INFORMATION
On this page, we have carefully curated and presented information that is both insightful and engaging, aiming to enhance your understanding and interest in the topic of Ayahuasca and healing.
WHAT IS TRAUMA?
Traumas are mind-conditioning reactions to deeply distressing or disturbing experiences that can cause long-lasting harm. While traumatic events can happen at any age, children are particularly vulnerable to traumas, due to being helpless and most often unable to cope with adverse events in a resilient way.
Traumatic events may include:
- Physical abuse (hitting a child, throwing things at a child, causing injuries, pushing, using restraints)
- Sexual abuse (sexual intercourse, molestation, touching inappropriately, using sexually inappropriate language)
- Emotional abuse (shaming, name calling, put downs, excessive criticism, threats, overcontrolling, overprotecting)
- Neglect (not meeting the physical or emotional needs of the child, dismissing the child’s feelings, being uninterested in the child)
- Death of a parent, sibling, friend
- Separation from a parent, sibling
- Dysfunctional homes environments (domestic violence, addictions, parents with a mental illness)
- Dysfunctional social environments (war, racism, discrimination, poverty, bullying)
- Natural disasters
- Illness of a caretaker or of the child
- Accidents
Source: https://www.psychmechanics.com/types-and-examples-of-childhood-trauma/
Given the inability of most children to cope with traumas, the memory of the trauma is repressed. Repression is an involuntary response and children often block off thoughts, feelings or memories about the traumatic experience.
Unresolved and unprocessed childhood trauma can manifest in various physical and mental health issues in adulthood, among which:
- Depression
- PTSD / Complex PTSD
- Substance abuse and addictive behaviors
- Low self-esteem and self-worth
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Difficulty with relationships (trust issues, fear of intimacy, fear of vulnerability, communication challenges, difficulties in maintaining relationships)
- Insomnia
- Cognitive impairments (trauma can affect memory, focus and cognitive processing)
- Hypervigilance (trauma survivors may become hyper-alert, always scanning the environment including people for potential threats)
- Emotional dysregulation (emotional regulation is challenging, e.g., explosive emotions or emotional instability)
- Physical health issues (e.g., headaches, migraine, bodily pain, autoimmune disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular issues, cancers)
Each individual will respond differently to traumas, with different levels of resilience and subsequent challenges.
Ayahuasca is renowned to help one heal from trauma. During an ayahuasca ceremony, if the participant is ready, they may uncover or revisit repressed memories, reconnect with repressed emotions, release those emotions, receive guidance from the plant as to how they can heal and take care of himself / herself. Ayahuasca also increases spiritual connection and shifts perspectives, which allows the participant to gain insights and derive meaningfulness from their experiences.
Integrating the ayahuasca experience into a broader therapeutic framework, such as trauma-focused therapy, is critical for maximizing potential benefits and minimizing risks. Support from healthcare professionals and healthy connection with loved ones, healing practices and activities such as somatic therapy, breathwork and meditation, among other modalities, are also profoundly helpful.
At Ayahuasca Lux, we have created such a healing environment for anyone ready to heal and transform.
TOXIC SHAME
WHAT IS TOXIC SHAME?
Toxic Shame translates as negative core beliefs about your sense of worth. These core beliefs can take the form of a feeling that you are not good enough, a failure, unworthy of love, unworthy of happiness, inferior, inherently flawed and feeling self-hatred. Toxic shame is particularly harmful due to the fact that it is often unconscious, hidden from our full awareness.
CONSEQUENCES OF TOXIC SHAME
1. Internalizing the critical voices. This happens when an individual incorporates external criticism or negative comments from others into their own self-perception and self-talk. The individual starts to believe them and repeatedly thinks about them, often in a negative way.
2. Feeling that if people really knew you, they would abandon / reject you. In other words, having the feeling that if people knew how flawed you were, they would not like you.
3. Creating a persona to hide the real you and obtain validation from others:
• being perfect
• being nice
• never showing weaknesses
• lying
• focusing on image, focusing on external criteria of worth
• not depending on anyone, not asking for help.
• not expressing needs
• people pleasing
• controlling behavior
4. Trouble connecting authentically with others, fear of connection, fear of intimacy. You don’t want people to find out who you really are.
5. Getting others to need you; making people dependent on you.
6. Feeling lonely, longing for connection.
7. Settle for pseudo / superficial / illusory connections: promiscuity, addictions, superficial relationships, shallow conversations.
