It can be disheartening to sit in an Ayahuasca ceremony, drink the medicine, and feel… nothing. While others around you may be deep in their process—purging, crying, receiving visions—you’re left wondering what went wrong. If this has happened to you, know that you’re not alone, and more importantly, it doesn’t mean Ayahuasca didn’t work.
These type of experiences in a way can be the most challenging one’s, confronting us with our judgement, lack of patience, trust and making us questions if something is wrong with us… beginning of a deeper journey, one that’s asking for patience, preparation, and trust.
So what does it mean, how can you avoid it the next time and how can you still benefit from it?
Key takeaways
- Approaching Ayahuasca with high expectations may hinder the experience. Letting go of rigid expectations allows for a more profound connection.
- Acknowledging individual differences in metabolism and ensuring proper dietary preparation are essential steps to enhance the Ayahuasca experience.
- Not feeling Ayahuasca right away is a normal part of the process—it doesn’t always go from zero to profound overnight. Often, the medicine begins by helping you face and feel the very blockages that have kept you disconnected, and that alone is meaningful progress.
Table of Contents
From my personal experience
This happened to me in my very first ceremony. After three cups, I still wasn’t feeling anything—aside from the growing frustration that nothing seemed to be happening. Eventually, I decided to go for a fourth cup, and that’s when something opened. Suddenly, I was flooded with a deep sense of connection and unconditional love flowing through me.
Looking back, it wasn’t that the first three cups weren’t working. The medicine was gently peeling back the layers—layers I had built up over time, subconsciously afraid to truly feel. Each cup was slowly softening the walls I didn’t even know I had. The indigenous always speak about patience, and it’s one of the hardest things to truly embody in this work. But there’s always a reason, and I encourage you to trust your process—especially when it seems like nothing is happening.
Your expectations and the Ayahuasca Effects
Expectations can quietly get in the way of your connection with Ayahuasca. It’s normal to hope for a certain kind of experience, but when you hold on too tightly to how it should look or feel, you may actually block the very thing you’re seeking.
Ayahuasca is more like a relationship you build than a substance you control. If you only value someone when they behave exactly how you want, the relationship suffers. The same is true with this medicine—it asks for trust, not control.
The real opening often happens when you let go. When you drop the need to force an outcome and allow the experience to unfold in its own time, Ayahuasca has a way of meeting you where you are—and often in ways you didn’t expect.
Find out if Ayahuasca is right for you
- Will you be safe physically and emotionally?
- How will you be supported in the ceremony?
- How do the facilitators handle difficult situations?
- How will you be able to process the experience?
- You want change, but will your life be unrecognizable after Ayahuasca?
+ 13 things to consider before drinking Ayahuasca?
Why some people don’t feel the effects
Psychological Resistance:
Your mindset plays a significant role in how Ayahuasca affects you. If you’re holding onto fear, skepticism, or a need for control, these mental barriers can inhibit the medicine’s ability to connect with you. Being overly analytical or resistant to emotional vulnerability can also create obstacles.
Psychological resistance can also show up as:
- Subsonsiscous resistance to meet yourself.
- Having a deep level of trauma.
It’s part of the process
It’s part of the process
When someone doesn’t feel the effects of Ayahuasca, it’s easy to slip into doubt—questioning the experience, feeling let down, or assuming it simply didn’t work. Many begin to lose faith, thinking they’ve wasted their time or money. But after guiding hundreds of people each year, we see this more often than most would expect. And in the vast majority of cases, it’s not a failure—it’s just part of their unique process.
It’s the beginning of opening. Of slowly peeling back the layers that have been built over time. Sometimes Ayahuasca brings us face to face with parts of ourselves we’d rather not see—the skeptic, the inner critic, the constant overthinker. And just by observing these mental patterns, we begin the process of releasing them. Energetic clearing doesn’t always come with visions—it often begins with simply seeing ourselves more clearly.
Pay Attention to the Days After
It can be that people have a non – experience in the ceremony. But the next day(s) they feel a level of peace they haven’t felt in a long time. In these caes, people often say, the Ayahuasca didn’t work, what they fail to make is the connection. Ayahuasca is not just an experience. Not just the effects that you feel in the ceremony, but even more the messages, that are coming in the coming days. The things that trigger you, the things that move you, the feelings you are going through.
Individual Differences in Metabolism
Each person’s body processes substances differently. Factors like genetics, liver enzyme activity, and gut health can influence how Ayahuasca is metabolized, potentially leading to a muted experience.
