The use of Ayahuasca Healing Rituals in a Shamanic Treatment Model of Addictions

Psic. Armando Loizaga Pazzi

Addiction as Failed Individuation and Counter-initiation

Adolescents begin using drugs out of curiosity, out of a desire to experience the forbidden taboo behind the establishments warning of “say no to drugs”. Underlying this experimentation there seems to be a heroic sense of protest against a paternalistic attitude of society which is perceived to be repressing their individuality. In this sense, drug experimentation becomes a distorted quest for individuation. In Jungian terms, we all must find our sense of self through the constant friction between our ego and the collective. This journey of self-discovery is what CG Jung termed individuation.

For today’s youth, drug use and the rituals surrounding it satisfy an archetypal need for initiation and quest for meaning inherent to all human beings. The desire to go beyond the ordinary and shallow existence by altering their consciousness could be understood as a search for something deeper within the self that will transform their outer world and infuse it with meaning. There is however a hedonistic principle behind this ephemeral quest for mystery without the proper initiation, sacrifice and the aesthetic demands proper to any true spiritual transformation.

Desperation and protest are two key elements in understanding the psychosocial cornerstone of addictions. Paradoxically, there is a positive undertone to this misdirected approach: those who dive into the world of drug use reject to conform to the current narcissistic society seeking a “promised land” by disapproving a reality which is perceived as chaotic and ill.[1] It is through embarking in this dark and dangerous journey that adolescents find a reactionary tool against an adult society that seems to insist upon imposing excessively rational and materialistic values that only reinforce a consumerist attitude towards life, distancing them ever more from the spiritual values that they seek. Ironically, it is this excessive consumerism which indirectly reinforces addictive values.

There is however a deft response by the dominator society[2] which scapegoats the individuals in such a position by labeling them as rebellious or even worst, as diseased. A more mature and responsible societal attitude would necessarily require an honest reappraisal of the observations and constructive criticism that an increasing portion of the public, as well as numerous intellectuals and scientists are making: there is an overemphasis on an obsolete morality which can be easily interpreted as hypocritical, where happiness is correlated to a life of senseless competitiveness to acquire and accumulate material wealth at any cost. Along with this shallow view of existence there is also an abandonment of the individual by society at large that only deepens the collective narcissistic wound.

From this psychosocial perspective, drugs and counter-initiation through drug rituals could be understood as a reaction to the collective spiritual void of our times.[3] It is not merely coincidental that drug subcultures are invested with ritualistic behaviors and inundated with spiritual symbolism and images. Eastern deities imprinted on T-shirts on one end, and Satanic or demonic images on the opposite end of the same continuum, express the underlying aspiration of today’s youth to reach the transcendent energy behind such symbols. Within the idea of “flying high” or “taking a trip” is a distorted and perverse sense of journeying into the mystical dimension of the Self. However, this misguided search for the transpersonal without first building the necessary foundation of the ego results in further psychic wounding (Wilber,86).

This darting and heroic transgression into the spirit world in search for ambrosia, the magical substance which made the Gods immortal with out any sacrifice, can only bring wrath to an unconscious individual. Today’s youth engage in a Promethean[4]quest for the spiritual fire of Olympus. Inevitably the wrath of the Gods awaits the mortal who pretends to enter the spirit world without proper initiation and permission. This permission is only granted to those who have successfully completed an initiation and have humbly performed the necessary ritual that gently taps on the door to the netherworld.

There is however, a lack of solid and reliable social institutions, which could efficiently cater to this collective need for renewal and transformation. In Luigi Zojas words, “What today’s (drug) users lack is the interior space which together with external rituals, serves to contain the experience of renewal” (Zoja,89). This internal space can not be denied nor it can be left to the individual to foster it with out any guidance. Modern society should be able to provide institutional initiation. However, this calls for masters and structures formed over a long period of time and in a context of a whole participating culture (Zoja,89). Furthermore, it requires that society as a whole comes to terms with its own shadow; primarily, a paralyzing fear of change: death and old age[5]. Until then it will not be able to reawaken the social-spiritual institutions that for millennia have eased its members through the necessary rites of passage and proper initiation into the inner world. The perennial institution responsible for this most important survival mechanism of spiritual renewal has been Shamanism.

