A mushroom ceremony is a sacred healing ritual using psilocybin mushrooms, rooted in ancient Mesoamerican tradition. With intention, guidance, and integration, it offers emotional release, deep insight, and spiritual awakening—not a trip, but a transformation.
What if one experience could unravel trauma, reconnect you with your true self, and reshape how you see the world?
This is the question we sit with before every mushroom ceremony. We’ve seen it change over a thousand lives.
For the curious reader, I’m glad you’re here. Let’s make one thing clear upfront. This isn’t a recreational escape.
A mushroom ceremony is a sacred, intentional healing experience. Rooted in ancient Mexican traditions and supported by modern therapeutic insights, it’s a guided journey into your inner world, led by the medicine of psilocybin mushrooms and the wisdom of your soul.
Roots in Mexico: The Ancient History of Sacred Mushrooms
In the lush mountains of Oaxaca, the Mazatec people have been holding sacred mushroom ceremonies, known as veladas, for generations. These aren’t casual gatherings. They’re prayers in motion—ceremonial spaces for healing, guided by curanderas (female healers) who serve as midwives between worlds.
María Sabina, the most well-known Mazatec healer, opened the door for the Western world to witness the power of these ceremonies. But her work wasn’t about fame—it was about healing through humility, prayer, and mushrooms..
Rituals weren’t written in books. They were passed down orally, through songs, chants, dreams, and presence.
These ceremonies used Psilocybe mexicana, a small but potent mushroom considered a spiritual teacher in and of itself. In Mazatec tradition, the mushrooms are called niños santos—the “holy children”—because of their profound, instructive energy. You don’t take them. You meet them.
Mushrooms in Mesoamerican Cosmology
Long before psilocybin was a research trend, it was sacred medicine—a way to speak with the gods. Stone carvings and codices from Aztec and Zapotec civilizations depict mushroom deities and ceremonies.
Across Mesoamerican cultures, mushrooms were seen as divine messengers. They weren’t ingested for entertainment or curiosity—they were taken to access insight, prophecy, and connection with the spirit realm. The belief was that these fungi could open portals—not just to other dimensions, but to deeper truths buried in the soul.
Celestial timing mattered. Ceremonies were often held on full moons, equinoxes, solstices, or during powerful astrological transits. Why? Because timing amplifies intention. The ancients knew that when the heavens align, so does the heart.
Even today, many facilitators (myself included) choose intentional dates to harness this natural energy and deepen the work.
What Happens During a Mushroom Ceremony?
Every ceremony begins before the first mushroom is ever consumed. It starts with the space.
We create a sacred container—a ceremonial field designed to hold your process with safety, reverence, and intention. This isn’t just ambiance; it’s energetic preparation.
- We build altars with flowers, candles, sacred symbols, and personal items from participants.
- We burn copal—a traditional Mesoamerican resin—to cleanse the air and invite in guidance.
- Crystals are placed with intention to ground and amplify energy.
- Prayers are spoken aloud to call in protection, clarity, and healing.
Your mindset (set) and your environment (setting) shape the entire experience. A safe, intentional space helps you open—without fear. It signals to your nervous system: “You’re held. You can let go now.
Practices Used in Ceremony
Once the container is set, we drop into the deeper work.
- We begin with breathwork, softening the body and calming the mind.
- Drumming and chanting guide participants into altered states and rhythmic surrender.
- We sing icaros and medicina songs—live, from the heart. These aren’t performances. They’re vibrational tools for clearing, guiding.
- At times, we sit in silence, allowing the mushrooms and your inner wisdom to lead.
- Guided visualizations may be offered early on, helping you anchor an intention or call in support.
The Role of the Guide or Facilitator
There’s a difference between a shaman, a facilitator, a therapist, and an integration coach. Titles are helpful, but they don’t tell you the whole story.
- A shaman may carry lineage-based rituals passed through generations.
- A facilitator may be trained in trauma-informed support and sacred spaceholding.
- A therapist brings psychological insight but may lack spiritual nuance.
- An integration coach supports you after the ceremony, helping you process and ground.
The Psilocybin Experience
The mushrooms begin quietly.
Within the first 30 to 60 minutes, you may feel your senses awaken—colors brighter, sounds more vivid, breath deeper. Then, the waves come.
