what is ayahuasca?

2018. Ayahuasca is a South American brew used among indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin. It is a psychedelic brew commonly made from Banisteropsis caapi vine combined with Psychotria viridis shrub, also known as chacruna. The chacruna contains the psychedelic chemical DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine). The vine comprises a naturally occurring monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) that prevents first-pass metabolism of DMT, allowing it to be orally active. Ayahuasca is also translated in many traditions as "Vine of the soul" or "The purge" because it cures the soul, offering a profoundly introspective journey that allows the user to examine their emotions, ways of thinking, and behavior. The effects of ayahuasca typically last all night and are accompanied by vision, purging (vomiting, diarrhea, which is believed to release built-up emotions and trauma held in the body. The brew should always be administered by an experienced Shaman/s or Curanderos/as. The Shamans will sing chants or icaros to help guide you through your experience.
I would describe the experience of ayahuasca as it being forced therapy. All those emotions and ways of thinking and feeling stuck in your body will be forcefully brought to light, sometimes what feels like experiencing multiple feelings simultaneously. I have now sat in twenty separate ayahuasca ceremonies, twelve of which were in a more Shipibo tradition and eight with two Brazilian tribes called, Yawanawa and Huni Kuin. The main difference between the two cultures was that the Shipibo ceremonies were in complete darkness, while the Yawanawa had a large fire in the center for offerings. The Yawanawa also required using two medicines before ingesting the ayahuasca, Sananga and Hape (I will do other posts about these medicines). The Shipibo ceremonies felt more directed towards throwing you into the purge while still feeling held.
The Yawanawa were also holding me through my purge for the first half of the ceremony. Still, in the other half of the ceremony, they brought you into this pure celebration and joy (dancing, allowing other participants to sing). This, of course, is subjective and could be different for anyone else. They also did some pretty badass face painting on you which is believed to help guide you through the experience. These ceremonies were so incredibly varied by magnitudes and came with other lessons. I can, in particular, say that a few of these ceremonies contained the most difficult moments in all the ways I have ever experienced in my life. I can say for sure that without the 'pre-work' (eating healthy, exercising, breath-work, yoga, sauna, cold plunges, work with other psychedelics) I did to prepare for these experiences or the support system I am beyond grateful to have, this very well could have been myself (article below). In my experience, this medicine is not a fix-all and will open doors to your healing for months after. It is hard for me to describe how strenuous and rewarding the last six months have been after returning from Peru. For someone with a mental illness in their family, I knew that I had to prepare and that it was a delicate and risky decision. I am fortunate to have friends guiding me in the right direction for safe places and people to have these experiences with.
Coming back from such a calm, supportive home and family there to the US has been extremely difficult to process, even with a support system here. Please, this is not the 'cool' thing to do and should not be taken lightly. Let's look out for each other. This piece of art was created from one of the most challenging ceremonies I sat in. It was pretty much me purging for the entirety of the ceremony with visions of snakes coming out of dragon's mouths. The visions were much more colorful than this drawing. The biggest lesson from this ceremony was to learn to speak up when I need help. That it is ok to need help. As a man, we are taught to be tough and keep all those feelings inside, which is detrimental to healthy masculinity. Knowing that some of life's most difficult experiences can bring some of the most profound lessons if looked upon with gratitude. I didn't have any art supplies, so this piece of art was created with a #2 pencil and computer paper in Peru. Thank you, aya, for making my art demonic.