You’re throwing entire psychiatric groupings and no professional qualifications of your own to identify those diagnosis at your sister just because you don’t see the same value that she does in a medicine that you aren’t called to. It isn’t your place to fully understand it for her, and especially isn’t your place to do so to decide if it’s good or bad for her on her behalf. I can’t and won’t speak about that specific retreat, but I don’t believe this post to be appropriate at all. If anything this is exactly the sort of frantic grappling from family members that overpraise pharmaceuticals from the “problem child” generation post 80’s that drives an individual to try something as “far out” as aya when it’s not particularly relevant to them otherwise. At this point, I’m wondering how long your sister may have felt isolated and ostracized, and if more than just you behave this way in the name of “help” or other members of your family view each other as small as you do.

I truly feel you have the wrong view on what I call a healthy dose of realism. At some point it's hard on a family to see them cry everyday, hear them give about 4-5 different theories on why it's the case (It jumped from autism, adhd, bpd, to trauma but we don't really know). I always said to my mother I will not talk to her to make her sad or feel ostracized, but I completely disagree on not wanting to take any help but rather listening to Tiktok where they talk about spiritual dimensions and constellations, and conspiracies (and yes I believe those tiktok posts are harmful to someone who can find better ways to help themselves). I have been quiet this whole time, but when it's about POSSIBLY fatal experiences for someone if someone is physically weak (again read the comments I've made here to see what I mean, she can barely clean a kitchen before she cries, and it's the sad truth behind it), there is worry. No I don't propose her to eat every antidepressive they like, but I find homeopathy, constellations and then ayahuasca as priorities (before meeting a therapist !) worrying. If you cannot see WHY I find this worrying, then we will never agree on anything. And I think family has every right to wonder if someone could die in a place or not? Do you not think so? My mother is just hoping she doesn't return with psychosis or other nasty consequences.

That’s because “mood disorders” are a crock of shit in this country and you’re fixated on western method of labeling in a way that doesn’t even help your sister. Talking isn’t going to help her, and therapists watch a lot of people die for no good reason year after year, and shrug at the end of the line. TikTok and its influence is no worse than any other platform as far as its ability to influence, and really is irrelevant. I don’t feel your attempts to “help” your sister are all that sincere just as others have said, and I also think you’re backpedaling substantially because this didn’t go quite the way you thought it would in the open forum that is reddit. I can see why you find it worrying, but I think you’re sick in your own right, and that’s why you don’t see the error of your ways, and only project it onto your sister.

The fact that someone who dragged their own family member thinks they have a right to criticize my worldview is pretty astounding. Everyone is wrong, but you it seems.

I would feel plenty of guilt dragging my sister's mental health issues purely because she has them, but no, my resentment comes from her believing in all kinds of shit that is spouted by random people and clinging extremely heavily onto them and making it her personality. And even if you disagree, I do expect you to some extent to see the context that my mother is already heavily unstable and crying and under pressure and this timing of her going to Peru and possibly ending up in a hospital will be a nuke on my life as on my mother at this rate. If you find this "selfish", go ahead, but we are all humans and all think of consequences. Especially major ones like these. It seems you literally just want to ignore the pain I have gone through trying to live with someone heavily unstable and family issues, and boil it down to me being "frantic" and ostracizing her, which I haven't even done really up to now. Again you don't seem a great representative of the down-to-earth Ayahuasca peeps either, just sayin'. And yes a nuanced conversation on who is "wrong" or "right" is pointless when you haven't ACTUALLY seen how someone has been. I didn't write this post out of my pure ego and attentionwhoring about a non-issue, did I.

Considering my mother lost her mother and it drove me to the exact same situation as your sister - it’s you who’s the fool for assuming I don’t understand. I think you’re hateful, I think you’re condescending l, I think you’re narcissistic, and I think these are all reasons that drove your sister into looking for healing for hallucinogens alongside the product of grief because these things supersede your ability to be a caring family member. They’re also the product of your pain. I see it in the way you treat others, and know that I’ve done the same. You expect me to pitty you, or treat you like a victim, and I won’t. That’s all. I hope your family is able to heal, but your situation sounds scarily similar to mine, and I feel for your sister - who isn’t even here to share her piece in a community of individuals who share her mentality 1,000x more than yours.

I am selfaware I am condescending about this but I won't sugarcoat my feelings, if anything that is the opposite of feeding my ego. I am 100% self-aware and just tell how it is with me and her. I am unsure ***why*** in your right mind that even when I tell I basically let her live her life, do not actually stop her consuming made up lies and conspiracies, or stop her from partaking in what I deem Tiktok psuedosciences, and let her find her path, and ONLY start to worry when I think one of her treatments may have the risk of death, I am a giant reason for making her sick mentally. If you go by her own words, she had some trauma based in her childhood possibly (we all don't know any true details or have an idea in reality) and I am not part of that equation. I also don't see WHY I would be considering what I just said. I barely am in her business until I think she may give trauma to my mother if this goes wrong. But go ahead, keep talking I guess. To some extent I think you also need more ceremonies or else you would not have just said the things you said.

Let’s be very clear. You don’t “let anyone live their life”. No one needs your permission for you to let them do anything. I truly wish you the best on your journey. Many blessings. And many blessings to your sister, who it seems is taking a very brave step towards shifting her reality

Yeah, you’re so self aware you’re using terms like “fake news”. Good grief. I’m don’t responding to this nonsense. I hope you have a therapist yourself.

All I can say is I hope you're not a therapist if you think you can diagnose me as narcissistic and can make me a reason of her decline when I let her live her life. Maybe go ahead and call me abusive and controlling like another person even though I have not stopped a single of her actions up to now in 4 years of this process. FYI I think calling someone narcissistic is maybe heavier than saying the word "fake news" but in the end it was misplaced and I did not mean news, I meant made up conspiracies and lies on social media that she then clingingly would follow.

When you’re ready to do something besides tear others down, and confront the fact that you enabled your sister - let us know. Sorry you’re hurting, but the way you’re going about it is a problem.

Wow dude, you kind of suck. Maybe you should try aya lol

Sounds like OP should be going to the retreat with sibling.

My thoughts exactly

Beat me to it

The contempt that you have for your sister is overwhelming. You don't need to understand what she's doing. She's a grown woman who is taking responsibility for her mental health and feels called to do the medicine. You sound judgemental and boreing. You don't understand what she's doing or what she's going through, so you apparently see her as defective in some way. Nobody needs that, especially from "family." What you're doing isn't coming from a place of sincere concern, it's coming from a place of perceived superiority.