Shamanic Model of Addiction
“Shamanism is not simply a collection of elaborate rituals, ordeals and pathological personalities, at its fullest shamanism is a dynamic connection into the totality of life on the planet”
T.Mckenna 92

Shamanic Cosmology

All tribal cultures live in unity with nature and with the universal laws. Their sense of the world is an amalgam of God, world and ego. There is no discrete separation between these concepts. This symbiotic, synchronistic and synergistic universe is the axis of the shamanic world view. The notion of a power that permeates all being is a constant thread throughout all of natural societies.[6] This energy or awareness of an interconnected intelligent “Other”, behind the perceived reality, bears many names. The Eskimo call it inuat, the African Masai ngai; the Australian Aborigines call their dreamtime alcheringa, ungud or jugur. These primordial energies correspond to the better known concepts of the Chinese ch’i, the ki of the Japanese or the Indian prana or akasha – the magna matter or universal matrix.

Unlike the Western view of reality, the daily life of natural societies is a non-differentiated dialogue with this vital energy source, making every mundane act a flowing spiritual experience. All aspects of reality and of nature are perceived as expressions of this non-material and mysterious essence behind physical phenomena. The Newtonian notion of a mechanistic and linear causality is replaced by a synchronistic and symbiotic interconnectedness of all things within the natural order. It becomes therefore, a survival imperative for the individual and for the collective to maintain a balanced and harmonious relationship to this other world and with the spiritual forces that inhabit it. Successful hunting, plentiful harvesting, fertility, physical well being and healing are all manifestations of this balanced relationship. On the contrary, disease and misfortune are direct expressions of some kind of interruption within the energy system. The shaman is the individual invested with the task of maintaining such a balance and to correct it when it has been interrupted.

Plants as Teachers

Perhaps the most significant partnership within this symbiotic relationship between man and the natural order is mans reliance on plants for his own survival. Plants do not only constitute an important source of food but have long been and continue to be the source of most medicinal remedies and knowledge. Every tribal community in history has devised some form of access into the “vegetable mind” within nature in order to learn directly from the plants what their medicinal properties are and how they should be employed. Western science cannot incorporate into its Newtonian scientific framework and methodology the concept of an intelligent dialogue between man and the vegetable world. However, this is the reported source of botanical gnosis by healers and shamans through out. They seem to bypass the lengthy trial and error procedure by accessing the wisdom directly from what they call “master” or “teacher plants”.[7]

Plants that are now considered toxic possessed a privileged status as sacred plants in many cultures. Tobacco is sometimes called “flesh of the Gods” in the Amazon basin and is considered to be the medicinal plant par excellence, present in most healing rituals in all of North and South America. In some ethnic groups the word tobacco is synonymous to medicine (Mabit,98). It is through the ritualized use of tobacco juice that the healer or patient enter a modified state of consciousness and communicate with the spirit of Tobacco or with the gods.

In South America, the coca plant is the cornerstone of the medicinal practices of the Andean cultures, considered to be a divinatory master plant, which constitutes the highest offering to the gods and is the active symbol that sustains the ritualized communication with the divine universe (Mabit,92 ).[8] The coca plant has been revered for its potency to heal numerous maladies. The abuse of cocaine as a stimulant drug is a direct result of chemical manipulation of the plant ignoring its sacramentality.

The sacramental use of cannabis predates written history and this tradition continues with diverse tribes in Africa, certain Hindu sects, Moslem fakirs and Sufis. “Indeed marihuana has been employed for insight and ecstasy by members of virtually every major religion in history”, write Bennett, Oshburn and Oshburn. In China hemp is still widely used for medicinal purposes and in India, based on its eminent place in the holy Vedas, cannabis continues to be an offering to Shiva in the form of bhang, a beverage made of almond milk and spices. Naga Babas are sadhus, India’s holy men, who give darshan or blessings in the form of cannabis smoke (Hartsuiker ).

Transgression of the Natural Order

These are but a few examples of sacramental relationships with healing plants that paradoxically present serious health problems to Western societies. Viewed from the shamanic perspective, the parametrical consequences of these relationships lays in the attitude towards the plants and the intention with which they are used. Modern societies approach these plants from a utilitarian perspective, seeking only the narcotic effects in order to transform their perception of reality without a deeper spiritual intention of transcendence.[9] With in the shaman worldview, plants will only teach and heal those who respect and love them. Those who transgress into their realm are subject to severe consequences.

