DMT is by far the most intense known drug except maybe datura - especially when ingested like in the ayahuasca ritual - and could possibly lead to real insights into our psyche and social conditioning, but instead it’s a bunch of celebrities and influencers peddling drugs that promise people they people can talk to god.
The most common trip report describes people talking to aliens or god, which is just so damn fascinating. I saw my life “flash before my eyes” on my trip, which is one of the possible explanations for near-death experiences (I’m highly skeptical of the original research though). There’s just so much to research here and none of it is going to get done in a Brazilian jungle.
> At the end of the hike, she told me that the best way to deal with the problem of plastic accumulating at her center was to burn it in large, ceremonial heaps. The smell of the smoke, she said, clears her retreat of bad energy.
In my mind this practically proves that these “shamans” have no actual insight* and are just exploiting the demand (good for them). By some accident of fate, the tribes living in South America discovered that combining a tea with MAO inhibiters and a tea containing psychedelic alkaloids could lead to a crazy experience. That’s it.
They’ve got no more insight into the nature of the universe or god than the first person to discover nixtamalization and make a tortilla.
> I’ve done Ayahuasca several times, each ceremony fundamentally life-changing. In one ceremony, the shaman helped heal years of abuse. One led to my divorce. The penultimate ceremony convinced me to make this film, instead of using my savings to buy a house.
I don’t know anything about the author’s circumstances beyond these few sentences so I’m not one to judge especially given my own “life changing” experience, but this reads to me like a manic response brought on by intense psychedelics. It brings to mind Arctic Monkey’s guide to Burning Man decompression. The first rule is that you don’t make life changing decisions right after going to Burning Man. The high/glow fades, the consequences stay with you.
All that said, looking forward to watching the documentary when it comes out. Thank you for reading my nonsensical rant.
* I’m nonreligious and don’t believe in anything supernatural so I never thought they did, but burning plastic to clear negative energy is beyond stupid. When does burning plastic not produce noxious fumes that should immediately signal that something is wrong? Just dig a fracking hole and bury it.