Category

the Dark Side

Lightworkers in the Dark AyahuascaEmotionsthe Dark SideTrauma

Lightworkers in the Dark

Ayahuasca visions, despite their glamorous reputation, are not all light and love—they can be shockingly dark and downright disgusting. Sometimes people feel shame about what they experienced in ceremony, or in the surprisingly intense times that can arise afterwards. Working as an integration therapist, here’s what I find myself saying, over and over again: “What you’re experiencing in the aftermath of your retreat is part of the process. The dark material that’s arising, the fear, the anxiety, the pain—all this…
May 13, 2020
When Ayahuasca Triggers Trauma Ayahuascathe Dark SideTrauma

When Ayahuasca Triggers Trauma

Ryan was a meditator, experienced with ayahuasca, so it surprised him (not in a good way) when a disturbing ceremony revealed the world as hollow and grotesquely meaningless. In the aftermath, he felt dissociated and numb. It took him the better part of a year to recover, and he was still wondering what had happened when we met several years later. He’d been wary of ayahuasca ever since. Ayahuasca can be powerfully therapeutic. Research is showing how ayahuasca can help…
Mar 30, 2019
Owning The Dark Side AyahuascaSocietythe Dark Side

Owning The Dark Side

I am not a fearmonger saying that ayahuasca is something dangerous to be avoided. Whether you as an individual should work with it, or not, I can't say. I believe that ayahuasca has tremendous value as a transformational agent, for both individuals and the collective. As a therapist working with integration, I witness firsthand the tremendous change ayahuasca can trigger in individuals. Along with other psychedelic medicines, I believe it offers a great deal of what we desperately need to…
Feb 27, 2019
Stacked Ayahuasca Vine
Knowing When It’s Enough, Part II AyahuascaIntegrationthe Dark Side

Knowing When It’s Enough, Part II

In ceremony a few years ago I received a most disagreeable vision of everyone in the circle lying back on their mats like giant infants, crying out "Give me more! Give me more!" The message couldn’t have been any clearer than if we’d appeared in diapers: immaturity, greedy appetite combined with shallow capacity—it was a humbling reality check around exactly what our responsibility is in this process. To me, that image pointed to a kind of passivity. Wailing “Give me…
Nov 28, 2018
Ayahuasca: Knowing When It’s Enough AyahuascaIntegrationthe Dark Side

Ayahuasca: Knowing When It’s Enough

It’s one thing to know when you’re called to start working with ayahuasca. It’s an entirely different matter to know when to stop. When is it time to take a break, or halt, at least for the foreseeable future—and how do you know when you actually need to go back and drink more? Here we’ll look at the issues of timing, sequencing, and pacing, and explore some questions to ask yourself as you navigate through your own personal landscape. I…
Nov 12, 2018