INTEGRATION

How integrating an ayahuasca experience can lead to a healthier, more meaningful existence

Life After the Medicine
—

The initial weeks and months following an ayahuasca experience is a particularly potent period of time that can determine how the medicine is going to blossom within your life.

This is equivalent to the moment when a seedling first breaches the surface, reaching for the light of day for the first time. Its young roots are firm beneath the earth, and the potential to live well and grow strong is there; the way that this happens will depend largely on how that little seedling is nurtured and cared for.

You can think of yourself and the process of integration a lot like this. How you nurture and care for yourself after your ayahuasca experience will inform the manner and direction of your growth. It is an opportunity to start fresh, assess what matters, and continue to strive for a life that is fulfilling and meaningful.

Ask yourself…

What kind of life do you want to lead, after ayahuasca?

What are the most important things you discovered during your ayahuasca experience?

What are the steps you need to take in order to fulfill what the medicine showed you?

What have you gained? What have you left behind?

What are you willing to let go of? What would you like to invite in?

Now that you’ve shown up for the medicine, how are you going to allow the medicine to show up in your life?

Integration seeks to answer one essential question:
Now What?
—

There is a kind of re-orientation that takes place with ayahuasca. The world that you emerge into is not quite the same as the one you left, and the person that walks into this new world is not the same as the one that left it behind.

Your path forward is going to include taking stock of where you were, where you are now, and setting a course for where you are being guided to go. Woven through all of this is a continuous unraveling of what exactly took place during your ayahuasca experience, and how that is going to expand and enrich the path you now take.

How We Prepare You On Retreat
—

Integration begins with proper preparation. Included with our suggested activities and approaches, we provide a Preparation Guide that highlights the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual components related to getting oneself ready to meet the medicine.

On our programs, group discussions revolve around how to incorporate the ayahuasca experience into one’s daily life in ways that make sense, are realistic, and support each person’s successful journey home. This begins on the first day and is revisited regularly as the week progresses.

We also host integration-focused discussions tailored towards grounding the momentum generated by ayahuasca and the plant dieta. We intend that each person has a clear understanding of what to expect, what their responsibilities are, how to continue working with the plants at home, as well as what to do and where to go for additional support.

INTEGRATION SUPPORT
—

  • EMAIL SERIES

    —

    Guests receive an email series containing practical advice, activities, useful reminders & supportive content to help guide the integration process. Sent at regular intervals for 90 days after the retreat.

  • COMMUNICATION

    —

    Casa Del Maestro’s facilitators & support team are available for post-retreat questions, continued support & integration guidance. This includes email exchange, messaging & one-on-one sessions.

  • GROUP CHATS

    —

    We coordinate a group chat for each retreat group in order to facilitate connection & mutual support, maintain a sense of community & to check-in on each other’s experience as the integration journey unfolds.

  • IN THE WORKS

    —

    The Casa’s team is in the process of creating additional integration offerings including: a custom platform, integration book, guided meditations, audio & video content + more. Contact us for details!

INTEGRATION ACTIVITIES
—

The following activities can be valuable to help you process, understand, and ultimately get the most out of your journey with the medicine.

This is not an exhaustive list but it is a great place to start thinking about your path forward. In our forthcoming integration material, we provide more in-depth information on mapping out an approach to integration that’s suitable for each person. Everyone has unique needs and each one’s integration path will reflect those needs.

Remember: The most important resource on this journey is your own intuitive guidance and inner wisdom!

FOR YOUR BODY

  • Changing one’s diet: remove what is not healthy, add foods that work for your body & health

  • Physical movement: exercise, yoga, strength training, running, martial arts, hiking, dance, outdoor sports, etc.

  • Self-care: massage, acupuncture, spa treatments, sauna, fasting, cleanses, etc.

FOR YOUR MIND

  • Practices: meditation, Tai Chi, breathwork, Qi gong, etc.

  • Journaling, dream journal, daily reflection, etc.

  • Cultivating mindfulness in daily activities

  • Therapy, group sharing; healthy & open dialog with people who listen & mirror your experience

  • Self-care: time to reflect, contemplate, breathe

FOR YOUR HEART

  • Quality time with loved ones

  • Giving yourself time & space to fully feel emotions

  • Forgiveness & gratitude practices

  • Setting boundaries & fostering healthy communication in all your relationships

  • Volunteering & community service

FOR YOUR SPIRIT

  • Creativity: make music, sing, draw, paint, write poetry, etc.

  • Working with daily intentions & prayer

  • Time in nature: hike, camp, walk, garden; just be outside!

  • Dedicated spiritual practice; research spiritual traditions from within & outside your own

  • Explore personal ritual, ceremony & connection to Spirit

MORE RESOURCES
—