 90-day integration period at no additional cost. Reach out anytime.
If a participant goes quiet during a scheduled check-in window and we cannot reach them, we contact their emergency contact directly per protocol. The reason: someone who needs help most often cannot ask for it. We come find you.
A clinical psychologist and psychiatrist with plant medicine backgrounds are available when consultation is needed. The first consultation is covered.
For situations requiring extended professional support, we facilitate referrals to vetted practitioners who understand this work. Some participants benefit from extending into Ania's 16-week extended integration program or working with one of our partner practitioners.
We do not abandon people during integration. If you are struggling, tell us.
How are MahaDevi's facilitators trained, and what is Taita Miguel's lineage?
Ceremonies are led by Taita Miguel Mavisoy, a Camsá healer from Putumayo, Colombia, with twelve generations of unbroken lineage in his family. The Camsá tradition cultivates yagé in the Sibundoy Valley, one of the most important plant medicine regions in the Amazon. Taita Miguel has been working with this medicine for decades and is recognized within his community.
MahaDevi's facilitators are trained in trauma-informed care, hold psychedelic mentorship qualifications, and have years of personal and supportive experience with this medicine. Each facilitator works under Taita Miguel's leadership during ceremony.
The full team is introduced on the team page.
Is ayahuasca legal in Colombia, and is the retreat safe to attend?
Yes. Yagé is recognized as a traditional medicine in Colombia, and ceremonies led by indigenous Taitas in the Putumayo region are protected under Colombian law and the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples.
MahaDevi operates in partnership with the Camsá lineage and follows the ethical principles of UMIYAC (Union of Indigenous Yagé Doctors of the Colombian Amazon).
The retreat venue is at Samawe, a developed retreat center in Putumayo with hospital access nearby. Putumayo today is a peaceful region for visitors. Participants are picked up directly from regional airports (Puerto Asís or Villagarzón).
We have hosted retreats continuously for several years with strong safety records. Discovery calls cover travel logistics and safety in detail.
What if I have a history of trauma, including sexual trauma?
Many participants come to this medicine carrying trauma. The work can be profoundly healing when held with care.
Our guidance:
- Work with a trauma-informed therapist before retreat if you have a history of significant trauma, particularly sexual trauma or recent acute trauma. You do not need to have everything resolved. You need a trusted support relationship in place.
- During the discovery call, you can disclose what you are comfortable disclosing. The Taita is informed of what we know. Facilitators are aware.
- You will not be touched during ceremony without explicit permission.
- Plant baths, tobacco, sanaciones, and any physical contact are always optional and can be declined at any time.
- Women-specific concerns can be addressed in a one-on-one with Ania during preparation.
Active acute trauma within the last six to twelve months may call for a longer preparation window with therapeutic support before retreat. We assess this during the discovery call.
What is rapeh, and what is the dragon's blood or kambo purge?
Rapeh (also called rapé) is a sacred tobacco preparation administered through the nose by an experienced practitioner. It is used in many Amazonian traditions to settle the nervous system, clear what has accumulated, and align participants with the ceremonial space before yagé. It is brief and not psychedelic.
Dragon's Blood (sangre de drago) is a tree resin used as a purge in some traditional preparations. It supports the body in clearing physical and energetic accumulation before ceremony.
Kambo is a frog secretion used as a purge in certain Amazonian traditions, applied to small superficial points on the skin.
Either purge ceremony, when offered, is selective and not part of every retreat. Participation in purge ceremonies is always optional and discussed individually before the retreat. Each is handled by qualified practitioners with appropriate medical screening for contraindications, including specific cardiac and pregnancy considerations.
What is the maximum group size, and how is the cohort selected?
MahaDevi maintains a maximum cohort size of 10 to 12 participants per retreat. This size allows facilitators to provide individual attention while creating community among the cohort.
With 6 to 8 facilitators present during ceremony, the participant-to-facilitator ratio in ceremony is approximately 1.5 to 2 participants per facilitator.
Participants are accepted following medical screening and a discovery call that assesses fit, intention, and readiness. We select participants whose preparation window, life situation, and reasons for coming align with what this work can responsibly offer.
We do not accept everyone who applies. Honest screening is part of how we hold safety.
What is the cost of a retreat, and what does it include?
Pricing varies by retreat and is provided during the discovery call.
Standard inclusions across all MahaDevi retreats:
- Airport pickup and return transfer (Puerto Asís or Villagarzón)
- Accommodations at Samawe for 7 nights
- All meals during the retreat
- All ceremonies with Taita Miguel and the facilitation team
- The 45-day preparation program including all calls, portal access, and twelve preparation modules
- The 90-day integration program including all calls, portal access, and twelve integration modules
- Emergency on-demand access throughout preparation and integration
- First consultation with clinical specialists when needed
Not included: International flights to Colombia, optional excursions, and any extended integration programs beyond the 90 days (Ania's 16-week, Liz's 6-month, etc.).
Refund and rescheduling policies are detailed in the participation agreement provided after acceptance.
Do I need to follow a specific spiritual or religious practice to prepare?
No. The essential preparation is practical: eat well, sleep well, and stop consuming substances that are genuinely harmful given the pharmacology of the brew.
Setting a clear intention is encouraged. Demanding a specific outcome from the medicine is a different matter and can become a block.
Yagé works through whatever paradigm you bring. Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, secular, or none. The medicine meets you in the language of your own framework. MahaDevi is not a place of indoctrination.
Within our team, we hold many different relationships to the divine. The shared orientation is respect for the lineage and the work. The personal expression of that respect is yours to define.
The Ayahuasca Framework video course covers the full reasoning and is openly accessible.
Begin With a Conversation
Every retreat at MahaDevi begins with a discovery call. It is where we meet each other, understand what you are bringing, and determine together whether this is the right fit and the right time. There is no pressure in that conversation. There is only honesty on both sides.
Medical Disclaimer: The information on this page is educational and does not constitute medical or legal advice. MahaDevi requires full medical screening of all participants prior to acceptance. Dietary and preparation guidelines are provided directly to accepted participants. If you take medication or manage a health condition, consult your healthcare provider before attending ceremony. Ayahuasca is not a treatment for any medical or psychiatric condition.