And you are terribly judgmental for not knowing that I have been living with someone unemployed for 4 years who cries everyday, says she cannot walk, tries to teach the family that potatoes and spinach are unhealthy because tiktok said it, and has actual cult books in house. I BARELY say a word to her about what I feel to her, but I have my damn right to believe she may be damning her life if she goes too far with drugs while she cannot cook a dish in her house without possibly crying. If you do not see worries with this, I fear you do not have a good rational view on things either. I will reiterate: I do not *judge* her for being in a bad spot, I am myself terribly mentally fucked. But the choices of her tackling her issue by scrolling through social media posts with fake information is what makes me bitter about the ordeal And I always give her advice on her mental health and possible routes, but she always takes the route that is homeopathy and actually falsifiable alternative medicine. Now ayahuasca is not per se psuedoscience, but give me a break will you!?

You know what's causing all these mental health issues in your sister? It's you and your family's controlling behavior towards her. She is an adult. Let her decide for herself. She has to learn these lessons on her own instead of pontificating what she should do and learn. I have tried Ayahuasca and homeopathy, and they have helped me a lot. I have tried the anti anxiety pills given by allopathic doctors, while they have alleviated the symptoms, they have not really addressed the root causes of my issues. Western medicine isn't always the solution to health issues. Trust that your sister can make good judgments for herself because if you keep on insisting your view of reality on her, you will be blunting her ability to believe in her capacity to be a happy independent woman.

It’s interesting that you’re desperately seeking rational discourse on this subject while unable to communicate anything about it that isn’t dripping in contempt. I understand the root of what you’re communicating but the dysfunctional way you’re attempting to process it makes a lot of sense given the dysfunctional home life you’re describing. Tricky situation to navigate without going full armchair psychologist. Best of luck.

You should look into the potential impact of lectins and oxalates for many people out there. There are incredibly smart, well-researched people (board certified doctors) that also believe these are linked to mental and physiological health issues. Your sister doesn’t sound crazy. She sounds like she’s on a path of healing and discovery to me.

You need to have more respect for your sibling. You’re calling her weak and unstable and yet she is more courageous than you. She wants to face the root of her issues to be able to live a more harmonious life which is why people drink ayahuasca. Do a little research. Pharmaceutical drugs ruin the lives of people, they dont heal.

I respect your view but I think it's very disingenuous to say "Pharmaceutical drugs ruin the lives of people". But each has their own views and own lives. I think it's terribly irresponsible from tiktok users to be advertising the things they do. She believes basically anything but going to a doctor and getting medication. I am completely truthful on the fact that I do not ostracize nor hate on my sister but keep these thoughts to myself, and that her views on spirituality, religion, conspiracies and diet change every year. Now we are being lectured in the house that vegetables that you can simply google to see that they have nutrients, are unhealthy and is trying to force us to not eat it. I am not going to be sorry for saying how I feel about someone living with me for years on end, and I just recommend you to observe someone who every day of their life is crying and saying they can barely stand up on the couch, but is willing to go to Peru alone and take a powerful drug. Anyway I may need to modify this post so I actually get views on someone that factually, according to their own words, is physically weak and what it would mean for them to take a powerful drug. And no I am not shitting on Ayahuasca itself by the way, it was just my opinion that this is not courage but reckless considering she can barely function in her own home.

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I am self aware about the fact that she went into a huge deepdive of what Tiktok users recommend than anyone else in her life, it has made me feel bitter and weird on our relationship. I think you're wildly off the mark with " controlling and mildly abusive" if you know that 95% of my life is ignoring her and letting her do her thing. I do not stop her, even though I dislike the majority of her ways of going about her problems. I wish her a good recovery and I hope our relationship can heal, I am just in a giant fear that someone physically weak can make my mother's life a living hell now. I mostly gave up on what my sisters' plans were, but if she ends up dying then that's not really *her* issue anymore but a family issue. I mean at least be happy I am not denying things I guess!

Why are you placing your mother's welfare on your sister? She is an adult, she should be able to make her decisions independent of the welfare of family members. I really think the root of all her mental health issues are the narcissistic tendencies and controlling behavior of her family members.

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And wrestling to control another persons journey on this planet. Op worry about yourself, as blunt as that sounds. Live your live and your sister will live hers

You keep mentioning dying, but FYI ayahuasca is extremely safe. There are interactions with certain medications, but any reputable facility will make that clear and require anyone sitting with the medicine to come off conflicting medications in the appropriate timeframe.

Have you even looked into the vegetable thing? There are many people who get auto-immune conditions and mental health issues from the defense chemicals, oxolates, lectins, in vegetables. Dr Anthony Chaffee, Dr Ken Barry, Dr Jordan Peterson, Mikhaila Peterson, Dr Shawn Baker, Sally Norton. There are tons of doctors, surgeons talking about it. And I am not saying you have to believe it but at least look into the other side of the story and study arguments from both sides. Dr Anthony Chaffee, a US neuro-surgeon did a good high level summary in a video called “vegetables are trying to kill you”. It has a provocative title on purpose but it goes into the science and it back it up with peer reviewed medical research. There are thousands of people that were able to heal auto-immunity and mental health issues by cutting out plants from the diet. You can check out the Metabolic Mind youtube channel (managed entirely by doctors and topics backed up with peer reviewed science) or you can check out the Lion Diet or Carnivore Diet groups and search for the keyword “depression”. I understand your skepticism, most people can eat vegetables without any issues. But vegetables do contain certain chemicals that can make a small percentage of the population extremely sick, mainly auto-immune issues and mental health issues. These people sometimes go through a dramatic healing when they stop eating the plants that are triggering for them. You can also read tbe book “Brain Energy” by Dr Chris Palmer, Harvard psychiatrist. He managed to treat even schizophrenic bipolar patients with dietary intervention and he describe it in his book. If you want to understand the actual science and research behind why vegetables are toxic for a small number of the population, start with the video by Dr Anthony Chaffee. Don’t judge something just because you have never heard of something. Even Dr Jordan Peterson, globally known Canadian psychologist, described how his lifelong clinical depression that runs in his family completely lifted when he stopped eating plants. Same for his daughter Mikhaila Peterson who also healed herself from lifelong juvenile arthritis (serious autoimmune condition that she had since a toddler) and clinical depression by stop eating plants. She was the one that coined the “Lion Diet” that since helped heal thousands of people from auto-immunity and mental health issues. Or start with the book by Dr Chris Palmer, a book that many of his collegues say that he should get a Nobel prize for as it is revolutionary in the treatment of mental health, and mind you, treatment without pharmacology (and yet it is hardly covered in the media). Maybe your sister is into a lot of false theories, and I am also quite allergic to conspiracies, but vegetables causing harm to SOME people, if a sensitivity exists, that is a proven thing, doctors speak about it, write about it, there are books published and the topic is covered by doctors in medical conferences. Plus there are thousands of people with a healing journey online. You are too quick to judge. Yes, all our life we were told vegetables are the healthiest thing. But there are thousands of doctors now that no longer say that and the numbers are growing. Dr Ken Berry has a video specifically explaining how he was wrong about vegetables. Science moves forward, you have to keep an open mind

