The work continues at home.
The ceremonies open something. The weeks after are when it settles into your life. This page is for that time.
How the family closes your work.
On your last day Maestro Miguel closes your ceremonies and, if you dieted a plant, closes your dieta. He tells you which foods and activities to avoid for the weeks ahead and why. Write it down; it is easy to forget once you are back in the city.
Your retreat ends with a closing circle with the family, where each guest says what they are taking home.
Write these down before you go
- Your post-dieta rules and how many days they last
- The plant you dieted, if any
- Anything Miguel told you in his own words
- Three things you want to change at home
Go slowly.
Most of what the medicine shows you becomes real, or fades, in the first month.
- Keep the post-dietaFollow the food and abstinence rules Miguel gave you for as long as he said. The Shipibo understand the end of a dieta as part of the medicine, not an afterthought.
- Protect your sleep and your daysLeave space in your calendar for the first week back. Sleep, simple food and time outside help more than anything.
- Write, every dayTen minutes in a notebook: what you remember from ceremony, what you notice now, what you want to act on.
- Wait before big decisionsGive any large change (a job, a relationship, a move) a few weeks before you act on it.
- Talk to someone who understandsA friend who has sat in ceremony, or a therapist trained in integration. Some experiences are easier to understand out loud.
The integration book.
Until our own guide is ready, this is the book we recommend to every guest.
[Book title]
[Author, year. Two lines on why this book: what it covers and who it helps.]
We are writing our own integration guide with Maestro Miguel, in his words, about how the Shipibo understand the time after ceremony and dieta. It will be free to every guest.
For a careful introduction, ICEERS (the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service) has published The Art of Integration: How to Support Ayahuasca Experiences.
You do not have to carry it alone.
Most people feel lighter after a retreat. Some go through a hard stretch first. Both are common.
Please reach out to a health professional if, weeks after you are home, you have trouble sleeping, feel unreal or detached, have frightening thoughts that will not settle, or cannot manage daily life.
If you are in danger of harming yourself, contact your local emergency services or crisis line now.
To find a therapist trained in psychedelic integration, the Psychedelic Support provider network lists licensed practitioners. We do not run or endorse any listed practitioner; choose someone you trust.
Write to us any time.
The family is glad to hear how you are. Messages reach us on WhatsApp or by email, and we answer when the signal allows.
WhatsApp: +51 [number]
Email: admin@kananbiri.com