Not doing the diet correctly, especially consuming cannabis
Traditional Ayahuasca practices emphasize on preparation—both physically and mentally. Following dietary guidelines and avoiding substances like alcohol, certain medications, and especially cannabis is essential. Cannabis, in particular, can dull emotional sensitivity and create a layer of numbness that makes it harder for the medicine to fully reach you. A clean body and a clear mind help you become more receptive to the subtle and deep work Ayahuasca is here to do.
Drinking Ayahuasca for recreational purposes
Ayahuasca works on a deep, intelligent level—it meets you exactly where you are. If you’re approaching the ceremony from a place of “having an experience” without a profound intention, or you’re subconsciously not ready to face what’s within, the medicine often won’t take you very far. It’s not about being punished or denied an experience—it’s that Ayahuasca seems to wait until you’re truly ready to go deeper. This isn’t a recreational substance; it’s a profound process that unfolds when the inner conditions align.
What to Do When Ayahuasca Doesn’t Seem to Work
Stay Open-Minded
Instead of immediately dismissing the experience, remain open-minded. Ayahuasca works in mysterious ways, and the lack of perceived effects during a ceremony doesn’t necessarily mean the medicine isn’t working on a deeper level.
Pay attention to Integration
Reflect on the ceremony during the integration period. Sometimes, the effects become more apparent in the days and weeks following the ceremony as the mind processes and integrates the experiences.
Sometimes you just need more Ayahuasca
There are times when the journey with Ayahuasca doesn’t take you as deep as you had hoped—and that’s perfectly okay. Patience with yourself and the process is essential. If you find your mind looping or getting stuck in overthinking, sometimes an additional cup, taken with intention can help shift you out of the head and into the heart, where profound shifts can happen.
Preventative Measures for a More Profound Ayahuasca Experience
Mindful Meditation and Breathwork
Incorporate mindfulness practices and breathwork into your routine leading up to the ceremony. These techniques can help calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and create a more receptive mental state.
Set Intentions
Clearly define your intentions for the ceremony. This can help create a focused and purposeful mindset, allowing Ayahuasca to work more effectively in addressing specific aspects of your life.
Take a purgative and follow dietary instructions
The more you purify the body beforehand, the more easily you can receive the deeper messages of the medicine, rather than spending the ceremony focused on physical cleansing. In the Kamsa Biya tradition, there’s a rich understanding of plant-based purgatives—powerful allies that help prepare the body for a deeper connection with Ayahuasca. These traditional cleanses can open the way for the spiritual work to unfold with greater clarity and depth.
Be present during the ceremony
Do not fall asleep, be as mindful as possible during your Ayahuasca journey. Falling asleep could prevent you from having a deeper experience. Sitting instead of laying down can also help, as the Ayahuasca is digested in the stomach. Laying down can slow down the process as well.
Try Bufo
Some people, after experiencing minimal effects from Ayahuasca, have turned to Bufo and found it to be a catalyst for breaking down barriers. This ‘opening’ effect can then make it easier to connect with Ayahuasca in the future, helping your body have a stronger reset.
Conclusions
Not feeling Ayahuasca in your first ceremony—or even in multiple ceremonies—is more common than you might think. It doesn’t mean something went wrong. It often means something is quietly, subtly beginning. Whether it’s layers of protection, subconscious resistance, or the body still in the process of clearing—your journey is unfolding exactly as it needs to.
Ayahuasca works in ways that don’t always match our expectations. The medicine meets you where you are, and sometimes, the first step is simply helping you become aware of the very parts of you that stand in the way of deeper connection. If you can stay patient, open, and engaged with the process—both during and after ceremony—you’ll begin to feel what so many others have: that the medicine has been working all along.
Trust that something is happening, even if you can’t yet see it. The path to healing isn’t linear—but it is deeply intelligent.
FAQs
What can I do if I don’t feel the effects of Ayahuasca?
If you didn’t feel the effects immediately, stay open-minded and explore the experience during the integration period. Reflect on the ceremony, seek guidance from experienced facilitators or practitioners, and consider additional practices to enhance your connection with Ayahuasca. Sometimes, the medicine’s impact becomes more apparent over time.
How can I prepare for an Ayahuasca ceremony to ensure a more profound experience?
Preparation is key. Follow the traditional Ayahuasca diet guidelines, engage in mindful meditation and breathwork leading up to the ceremony, and set clear intentions. A clean diet prepares the body, while mindfulness practices create a receptive mental state. Setting intentions helps guide the experience, allowing Ayahuasca to work more effectively on specific aspects of your life.
