Spiritual medicine retreats help participants to develop skills and practices they can use for life, accessing the connections felt on their shamanic journey. Psilocybin ceremonies seek to enlighten the mind, transcending it to a higher level of perception, having induced a highly spiritual exercise in introspection. The ceremony addresses nature’s struggle to correct anxious minds, providing comfort about the future while helping us to live in the present with peace. It’s often part of a group therapy experience, but the individual journey is unique for all. Are you interested in psychedelic-assisted therapy and journey of self-discovery?
What is Kambo Medicine?
After Kambo is removed from the top layer of skin, the entry points are closed with a Peruvian anti-bacterial/fungal tree sap (Dragon’s Blood). This helps the entry points heal faster and acts as a “liquid bandage”, while offering a secure antibacterial barrier. DO NOT pick at the points or try to remove/clean off the Dragon’s Blood.
Benefits & Risks
According to the Global Drug Survey in 2014, mescaline and peyote were among the top 20 drugs used in the past month in Mexico, but nowhere else in the world. Peyote was taken by 6.4% and mescaline by 4.4% of the 643 Mexican survey respondents. In the United States, only Native American members of the NAC are legally permitted to use mescaline—but only in the form of peyote. Mescaline also activates serotonin and dopamine receptors, which could help boost mood and treat depression. In fact, one of the traditional therapeutic uses for peyote was as an antidepressant, and depression scores are reportedly low among members of the Native American Church, where peyote use is common. In line with Native American ritual use of peyote, mescaline can also help people solve sticky problems.
This also has the added benefit of promoting feelings of well-being and inner peace. The toxins can dilate blood vessels and speed up heart rate, so they could trigger a heart attackor unsafe heart rhythms. Then, the shaman adds Kambo—toxins extracted from a giant monkey frog —to the burn and leaves it on for about 15 minutes. The toxin contains several different compounds which can cause adverse side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal cramping. See the Risks section and Tripsit’s chart for details on which drugs to avoid. It’s probably best to err on the side of caution and avoid combining mescaline with any other drug, at least for the first time you take it. You can ingest San Pedro in various different ways including the raw plant itself.
It can be alarming if you experience an increase in blood pressure following the Kambo treatment. So it is important to let your practitioner know about any concerns. This is immediately after receiving the medicine during the procedure.
Be open to experiencing healing on a holistic level that includes not only your physical well-being, but your emotional and spiritual health. In many tribal cultures it was believed that one of the keys to health in the community was for each person in the community to undergo a rite of passage, to perform a vision quest or pilgrimage when they came of age. This tradition was lost in Western culture and may be the reason why our modern civilization is plagued with psychological illness. In Bwiti culture, iboga was consumed as part of an initiation rite to help you face your darkness and fears, while receiving guidance from your ancestors. There are as small percentage of people that have a specific heart condition, called a prolonged QT rthym, that can put them in a high-risk group depending on how severe it is.
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Most people report feeling lightheaded and nauseous following the treatment. You should always drink plenty of water, juice, or broth after the treatment to help flush out the toxins released by Kambo. You should also avoid caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, and sugar for 48 hours after your treatment.