The ritual constitutes the only gateway through which the individual may safely enter the wisdom and healing realm of the plant spirit world. An apprentice relationship to the plant presupposes guidance and a humble, honest and patient approach by the individual. Without clear intentions and strict rituals, which include purification norms such as fasting, bathing and prayers, the relationship to this sacred realm is transgressed upon and the person is exposed to retaliation by the angry plant spirit. This retaliation takes the form of a Promethean condemnation to be possessed and enslaved by the plant spirit. The secondary symptoms of this quasi-possession are dependency, alcoholism and addiction (Mabit,99).

Transgression into the spirit world results in a spiritual ailment or disease. This is where the shamanic model of addiction finds its first parallelism to our current Western understanding of addiction treatment. Regardless of advanced scientific hypothesis to the development of an addiction, the recovery process seems to find its sustenance in anchoring some form of spiritual transformation. The Twelve Steps of AA are probably the most widely accepted and employed treatment alternative chosen by individuals and professionals alike. The now famous letter by CG Jung to Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, laid down the recipe: Spiritum vs Spiritus. Spiritual ailments require spiritual healing.

As Shamanism makes no discrete conceptual difference between body, mind and soul but rather views the individual holistically recognizing its multidimensional nature, it ultimately seeks to correct the energy imbalance by working primarily on the energy field of the patient. This is where Shamanism echoes with the most recent findings in Consciousness research and where Transpersonal Psychology may provide a theoretical framework to better understand and validate the transdimensional and holographic work performed by shaman healers in the treatment of addictions. Grof confirms that, “When we take into consideration the new cartography (of human consciousness), important cultural phenomena such as shamanism...become normal and understandable forms of human endeavor, rather than psychopathological aberrations or fly-by-night fads”.

Shamanism is the most archaic institution known to man. Shamans were the earliest compailers of knowledge and they will be the future ones as well. It seems wise to explore what these ancestral healers may contribute to our current efforts against the “spiritual plague” of the Twentieth Century.

Traditional Healing and Medicinal Plants in the Treatment of Addiction
The Northern Peruvian Amazon is the natural setting for a pilot project in the use of medicinal plants and traditional healing for the treatment of addictions. Takiwasi, in Quechua “the singing house”, has been developing the first operational shamanic treatment model for understanding and treating addictions in an outpatient and residential modality since 1992.[10] The center is comprised by a number of multidiscipinary professionals working in an interdisciplinary way blending modern medicine and transpersonal psychotherapy with traditional healing and ethnobotanical remedies. Epidemiological research on treatment success remain in process and require further development, however the initial 49.4% recovery rate after two years from discharge, is considerably promissing (Giovi,96).

The basic premise of the Takiwasi model of treatment has been outlined in this paper. Addiction is understood as a consequence of transgressing upon the natural order and a by-product of a distorted counter-initiation (Mabit,99). The treatment objective in its broadest sense is to restore the patients’ connection with his or her spirit and realign the inherent healing energies within each individual. In this sense Takiwasi teaches self-healing through communion with the natural healing power of medicinal plants, community, spirit and nature.

The estimated length of stay for residential patients is nine months. This period of time is symbolic of the natural gestation period necessary for a rebirth transformation into a new awareness of self and reverence for a sober life. The treatment track is divided into three distinct phases of development in recovery: detoxification, psychospiritual regeneration and community reintegration.

Physical detoxification is achieved during the initial two weeks through a variety of natural methods: diuretics, sauna and baths with medicinal plants, fasting and ritualized administration of purging plants.[11] It is well understood that a complete physical recovery from addiction may take years; however, this initial phase is sufficient in preparation for the next treatment phase.

The psychospiritual treatment track incorporates occupational ergotherapy, group and individual psychotherapy and the ritualized ingestion of botanical psychotropic substances during supervised initiatory diets in isolation in the jungle. The periodic participation in ayahuasca healing group sessions is a particularly effective psychotherapeutic tool and functions as the primary catalyst for the exploration and integration of unconscious material. The use of ayahuasca as a psychotherapeutic tool will be discussed further in the following section of this paper.