8. Repeated engagement in unhealthy relationships or situations, as individuals may feel they don’t deserve better.
TOXIC SHAME AND CONFLICT
Toxic shame has consequences in conflictive situations.
1. Conflict avoidance: Avoiding conflicts in order not to lose
2. Unhealthy communication: becoming overly submissive or overly defensive (e.g., rejecting all blame on others). In both cases, healthy communication is hindered.
3. Intimidation: becoming threatening or aggressive.
4. Heightened emotional response: intense emotional reactions to conflicts, perceiving them as personal attacks rather than normal disagreements or critiques.
TOXIC SHAME AND BOUNDARIES
Individuals with toxic shame experience difficulties in maintaining healthy boundaries.
• Feeling guilty for setting boundaries – feeling selfish
• Letting people use you
• Not being able to say no
• Isolating due to not being able to set boundaries
• Not respecting other people’s boundaries, being verbally, physically or mentally abusive.
CAUSES OF TOXIC SHAME
Toxic shame arises out of unmet needs in childhood. Every child needs to feel loved, connected and valued. Toxic shame is the result of a child having been subject, usually by parents and/ or siblings to:
• Belittling
• Criticism
• Neglect
• Mockery
• Not being allowed to express certain emotions like sadness or anger
• Promises not kept
• Unrealistic standards
• Negative comparison to others
• Emotional, physical or sexual abuse
• Not being validated
• Conditional love
• Humiliation
These behaviors send the child the message that they are not worthy of love and respect, and the child develops a sense of inadequacy.
SOLUTIONS
• Working with plant medicines, such as Ayahuasca.
• Psychotherapy
• Deep and healthy social connections
• Meditation
• Mustering the courage to reveal oneself
• Feeling safe and loved in vulnerability – limiting your exposure to toxic people
• Working on self-esteem and self-love
THE SHAME TEST
The following attitudes can be (but not necessarily and not strictly) signs of toxic shame. The more of these you identify with, the more toxic shame you may have.
• Feeling unlovable, worthless, powerless, undeserving, unattractive
• Being dogmatic, rigid, defensive
• Self-centered and egotic
• Belittling, criticizing yourself and / or others
• Choosing jobs or situations below personal capacities
• Having one or more addictions: substances (including fat, sugar, carbs) activities (work, internet, pornography, gambling, shopping, working out), types of relationships such as codependence, emotional states (e.g., rage, excitement, sexual arousal and release)
• A compulsion to rescue needy or disadvantaged people (Savior syndrome)
• Avoiding eye contact
• Being at the center of attention
• Social isolation
• Having few or no real friends
• Mistrust of other people
• Excessive sensitivity and defensiveness to perceived criticism
• Misperceiving neutral feedback as criticism or assuming criticism
• Feeling anxious or guilty about earned successes
• Feeling of being a fraud (imposter syndrome)
• Excessively focusing on past mistakes
• Putting your opinions and needs last
• Having unreasonable fear of failing or making mistakes
• Never admitting mistakes
• Apologizing all the time
• Neglecting one’s own appearance / hygiene
• Obsessive concern with one own appearance
• Perfectionism
• Rarely doing something nice for oneself
• Hiding the truth / lying to avoid disapproval
• Not taking care of one’s own health
• Avoiding introspection
• Deflecting, rejecting deserved compliments
• Being hard on yourself
• Giving lots of time and energy to others with little or nothing in return
• Not being able to express one’s need
• Being shy, passive, reserved or conversely, aggressive, bullying
• Not setting or enforcing healthy boundaries or healthy rules for others and for yourself
• Sabotaging yourself
Whatever the way, Ayahuasca will show you what you need to do and give you assignments, little by little, in order to heal. It will also show you why and how you are worthy of self-love and self-respect. The complementary work we do in our retreats will also lead you to a healthier and happier you.
RECOMMENDED READING
John BRADSHAW – The Family
John BRADSHAW – Healing the Shame That Binds You
Brene BROWN – I Thought It Was Just Me
THE IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATION
Ayahuasca has gained widespread recognition for its transformative potential. It offers a profound journey into the realms of consciousness, providing insights, emotional release, and new perspectives. However, it is important to understand that ayahuasca alone will not magically heal and solve all your problems. Real healing is a process that extends far beyond the confines of a ceremony.
The Ayahuasca Experience: A Glimpse of Possibility
During an ayahuasca session, you may find yourself in an altered state of consciousness, where profound insights and changes seem not only possible but effortless. The veil that shrouds your habitual thought patterns and emotional baggage may temporarily lift, revealing a brighter, more harmonious version of yourself.
