There’s nothing quite like the afterglow of an ayahuasca ceremony. With new insights running through your mind and energy coursing through your veins, it can feel like you have a new lease on life. Then, things may start to feel the way they did before. Anxiety, depression, and indecisiveness creep back in. You may have trouble making sense of what you learned in the ceremony. Things you expected to change may have stayed the same.
People sometimes revisit the medicine to seek answers to lingering questions from their previous ceremony. But this isn’t always practical, necessary, or sustainable. Some people believe the spirit of the plant stays with you, but even if you don’t share this view, you may be able to reactivate parts of the brain the plant awakened. Some people experience spontaneous flashbacks or reactivations of psychedelic experiences or synesthesia, and it’s possible to bring these on intentionally, says James Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center. It’s a technique used to continue learning from the medicine.
Here are some ways you can reconnect with ayahuasca after a ceremony to get back in touch with the feelings it brought up, gain clarity on the themes of your journey, and perhaps prolong that afterglow.
Listen to Music
One of the easiest ways to reconnect with medicine is to listen to the music played in the ceremony. You can ask your facilitator to share the playlist, or find songs that were made specifically for ayahuasca ceremonies. I like to listen to this playlist in the bath or sauna, or while I’m doing household chores.
Talk About Your Experience
Psychedelic integration coaches and therapists can help you process your experience and make sense of it. Many facilitators offer post-ceremony calls, or you can ask them for recommendations. It can also be meaningful just to chat with friends about your journey and what you learned.
Write About Your Experience
If you keep a journal with you during the ceremony, you can jot down any insights you gain. Then you can keep it with you afterward to log further learnings. Or, create a note in your Notes app to document your realizations. If you feel stuck, revisit a moment in your journey and write about it, or flip back through your journal and elaborate on something already written there. Dream journaling is also powerful for processing feelings and symbols to better understand the medicine’s messages.
Explore Nature
Sometimes, all it takes to reconnect with medicine is going for a walk or frequenting a serene place like a beach or park. “By connecting with nature and being in silence, you will be more in touch with ayahuasca,” says Maria Johanna, a psychedelics expert and author of Microdosing and Angel Kisses, who has hosted ayahuasca ceremonies.
Hold a Mini Ceremony
Some people microdose Caapi banisteriopsis, one of the plants that constitutes ayahuasca, to experience a milder version of the effects. Legality varies, so check your local laws first. Sometimes, I drop some in my bathwater.
Cacao can also bring back some of the feelings ayahuasca invoked. “Cacao is seen as the ultimate heart-opening medicine,” says Johanna. “It is gentle, it has health benefits, and it’s good to connect on a deeper level with yourself.” You can also create a ritual that doesn’t involve medicine, like a meditation or breathwork session, with the intention of connecting with ayahuasca. Johanna recommends setting an intention or saying a prayer beforehand.
