Integration Of Ayahuasca Experience

Personal experience after stepping in the world
of Amazonian Shamanism.
By Celeste Palmer

APL Shamanic Journeys retreats blog
Integration is the action or process of unification. When working with the Master Plant Teacher Ayahuasca, integration is a key component to making lasting changes. Integration is also how we show our respect to The Mother Medicine. It is how we practice reciprocity & gratitude for the gifts that she has given us to create a positive change in ourselves & ultimately in the World. Integration is a responsibility.

It's important to understand that the Ayahuasca retreat in Mexico or any other country is truly just the beginning of the healing journey an individual is about to embark on. The real work is done after returning to your everyday life & it can honestly be a difficult journey processing your experience & implementing changes.

When returning home after having an out of this world experience & having your entire inner world transformed, it is not uncommon to feel confusion & uncertainty about how to move forward with your life. It's also not uncommon to experience feelings of isolation or loneliness. When you go back to the same environment you came from it will feel different not because your environment has changed, but because you have.

Although some messages come through loud & clear, others take time. It can take months or even years to fully understand parts of your experience so be patient & compassionate with yourself as you navigate life through your new lenses.

Below I have listed a few tips on how to best integrate your Ayahuasca Experience. It's important to have practices to support & help you anchor into the new state you worked so hard to create. Otherwise, it's unfortunately too easy to slide back into old habits & ways of living that led you to working with Ayahuasca in the first place.

Vital rules for integration
of Ayahuasca experience:

Be Patient & Don't Rush Big Decisions.
It's important to take at least a few days to process & digest everything you have received & put together a realistic & responsible plan. Take your time before making any big decisions or jumping headfirst into shallow waters.


Cultivate a Daily Practice.
There are so many simple yet impactful practices you can begin to implement immediately to support your well being. Just to name a few: Journaling, Meditation, Pranayama (breathing exercising), yoga & qigong. All these practices can help to ground you, move energy, & cultivate self awareness. Check out my Youtube Channel (Celeste Palmer) for guided Pranayama & Meditation.


Connect With Nature.
If we want to connect/reconnect with ourselves, we must first connect with Mother Nature. She is the portal to the Soul. The bridge to source. The language of the Universe. Mother Nature is the connector of all. We simply can't be well without getting outside & into nature. If you can, go for daily walks, swim in freshwater, play in the woods, get a little sunshine, & breath in the fresh air.


Get Grounded.
Working with Ayahuasca stimulates our head space & it's easy to lose touch with reality. When we are ungrounded and operating from our minds, we lose connection with our hearts & our bodies but for optimal health we need all three to be balanced. Some grounding exercises look like getting into the body through exercising, cooking, gardening, ceramics, walking barefoot on the earth, tree hugging (one of my favorites), doing house chores like laundry or the dishes, organizing your finances, etc. Think Earth Element, all things material, & working with your hand.


Create Clear Actionable Steps.
Take some time to write down at least 3 actionable steps you can take as soon as you get home then prioritize them. (EX: have that difficult conversation, apologize for that thing, look for new jobs, write that post, sign up for that class, take guitar lessons, make that phone call, speak with a financial advisor, etc.)


Work With a Professional.
Working with a trained therapist in tandem with Ayahuasca is extremely powerful in helping you make sense of your experience & identifying different patterns or old habits. Healing is not something that has to be done alone & having someone to talk to & guide you through your own psyche is invaluable. If you need referrals please reach out & I can get you in touch with someone I personally know & trust.


Get to Know Your Shadow.
Another topic that deserves its own blog post. Ayahuasca is Shadow Work. The shadow is the parts of ourselves that we have disowned & disassociated with. But as long as we are disassociating with parts of ourselves we are fragmented & cannot be whole. Ayahuasca has the capability of taking us to the root of our pains & shining light on the deepest parts of ourselves that we have disowned for whatever reason. Robert Masters has some Incredible books with practical tools to help you cultivate awareness & get intimate with your shadow & I incorporate shadow work into my 4-week Sacred Wellness Coaching Program.
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