In this state, it’s easy to believe that you have conquered your inner demons, released all your emotional burdens, and become the new you have always wanted to be. However, the true test comes when the effects of the medicine begin to wane.
The Reality of Integration
Integration is where the real work begins. As the intensity of the ayahuasca experience fades, the challenges of implementing the insights gained become apparent. Old habits and thought patterns may resurface, and the journey toward healing may seem more daunting than you initially thought.
Ayahuasca opens doors, but it’s up to you to walk through them. Real and lasting healing requires time, effort, and a commitment to integrating the lessons learned into your daily life.
The Myth of the Magic Pill
While it’s often said that a single dose of ayahuasca can be more efficient than years of therapy, this doesn’t negate the need for a comprehensive therapeutic process. Ayahuasca can certainly catalyze change, but it’s not a magic bullet that instantly resolves deeply rooted issues. As a matter of fact, healing from trauma is process that happens over time.
For individuals seeking to address patterns of dysfunctional behavior, trauma, or complex family dynamics, a holistic therapeutic approach is crucial. This includes thorough preparation before an ayahuasca session, support during the experience, and extensive follow-up afterward.
The Role of Support
Support is invaluable on your post-ayahuasca journey. Connecting with nature, engaging in physical activities, and spending time with supportive individuals can help you ground yourself and reconnect with reality.
If you took ayahuasca for therapeutic reasons, it’s highly beneficial to continue your healing process with the guidance of a qualified therapist or counselor. They can assist you in integrating the profound insights and emotions that may arise in the days and weeks following the ceremony. A series of therapy sessions with a professional who understands the dynamics of ayahuasca can amplify the positive impact of the experience on your daily life. These sessions can provide guidance, support, and a structured approach to integration.
Post-Ayahuasca Emotions and Experiences
In the days following an ayahuasca session, it’s common to experience a range of emotions that are connected to the ceremony. Some individuals even encounter episodes of altered states of consciousness during this period. While this can be unsettling, it’s essential to remain in a familiar and supportive environment.
Having a trusted person by your side and playing soothing music can help you navigate these experiences. If you have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to the individual who facilitated the ayahuasca ceremony or your therapist.
Harnessing the Post-Ayahuasca Energy
After an ayahuasca session, you’ll likely return home with newfound energy, motivation, and a desire to make positive changes in your life. This initial burst of inspiration is potent, especially in the first week after the last ceremony. It’s during this window that you have the opportunity to translate your insights into action.
However, this newfound energy is not perpetual. If you don’t take deliberate steps to implement what you’ve learned, the lessons from the ayahuasca session can fade into memory.
Proceeding with Caution
While the insights gained from ayahuasca can be life-changing, it’s essential to approach major life decisions with caution. Avoid making impulsive choices, such as selling a business, ending a relationship, or upending your everyday life, immediately following an ayahuasca session.
To sum up, ayahuasca is a potent catalyst for personal growth and healing, but it is not a quick fix. True healing is a gradual and ongoing process that requires commitment, support, and integration. Approach your ayahuasca journey with reverence and a willingness to do the inner and outer work necessary for lasting transformation.
Practical Tips for Ayahuasca Integration
1. Journaling
Keeping a journal is a powerful way to document your ayahuasca experiences, insights, and emotions. Regular journaling allows you to track your progress, identify recurring themes, and gain clarity on your personal journey.
2. Meditation and Mindfulness
Practicing meditation and mindfulness can help maintain the sense of presence and awareness cultivated during the ayahuasca ceremony. These practices promote emotional regulation and mental clarity.
3. Seek Professional Support
If you’re facing complex emotional issues or mental health challenges, consider seeking the guidance of a therapist or counselor experienced in psychedelic integration. They can provide valuable support and therapeutic techniques.
4. Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Ayahuasca often inspires a desire for healthier living. Use this motivation to make positive changes in your diet, exercise routine, and overall lifestyle. A healthy body and mind are essential for integration.
5. Community and Sharing
Connecting with others who have experienced ayahuasca can be incredibly beneficial. Joining a community or support group can provide a sense of belonging and a space to share your experiences and insights.
6. Continued Self-Reflection
Continue the practice of self-reflection and introspection. Regularly revisit your ayahuasca experiences and insights, allowing them to guide your personal growth journey.
WHAT ARE ICAROS?
