Ayahuasca Ceremony Testimonials: Real Participant Stories of Sacred Medicine and Spiritual Renewal

Real participants at Earth Connection Community describe ayahuasca ceremony in terms that are consistent across the accounts shared here: a sacred container held with unusual care, a facilitator whose integrity is felt immediately, and a community whose depth surprises nearly everyone who enters it.

The decision to sit in ayahuasca ceremony is among the most serious a person can make. It requires discernment, preparation, and a quality of trust that intellectual research alone cannot produce. For many people approaching that decision, the most valuable thing they can encounter is an authentic voice — someone who has actually walked this path and is willing to describe what they found.

All participant accounts below are real, shared voluntarily by ECC community members and used here with permission. No accounts have been invented or supplemented with invented detail. This matters. Misinformation is common in this field, and testimonials are easily faked. The only testimonials worth anything are the ones that actually happened.

What Do Participants Say About Feeling Safe in Ceremony?

Safety is the most consistent theme across participant accounts — not safety in the sense of physical comfort, but the deeper experience of being held within a ceremonial container that can bear the weight of whatever arises.

For first-time participants especially, arriving at ceremony involves a profound vulnerability. Most are entering unfamiliar interior territory, uncertain of what the sacred medicine will reveal. The quality of the ceremonial container determines whether what arises can be received openly — or must be met with resistance and contraction.

Parker Slade, a ceremony participant, reflects on his first encounter with the medicine:

"The facilitators and staff poured their love and attention into their work, making me feel welcomed and supported during my first encounter with the medicine."

Parker Slade, Ceremony Participant

Everett Smith describes a similar experience of comprehensive support:

"I felt safe, incredibly supported during my first experience with the medicine. The facilitators are excellent at their craft and support you in every step of the journey."

Everett Smith, Ceremony Participant

Alfiya K captures both the relational and the physical dimensions of the ceremonial space:

"It's a very special place. Personally for me it was the most beautiful and powerful experience. The container felt safe and supportive, the land is magical and alive."

Alfiya K, Ceremony Participant

What these accounts share is an experience of a container that was not improvised or casual. It was a ceremonial space shaped by genuine care, sustained attention, and reverence — for the sacred medicine, and for the people who came to sit with it. Adrián Núñez, a returning participant, describes the craft behind this:

"The way they curate the container, care for every detail of the space and journey, and how they facilitate the medicine with so much respect and humility, all truly creates a safe space for deep healing and transformation."

Adrián Núñez, Returning Participant

Key Takeaway: Participants at ECC consistently describe the ceremonial container as one of safety and genuine care — built through deliberate attention to every detail of the space, the ritual, and the people within it.

What Does Sacred Ayahuasca Ceremony Actually Feel Like?

Every ceremony is unique. The Shipibo tradition holds that the medicine meets each person in the places that are most ready to open — which means no two ceremony experiences unfold in quite the same way.

What participants consistently describe, however, is the encounter with something genuinely real: something beyond ordinary consciousness, met within a space that had been prepared to receive it with integrity.

Nicole, a first-time participant, describes her ceremony in language that captures both the personal and the communal dimensions of the experience:

"The sacrament opened me in ways I didn't expect, bringing spiritual growth, release, and clarity. What made it even more powerful was the circle I shared it with. The friendships, the community, and the love that held us all together reminded me that we grow not only within ourselves but also through each other. I am deeply grateful for the medicine, the spiritual lessons, and the people who made this journey unforgettable."

Nicole, First-Time Participant

What Nicole describes is spiritual renewal: the opening of something already present within her, now illuminated by the sacred medicine and held by the community in the circle. It is the language of restored relationship — to herself, to her circle, to the divine — not of a clinical outcome or a therapeutic effect. The phrase "we grow not only within ourselves but also through each other" points to something central to the ceremonial tradition: this is a communal practice, not a solo experience.

To understand more about what the ceremony experience involves on a practical and spiritual level, see our companion guide: What Does Ayahuasca Feel Like? Honest Ceremony Accounts.

Key Takeaway: Participants describe ayahuasca ceremony at ECC as a genuine spiritual encounter — characterized by unexpected opening, clarity, and gratitude — made more powerful by the community that holds it.

What Do Participants Say About Kano's Facilitation?

The quality of ayahuasca ceremony is inseparable from the quality of the person who holds it. This is why discernment about which ceremony to attend — and who facilitates it — is among the most consequential decisions a prospective participant can make. Choosing a facilitator means choosing the quality of the container that will hold your most vulnerable interior territory.