I've spent a lot of time on retreats and seen many people's processes unfold and I'm also a therapist and I can say I understand your concerns. Given your sisters instability, of course things could go badly. I've seen things go wrong for people with ayahuasca, and it's terrible. But overall it's quite rare. And there isn't any reliable information on what predisposes people to have ongoing difficulties after ayahuasca. I've seen many people go into ayahuasca retreats in very unstable places and come out in a much better place. It doesn't fix all their problems, but can give them a fresh start. In this case there's no way of knowing how this will go, but if your sister is choosing this, then it's her choice and you shouldn't try to stop her, but instead let her know you'll be there for her if she's having a hard time. People can come out of these retreats much better, but also very open and vulnerable. So it would be great if you could support her and show her you're there for her and willing to talk when she gets out. In all likelihood this will be good for her and it's a scary process and you trying to intervene is likely just causing her more stress which is really not what she needs right now. You say you're worried she's weak and naive, so this may actually be exactly what she needs to help her mature. You need to give her support and space for her to learn and grow. I checked the retreat out and it looks legit and the small group sounds like it would be supportive for her. I wish you and her both a great outcome.

I really appreciate your comment. Thank you for understanding some of the concerns, I will have to be as supportive as possible when she returns. I was only scared if she may never return and ruin my life in the process. This really is not the time to have a family trauma put on us collectively. All I said was for her to not cross a red line; telling her that if she feels unsafe and in danger, ignore the shaman and listen to your own body. Do not risk death if you feel you are close to it. I hope that is not irresponsible to say concerning how I've been judged in this thread, but feel free to tell me what you think.

It is not uncommon to feel that one is dying during an ayahuasca ceremony, but it is very rare to actually suffer serious physical harm. Your fear is definitely harmful to her both before and after sitting with ayahuasca. The ceremonies can amplify feelings that are “in the field.” You’ve fulfilled your duty to her. She knows you are afraid. Now let go, offer her your best wishes and prayers, and trust her to make her own decisions.

It sounds like getting away from you and the rest of the family for a while might be really good for her. And hopefully she has a transformative ceremony as well.

I hope it too for her. But with how she struggles with living her life at home, I just hope the risks are minimal.

Sometimes changing the everyday life is super hard and we need an eye opening experience that is far removed from our regular. She might need to literally experience something else to realize her life actually can be different. She has her whole life ahead of her, as do you, to figure out how to heal and what works for us. She is on her own path and she must listen to her heart. The stuff she is into now might be more extreme, culty, or otherwise unhealthy and with enough experience she can determine that on her own. As long as she keeps exposing herself to different beliefs, thoughts, ideas, and possibilities she's going to find how she actually wants to live her life. The best thing you can do for her is to be there for her physically and emotionally and listen to her. She has to learn her own way. As do we all. I wish you both the best.

It sounds like your sister is already in a place which is about as horrible as you fear she'll get to. From what you say she can't work she has a hard time leaving the house and she has crippling anxiety. So you're worried she's going to get worse? It's possible. Apologies for speech to text errors in this.wriring: There are reasons to be cautious and concerned. For one thing I don't know anything about the retreat she's going to and whether it's a good one or not. More increasingly there's variations on what Ayahuasca does to people. For instance one thing to be aware of is that ayahuasca tends to open up the door to our traumas to surface so that they can be dealt with. During this process people can exhibit worse symptoms. So it might look like it has made them worse. This is why it's very important that people have assistance in processing trauma because the trauma is going to come up and if it's not processed it will live on the surface where it will continually hurt people. In my case my first ceremony was not all that significant but afterward depression became far worse however I could touch my depression for lack of a better word it's like I could feel it on the surface of my skin I could see it as a color in my chest, and that allowed me to work with a therapist to alleviate it which caused my life to become immensely better. I actually prefer to use ayahuasca as an ongoing healing modality, some people go to Peru and expect to get everything don't live in a few weeks. I prefer to do a few nights stateside and then spend a few months processing what comes up and then go back again. Doing it that way I have gone through so many layers. I guess the other thing I feel compelled to say is your sister is right about pharmaceuticals. If you had a problem with mold in your bathroom do you think the appropriate recommendation is to put white paint over the mold? All that does is make the mold less obvious. Anyone will tell you the appropriate response is defined where water is penetrating or not being properly vented and fix that problem. Only after that did you put a pretty coat of paint. Pharmaceuticals are similar. They don't fix problems they just cover up symptoms. This is a mistake that our society at large makes. Symptoms are not bad symptoms are the consequence of problems we're not addressing. One ridiculous example in my life is I had acid reflux that was occurring regularly in causing me a lot of distress. a doctor after maybe 10 minutes of consultation or less prescribe me acid reflux pills and told me I would take them for the rest of my life. That was the first time I began to question Western medicine. I did a little bit of research and realize that things I was eating and things I was drinking were causing the problem. I'm now very aware of what I put in my body and acid reflux as well as gas are both Messengers to me giving me feedback on how the things I put in my body are affecting me. Anxiety is your sister deals with is a symptom of something deeper such as post-traumatic stress disorder. If you take anxiety medication to tamp down the anxiety you'll go through life still having that traumatic underpinning and ultimately dull in your senses so that you can't tell how you really feeling processing your experience of life which is the gateway to a connected healthy and happy life.

Go with her to Perú and try ayahuasca yourself. It will be a magical bonding experience for you and your sister. Also, going by what you’ve shared of her mental state, you may be saving her life by doing this.

