"What can I expect during a Kambo session?"
While it is impossible to know exactly what to expect from your Kambo session, the basic structure of how the day will flow is more or less the same every time.
Everyone's personal experience will be different and even if you have already experienced Kambo, it's best not to have any expectations. It is normal to have a lot of questions or even feel a little anxious before your treatment.
While the Kambo experience is often somewhat uncomfortable (unless you actually enjoy purging, as some of us do), it can also be gentle and even blissful. Purging can take many forms. Vomiting, shaking, crying, laughing, sweating, yawning, explosive diarrhea, or all/none of the above can be expected.
Whatever the medicine has in store for you, one thing is for certain - something inside you is changing. As your practitioner and guide, my role is to bring you through the process safely, while providing you with gentle coaching to help you get the most from your experience. The process itself is quite short, about 20 to 40 minutes.
Everyone's personal experience will be different and even if you have already experienced Kambo, it's best not to have any expectations. It is normal to have a lot of questions or even feel a little anxious before your treatment.
While the Kambo experience is often somewhat uncomfortable (unless you actually enjoy purging, as some of us do), it can also be gentle and even blissful. Purging can take many forms. Vomiting, shaking, crying, laughing, sweating, yawning, explosive diarrhea, or all/none of the above can be expected.
Whatever the medicine has in store for you, one thing is for certain - something inside you is changing. As your practitioner and guide, my role is to bring you through the process safely, while providing you with gentle coaching to help you get the most from your experience. The process itself is quite short, about 20 to 40 minutes.
Timeframe
If you are receiving a 1 on 1 treatment, you will want to give yourself a 2 hour window for our entire time together. Though the actual time with Kambo only lasts 20 to 40 minutes, we will need extra time for consultation, setting up the space, resting afterwards, integration, etc. If you are part of a group, things can take a bit longer. In general, it's a good idea not to have any major plans after your treatment so you can be flexible with time.
Preparing the Space & Setting Intentions.
After our initial introduction, we will take some time to make sure the space is set up for optimal comfort and safety. Once the space is set, we will have a brief consultation. We may talk about your past, state of health, and current life situation...This is an organic process and will flow like a conversation with the intention of discovering a little more about your condition. With this information, we will create a healing protocol that will help you get the most from your treatment. From this point, you can really focus in on your intention. Working with clear intentions will be a very important part of your healing process.
What do I need to heal?
What is holding me back from progressing in my life?
How do I want to be feeling more often?
What am I asking to receive?
These are a few examples of good questions to ask yourself while setting your intention. This intention will be your focus point for the rest of the ceremony. You might keep this focus by speaking your intention to yourself, or by holding an image of your desired outcome in your mind, or maybe your intention is emotion based and it comes to you as a feeling. Whatever the case may be, your intention is a prayer for yourself, so however you choose to keep it in focus is entirely up to you.
Opening the Ceremony
Once our space and intentions are set, we will have a short meditation to quiet the mind, become present, and I will offer a short prayer that will set the tone for our ceremony. This is a non-religious ritual and you will not be asked to adhere to any dogmas or belief systems. It is simply a way of creating an appropriate atmosphere with clear and focused intentions.
Water
The first thing you will be asked to do is to drink about 2 liters of water before the Kambo is applied. Water is a very important aspect of the Kambo process. As the Kambo draws toxins into the stomach, the water will act as the vehicle to carry it out and facilitate the process of purification though purging. It can be mildly uncomfortable to drink as much water as we do doing during a Kambo process, but it is essential. As biological beings, water is our first medicine and we will regard it as such.
Burning the Gates and Applying the Kambo
When you have finished your water, we can start burning the points, or "gates." This is done with a stick of incense or a small piece of vine that is burned and then gently touched to the top layer of skin for a fraction of a second. This top layer of skin is then removed, exposing the lymphatic fluid which will carry the Kambo through the entire body. Traditionally, points would almost always be on the arm or leg. Nowadays, we incorporate the science of acupuncture, energy meridians, and chakra points to focus our treatments. The placement and number of points is usually intuited in the moment.
At this time, the Kambo is applied to the freshly opened gates. Depending on the location, type of treatment and number of points, you will have anywhere between 30 seconds and a couple of minutes before you start to feel the effects. The first thing you will feel is a warm flushing sensation, an increase of heart rate, and you may start to feel some tingling in your extremities. After the initial flush, the blood pressure will begin to fall and you will start to feel nauseous. This is the point where purging usually begins. Purging is most commonly achieved through vomiting, though other common reactions can be sweating, shaking, emotional release, fainting, rigor, needing to go to the bathroom, or various combinations of these. Whatever it may be, you are releasing something that needs to go and the Kambo is doing its job perfectly.
The Kambo points will remain on the skin for 20 to 40 minutes before being washed off. I will be with you from start to finish, coaching you through the process to get you through the other side as safely and comfortably as possible.