At Earth Connection Community, ceremony is led by Kano, a ceremony facilitator who trained with the Shipibo lineage in the jungles of Peru. He has served the sacred medicine in ceremonial context for many years. Participants who have sat in ceremony with Kano return, again and again, to a quality of presence that is difficult to articulate — and impossible to miss once you have been in the room with it.

Sara Sepehri speaks to the depth of his lineage training:

"Kano serves this medicine with utmost integrity and respect to the Shipibo lineage. He has studied with this tribe in the jungles of Peru for many years."

Sara Sepehri, Ceremony Participant

Rebecca Nix describes the particular quality of his presence in ceremony:

"Kano carries himself with a level of humility that's rare. In his presence, there is a quiet strength and wisdom that naturally creates a sense of trust."

Rebecca Nix, Ceremony Participant

Amir Khalighi names what that presence actually does in the ceremonial space:

"Kano carries a grounded presence that allows others to settle, to open, and to trust the process they are in. He does not rush, fix, or impose."

Amir Khalighi, Ceremony Participant

Sarah Rabideau connects his qualities directly to the sense of safety they create:

"Kano holds space with integrity, clarity, and calmness. He brings a grounded, steady energy that creates genuine safety and trust."

Sarah Rabideau, Ceremony Participant

Joe Williams describes what sitting with Kano helped him understand about ceremony itself:

"It wasn't until I sat with Kano that I understood what it means to truly hold space with integrity and be in service to the medicine."

Joe Williams, Ceremony Participant

Juliana Ossa, who has been part of the ECC community since 2021, describes the sustained quality of that holding over time:

"Kano holds space with integrity, respect, and professionalism, creating a deep sense of safety and connection to the healing power of the plants."

Juliana Ossa, Community Member since 2021

Sarah Lee speaks to the experience of recognizing immediately that she had found the right guide:

"Being relatively new to plant medicine, finding the right guide felt important — and the moment I joined Kano's ceremony, I knew I had."

Sarah Lee, Ceremony Participant

Alexandra Kennedy names the three qualities that participants return to again and again:

"Earth Connection Community creates a beautiful container for the medicine to do its work. The shaman Kano has a strong, confident, and kind presence."

Alexandra Kennedy, Ceremony Participant

These accounts come from people who attended across different years, different ceremony groupings, and different personal circumstances. Their consistency reflects something more than positive sentiment — it reflects the quality of a practitioner whose relationship with the medicine and the tradition runs deep.

To learn more about what to look for when choosing a ceremony and facilitator, see: Best Ayahuasca Retreats in the USA: How to Choose Safely.

Key Takeaway: Participant accounts spanning multiple years consistently name Kano's integrity, humility, and grounded presence as central to their ceremony experience. His training in the Shipibo lineage — and his stance of not rushing, fixing, or imposing — are reflected in the trust participants describe feeling in his presence.

What Is the Ceremony Community Like at Earth Connection Community?

People preparing for their first ceremony often underestimate one thing: the role of the community gathered in the circle.

Ceremony in the Shipibo tradition is not a solo experience. The circle of participants co-creates the ceremonial container alongside the facilitator. What each person brings into that space — their quality of attention, their willingness to be present for others, the spiritual intention they carry — shapes what arises for everyone. Ceremony is not transactional. It is communal.

Brody Johnson, a returning participant, describes the ongoing quality of the community over time:

"Earth Connection Community holds a beautiful space for healing and connection to self, community, and source. The container is always well structured, thoughtful, and I feel held and safe."

Brody Johnson, Returning Participant

Nicole captures the way ceremony can create unexpected bonds among participants who entered as strangers:

"The friendships, the community, and the love that held us all together reminded me that we grow not only within ourselves but also through each other."

Nicole, First-Time Participant

This communal dimension extends beyond the ceremonial nights themselves. Many participants describe ECC as an ongoing community, a sustained connection among those who have sat in ceremony together. They call it one of the most meaningful and unexpected parts of their experience. Ceremony opens something. The community holds what was opened.

Key Takeaway: The ceremonial community at ECC is consistently described as a source of unexpected spiritual depth. The circle is not incidental to the experience — it is part of what makes the container hold and the medicine work.

Why Do Participants Return to ECC Ceremony?

The most reliable signal of a ceremonial community's integrity is whether people return. Ceremony, done well, is not a one-time event. It is the beginning of an ongoing relationship — with the sacred medicine, with the community, and with the parts of oneself that ceremony continues to reveal.

Brody Johnson's account emphasizes that the quality of the container is reliably present. It is not a matter of a particular night or a particularly receptive ceremony group — it is consistent across time. "The container is always well structured, thoughtful" — the word "always" is not incidental. It reflects a practitioner and a community whose integrity does not fluctuate.