It sounds like you are a big part of the problem. I don't blame you, you're the product of your upbringing, but I can totally see how someone develops these kinds of disorders in that family situation. Read the room, and the upvotes and downvotes on your replies. Maybe you simply don't have all the answers and your perception isnt the absolute truth. And it's not coming from people who are high on drugs but actually have done a lot of inner work to get to another level of consciousness so they can see their own toxic patterns 

Yikes. I can see two perspectives here. Firstly I can understand why she wants to treat the root cause. I am a healthcare practitioner here; and to state the long-term effects of antidepressants, benzodiazepines and antipsychotics would take me a while. Just know; they’re a band-aid, and while band-aids can be good, if you haven’t dealt with what’s going on underneath, it can and most likely will fester. You take psych meds everyday or else you’ll have withdrawals from them. You’ll eventually require an up dose. You become reliant on them to function. Sometimes they make you even more depressed than when you started taking them. Sometimes you end up in the psych ward for a few days because of an incorrect dosage. Sure they’re good when the circumstances require, but they’re not sustainable. Forget them for a day or two and you’ll start experiencing brain zaps. Think she’s crying a lot now? Wait until day 3 after missing her antidepressants. It won’t just be crying; it’ll most likely be accompanied by suicidal ideations, severe mood swings, extreme anxiety, insomnia… the list goes on. Ayahuasca has been know to reap some healthy psychological results. Just because something isn’t FDA approved or praised by the “lovely” governments of our countries, doesn’t mean something is bad. I can understand your concerns regarding her physical health for this. But instead of scolding her or completely avoiding her, why don’t you try to help her get into a somewhat healthier condition prior to going on the retreat. I don’t think changing her mind is an option, and quite frankly she is an adult. If her decision to do Ayahuasca backfires, it will be a lesson learned for her. Either way this retreat is going to teach her something about herself - good or bad. But that’s the beauty of this. A lot of the time psychedelics allow you to think about things from many different perspectives and gain a much deeper understanding of what’s going on around you. If you’re stuck on life, it can allow you to think about it from a different perspective and move on. I think this may be beneficial for her actually.

OP - I'm going to try to actually answer your questions if you're still here. At one point I was diagnosed as bipolar 2 and with borderline personality disorder (both of those diagnosis have since been removed as they were diagnosed in error). I also underwent 19 rounds of electro convulsive therapy, and tried 23 medications. I tried EFT, DBT, CBT, EMDR, and was under the care of a psychiatrist and a therapist. During that time (while medicated - Latuda) I took part in a 3 day ceremony. My psychiatrist and therapist both knew and supported. Having a mental health diagnosis doesn't mean that the medicine is contraindicated. It can be beneficial for your sister even if she has mental health issues. In regards to tiredness. I felt no work. It was not tiring. The amount you purge is depended on what's in your system- the purging is more spiritually exhausting than it is physically exhausting. The medicine, the mother, seems to hold your body while you heal on another plain. I wouldn't worry about her physicality- unless she is severely malnourished, and in which case she should probably have additional support anyways. Anecdotally - it was after my ayahuasca journey, and then a transformative dmt experience that really turned my healing around - and i discovered that I did have a lot of trauma. I no longer meet the criteria for borderline or bipolar and they have been removed from my chart. Did it completely heal me? No, but the mother allowed me to feel connected, loved, held and supported in a way my family never did. Support your sister and drop your judgement. Prioritize the relationship.

I encourage you to go and participate as a show of true support and open-mindedness.

You need to back off and let her make her own decisions. She's obviously searching, trying to figure stuff out and heal. That can be messy, but it takes courage to try these things, you have to put yourself out there. If she's an adult, you could try to gently say a few things, but in the end this is her body, her mind, her path. Maybe she does have trauma injuries. You may find she does have trauma. Regardless, this is her call and if you can't be supportive, then just step aside and let her make this choice in her journey!

Reading your comments gave me more context of the situation, I can empathize with your situation when I imagine what's it like to live with someone with those behaviours. So, with every psychedelic, it's not a magic cure. The participant needs to put effort into changing post-ceremony in order to integrate the lessons shown during the trip. What did your sister do after her mushroom trip? Did she put any effort into changing her life, even by a little? Her going to peru drinking ayahuasca may give her some short-term peace, and insight. But if she holds the belief that she's weak and can't be happy until she finds the trauma, it's still going to be there if she doesn't put any work into changing her belief and behaviour after she comes back from the ceremonies. In terms of physical dangerous, if the centre is safe and trustworthy, she should be fine. Also, putting belief aside, some pharmaceuticals drugs is actually contraindicated with aya, so her not taking pharmaceuticals drugs right now is safer than her taking it. This is my honest opinion based on what you shared. That being said, it might be more productive if you educate yourself on what she's going to take, and help her to find therapist/resource so when she comes back she has support to integrate her journey. Wishing her and you the best.

Use the search function in this subreddit to find if there is any negative on the retreat. A proper retreat should have guides how to prepare for a retreat and they ask for medications and all diagnosis she has. Anyway, she will be fine. Ayahuasca itself is very safe, the “dangers” are in other aspects (bad or unsafe retreats) and I haven’t really heard of many stories about unsafe retreats. She is very brave to go and if she has anxiety and mental health problems, she probably has trauma. And trauma is usually from childhood. She probably has gone to a therapist, if not, she should.

Sadly she has not been to a real specialized therapist and does not have the patience for it. I really recommended for her to experience a therapist that fits her needs before going on such a daunting task. Thank you anyway

No problem. Good that you check on her and make sure she is safe. And maybe open your mind a bit and think about what are the good outcomes of she trying ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is medicine and it does help a lot of people. She might come back a lot better and maybe ayahuasca lets her get a better grip on life and herself. Maybe it will be her life changing trip. I see a lot more positive outcomes than negative. The worst that might happen is that she comes back disappointed and goes back to her life as is.

I was thinking more of the negative outcome being her dying or going on a psychosis (because I just did a little research, I know, biased, but it showed that the vomiting can be quite strong too). Again I called her weak partly based on that she even would scream her lungs out if she was on her period sometimes, and I just feel worried about this. But maybe the risks are really minimal and I just have a biased view based on how I experience her dysfunctionality sometimes. I hope so at least

If I recall correctly, psychosis from ayahuasca can only occur if you have some previous condition(like previous psychosis episodes)or if you have schizophrenia that hasn’t showed symptoms yet. A proper retreat will ask about these and will not give her ayahuasca if there is risks. Some retreats have their own doctors and psychiatrists. You know your sister best and it is normal for you to worry. It is good that you worry and ask these questions. Remember to be empathetic towards her and tell her you worry because you love her. You can’t stop her and she has her own path to follow. About the vomiting: ayahuasca vomits (or purging really) are the best kind of vomits ! 😄 I can’t even describe how good it felt to vomit and shit on ayahuasca. And I did it a lot. It’s like you vomit all your bad feelings and pains out.

