Re:Some Vermonters turn to ayahuasca as a 'last resort' to heal
by PragmaticPulp on Friday August 27, 2021 @02:20PM
(#28331247)
> is it really more profound than what the other drugs do?
I suspect the drug itself is only part of the equation. A common theme among these newsworthy success stories is that the people had extremely high expectations going into their experiences. They weren't just seeking a recreational experience. They were convinced that this was the cure for all of their problems after reading a lot of glowing reports.
Some of them even paid thousands of dollars, traveled long distances, and participated in elaborate ceremonies with strong religious overtones:
> In February 2020, Whalen spent $3,000 to attend a seven-day ayahuasca retreat at the Soltara Healing Center in Costa Rica. On four of the seven nights, she participated in ayahuasca ceremonies with 16 other participants and two shamans.
> As each drank the brew, Whalen said, the healers sang icaros, or healing songs, meant to pull them deeper into the medicine.
> The woman pressed her lips against Whalen's head and inhaled deeply. "And just like that, I stopped crying ... and I knew it was over," Whalen said. "I could think of the people who hurt me; I could think of those times, all of the mistakes that I've made, and there was no longer that surge of shame and pain.
It seems the psychedelics may not be directly exerting an anti-depressant effect, but they may be pushing the right buttons in the brain to open the door for pseudo-profound experiences. Surround the psychedelic with enough high expectations and rituals and maybe it can help convince people that something amazing has happened.
But FWIW, I think most psychedelic experiences don't live up to the hyperbole in these articles or Michael Pollan books. I have a few friends who tried the Ayahuasca retreat thing. They said a lot of the people there were repeat customers back for their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th experience, hoping that maybe this time would be the magical time where they received the amazing benefits they had been primed to expect.
I suspect the drug itself is only part of the equation. A common theme among these newsworthy success stories is that the people had extremely high expectations going into their experiences. They weren't just seeking a recreational experience. They were convinced that this was the cure for all of their problems after reading a lot of glowing reports.
Some of them even paid thousands of dollars, traveled long distances, and participated in elaborate ceremonies with strong religious overtones:
> In February 2020, Whalen spent $3,000 to attend a seven-day ayahuasca retreat at the Soltara Healing Center in Costa Rica. On four of the seven nights, she participated in ayahuasca ceremonies with 16 other participants and two shamans.
> As each drank the brew, Whalen said, the healers sang icaros, or healing songs, meant to pull them deeper into the medicine.
> The woman pressed her lips against Whalen's head and inhaled deeply. "And just like that, I stopped crying ... and I knew it was over," Whalen said. "I could think of the people who hurt me; I could think of those times, all of the mistakes that I've made, and there was no longer that surge of shame and pain.
It seems the psychedelics may not be directly exerting an anti-depressant effect, but they may be pushing the right buttons in the brain to open the door for pseudo-profound experiences. Surround the psychedelic with enough high expectations and rituals and maybe it can help convince people that something amazing has happened.
But FWIW, I think most psychedelic experiences don't live up to the hyperbole in these articles or Michael Pollan books. I have a few friends who tried the Ayahuasca retreat thing. They said a lot of the people there were repeat customers back for their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th experience, hoping that maybe this time would be the magical time where they received the amazing benefits they had been primed to expect.