In the shamanic treatment model, the path of recovery is through the ritualized containment of the necessary psycho-somatic energy field that enhances a greater awareness and acceptance by the patient of their own feelings and impulses. Recovery becomes a journey into and through the self passing through archetypal and symbolic representations of consciousness. The form and content serve only as structural elements to be holographicaly worked on by the patient and shaman alike, dissolving crystallized energy blocks that interrupt the vital energy flow in a vertical manner to the higher levels of consciousness.

Successful completion of treatment becomes a true heroic journey. Patients undergo an initiation through a death/rebirth ordeal that renews their awareness of self as a whole, participating being in the unfolding of life in the universe. This holistic and spiritual transformation continues to be the only effective antidote for addictions resonating with the now accepted formula: Spiritum vs Spiritus.

Ayahuasca Healing Rituals as Psychotherapeutic Intervention
“Ayahuasca is grown from cuttings and is thus thought to be one continuous vine that stretches back to the beginnings of time...it is compared to an umbilical cord that links human beings...to the mythical past” .
S.Hugh Jones 79

Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic sacred drink made from the Banesteriopis Caapi vine. In Quechua the word ayahuasca means “the vine of the soul” or “vine of the dead”, other names include, “the spirit liana” or ladder to the “Milky Way”.The bark from the liana is scrapped and then boiled for up to six to ten hours during a first cooking and then again for another such period of time. The active ingredients in the ayahuasca plant are a group of alkaloids, collectively known as betacarbolines of which harmine is the major component. The ayahuasca brew is fortified with any number of other plants; the most frequent added component is the chacruna plant, Psychotria viridis. The leafs of this plant are rich in dimeltryptamines or DMT and it is the chacruna which is considered among shamans to “paint the visions” while the ayahuasca is the teacher behind the visions. In Mabits words, “Ayahuasca is the ‘text’, the fountain of information, the content, it is the structure that provides the meaning and coherence, while the chacruna is the lightbulb which illuminates the text and thus allows it to be read, visualized, and therefore renders it conscious”.

The synergistic and symbiotic relationship between the ayahuasca vine and the chacruna plant becomes even more apparent when viewed from a pharmacological perspective. Harmine, the most important alkaloid contained in the ayahuasca vine is an indole that is not overtly psychedelic unless taken in amounts that approach dangerous toxicity. However, even in small quantities, harmine is an effective short acting monoamine oxidize inhibitor. The MAO activity is what potentates the oral ingestion of DMT

(Mckenna,Towers, Abbott,1984).[12] The molecular structure of DMT differs from Serotonin only very slightly, which explains the extremely potent yet short-term effects of the DMT trance, with no known side effects.

Transdimensional Healing in Ayahuasca Rituals

In the native context of its use, ayahuasca is considered to be a highly potent medicine or purga, meaning, purge and is respected as a remedy for almost any ailment. The physiological symptom is not necessarily treated with the ayahuasca. Instead, the ayahuasca reveals the origin of the malady and creates the transdimensional window of opportunity for its healing or “correction”. Ayahuasca, then appears not to act upon the physical body directly, but upon the energy field or template. Richard Gerber, a physician investigating the implications of the body’s subtle energy fields explains, “The etheric body is a holographic energy template that guides the growth and development of the physical body”. The effects of working at an imagery or symbolic level may correspond to direct interventions at subtle energy levels that ultimately transmute the energy blueprint that is responsible for the release of the psycho-somatic symptom.

The purging effects of the ayahuasca are an important part of the healing experience. For patients, the act of vomiting or throwing-up becomes an experience of throwing-out. The physical act of expulsion is accompanied by a conceptual awareness of the elimination of psycho-emotional contents. These may be negative events, emotions or attitudes. In the internal imagery of the subject, this exercise may take on the form of expelling any number of objects: snakes, insects, rocks or black smoke (Luna,91). The healing takes place when the individual integrates this synesthetic and multidimensional experience with feeling a sense of relief or liberation. Both cognitively and emotionally the patient experiences letting go of guilt, for example in the form of a butterfly, fears in the form of snakes or simply getting rid of uncertainty or slothfulness by expelling “negative vapors”.