The most salient particularity of traditional ayahuasca ceremonies are songs the shaman sings called Icaros. In the realm of Amazonian shamanism, the Icaro, a mystical and potent magic song, occupies a central role. These songs are not merely vocal melodies but whispered, whistled, or sung incantations that hold immense power. The term “icaro” may have originated from the Shipibo term “ikarra,” signifying a shamanic song. These songs are a gift from the spirits of plants and animals to the shaman.
Icaros fulfill a multitude of purposes within the shamanic practice. They can summon spirits for purposes such as healing or protection and exert control over the visions experienced by those who have ingested ayahuasca.
Shamans typically acquire their unique Icaros, often regarded as “untransferable magic songs,” directly from the spirits themselves. While this is the norm, there are exceptions to this rule. Icaros can also be learned from one’s ayahuasca teacher or from other experienced shamans.
The most common way to develop personal Icaros is through a process that occurs while dieting with plants and other substances, during ayahuasca visions, in dreams, or through a deep connection to one’s own inner rhythms. This process can be challenging to articulate, especially when the resulting songs are in unfamiliar or incomprehensible languages.
The arrival of Icaros can manifest in various ways. Some shamans describe it as the plant itself communicating and teaching them to sing. The Icaro may be heard as if someone else is singing it, or it may be an inner, intuitive experience. Sometimes, words and melody come together simultaneously, while in other cases, they may emerge separately, with the lyrics being added later.
Crucially, Icaros facilitate a unique form of two-way communication between the shaman and the spirits of plants. It serves as the language through which the shaman converses with these plant spirits. Through the Icaro, the plant spirit communicates back, creating a profound connection. In essence, Icaros are the sacred keys that unlock and navigate the spirit realm in Amazonian shamanism.
A shaman’s prestige and standing are closely tied to the number and diversity of Icaros they possess. Experienced shamans may wield dozens or even over a hundred Icaros, each tailored to specific needs and circumstances.
Icaros, versatile and multifaceted, address a wide spectrum of shamanic needs and situations. However, their primary functions revolve around beckoning spirits, bestowing healing and protection, and modulating the visionary experiences induced by the sacred brew, ayahuasca.
Listen to one of our shaman’s Icaros in the video below.
THE 9 WAYS AYAHUASCA CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE
1. Emotional Healing and Release
One of the most remarkable aspects of Ayahuasca is its potential for emotional healing and release. Many individuals carry emotional baggage from past traumas, unresolved conflicts, or suppressed feelings. Ayahuasca’s psychoactive properties can gently guide participants through the process of confronting and processing these emotional wounds. It provides a safe space to release pent-up emotions, forgive oneself and others, and experience profound emotional catharsis.
2. Clarity and Self-Discovery
Ayahuasca is often described as a tool for self-discovery. It has the ability to illuminate aspects of one’s personality, behaviors, and thought patterns that may have been hidden or unexamined. By offering a fresh perspective on life’s challenges and one’s own inner landscape, Ayahuasca helps individuals gain clarity about their values, desires, and life purpose.
3. Improved Mental Health
Research and anecdotal reports suggest that Ayahuasca can have a positive impact on mental health. It has been associated with reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Ayahuasca journeys often allow individuals to confront and process the root causes of their mental health issues, leading to profound healing and a renewed sense of mental well-being.
4. Enhanced Spirituality
Ayahuasca ceremonies are deeply spiritual experiences for many participants. They often report a heightened sense of connection to the universe, nature, and the divine. This spiritual awakening can lead to a more profound understanding of the interconnectedness of all things and a deepened sense of purpose and meaning in life.
5. Breaking Addiction Patterns and Food Choices
Ayahuasca has shown promise in the treatment of addiction, including substance abuse. Some individuals struggling with addiction have reported that Ayahuasca ceremonies helped them break free from addictive patterns and gain a new perspective on their relationship with substances. The brew’s ability to promote introspection and self-awareness can be a powerful tool in addiction recovery.
Relatedly, you may find yourself turning down junk food, candy, soda, and anything that has practically zero nutritional value in favor of healthier food.
This shift in food choices often reflects a deeper transformation in how individuals perceive nourishment and self-care. Ayahuasca’s influence on breaking addictive patterns extends to dietary choices, encouraging individuals to prioritize wholesome, nutrient-rich foods that support their physical and emotional well-being.
6. Enhanced Relationships and Friendships
The insights gained from Ayahuasca journeys often extend to interpersonal relationships, including friendships. Many participants report improved communication skills, empathy, and a greater capacity for forgiveness and compassion. These changes can lead to healthier and more fulfilling relationships with partners, family, and friends.
