How to Prepare for Your First Plant Medicine Ceremony

Preparation is the first ceremony. Here is what we ask of every participant — and why each piece of it matters.

If you have a ceremony coming up — your first ever, or your first with Sacred Healing — the preparation period is where the work actually starts. The clearer your body and mind when you arrive, the more directly the medicine can move to what brought you here.

Preparation is not a checklist. It is a practice of clearing space — physical, emotional, and energetic — so that you can receive the medicine fully.

The Two-Week Window

For most of the medicines we hold (Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, Bufo, San Pedro), we recommend a two-week preparation window. Kambo requires less. Your specific dieta will be reviewed in your one-on-one preparation call before the retreat.

Two weeks before

• No recreational drugs. No alcohol.

• No SSRIs, MAOIs, or stimulant medications. You must taper off these under medical supervision — never stop abruptly. Some medications require longer windows (your discovery call will go over this).

• Begin a daily practice if you do not already have one — meditation, journaling, walking, breathwork. The medicine moves through what you have already opened.

One week before

• No pork, no aged cheeses, no fermented foods (sauerkraut, kombucha, miso)

• Minimal caffeine — reduce gradually if you are a heavy drinker

• No casual sex — your own intimacy or solo practice is fine if it is grounded

• Limit screens, news, and conflict where you can

• Begin sitting with your intention. What is calling you here? What are you ready to release?

Three days before

• Simple plant-based foods — soups, steamed vegetables, brown rice, fruit

• Plenty of water

• More silence — phone off when possible

• Walks in nature

• Journal each morning, even one sentence

The day of

• Most ceremonies require fasting from the morning. Light snacks only if needed.

• Hydrate well in the morning, taper water in the afternoon

• Arrive at the Sacred Desert Sanctuary early. Rushing breaks the container.

What to Bring

• Comfortable, loose clothing in layers — the desert is cold at night, warm at day

• A blanket and pillow you find comforting

• A journal and a pen

• A water bottle

• Any sacred objects you want present — a crystal, a photo, an heirloom — small and meaningful

• An open heart

What to Leave Behind

• Expectations of what should happen

• The urge to perform spirituality

• Your phone (we collect them at the start of ceremony)

• The version of you that is afraid of being seen

The Mental Preparation

The body work is straightforward — eat well, hydrate, sleep. The mental preparation is subtler and matters more.

Sit with your intention.

An intention is not a wish. It is not a list of things you want the medicine to do for you. It is a quiet inner direction — what you are seeking to understand, ready to release, or open to receive.

Try this in the days before ceremony: sit in a quiet place. Take three deep breaths. Ask yourself: What is calling me to ceremony right now? Write down what comes. Don't edit. Don't perform.

By the time you arrive, your intention should feel like a sentence you could say in one breath. Examples that work:

• I am ready to release the grief I have been carrying since my father died.

• I want to understand why I keep choosing the same kind of partner.

• I am open to seeing what I have been avoiding about my work.

• Show me what I need to see.

The One-On-One Preparation Call

Every retreat at Sacred Healing begins with a one-on-one preparation call — not a sales call, not a screening. The first ceremony.

On this call we go over your medical history, your medications, your reasons for coming, your fears, and the specifics of your dieta. We answer the questions you didn't think to ask. We make sure this medicine, this container, and this season of your life are aligned.

If we are not the right container for you, we will say so. Sacred Healing is not for everyone, and pretending otherwise would be a disservice to the medicine.

A Final Word

If you are reading this and you feel a quiet fear underneath the curiosity — that is appropriate. This work deserves to be approached with respect.

Fear that says

"this is bigger than me"

is honest. Trust it. Let it slow you down enough to prepare properly. Then walk in.

---

Schedule Your Discovery Call

Ready to prepare for your first ceremony? Schedule a discovery call or browse upcoming ceremony dates.

You can also read more about preparing for ceremony, what to expect, and setting your intention.

This is your time. Your healing. Your return. 🌱

Aho,

Danny

Founder, Sacred Healing