what to expect Before, during and after your journey
prior to your ceremony
Prior to your treatment I will set up a phone consultation and ask you to complete a Health Questionnaire. During your phone interview, we will discuss your needs, your health history, and what you can expect during the ceremony. At this time we will also set up your appointment.
A Kambo ceremony can be emotionally, spiritually, and physically beneficial, it can also be taxing on your system. As you prepare for your ceremony there are a few simple steps you can take to avoid unnecessary discomfort. It is of the utmost importance that you disclose all of your current medications and any history of physical and/or mental illness before you receive Kambo. Such conditions are not always contraindications, so please be honest.
In the week prior to your appointment it is very important that you try to eat fresh and healthy foods and if possible eliminate meat from your diet. This is especially important for the 2 or 3 days immediately before the ceremony, you should also avoid heavy or spicy foods. Do not drink alcohol or use recreational drugs including Cannabis. Many people use Cannabis on a regular basis, but if you choose to participate in a Kambo Ceremony, you should refrain from Cannabis use for at least a 2-3 days before and after your Kambo ceremony.
There is also a mandatory 10-12 hour fast in advance of your ceremony. In the days prior to your fast, you should be sure to incorporate plenty of water into your diet to fully hydrate your system. Keeping your electrolyte levels up will allow you to arrive for your session with plenty of energy and stamina to complete the experience. On the day of your session, I will ask you to drink 2L of water approximately 1 hour prior to your session. I will also have water on-hand should you need it.
the ceremony
Your session will be approximately 2 hours from start to finish. It will begin with us revisiting your Health Questionnaire to ensure that nothing has changed since we spoke during our phone consultation and to verify your fast and that you have consumed adequate water. We will do some light stretching to get your blood flowing and to get the body relaxed and grounded. Kambo can be a profound and life-changing experience. In order to create a safe and sacred space, I will be smudging the space, you, myself and my tools. I will be calling in the healing energies of the Spirit of Sapo, Universal Energy and Mother Earth.
Creating a sacred space and receptive mindset is very important to receive the maximum healing benefits during your ceremony. Upon completion of smudging, we will perform some breathing exercises and I will tap into your energy. We will then have further discussion regarding your intention for the ceremony and what you hope to accomplish on your healing journey. We will be working with intense energies, it is important that you are open to the process and have a clear and receptive mind-set. Kambo has the amazing ability to provide you with a fresh perspective on life, your patterns and programming. This can result in the emotional and/or physical release of negative energies you may have been carrying around for years and/or lifetimes, hence your openness and receptive energy is so important to this process.
Before we apply Kambo to your body we will sit together and determine the appropriate number of points and where they will be placed. The method of administration is via small burns, or “gates”. The burns are superficial and I take great care to make this part of the process as quick and painless as possible. There is always a risk of minor scarring from the burns, however most people view the tiny marks as a badge of honor from their Kambo experience.
Once the gates have been placed, I will mix the medicine and apply it to your gates. You may begin to feel the effects immediately. Approximately a minute or two after Kambo is applied you will likely begin to feel a flush of heat rising through your body. This is often accompanied by a tingling sensation in your extremities. Some people experience a warming of the body and begin to perspire as the peptides begin to act. Your blood pressure will rise and you will likely feel your heartbeat faster. The feeling of the Kambo rushing through your lymphatic system is similar to a mild allergic reaction. Your body senses the in-rushing peptides and begins to interact with them. Each person will have their own experience and generally no experience is ever the same.
While the Kambo application is scanning your body and working on your intention, I will be there to hold space for you the entire time and use my experience with Kambo to keep you safe and help you make the most of your ceremony. I may use shamanic tools to break up stagnant energy and help guide any negative energy out of your body; this is what is called a “purge”. I will take cues from your energy, your body and the Spirit of Sapo on how to assist. During your “purge” you may experience extreme nausea, an extreme urge to defecate, profuse sweating, yawning, crying, burping, laughing or the urge to make noises of release.
The application will remain on your body for approximately 20-30 minutes. Once removed, your gates will be dressed with a natural antiseptic, indigenous to the Amazon called Sangre de Drago, or Dragon’s Blood. This natural latex dressing will protect your small burns and should remain on them until it falls off on its own. Allowing the Dragon’s Blood to remain on your gates will also reduce the likelihood that you will have any infection or long term scarring.
Following your ceremony you will be offered a place to rest and fresh organic fruit and calming tea to help you restore your energy and blood sugar levels. Feel free to have any foods or fluids on hand that you would like to consume after your treatment. I personally like oranges, pineapple, mango, avocado and bananas after a session. Typically, your body will need to rest anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Everyone is different, your body will let you know when you are ready to get up and carry on with the rest of your day.
Integration
Please remember, no two people have the same experience during their ceremony. You may feel anything from emotional/physical exhaustion to euphoria or a burst of energy following your treatment. After your ceremony, limit your activity to having a healthy meal of natural food, relaxing and being kind to yourself. It can be very therapeutic to sit in nature and/or take a hot salt bath (Epsom or Himalayan) to help ground you. Your body, mind and soul are still hard at work processing the Kambo.
Take as much time as you need to integrate your experience. Your initial impression of events may not necessarily be the same in a day, a week or a month as you process the experience. Change is never easy, remember, Kambo continues to work long after it is removed from your gates. The healing nature of Kambo becomes evident as you are able to reflect on the experience, integrate the lessons you have learned and release old patterns and habits. With conscious effort, and if you are dedicated to your own emotional, physical, and spiritual transformation, you will eventually see cathartic results. Kambo may catalyze this process, but it is still up to you to do the work!
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