Direct intervention by the shaman takes place in a similar form. Shamans develop an ability to “see with the heart” or “the inner eye”. This visionary capacity is universal in shamanic traditions (Eliade,64). The illness or malady is perceived as a three-dimensional image of a demonic and repulsive creature inside or near the body as a kind of metaphorical hologram (Talbot,91). The shaman then may perform a kind of trans-dimensional surgery at the energy body level thereby removing the malady. Current research in quantum physics, systems theory, and bioenergetic fields support these findings and the plausibility of these holographic interventions[13].

The Ayahuasca Experience from a Transpersonal Perspective

The field of Transpersonal Psychology has also been transforming our understanding of human consciousness and the psyche. From a transpersonal perspective, ayahuasca visionary work has significant parallels to other forms of deep experiential psychotherapy[14]. Particularly helpful in structuring the ayahuasca healing experience within a clinical theoretical framework is the cartography described by Stanislav Grof and supported by years of research in non-ordinary states of consciousness. Ayahuasca experiences have significant correspondence with his findings in Holotropic Breathwork.

The content of an ayahuasca session is always unpredictable and varies significantly each time. There is however a basic commonality to the themes encountered during the trance. The experience is usually rich in symbolic imagery and archetypal motifs. The following is a categorization of contents of ayahuasca experiences based on the Grofian perinatal matrices. The word perinatal refers to the events before, during and immediately after birth. Exploration of non-ordinary states of consciousness has provided convincing evidence that we do store memories of perinatal experiences in our psyches, often at deep cellular levels (Grof, 93). Deep perinatal memories can also open a gateway to what Jung termed the collective unconscious. The Basic Perinatal Matrices (PBM’s) correspond to four distinct phases of biological delivery. Each phase has very distinct emotions, physical sensations and symbolic images and becomes a sort of psycho-spiritual blueprint that guides the life of the individual (Grof,93).

During an ayahuasca session patients may encounter feelings of oneness, submerging into the ocean, sensations of floating in space. They may have visions of encountering the “Cosmic Serpent” as Mother of the Universe or voyaging beyond the Milky Way. All these events may correspond to intra-uterine expressions of the BPM I, characterized by experiences of the “Amniotic Universe” prior to the onset of delivery.

The next category of ayahuasca experiences find parallels to BPM II themes of “ Cosmic engulfment and no-exit” corresponds to the moment when contractions begin but before the cervix opens. The subject may perceive to be devoured by a snake or jaguar, or to be trapped by a giant spider. Visions of Hell, torture or dismemberment accompany a fear of death and feelings of helplessness.

Particularly idiosyncratic to ayahuasca sessions is the possible sensation of spiritual depredation by sorceress or unfriendly spirits. These power struggles could represent the difficulty encountered during the initial struggles of birth and correspond to the third perinatal matrix, PBM III. Battle experiences of this kind seem to fortify the individual by connecting him or her with a sense of inner power and their faith on supernatural helpers. In Jungian terms this confrontation with the shadow or the notion of slaying the dragons is a necessary prerequisite for a successful crossing of the threshold to individuation and mark the gateway onto the deep underworld of the unconscious (Campell,73).

The fourth and final category of experiences of this comparison corresponds to the PBM IV or the “Death and Rebirth” experience. Patients may experience being born from the jaguar or serpent mother. They may have recollections and sensations of their own birth. Colorful lights and feelings of renewal, overwhelming peace and tranquility following a great struggle during the session may well correspond to the liberating experience of biological birth. This type of breakthrough tends to initiate the individual onto a different level of visionary work. The imagery becomes progressively clearer and a sense of self-efficacy and mastery accompanies the successful crossing into the world of the spirit or the Self. In terms of Campbell’s Heroes Journey, the individual is now ready to encounter the Goddess and may finally find atonement with the Father. Feelings of forgiveness, compassion, humility and reverence for life engulf the individual along with visionary encounters with deities and spiritual helpers. The messages and insights in this phase of innerwork are related to the resolution of important problems or events in the person’s life.

This comparison and tentative categorization of experiences is suggestive of parallels between ayahuasca healing sessions and other forms of transpersonal psychotherapy.

As with other types of deep experiential self-exploration, the experiences described above do not present themselves in neither a discrete or linear fashion. There seems to be an inner organizing principle within the self that determines the type of experience necessary for healing at that particular moment. A kind of scanning of the energy or emotional body takes place and amplifies the imbalance, representing it in metaphorical and symbolic terms. Integration of the teaching may take place during the session or may occur well after the experience is fully metabolized.