Emotion may rise, from grief to laughter, from awe to fear and suddenly to ecstasy—perhaps all at once.
Visions may surface—of loved ones, memories, symbolic landscapes, or the face of your inner child, and time may become meaningless. You might feel yourself outside your body, or more fully in it than ever before.
You may cry. You may tremble. You may even vomit.
“Yes, sometimes you cry uncontrollably. You may even purge or tremble. These are not signs of things going wrong—they’re signs that your body is processing, releasing, and recalibrating.” — Amanda Schendel, The Buena Vida
Which Psilocybin Mushrooms are Used during a Ceremony
Not all mushrooms are the same—and neither are the journeys they take you on.
At The Buena Vida, we most often work with Psilocybe cubensis. This species is widely used in modern psychedelic retreats because of its accessibility, balanced intensity, and ability to open deep emotional channels without overwhelming the system.
Historically, however, many indigenous Mexican healers—especially in Mazatec communities—used Psilocybe mexicana. These are the sacred mushrooms (niños santos) that María Sabina used in her veladas. Though smaller in size, they carry an unmistakable spiritual weight.
Strain, dose, and context all matter.
Some strains may be more visionary or heart-centered, and others might lean into body sensations or deep emotional release.
Are Other Plant Medicines Used Traditionally in Mexico?
Yes—and each one has its own sacred role. But it’s essential to understand that not all medicines are interchangeable or appropriate for every context.
- Cacao is one of the most ancient heart-opening medicines from Mesoamerica. It’s gentle and grounding, often used to soften and center the heart.
- Salvia divinorum, native to the Mazatec region, is traditionally used in prayer and divination. It’s fast-acting and intense, often used solo in darkness—not in group ceremony.
- Peyote, a sacred cactus containing mescaline, is used ceremonially by Huichol and other Indigenous peoples in Northern Mexico. It’s typically consumed in overnight prayer ceremonies centered around fire, music, and vision.
And while not a plant, it’s important to mention 5-MeO-DMT—a powerful compound derived from the venom of the Bufo alvarius toad, native to northern Mexico. This is definitely not a medicine to be taken lightly. It produces a rapid, intense dissolution of ego and identity, often described as a “experiencing the void” or full spiritual collapse into unity.
“Will I Lose Control?”
This is one of the biggest fears people carry into ceremony. What if I cry uncontrollably? What if I throw up? What if I feel too much?
First, you are not alone in that fear. Second, losing control isn’t a failure—it’s often the beginning of freedom.
- Bodily release (tears, shaking, even vomiting) is completely normal. It’s your nervous system doing what it was designed to do: release, reset, realign.
- No one is judging you. We create a non-judgmental, compassionate space where you can feel safe to fully be yourself—even in the messy moments.
“What If I See Something Scary?”
Mushrooms don’t always show us rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes, they bring up the shadow—old pain, fear, or unresolved emotion. That’s not punishment. That’s the invitation.
- Challenging visions are not meant to hurt you—they are messages asking to be seen, felt, and released.
- With the right support, these moments can be incredibly healing. They often hold the exact breakthrough your heart is ready for.
- Our team is trained to gently guide you back to your breath, your body, and your truth if things feel overwhelming.
“Can I Do This With My Partner?”
Absolutely. In fact, We’ve witnessed some of the most profound moments of connection and healing happen between couples during ceremonies.
- Journeying together can deepen empathy, trust, and emotional intimacy.
- That said, everyone’s process is personal. Even in shared space, we hold each person as their own sovereign being.
- At The Buena Vida, we welcome couples while still offering individual support so each person can fully drop into their own experience.
“Am I Spiritually Ready?”
This is such an important question—and one only you can answer.
Spiritual readiness isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about your willingness to show up authentically.
- Are you open to the unknown?
- Are you willing to release control, even for a moment?
- Are you curious about what’s beneath the surface?
“What If I’m Retraumatized?”
This is a question that we refuse to take lightly. Seriously, There are too many supposed healers claiming their “magical drug” is all sunshine and rainbows. We’re doing deep work here. And yes, trauma can surface in ceremony. That’s not failure—it’s healing in motion.
- Memories, sensations, and emotions may arise. But the difference is, you’re not reliving them—you’re reclaiming power in how you meet them.