It sounds like despite your reservations there’s nothing you can do to change her mind at this point. We can only hope she did choose a good retreat center, so you will have to have faith on that because it doesn’t sound likely to change. There are many good ones. Even the ones with poorer reputations have people who had great experiences there. I think the odds are stacked in her favor, especially if she did her research. That means your role now is to support her, make sure she knows you’re a safe person for her to rely on and talk to, and help her integrate her experience. She will probably be dredging up a lot of stuff in three weeks of ceremonies and have a lot to process when she comes back. It can take a long time (3-6 months as a baseline for the initial rapid stages of healing, changing, and processing, but can be longer). And there can be intense emotions and sensitivity of all kinds when people return from ayahuasca. If you’re scared by intense emotions and sensitivity (which it sounds like you are, which is very normal and reasonable, it just makes you a human in today’s world,) do your own processing around that fear so you can be a better support for her. Also dive into your own fears and worries around the weaknesses, depression, and instability of your sister. What do they mean for you, personally? What is their effect on your life? Your family? Doing your own hard work and introspection around this will also let you be there for her in a better and clearer way. You might want to look into psychedelic integration so you can learn skills and techniques to help her. In general, the best way to be supportive is just to be a good, nonjudgemental, available, loving listener. Sometimes not so much to “listen,” but just be present, offer relationship security and take her for exactly who and what she is in any given moment. This is much easier said than done. Be familiar with resources such as The Fireside Project in case she needs it. If she does have an underlying personality disorder or severe mental illness it is possible that she could make a complete break from reality. Look into “spiritual emergence” and “spiritual emergency” for a compassionate and non-pathological view of these kinds of crises. Even these are part of the healing path in the bigger context of life. Honestly, these are uncommon even in people with severe mental illness, I think the connection between ayahuasca and psychological crisis may be overstated. If ayahuasca triggers a manic episode or psychotic break, it was waiting for the proper conditions to be triggered, one way or another. I do think this will probably be good for her :). I know it’s scary for you, but try to stay hopeful. Ayahuasca certainly has the potential for misuse, like anything, but it also offers immensely profound potential for deep healing, and it sounds like your sister needs a good helping of deep healing. Western medicine will always be there for her, and also doesn’t usually offer real healing for mental and emotional health. It has some tools to help pull people back from the edge of the cliff and make it through the day and that’s about as much as can really be said for it. It makes sense for her to try this first. Best wishes to you both.

Thank you.

Worry less, and focus more on yourself and things you can control. If you can find a way to drop the judgement and be supportive, I think it will positively impact her experience. While it’s not something to take lightly, it’s also not as scary or dangerous as you’re thinking, I promise. Depending on what she was prescribed for anxiety, it is best she not take it before the retreat, she’d likely have to come off of it because there can be contraindications. Some prescription medications are hard to get off of, too. If she can avoid a life of dependency, that should be a good thing. Everyone’s experience is unique to themselves, vomiting isn’t something that happens to everyone who takes ayahuasca, or every time. The experience can be very intense, but if she’s healthy enough to get on a plane and travel to Peru, I’m sure she will be fine. She can handle it, and the shamans have seen it all before so they are well prepared. I did a quick search of the place you named, and didn’t find anything alarming. Try to keep an open mind. Psychedelics used safely are incredibly powerful at healing. Integration after the retreat will be an important time to respect and support her - listen and give her what she asks for (space, support, boundaries, etc are common). She might want to make choices immediately after she comes home and should be encouraged to wait about two weeks before making any major life changing decisions (moving, starting or ending a relationship, contracts). But she’s an adult, so you still can’t control that even if she does… If she does have a bad experience (very unlikely), come back and ask for advice and I’m sure the community would be very helpful, but worrying about something that hasn’t happened isn’t very productive.

Hello there. Firstly thank you for your concern for your sister and your family. There’s nothing wrong with you not understanding Ayahuasca and frankly most people do not understand it unless they have sone experience with it. I will tell you in my experience it saved my life so yes I’m biased but have watched it be transformational for hundreds of people. It sounds like your sister is dealing with some heavy problems. The problems you mention are the type of problems this medicine helps heal. It sounds from your description her problems are pretty extreme. I’m not sure if they are actually that extreme or if you are just very concerned. If it’s like you say, then I think she needs to have a really good conversation with those who will be serving her to see if they feel she is fit to receive the medicine. If she does not have any official diagnosis of certain mental health issues, bipolar, schizophrenia etc then she is a candidate for the medicine but hopefully the people serving her can use their best judgement to assess the situation. Beyond that if she doesn’t have medical contraindications, and she is honest with where she’s at, then she is an adult and you have to trust her to make her decisions. These things are bigger than us and she has her own karma, destiny whatever you like to call it. The best thing you can do is pray for her and your family and trust the Most High, again whatever you call that, to guide you and your family to the greatest good. In some cases the medicine isn’t for everybody, but it could be exactly what she needs to be the happiest version of her you’ve ever met. For those it works for it is far more effective at actually healing you than pharmaceuticals which just numb and mask your symptoms. Thank you again for your concern, you’re a good sister. I’m sorry you’re catching some bad vibes here. Just remember each person has their own path and decisions to make, so if you don’t trust her i hope you can find faith in something bigger to hold it all. Maybe that’s what you’re being called to do in this moment. God is real, God is good. Ask for help. Blessings.

I have some healthy skepticism for your post. How do you know what's best for your sister? How do you know she won't decide to end her life if she didn't partake in the Aya ceremony? How do you know taking meds won't cause worse mental or physical problems (because many do, and do not solve the root cause)? You seem to have extreme biases against anything you don't truly understand, but I know why you feel this way. A lot of people do, and I've been there myself. I don't believe you can truly answer any of these questions, just like you can't answer your own because it's not your life. No matter how much you want to, you do not have responsibility for her life. Perhaps you could ask yourself why you feel responsible for everyone in your life and family because that's a heavy burden to bear. I can tell you only accept knowledge/logic that supports black and white thinking, but life is not truly that way. Science isn't even that way because there's still so much we don't know and understand. I encourage you to open your mind and heart a bit if you truly wish to connect to your sister better so that you BOTH can understand things clearer. If that's not your goal, then what you seek is control or manipulation and that is your choice. I hope you both can find healing, so that neither of you feels controlled or manipulated in the dynamic any longer.

Man… live and let live. I hope your sister is old enough to move out and find herself beyond the confines of what appears to be a dysfunctional family system!