Ayahuasca ceremonies may also lead participants to reevaluate their friendships. As a result, individuals may discover that they no longer resonate with certain relationships post-ceremony. This might initially seem challenging, but it often serves as a positive catalyst for personal growth.
If you’ve had that lingering feeling in your gut that certain friendships are holding you back, not supporting your dreams, or contributing to a sense of stagnation, Ayahuasca may provide the clarity and courage needed to make necessary changes. Whether you’ve struggled with weak boundaries, people-pleasing tendencies, or have grown weary of tolerating toxic dynamics, Ayahuasca can empower you to set healthy boundaries and seek more positive and nurturing connections.
7. Honesty with Self and Others
Ayahuasca journeys can shed light on the ways individuals may have been dishonest with themselves and others, whether by conforming to societal expectations or ignoring their true desires. This newfound honesty can lead to transformative changes in relationships, careers, and personal fulfillment.
8. Greater Mindfulness and Presence
Ayahuasca experiences are often characterized by a heightened sense of mindfulness and presence in the moment. This increased awareness can extend beyond the ceremony, leading to a more mindful approach to everyday life. Practicing mindfulness can reduce stress, increase emotional resilience, and enhance overall well-being.
9. Environmental Consciousness
Ayahuasca’s spiritual and ecological ties to the Amazon rainforest often lead participants to develop a greater sense of environmental consciousness and a commitment to ecological stewardship. This newfound appreciation for nature and its interconnectedness with humanity can inspire individuals to take action to protect the planet.
Ayahuasca offers a unique opportunity for individuals to embark on a journey of self-exploration and transformation. It not only catalyzes profound personal changes but also leads to significant shifts in habits, relationships, and personal honesty. Approach Ayahuasca with respect, intention, and in a controlled and responsible environment, such as a reputable retreat center, and prioritize integration to maximize the positive changes it can bring to all aspects of life.
II. SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES
GENERAL EFFECTS OF AYAHUASCA
1. Ayahuasca’s therapeutic potential: What we know – and what not (2023) Article Link
2. Insights, Life Changes and Lifestyle Changes Reported by Individuals Consuming Ayahuasca in Naturalistic Settings: Nature, Frequency and Associations with Mental Health and Wellbeing (2023) Article Link.
3. Ayahuasca Ritual, Personality and Sociality: Observational Research Conducted in a Substance Use Disorder Rehabilitation Center in Uruguay (2023) Article Link
4. Can ayahuasca reduce inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity? A pilot study (2023) Article Link
5. Adverse effects of ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey (2022) Article Link
6. Ayahuasca may help to improve self-compassion and self-criticism capacities (2021) Article Link
7. A placebo-controlled study of the effects of ayahuasca, set and setting on mental health of participants in ayahuasca group retreats (2021) Article Link
8. Ayahuasca and Childhood Trauma: Potential Therapeutic Applications (2021) Article Link
9. Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats—Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study (2021) Article Link
10. The Shipibo Ceremonial Use of Ayahuasca to Promote Well-Being: An Observational Study (2021) Article Link
11. Effects of ayahuasca on mental health and quality of life in naïve users: A longitudinal and cross-sectional study combination (2020) Article Link
12. Therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in grief: a prospective, observational study (2020) Article Link
13. Ayahuasca: Psychological and Physiologic Effects, Pharmacology and Potential Uses in Addiction and Mental Illness (2019) Article Link
14. Purging and the body in the therapeutic use of ayahuasca (2019) Article Link
15. The Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca: Possible Effects against Various Diseases of Civilization (2016) Article Link
16. Ayahuasca: Pharmacology, neuroscience and therapeutic potential (2016) Article Link
17. Experiences of Listening to Icaros during Ayahuasca Ceremonies at Centro Takiwasi: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (2022) Article Link.
INTEGRATION
18. Life after Ayahuasca: A Qualitative Analysis of the Psychedelic Integration – Experiences of 1630 Ayahuasca Drinkers from a Global Survey (2023) Article Link.
III. NON-SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES
1. I Tried Everything. Then I Tried Ayahuasca (Esquire, 2022) Article Link
2. 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Drinking Ayahuasca (High Existence, 2020) Article Link
3. The Brutal Mirror: What the psychedelic drug ayahuasca showed me about my life. (Vox, 2018) Article Link
IV. VIDEOS
We highly recommend the following documentary by French director Jan Kounen.