- When we guide this process intentionally, it becomes a safe unraveling, not a retraumatization.
- What matters most is what comes after: integration. That’s where insight becomes change.
This is why going through the mushroom experience with an experienced facilitator is mandatory at The Buena Vida. More on this later.
Healing vs. Escaping — What Can a Mushroom Ceremony Really Do?
Mushroom ceremonies aren’t about escaping your life. They’re about re-entering it with truth.
Yes, psilocybin can dissolve the ego. That “I” voice in your head? The one always controlling, judging, strategizing? It softens. Sometimes it completely disappears. What’s left isn’t emptiness—it’s expansion.
In that space, deep healing can happen.
- You might meet your inner child and hold them for the first time in decades.
- You may see past-life images or ancestral imprints asking to be healed.
- You could experience spontaneous forgiveness—for yourself, for someone you swore you’d never forgive.
- Or you may simply feel connected to everything—the trees, your breath, your own beating heart.
These aren’t hallucinations. They’re remembrances. They’re parts of you coming home.
This work doesn’t pull you away from life. It roots you more deeply into it. It reconnects you with parts of yourself that got buried under survival, shame, or disconnection.
Why Integration Is Non-Negotiable
The ceremony is just the beginning. Real transformation happens afterward.
It happens in the tears you cry in the bath days later, in the journal entry where you name something for the first time, in that vulnerable phone call with your mom, or in the way you speak more kindly to yourself in the mirror.
Without integration, insight fades. Without support, old patterns creep back in.
That’s why, at The Buena Vida, we take integration seriously.
- We offer pre-retreat courses to prepare your heart and nervous system.
- We walk you through guided integration—not just once, but over time.
- We give you tools, community, and accountability to help anchor medicine in your life.
When Ceremonies Go Wrong: What You Should Know
Let’s talk about the shadow side of this work, because ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.
Mushroom ceremonies can be deeply healing. But when done carelessly, they can also be confusing, destabilizing, or even harmful. The container matters. The facilitator matters. The integration matters.
The Dangers of Poor Facilitation
We’ve seen it—and it breaks my heart every time.
Facilitators with good intentions but no trauma training. Ceremonies with no medical screening. Participants combining mushrooms with antidepressants or other medications without informed guidance.
- Skipping medical and psychological screenings puts participants at serious risk.
- Mixing medications like SSRIs or benzos without support can dull or distort the experience—or create physical danger.
- Lack of trauma sensitivity can lead to retraumatization instead of healing.
This isn’t recreational. This is spiritual surgery. And you deserve someone who knows what they’re doing.
When Emotions Overwhelm
One of the most common fears I hear is: “What if I go too far and can’t come back?”
Let me say this clearly: you’re not going crazy. You’re unraveling—and if it’s held well, that unraveling is part of your return.
- Yes, you might feel vulnerable.
- Yes, old pain might surface.
- Yes, it might feel like too much in the moment.
But with proper support, these moments become catalysts, not crises. You are not breaking down. You are breaking open.
The Buena Vida Difference
This isn’t just a retreat—it’s a relationship. Between you and the medicine. Between tradition and modernity. Between healing and wholeness.
We blend neuroscience and therapeutic insight with indigenous ritual and reverence, and every guest receives personalized support—from intake to integration. This isn’t mass production. This is sacred, intentional work.
Over the years, We’ve had the honor of guiding more than 1,000 guests through this journey. Each one with a different story. Each one met exactly where they are.
- We keep our groups small and intimate—so you’re never lost in the crowd.
- You receive preparation materials, group calls, and integration tools before you ever set foot in ceremony.
- And after? You’re still held. With check-ins, coaching, and a community that gets it.
A Journey Home to Yourself
You won’t come back the same—but that’s the point.
A mushroom ceremony isn’t about escaping who you are. It’s about returning to who you’ve always been, beneath the noise, the wounds, the roles.
If something in you feels ready—even if you’re still scared—that’s enough. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to be willing to meet yourself, with open eyes and an open heart.
If you’re ready to explore psilocybin in a safe, supportive, and sacred container, learn more about our upcoming retreats. Your healing isn’t a luxury. It’s a birthright.
We’ll be here when you’re ready to come home.