Significant work on the perinatal level of the psyche can influence a broad spectrum of psychiatric problems and is typically necessary to restructure self-destructive tendencies. Patients who experience psychological death and rebirth and/or cosmic unity tend to develop a negative attitude towards the state of mind induced by alcohol and drugs. This form of experiential work has proven to be extremely helpful in the treatment of Addictions (Groff, 88).

Synergistic Effects of Ayahuasca in Cognitive Processing

Another interesting property of ayahuasca as a psychotherapeutic tool is that it appears to act synergistically upon cognitive processes allowing for better adaptation skills. Ayahuasca permits the formation of meta-cognitions, the underlying cognitive structures that sustain and contain the though parameters of everyday informational processing (Fericla,97).

One of the most observable cognitive phenomena of the ayahuasca trance is the awareness of a clear and distinct inner dialogue, comparable to becoming an observer within the psyche. This kind of self-perception in the form of an autobiographical movie, similar to a lucid dream state, allows for immediate informational and value processing from an objective point of view by the subject. A self-reflective space is created within the psyche that allows for a lucid inner dialogue to take place. Sometimes the reflections are perceived to flow from within the self, accompanied by a sense of obviousness or re-cognition. This feeling of precognition permits the individual to recognize inner resources available, fortifying a sense of self-efficacy. Other times the conscious awareness seems to come from outside the self. This may take many forms, most predominantly the external source is identified as the ayahuasca plant spirit; other plant spirits like the coca plant may communicate with the subject, family members, spiritual deities or power animals seem to be consistent sources of helpful information for the patients recovery journey.

From a clinical point of view the source of this awareness appears to be irrelevant. Most important is the amplification of the space within consciousness that allows for this inner dialogue to take place generating insightful conclusions that shed light to the individuals behavior, attitudes and values allowing for better adaptability in ordinary consciousness. It is important to note that this self-evaluation is always partial to the individual, there appears to be no value judgments that could generate feelings of guilt or shame. There is however, an emotional response of true remorse and relief through understanding, acceptance and forgiveness as a result of this cognitive restructuring.

Conclusion
Ayahuasca has been revered as a powerful medicine for thousands of years in its endemic Amazonian context. As any other powerful medicine it requires mastery in its application. A sharp knife is an effective knife because it cuts well. The same knife can function as a life-saving instrument or it can inflict a deadly wound. The proper use of the knife depends on the individual who uses it. Ayahuascas effectiveness as a medicinal and psychotherapeutic instrument demands a proper structure through its ritualized use, as well as, trained psychotherapists working together with knowledgeable and initiated healers.

There seems to be an important psychotherapeutic resource in the ritualized use of ayahuasca. It would be important however to study this potent plant admixture within the context of its traditional use. The ritual itself, the healers and shamans interventions are variables that must remain constant for an effective understanding of the healing properties of ayahuasca.

From a modern psycho-anthropological perspective, addiction can be understood as a failed attempt of initiation in which the archetypal need of spiritual awakening and transformation becomes distorted and ultimately harmful to the individual. Treatment for addictions with in this conceptual framework would necessarily include a redirection of this archetypal energy. The most important elements for this transformation are the provision of a safe psychic container and a powerful catalyst that enable this archetypal transformational process to take place within the individual. Shamanic rituals constitute the contention space that historically have provided the necessary structure and methods for the safe crossing of psychic and spiritual boundaries into the process of transformation and renewal. The ritualized and sacramental use of master or teaching plants has been the vehicle of choice by most natural societies for the crossing of the threshold into the realm of the unconscious and has functioned as successful initiatory aids. The integration and implementation of these elements within a coherent shamanic treatment model is providing empirical evidence that the revival of archaic techniques of initiation and healing are an important recourse for modern societies in the prevention and treatment of addictions.