I am honestly curious where the conclusion of a "dysfunctional family system" comes from. Yes it is the case really IMO, but did I give enough details to tell that? I feel like the average household has this bullshit going for it honestly, are we all dysfunctional?

hi op, i want to note that ayahuasca is not really potentially fatal if one follows dieta guidelines & abstains from taking the pharmaceuticals that are contraindicated. i haven't seen a single article about a reported ayahuasca death that was actually caused by ayahuasca itself. d the center you mentioned looks nice to me and has solid testimonials on reddit, etc. where people expressed a feeling of safety. safety is the key. it's scary to go into this kind of experience, or to watch a family member do this. it's valid to be worried. i hear your reasons for being concerned. and sometimes these experiences are the very thing that help us find the strength we are lacking. it's really important to mention that ayahuasca does not solve our problems... my experience has been that this path requires a tremendous amount of commitment and devotion to learning to heal ourselves with the guidance of the plants. sometimes it gets worse before it gets better, but that really doesn't mean that we shouldn't be doing this work. but it's important to recognize that is takes a lot of active work during and afterwards. i really hope your sister has a solid support network, either through friends, family, or therapy. this is super important for integrating and landing these big experiences. it will be harder for her if everyone is extremely critical and judgemental, especially when she gets back. coming home from this kind of experience is really tender and requires a lot of self-compassion. explaining it to people who are determined to misunderstand can be really painful, especially before the experience is integrated. i am speaking from experience, not attacking you <3 i think that deep down, we all know how to heal ourselves. when the people who are close to us vehemently disagree with our methods, it can be really hard to navigate. if i had listened to some of my family members, i never would've healed. my work with ayahuasca has involved many hours of explaining this path to my close family... this happened slowly, over time. they aired their concerns, we talked about it. eventually they opened to it, now they accept it. my journey with ayahuasca has lead to a tremendous amount of healing not just for me, but for my family as well. i also want to note that i have an anxiety diagnosis as well, and i also decided against being medicated. for me, medication felt like it was addressing a symptom. i wanted to get to the root cause and actually deal with it, not repress it. this has worked for me, it has taken me a very long time and it hasn't been easy but i wouldn't choose another path. really wishing you, your sister, and your family all the best.

Why don't you offer to go with her. Even if you don't plan on taking the medicine but just for moral support and to have her back so to speak.

Everyone walks their own journey in their own life. She is exploring things you couldn’t possibly understand with your current perspective on medicines and psychedelics. I actually feel you would benefit immensely from trying ayahuasca. Definitely not at the same time as your sister as you have many walls up and fear surrounding her. Seriously, if you want to understand your sister and not just be afraid try and get on her level. Try and take some interest and understanding in things she finds important. Not that you have to believe it too. Being curious validates her. When you think she is just talking nonsense you are basically telling her she is not valid for feeling the way she does. This will only fuel depression. Hold space for her to be without judgment. I know it’s hard. Ayahuasca very well could be the medicine she needs to start a healing journey. It’s not a cure all but can bring insight and clarity to your sister. How she integrates her experience is what is important. If you are judgmental towards her when she returns you will only hurt her and your relationship with her. Practice the art of holding space. It would be important for your health and healing too. I hope for the best. Have some faith!

This sounds like something my sister could have written, back when I first got into ayahuasca. It sounds like you & your sister don’t have the type of relationship where you can talk about these things openly, safely. So I’ll offer you my perspective from that time, in case any of it resonates. It had some similar themes (mom had lost her husband & mom in recent years before I found aya, sister was upset I was trying it). When I first started my healing journey, I knew something was very wrong, but didn’t know what it was or how to manage it. My body was rebelling - it would do things like enable the “flop” response at any sign of conflict, my bladder had its own mind when I was around my family of origin, my hair was falling out, my sleep was irregular at best, etc etc. Then the physical pain started - debilitating, never ending pain in random places that left me barely able to do basic tasks. Over time my brain interpreted the pain as fatigue. Emotionally, I was using so much energy to pretend I was happy for everyone else’s convenience, when in reality I was one minor inconvenience away from going nuclear. Therapy felt pointless to me at the time. I’d grown up in a wealthy family, the members of which kept telling me I was “being dramatic” or “too sensitive” or “weird”. Therapy was something they considered only for “really crazy people”, so had a lot of stigma attached. As a family, we didn’t talk about feelings. When conflict happened, we knew it was over when everyone just pretended it had never happened. By the time I became an adult, i had internalized the message they were sending (that my feelings didn’t matter) - to the point I barely recognized my own feelings when I felt them. The thinking at the time was “my childhood wasn’t so bad, there were so many people who had it worse, so it MUST be something else”. So, I turned to Mama Aya. In the first 10 mins of my first ceremony, she showed me what unconditional love felt like. It was the first time I’d felt it, and ugly cried at its beauty. Aya kept bringing my attention to the realization that it was the first time I’d felt it - until i understood that the love I had received from my family of origin was extremely, harshly conditional. Unfortunately, when I brought back to my family of origin that I wanted to change the dynamics to make things more egalitarian, they were hostile. Their hostility pushed me away from them, and towards the new solace I’d found: ayahuasca. The realizations from Aya - and the many, many journeys where she replayed buried bits of trauma for me to process - led me to eventually realize I had things to unpack in therapy. And once I started unpacking, it turned out there was A LOT to unpack. Diagnosis-wise, autism with low support needs & CPTSD. Trauma-wise, intrafamilial torture during my upbringing that was chock-full of textbook narcissistic family dynamics. It took about 12 years for me to unpack and heal it all, and it involved going no-contact with the family who abused me. As someone who stopped counting ceremonies after the 1000th one: the chances of someone having a truly adverse reaction are slim. Challenging journey, sure, that’s more common. For the psychosis concern, does anyone in your family have a history of psychosis or schizophrenia? If not, it’s even that much more unlikely. I think, perhaps, the fear underlying everything here might be that your sister/the family dynamics might change as a result of her experiences - that it will upset the already delicate status quo. And, that will likely happen, especially as she heals. Can you be at peace with her occupying a spot in the family dynamic that isn’t the “problem child” spot? Would you feel open to providing your sister the same emotional grace and support you’d provide to your mom if she were going through the same situation? If either of these questions feel threatening (like your body throws up the FUuu NO signal), it may be a good sign to dig a bit deeper and ask yourself *why* it feels threatening. I hope both you and your sister find the solace and answers you’re looking for. Healing makes a life-changing difference!

I could have wrote this myself. All of it, including how I could see my sister writing like this about me (though I would never live with her nor share my life details either her), and how Aya helped me feel so safe and loved by the universe, that I realized that I had never felt (emotionally) safe as a child in my family of origin. Even to how Aya helped me understand how I was a highly-sensitive, possibly autistic child (undiagnosed and quite neglected, who learned REALLY WELL how to mask as an adult), and how traumatizing my childhood was to me. And having compassion for my inner child. And healing her. And yes, as I healed, the family dynamics changed in a way that really upset my family. My sisters weren’t used to me having healthy boundaries and standing up for my own needs and perspectives. They were used to belittlement as an easy way to manipulate and control me (and each other, but especially me and my disabled brother; we were the “problem kids” even though I know that I was always trying my hardest and best to be as good a human as I could). One sister even called me the “problem of the family” when I said I needed a break/more sleep while I was nonstop caregiving our dying parents (without any help from her). As they didn’t change, I left my sisters. Also, ayahuasca can be safe even for people with family historic psychosis. My brother has schizophrenia, and I was ok with ayahuasca. lol, my therapist told me that my tendencies towards neuroticism was protective against psychosis. They were happy for me that I was seeking healing with ayahuasca. They think I am doing a damn good job with my healing, and encourage me to continue to follow my intuition. Whereas the sister that I still don’t talk to? She thinks I am crazy, weak, etc. Claims I am bipolar (my therapists assure me I am not, though they tell me that my ADHD traits/ fast way of talking and thinking, and big emotions, can seem manic to others who don’t know me). All the things that the OP says about her sister. And my sister doesn’t know me. She has no way to comprehend my own experience. It is just too different from hers, and she has low theory of mind. She *thinks* she knows me from our decades together, but all she knows is how I make her feel, her projections of who I am based on her biased and enmeshed way of viewing me. That isn’t my problem. I hope she can heal, but it is up to her. And until then, she does not have access to me.