Rest, Closing the Ceremony & Integration
After your process you will be feeling tired and ready to lie down. You may still have some lingering sensations, but they will pass in a short time. It is not entirely uncommon to have a headache for some time or feel a little run down before you start to feel better. Some people feel great immediately after and are ready to seize the day. Everyone is different.
Once you've had enough time to rest, we will close the ceremony the same way we began - with a short meditation to give thanks for the Kambo frog, the tribes who serve as its protector, and the experience to partake in this healing journey together.
Is it a good idea to take the rest of the day to integrate your experience. Avoid putting yourself in intense or stressful situations. If you can be in nature, that is best, but at the very least try to avoid excessive exposure to technology or other unnecessary distractions.
If you are receiving a 1 on 1 treatment, you will want to give yourself a 2 hour window for our entire time together. Though the actual time with Kambo only lasts 20 to 40 minutes, we will need extra time for consultation, setting up the space, resting afterwards, integration, etc. If you are part of a group, things can take a bit longer. In general, it's a good idea not to have any major plans after your treatment so you can be flexible with time.
Preparing the Space & Setting Intentions.
After our initial introduction, we will take some time to make sure the space is set up for optimal comfort and safety. Once the space is set, we will have a brief consultation. We may talk about your past, state of health, and current life situation...This is an organic process and will flow like a conversation with the intention of discovering a little more about your condition. With this information, we will create a healing protocol that will help you get the most from your treatment. From this point, you can really focus in on your intention. Working with clear intentions will be a very important part of your healing process.
What do I need to heal?
What is holding me back from progressing in my life?
How do I want to be feeling more often?
What am I asking to receive?
These are a few examples of good questions to ask yourself while setting your intention. This intention will be your focus point for the rest of the ceremony. You might keep this focus by speaking your intention to yourself, or by holding an image of your desired outcome in your mind, or maybe your intention is emotion based and it comes to you as a feeling. Whatever the case may be, your intention is a prayer for yourself, so however you choose to keep it in focus is entirely up to you.
Opening the Ceremony
Once our space and intentions are set, we will have a short meditation to quiet the mind, become present, and I will offer a short prayer that will set the tone for our ceremony. This is a non-religious ritual and you will not be asked to adhere to any dogmas or belief systems. It is simply a way of creating an appropriate atmosphere with clear and focused intentions.
Water
The first thing you will be asked to do is to drink about 2 liters of water before the Kambo is applied. Water is a very important aspect of the Kambo process. As the Kambo draws toxins into the stomach, the water will act as the vehicle to carry it out and facilitate the process of purification though purging. It can be mildly uncomfortable to drink as much water as we do doing during a Kambo process, but it is essential. As biological beings, water is our first medicine and we will regard it as such.
Burning the Gates and Applying the Kambo
When you have finished your water, we can start burning the points, or "gates." This is done with a stick of incense or a small piece of vine that is burned and then gently touched to the top layer of skin for a fraction of a second. This top layer of skin is then removed, exposing the lymphatic fluid which will carry the Kambo through the entire body. Traditionally, points would almost always be on the arm or leg. Nowadays, we incorporate the science of acupuncture, energy meridians, and chakra points to focus our treatments. The placement and number of points is usually intuited in the moment.
At this time, the Kambo is applied to the freshly opened gates. Depending on the location, type of treatment and number of points, you will have anywhere between 30 seconds and a couple of minutes before you start to feel the effects. The first thing you will feel is a warm flushing sensation, an increase of heart rate, and you may start to feel some tingling in your extremities. After the initial flush, the blood pressure will begin to fall and you will start to feel nauseous. This is the point where purging usually begins. Purging is most commonly achieved through vomiting, though other common reactions can be sweating, shaking, emotional release, fainting, rigor, needing to go to the bathroom, or various combinations of these. Whatever it may be, you are releasing something that needs to go and the Kambo is doing its job perfectly.
The Kambo points will remain on the skin for 20 to 40 minutes before being washed off. I will be with you from start to finish, coaching you through the process to get you through the other side as safely and comfortably as possible.
Rest, Closing the Ceremony & Integration
After your process you will be feeling tired and ready to lie down. You may still have some lingering sensations, but they will pass in a short time. It is not entirely uncommon to have a headache for some time or feel a little run down before you start to feel better. Some people feel great immediately after and are ready to seize the day. Everyone is different.
Once you've had enough time to rest, we will close the ceremony the same way we began - with a short meditation to give thanks for the Kambo frog, the tribes who serve as its protector, and the experience to partake in this healing journey together.
Is it a good idea to take the rest of the day to integrate your experience. Avoid putting yourself in intense or stressful situations. If you can be in nature, that is best, but at the very least try to avoid excessive exposure to technology or other unnecessary distractions.
