If you’ve ever sat in an ayahuasca ceremony, chances are the thing that stayed with you long after the journey ended wasn’t just the visions or emotions—it was the songs. Those mysterious, otherworldly melodies sung by the shamans during ceremony? They’re called icaros, and they hold a sacred, powerful role in the healing process.

At Nimea Kaya, where our ceremonies are guided by experienced Shipibo healers, icaros are much more than background music—they are medicine in sound form. 

So let’s explore what icaros are, where they come from, and how they help participants heal on deep, energetic levels during ayahuasca ceremonies.

What Exactly Are Icaros?

An icaro (pronounced ee-kah-ro) is a medicine song sung by an indigenous shaman or curandero during an ayahuasca ceremony. These songs are not composed in the traditional sense—they are received through deep connection with the plants, often during years of training and dieta (a process of isolation, fasting, and learning directly from the plant spirits).

Each icaro carries vibrational frequencies that influence the energy field of the person it is sung to. They can help cleanse blockages, guide visions, bring clarity, and activate healing on emotional, physical, spiritual, and energetic levels.

🎶 Curious about hearing authentic icaros in ceremony? Listen to an Icaro sung by Shipibo shamans.

The Language of Energy and Intention

Most icaros are sung in Shipibo-Conibo, the native language of the Shipibo people of the Peruvian Amazon. While participants may not understand the literal meaning, the healing doesn’t happen through translation—it happens through vibration and intention.

The shaman doesn’t just sing a random song. Each icaro is chosen (or spontaneously received) based on what the medicine is showing about a participant’s energy. The icaros function like spiritual tools—untangling emotional knots, calling in strength, or clearing stuck energy.

It’s almost like the shaman is doing energetic surgery using sound—singing directly into your field, tuning you like an instrument, helping you release what no longer serves and reconnect to your truth.

Personalized Healing: When the Icaro is Just for You

One of the most powerful parts of a Shipibo-led ayahuasca ceremony is when the shaman sings an icaro directly to you. This isn’t a general chant to the group—this is a personal healing session through sound, guided by the wisdom of the plants and the intuition of the shaman.

In that moment, you may feel:

• Emotions rising and releasing
  
• Your body moving or trembling
  
• Lightness after heaviness
  
• A clear vision or realization
  

You don’t need to “understand” the song intellectually. Your soul understands it perfectly.

Different Types of Icaros, Different Types of Healing

There isn’t just one kind of icaro. In fact, experienced shamans have several dozens of icaros in their energetic repertoire, each with different purposes. Here are a few examples:

• Opening Icaros: Used to start the ceremony, call in protection, and open sacred space.
  
• Cleaning Icaros: Help clear energetic blockages, emotional pain, or heavy energy.
  
• Vision Icaros: Enhance clarity and assist participants in connecting with spiritual guidance or visions.
  
• Grounding Icaros: Bring the participant back into the body and help with integration.
  
• Protection Icaros: Create a safe energetic container and ward off negative influences.
• Closing Icaro:  Also known as an Arkana, this Icaro seals energetic protection around the participant and imprints them with postive energy.
  

At Nimea Kaya, our Shipibo shamans are deeply attuned to what each participant needs, selecting or receiving the right icaro in the right moment.

Icaros and the Connection to Plant Spirits

One of the most mystical (and awe-inspiring) aspects of icaros is that they are given by the plants. During traditional training, a shaman undergoes long periods of isolation, following a strict dieta while connecting with specific plants. In that process, the plants “teach” them songs—transmissions of their energy and wisdom.

So when a shaman sings an icaro to you, it’s not just their voice reaching you—it’s the voice of the plants, translated through them.

This is why the medicine feels more alive and intelligent when accompanied by icaros—it’s because it is.

How Participants Experience Icaros in Ceremony

Every person’s relationship with icaros is unique, but here are some common experiences reported by participants at Nimea Kaya:

• “It felt like the shaman knew exactly what I needed, even without words.”
  
• “The song unlocked a memory I had buried for years.”
  
• “As soon as the icaro started, I felt the fear melting away.”
  
• “The icaros carried me through my journey like a lifeboat in the ocean.”
  

The power of icaros can’t be overstated—they help you move through your inner terrain when it feels impossible to do it alone. 

💬 Want to hear from others who’ve experienced this? Listen to our guests’ testimonials.

The Role of Icaros in Integration

Even after the ceremony ends, the icaro often stays with you. Some people hear the melody in their dreams, while others find it comes to mind during moments of stress or reflection.

At Nimea Kaya, we encourage participants to continue working with the memory or vibration of their icaros during integration. Whether through humming the melody, reflecting on the moment it was sung, or simply sitting with its energy—it can be a powerful tool for bringing ceremony wisdom into everyday life.

Why Authentic Icaros Matter

With the growing popularity of ayahuasca, some modern retreats have tried to replicate or “recreate” icaros, often without the necessary training or spiritual grounding. But real icaros are not just “nice songs.” They are sacred technology, and when sung by true Shipibo shamans, they activate profound levels of healing.

At Nimea Kaya, we work exclusively with highly experienced Shipibo maestros and maestras—keepers of authentic icaros passed down through generations. We honor their lineage, their training, and the sacred responsibility of carrying these songs.

Final Thoughts: Let the Medicine Sing to You

In the realm of ayahuasca healing, icaros are the heartbeat of the ceremony. They guide, protect, release, and reconnect you to your deepest self. They’re not just songs—they’re medicine, vibration, and spirit rolled into one.

If you’re considering working with ayahuasca, don’t underestimate the role of icaros. Sit with authentic shamans who have spent their lives learning these sacred songs. Let the sound wash over you. Let it move through you. And most of all—let it heal you.

🎶 Ready to experience the power of icaros firsthand? Join our next retreat in the Amazon.

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About the Author – Jill LEvers

This experience inspired her to co-found the Tierra Vida Healing Center in 2008, which later evolved into the Nimea Kaya Healing Center in 2013. For over 17 years, Jill has served as a bridge between the Western world and the traditional Shipibo culture, organizing Ayahuasca retreats, assisting guests with integration, and supporting individuals on their paths to personal growth and healing. 

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