Ayahuasca Benefits & Hidden Gifts: Mental Health Beyond Expectations

By Danny Yepez, Founder of Resonance and CEO of Behold Retreats

 When Ayahuasca Seems Silent: A Message from the Heart 

As the Founder of Resonance and CEO of Behold Retreats, I’ve guided countless souls through the transformative embrace of Ayahuasca. Yet, I often hear first-timers say, “It didn’t work for me.” The disappointment weighs heavy, but as someone who’s walked this path personally and professionally, I invite you to see this not as failure, but as the opening note of a profound symphony. If you’re considering Ayahuasca for the first time, let me share why your experience may feel elusive, and how to approach this sacred medicine with clarity and trust.

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Why Use of Ayahuasca May Feel Like It “Missed the Mark”

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1.   Chasing the Mental Health Hollywood Moment

Many arrive at a retreat expecting a cinematic breakthrough of fireworks, blinding visions, instant healing, or a lightning bolt of clarity. Perhaps you’ve carried depression for years, leaned on medications, or felt lost in life’s haze, hoping one ceremony will unravel it all. I get it; I once held that hope too. But Ayahuasca isn’t a magic wand. It’s a mirror, reflecting what’s ready to be seen, not what you or your ego demand to fix. Expecting a week to rewrite decades can dim the medicine’s subtle gifts. Patience.
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2.   Benefits of Ayahuasca: Healing’s Quiet Roots   

Pain, trauma, or disconnection don’t bloom overnight. They’re woven from years, sometimes generations of suppressed emotions, choices, and wounds. By the time you feel them, they’re deep. This is where we need to step into the most. Ayahuasca works like a gardener, gently uprooting what’s buried, but this takes time. If you didn’t purge dramatically or see visions, it doesn’t mean “nothing happened.” The medicine might be softening your heart or shifting your energy in ways you’ll only notice later. Finding those quiet, silent moments will allow for more of what you experienced in ceremony to surface.  

3.   Missing the Subtle Whispers

At Behold Retreats, we emphasize that Ayahuasca speaks in many tongues; visions, emotions, physical sensations, or even silence. Most often it’s a simple knowing. A quiet ceremony can be as potent as a vivid one, recalibrating your nervous system or planting seeds for growth. If you’re focused on a specific outcome, you might overlook the medicine’s work unfolding beneath the surface.

 What Potential Benefits Ayahuasca Truly Offers 

Ayahuasca, known as “the vine of the soul,” is a sacred ally for transformation. Through Resonance and Behold Retreats, I’ve seen it guide people into a dance of death and rebirth, releasing old stories, confronting shadows, and birthing a more authentic self. It’s not about feeling “fixed” but about becoming whole. The medicine surfaces what you’ve carried; grief, shame, or self-betrayal, and asks you to let go. This can be raw, even unsettling, but it’s the path to freedom. A true sense of feeling complete.  

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Guidance for Your First Ayahuasca Journey 

If you’re feeling called to Ayahuasca, preparation and intention are everything. As someone who’s curated and guided transformative retreats worldwide, here’s my advice for first-timers:

1. Craft an Intention, Then Surrender

At Behold Retreats, we guide guests to set a clear intention, perhaps healing a specific wound, finding purpose, or deepening self-love. Write it down, but release attachment to the “how.” Ayahuasca has its own wisdom, or as I say; intelligence, often showing you what you need, not what you planned. Trust the process.

2.   Prepare with Purpose  

• Dieta: Honor the medicine with a clean diet 1–2 weeks prior. Skip alcohol, drugs, red meat, processed foods, and heavy spices to purify your body and heighten sensitivity. Having the right alchemy in the body is essential to integrate Ayahuasca into our system. 
• Mindset: Spend time in nature, meditate, or journal to quiet your mind. Limit screen time and stress to create space for introspection. Slow down. 
• Emotional Readiness: Reflect on your fears or hopes with a trusted friend or coach. At Behold, we offer pre-retreat consultations to align your heart and mind.  Our 7 week program is a complete path to your success. 

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3.   Choose a Trusted Retreat  

• Seek centers rooted in authenticity, like those we partner with at Behold Retreats. Look for experienced shamans, ideally from Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, or Colombia, with a lineage or practice of integrity. Check reviews on platforms like [Aya Advisors](https://www.ayaadvisors.org/). 
• Prioritize safety: small groups (6–10 people), medical screenings, and trained facilitators are non-negotiable.  Safety brings trust.
• Avoid flashy retreats promising instant enlightenment. True healing respects time and depth.  Create the time and space for the work ahead. 

4.   Embrace the Ceremony  

• A ceremony lasts 4–6 hours, often with purging, sacred songs (also commonly known as "icaros"), and a spectrum of experiences, visions, emotions, or stillness. There’s no “right” way to feel.  Trust the process.
•  Lean into the guidance. At Behold, our facilitators create a safe container for whatever arises.  Taking the proper care to support your process. 

5.   Commit to Integration  

The real work begins post-ceremony. Plan for 6–12 months of integration with a coach or therapist versed in plant medicine (find them via [Psychedelic Support](https://psychedelicsupport.com/)) or visit Behold’s site for our professional team (Healing Relationship | Pablo | Amina | Facilitators & Medicine Guides)

Journal, practice mindfulness, and track subtle shifts—better sleep, new insights, or emotional lightness. These are the medicine’s fingerprints.  

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Join our Resonance community or groups like, Ayahuasca Foundation for ongoing support, or our Church Alliance. 

6.   Trust Your Pace

Healing can stir discomfort as old wounds surface. If you feel “worse” or “unchanged,” it’s often a sign the medicine is working, stirring what’s ready to release.  

Be gentle with yourself. A single ceremony is a chapter, not the whole book.  

Be patient.  Allow for time and space to recall from the subconscious.  

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How Long Does Transformation Take?  

At Behold Retreats, we design journeys for lasting change; typically a 1–3 month preparation, 3–5 ceremonies over time, and 6–12 months of integration. Other medicine modalities are often recommended to further the work or exploration. Decades of pain won’t dissolve in a week; your soul unfolds at its own rhythm. With dedication, I’ve seen guests emerge freer, clearer, and more alive than they imagined possible.

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Is the Effect of Ayahuasca Worth It?

If you crave liberation from old patterns, inner weight, or a life half-lived ayahuasca is a powerful guide. But it’s not a sprint. It’s like a great novel: walk away early, and you’ll miss the plot’s beauty. Stay curious, and you’ll uncover a version of yourself that’s radiant, resilient, and true. A marathon can show you a lot more than a race.

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Resources to Support Your Path  

Books:

The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby

Plant Spirit Medicine by Eliot Cowan

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Articles:

“Ayahuasca Integration: Tools for Lasting Change” (Chacruna)

“Preparing for Your First Ceremony” (Behold Retreats Blog)  

Communities:

Resonance Community

Ayahuasca Foundation

Support:

Explore our coaching at Behold Retreats or find facilitators via MAPS Integration  

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 A Personal Invitation 

Ayahuasca is a sacred teacher, not a quick fix. As someone who’s witnessed its miracles through Resonance and Behold Retreats, I urge you to approach it with reverence and patience. If you’re ready to explore, our team is here to guide you from ‘preparation to integration’ with heart and expertise. You’re not alone on this journey and most importantly a growing community of likeminded humans ready to integrate with you along the way. 

‍Learn more about our retreats at Behold-Retreats.com or connect with me http://linkedin.com/in/danielyepez for resources on plant medicine healing.

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