Adrián Núñez returns because of the level of care in how every element of the space and journey is held — "the way they curate the container, care for every detail." This is the quality of a ceremonial practice that treats each ceremony as its own complete offering, not a repeated performance.

Returning participants bring something important to the ceremonial circle too. They carry the experience of having moved through ceremony before, and new participants often feel that groundedness in the room. This mixture of first-time and returning participants reflects the depth and continuity of the community that has formed over years.

If you are considering your first ceremony, the full arc of the journey is described here: The Ayahuasca Journey: From Calling to Ceremony to Integration. For guidance on what to do after ceremony to honor what arose, see: Ayahuasca Integration: How to Honor Your Ceremony.

Key Takeaway: The presence of returning participants in ECC ceremonies reflects a community whose integrity sustains over time — not built on novelty or intensity, but on the consistent quality of the container, the facilitator, and the relationships formed within the circle.

How Do You Know You Are Ready for Ayahuasca Ceremony?

Discernment is the practice that precedes ceremony. The participant accounts above come from different people, different circumstances, and different years. Yet they share one common quality: everyone arrived carrying something participants themselves often describe as a sense of being called — a genuine spiritual intention, not the curiosity or therapeutic hope that might bring someone to a secular retreat instead.

What does that calling look like? The accounts above offer some orientation:

• A felt sense of readiness, not just interest. There is a difference between wanting to explore ayahuasca and feeling that the time for ceremony has arrived. Many participants describe "knowing" something had shifted in their readiness — a conviction, not just a desire.

• Willingness to meet what arises. Nicole's account describes the medicine opening her "in ways I didn't expect." That kind of openness is not accidental — it is a quality of engagement that participants bring into ceremony, not something the ceremony produces without preparation.

• Honest self-reflection. Earth Connection Community's intake screening process is designed for exactly this: a genuine conversation about where you are, what you are carrying, and whether ceremony is right for you at this time. It is not a gatekeeping exercise. It is the first step of the journey itself.

For guidance on how to prepare spiritually, physically, and emotionally for ceremony, see: How to Prepare for an Ayahuasca Ceremony: The Complete Guide. For a broader context on the sacred tradition of ayahuasca ceremony, see: What Is an Ayahuasca Ceremony? Your Complete Sacred Guide.

These accounts describe experiences within RFRA-protected religious ceremony at a 501(c)(3) religious organization. Individual experiences vary. Sacred ceremony is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health care. If you are in emotional distress, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) or the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) before considering ceremony participation.

Begin Your Journey

Every story in this article began the same way: with someone who felt called, and who chose to take the first step. If these accounts resonate with something you recognize in yourself — if you feel drawn not from casual curiosity but from something more settled — we invite you to begin with an intake screening conversation.

This is not a commitment to ceremony. It is an honest conversation about whether ceremony is right for you at this time, and whether Earth Connection Community is the right home for your path.

Visit our ceremony retreats page to learn more and request an intake screening.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ayahuasca Ceremony Testimonials

Are the participant accounts on this page real?

Yes. Every account on this page was shared voluntarily by real ECC community members and is used with permission. No accounts have been invented, combined from multiple people, or embellished beyond what was actually expressed by the participant.

Can I speak with past participants before attending ceremony?

ECC respects the privacy of all community members. We do not facilitate direct introductions between prospective participants and past participants. The intake screening conversation is the appropriate place to ask questions about the community, the ceremony experience, and what to expect.

Do participants always have profound experiences in ceremony?

No. The sacred medicine does not guarantee any particular outcome, and the accounts of beauty and transformation shared here are real but not universal. Some ceremonies are quiet. Some are challenging. Some reveal things that require sustained integration. What the container provides is a space in which whatever arises — whether dramatic or subtle — can be met with care and spiritual support.

What is the Shipibo lineage that participants mention?

The Shipibo are an indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon. Their tradition of ayahuasca ceremony and icaros (sacred medicine songs) is among the most respected in the ayahuasca world. Kano trained with this tradition in Peru before bringing ceremony work to Earth Connection Community. This lineage shapes both the ceremonial form and the spiritual framework within which the medicine is served at ECC.

How do I know if ECC is the right ceremony community for me?

The intake screening conversation is designed for exactly this question. It is an honest dialogue — not a sales conversation — about whether your spiritual intentions, your circumstances, and your readiness align with what ECC offers. Many people who reach out discover that the time isn't right yet; others discover that what they've been seeking is exactly what ceremony here can offer. Either outcome is the right one.