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[1] Ethnology, cultural anthropology and history have taught us that a certain amount of drug use has always existed and generally becomes accentuated when a society feels itself in a state of crisis. UNESCO Courier, year XXV Jan. 1. 1982

[2] Dominator and Partnership are terms coined by Riane Eisler, to describe from an anthropological perspective the two opposing societal models present throughout human history. The dominator model is male dominated, paternalistic, hierarchical and materialistic. Eisler suggests that our disenfranchisement from nature, the loss of a sense of community and the loss of our contact with inner spiritual forces is the legacy of the dominator model. EISLER, Riane- 1987. The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future. San Francisco: Harper and Row.

[3] Christine Grof, in her book, The Thirst for Wholeness: Attachment, Addiction and the Spiritual Path builds a wonderful piece of work around this notion and states that “...this fervent thirst for wholeness...is the underlying impulse behind addictions.”

[4] Prometheus was the Greek hero who stole the fire of Olympus by tricking the Gods. In punishment, Zeus condemned him to eternal imprisonment chained to a rock and to suffer the devouring of his liver by an eagle every night only to have it regenerate during the following day. This is much like the fait of addiction: imprisonment and suffering is the price for attempting to play with the spiritual forces of the Universe. The liberation of Prometheus was possible through the willful decent of Chiron into Hades, the underworld. It is only through this act of surrender and willingness to symbolically die to an addictive lifestyle and be reborn to a new life in sobriety that addicts can successfully recover.

[5] Cross-culturally, access to a higher state of being is possible only through symbolic and ritual death and regeneration. ELIADE, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane. New York: Harcourt Brace Janovich 1968.

[6] In his book, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, Mircea Eliade, has revealed the consistency and internal coherence that shamanism maintains throughout its practices and techniques regardless of time and place. This cross-cultural body of knowledge suggests that behind the idiosyncrasy of rituals specific to each culture, there is an operational dimension within the spirit world that follows concrete and specific norms.

[7] Jeremy Narby, anthropologist and author of The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the origin of knowledge, is one of many converted scientists who dared experiment first hand what Amazon shamans were reporting as the source of the botanical knowledge behind their mastery over the local environment and resources. They insisted that this knowledge came to them under the trance induced by ayahuasca, a psychotropic vine of the jungle. He later developed a brilliant hypothesis where DNA may be the conduit for this dialogue between man and plants.

Fred Alan Wolf, physicist, is another convinced scientist who also incursioned into the Amazon jungle to drink the ayahuasca brew in search of insights into his field of study. His book: The Eagles Quest, is also a most fascinating journey into quantum physics and shamanism.

[8] For many of the indigenous cultures in the Andes the coca plant is referred to as “Mama Coca”. Anthony Henman has written a book with this name describing in detail the intimate relationship between these cultures and the sacred coca plant.

[9] PNUFID, United Nations Program for the International Fiscalization of Drugs, the UN organization advocated to the control of drug abuse, published a paper Autochthonous Populations and Drug Abuse, where they state: “It is evident that drugs have played an important part in the activities and culture of humanity for centuries. However, it is only since the apparition of techniques that have allowed for the refinement and concentration of the active ingredients in plants that drugs have been separated from their cultural context and have become a true plague”.

[10] Takiwasi – Center for the Treatment of Addictions and Reaserch of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Healing. Prolongacion Alerta # 466, Tarapoto Peru. Tel (51-94) 525479 email- takiwasi@sm.itdg.org.pe

[11] The ritual application of purging remedies for detoxification in the treatment of addictions is a natural and effective procedure, which is also employed in the Tam Krabok monastery in Thailand. This Buddhist monastery treats heroin and opium addicts with traditional medicine and strict behavioral methods reawakening spiritual vows in their participants.

[12] This is a clear example of the sophisticated gnosis of shaman pharmacology obtained through direct communication with the “vegetable mind” or plant spirits existing for thousands of years prior to the discovery of MAO inhibition by Western science in the 1950’s.

[13] David Bohms theory of an implicate order in quantum physics, Rupert Sheldrakes research on morphogenetic fields of resonance and Karl Primbrams findings supporting the notion of a holographic model of the brain, are all theories converging into a new paradigm of reality that corroborate these ancient healing techniques.

[14] Walter Adritzky, PhD. provides a preliminary comparison of the ayahuasca healing experience and transpersonal psychology in his article: Sociopsychotherapeutic Functions of Ayahuasca Healing in Amazonia – Journal of Psychoactive Drugs Vol. 21(I) Jan-Mar 1989.