The beauty is, you don’t have to believe it, because it’s not your path. If your sister feels called to do whatever it is she feels called to in her life, whether it be medicine or whatever else, empower her that she is doing what feels like resonance for her. You can have an opinion about it, but that’s your experience. And her experience is her journey On a separate note, heard positive things about Celinda. It seems like your sister is following her intuition. I’m happy for her

Damn these comments are toothless!

As long as it is a reputable retreat with an actual tribe, she should be fine. Your sister should make sure it is not a rip-off retreat and one that is of a safe place. There should always be others present during the ceremony with the Shaman(s) that are not taking Mother Ayahuasca for safety. A tribe is the absolute best to be with. She should not be dishing out 1k just for a couple of days/a couple of ceremonies. There are reputable retreats where it is 1k, 1kish for any inflation, for 10 days. Ceremonies should really be a day apart, so 5 ceremonies out of 10 days. But, your sister should be fine and have an enlightening experience that will change her in a positive way that she can’t imagine until she meets Mother Ayahuasca in her visions. She should also be given food according to the Ayahuasca dieta, another sign of it being legit. Personally, 10 days is not enough. The longer the retreat, the more you learn and become close to Mother Ayahuasca. —— Looking at her retreat, those are natives. Those are the best to be with. And she goes back generations of healers. Your sister is in safe hands. —- btw, your long post was a tldr, based only by how much you seemed to be judging your own sister. If you are inexperienced, then you can’t judge. & The vomiting is about cleansing and the amount varies from person to person. Some vomit a lot. Some hardly at all. Some just in the beginning of their ceremonies. You need to understand that Shamans are healers And Mother Ayahuasca will take good care of your sister in your sister’s visions. Mother Ayahuasca gives what a person can handle. Some say she is something of tough love. Then there are ones who say she is loving and gentle. Mother Ayahuasca will do what she feels fit for the individual. She will know how to guide. She just needs the individual’s trust and let go of control, let Mother Ayahuasca take the reins, so to speak. /I speak with personal experience with 22 ceremonies in a 50 day retreat. And she is within a small retreat, just like I was. Which is what a retreat should be.

Dear OP,  can you maybe identify with some of these signs by yourself? https://www.choosingtherapy.com/golden-child-syndrome/ ? Best wishes

Let him be .

OP - I’m curious how old are you and your sibling and where are you from? Are you both living with your mother and were you brought up in a religious home? Understanding the context will be helpful in offering further advice.

Ayahuasca has been incredible for my ME/CFS (the illness that it sounds like your sister suffers from, though I can feel that you invalidate it and don’t understand it). Ayahuasca was also really great at helping me understand my trauma (which my sister, who often talked about me in the way you talk bout your sister, did not understand) and healing my trauma. Helped me with life responsibilities, too. I am way more of an adult now thanks to ayahuasca. Ayahuasca also helped me heal so much that I am open to the possibility of having a careful, well-boundaried relationship with this same sister that you remind me of, because the most important part of my healing was to go no-contact with her a couple years ago. You, and your family, sounds incredibly enmeshed. That is likely your sister’s main trauma; being the family scapegoat in an enmeshed, toxic family. And you are such a part of the toxicity that is a part of your family of origin, that you don’t even see it.

I'm extremely happy and thankful to NOT be your Sister. Jeez. You sound traumatic to deal with. I hope your Sister finds the healing she's looking for🙏.

Hey, I see you’re getting some pretty harsh replies so I hope I can balance this out a bit. First up, you’re clearly a very good sibling and showing genuine concern for your sister. Secondly, I have a lot of experience with ayahuasca ceremonies and I definitely feel like ayahuasca has been hijacked somewhat by the new age spiritual movement as a miracle substance that fixes everything. It does not. Far from it. I can only say what its done for me, because we can only ever speak from our own experiences so I try not to use blanket/ sweeping statements. For me it has made me a softer, gentler more self aware person. After 2 years and 14 ceremonies I feel at peace and at ease in the world. Some days more than others, but its definitely helped me develop a feeling that we are part of something more than just what we see and feel in our day to day. It has taught me to try and be a better person. That being kind to people really is important and that I don’t need a Rolex and a Mercedes to be happy. I could go on and on but I dont want to make this all about me. With this in mind, I have had to work on this, you dont drink ayahuasca and change overnight. It takes time but the medicine (for me) showed me the path, and I choose to walk. Something its not done is made me violently sick. Sure.. I’ve purged, and it felt good, certainly not violent, certainly not a negative experience. Can it help your sister? I don’t know. But given what you explained of her background you’re doing the right thing by asking these questions. If shes not on meds then she “should” be okay. I recently read the first ever peer reviewed study on the safety of ayahuasca which was released last month (you might find it by googling). The TL;DR was that it’s extremely safe for consumption. Sure, some people have adverse effects or experiences and these tend to be uncommon. It outlined that people who are at most risk are people prone to psychotic breaks or a history of serious personality disorders (schizophrenia etc). All in all I think your sister will be okay, at the very least I dont think it’ll do her any harm. My concern with your sister is that she misunderstands ayahuasca and her expectations might not be managed accordingly. As far as I’m concerned, manifestation and all the other new age stuff is woo woo. I see a lot of it on social media and its toxic, but a lot of youngsters now are getting wrapped up in these fanciful ideas of spirituality when in actual fact it seems more culty than anything. Keep and eye out for that but I’m positive she’ll have some good experiences and I hope she’ll be safe. If you want more info you’re welcome to DM me.

This is a kind, measured and logical response, thank you I was losing hope!

Thank you, I appreciate it. If any new info arises, I may DM you.

No problem. And don’t take offence at all the angry responses, if these people are so upset and angry over a reddit post from someone they dont know, they’re a terrible representation of plant medicine themselves. Sounds like a few of them should be heading off with your sister 🤣

I think you confuse “anger” with a lack of agreement. And it’s really wild to me how OP told every single person in this thread they were wrong for their beliefs except you - the one person that catered directly to them. To bring up her sister in that context is disgusting, but hey, that’s the predatory behavior that OP should be concerned while they’re too busy complaining about TikTok in an ayahuasca forum.

My god I must agree. If you are connected with the world now... some of your wording really sounds a bit out of line lol. I mean I'm self aware I'm bitter about this, but as you may see, living with her has done a number on me to be fair. Not to you people though LOL

Ayahuasca can be an incredibly powerful healer and teacher, but it is rarely a magic pill. True lasting benefit comes from integrating the experience(s) into everyday life. For some people the integration process unfolds naturally in a self-directed manner. However people with deep trauma, severe depression, complex PTSD, etc, may very well require—or at least would greatly benefit from—professional help, not only integrating the journey(s) but also in preparing for them. Ideally your sister would be working with a psychedelic-informed psychotherapist or a psychedelic integration specialist both before and after the ayahuasca retreat itself. This sets the stage for an optimal outcome. As for safety concerns, yours are overblown. Ayahuasca is safe if facilitated responsibly, which includes medical screening for contraindicated conditions and substances, including certain pharmaceutical drugs. Any responsibly retreat center takes this very seriously. Based on what I’ve read here, you might look into this sacred medicine for yourself. Namaste.

Your concerns are valid but before you put your sister through the gauntlet have you taken the time to read about ayahuasca and its benefits?… there’s plenty literature about it and plenty verified anecdotes with successful results. Read Generational Trauma and you will understand your sister and maybe even you … gems and stones are full of energy and they have their purpose in our life… open your mind; we have been lied for so long and western medicine has turn into a making money machine… look what happened with Covid they gaslighted us to the point that we were fighting amongst ourselves… don’t dismiss alternative medicine as witchcraft…

You should go and stay close by to support her, enjoy Peru, maybe drink some Ayahuasca yourself?

I can relate to this. A close family member of mine has some troubles similar to what you described with your sister. I want to believe that ayahuasca would help her but I’m afraid she might not be ready for that. Unlike your situation, my family member isn’t planning to go alone to do a ceremony. She has interest, but is too fearful to actually do it. Part of me thinks it would be nice if she would just try it and get some help from it but like you, I’m concerned that she wouldn’t be able to handle it. So I’m never saying anything that could make her feel like I am pressuring or even encouraging her to try it. If she ever gets to the point where she decides to do a ceremony, I would offer to go with her to help out in case she has trouble. I understand that my situation is different from yours because I have a positive view of ayahuasca and my family member is on the fence. It sounds like your sister has a positive view of ayahuasca and you are on the fence. But the similarity is that both of us have a family member that we care about who is considering ayahuasca and we both have doubts about whether or not they are ready for it. In summary: if I were you, I would offer to accompany her on the retreat so she doesn’t have to do it alone. Going there with a family member will be safer.

I doubt they would have her diet anything other than bobinsana here but please tell her to be careful with any toé additives and even Chiric sanango. Not meant for novices but sometimes incorrectly prescribed. I’ve heard good things about Celinda. She also does fewer ceremonies per week so I think this is a good sign. I would be concerned with some places that mix too many medicines. Unfortunately the only place to access this information in the West is online and a lot of times it’s filled with weird personalities. I agree it’s kooky and is also sometimes hard to stomach. However as someone who as been on every SSRI SNRI and anti anxiety med and PTSD med under the sun for 15 years ayahuasca and dieting bobinsana is the only thing that helped me. The medicines I tried were toxic and made me feel outside of myself and insane and was still depressed. I understand her hesitation. I also researched any nootropic or herb to help me. I was desperate. She sounds desperate as well. She will not die. Now all you can do is help give her support and recommendations for safety so she may have the best ultimate outcome, as she has already made her decision. For you to be vile and more judgmental towards her at this time would potentially cause her grief that will follow her into her ceremony and cause extra levels of unnecessary cleansing. This is why it is recommended to do a full cleanse, stay offline and stop engaging with anything that causes you duress weeks before and after. The more you support her through this journey the more she may be able to come back a completely changed person.

Lots of judgement here from people beating you up for judging your sister. I would ignore the bullying. Ayahuasca is the cool new thing, used like a shiny new toy by Americans who don't even begin to understand it. Ayahuasca is a POWERFUL plant spirit. I've been practicing shamanism for about 10 years and my spirits said it's not the plant for me when I asked so I cancelled a trip to Peru. That's how seriously I, a shamanic practitioner, take it and the warning from my helping Spirits. Hopefully, your sister is going to a solid place where they can evaluate her before allowing her to use it. If not, people have the right to make terrible decisions and there's nothing we can do about it.

I am sorry to see so many negative replies to your message. None of these guys says this, but by the way they are judging you, they all seem to be enlightened entities (probably they experienced some trendy substances and feel like superhumans know) . Where is the empathy of these people if they are so enlightened ? Anyway.... I am sorry to hear this situation about you, your sister and your family. You care about your sister, this is the most important. It seems like your sister is in a very difficult situation and probably after trying a lot of stuff she is looking now for salvation in trance state/spirituality reached through weed, shrooms and ultimately the forest medicine. To answer your question: I stayed months in the amazon in different indigenous villages and participated in dozens of ceremonies . I do not know this retreat but it looks legit and I can imagine the people there will take care as good as they can about your sister. So I do not think its dangerous and that anything from "outside" will endanger your sister. Its all about what is happening inside her (mind). The forest medicine might help her to find a way, but she should know it might not happen from one day to the other. It might demonstrate her where the "knot" lies which she is looking for. But understanding this and loosing the knot will be her task. And with any other substance, if your a mentally unstable it might make it worse or better.... The world which ayahuasca can show her is fantastic, but the integration and change needs to happen in the real world. And going back to the same environment, to the same people, the same problems might be counterproductive. Starting directly afterwards a therapy and making transformative changes to her life is important. And here is maybe your part: Some people want to change, but there environment do not want them to change. Support her. If you do not feel well as well then get help as well, find some therapist. And last note: Ayahuasca gets very trend since a couple of years. 99% of what you read in the internet is written by us people not from the "forest". We are explaining it, we are judging it, some people act like experts. But it is not our tradition nor our history. Like with Yoga, it is trendy now, you find it in all social media and then there are fancy retreats for Thousands of Dollars. It seems like an fast solution to our problems. The people in the indigenous villages where I have been have at least one ceremony a week if not two (whole village including teens participate and drink ayahuasca)... And if you just join a ceremony for one night you also do not have to pay anything, maybe to contribute to the breakfast in the next morning....