CLICKHEREx Posted June 20, 2014 http://reset.me/story/opinion-10-things-know-first-ayahuasca-ceremony/ by Ira Israel on June 17, 2014 “Life down here is just a strange illusion.” Iron Maiden, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” Hats off to Bob Morris for his ruthlessly whitebread, antiseptic article in the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times! Glamorizing ayahuasca with celebrity quotes and citing the LA Weekly in calling it “exceedingly trendy” is irresponsible on so many levels! How someone managed to whittle an enlightening, transformational healing experience down to an anti-smoking advertisement is truly remarkable! Using ayahuasca to stop smoking would be like using the Hadron Subatomic Particle Collider to make Jello, like using mindfulness to toilet train a baby, like buying a Ferrari because you like the cupholder. For anyone considering partaking in a such a journey: 10. Your intention should be that you wish to experience the divine, the infinite, Mystery – whatever you choose to call “it,” the “other” as Slavoj Zizec refers to it – that which is beyond the limited perspective of your mind. 9. Accept that the divine/infinite/Mystery cannot be experienced in a way that will make sense to your brain; the divine is infinite; your brain is finite. Trying to cognitively grasp the infinite is like trying to pour the ocean into a thimble. 8. Be aware that you may not enjoy the information that the divine/infinite/Mystery chooses to share with you. However – even if you are a “Born-Again Atheist,” as Gore Vidal referred to himself – you will probably learn a great deal about the fleeting concepts you currently refer to as “My Life,” “My Self,” “My Beliefs,” “My Relationships” and “Reality.” 7. Each time you experience the divine/infinite/Mystery will be different – each experience is akin to a drop in the ocean. 6. The experience will be ineffable, beyond any language, and trying to put it into words will be daunting. 5. “10 years of therapy downloaded in a night” seems to be a fairly universal analogy to convey one of the outcomes. You may wish to take this into consideration before you make plans to attend the Knicks game the following afternoon. 4. The “icaros” (songs) are an integral part of the ceremony and through them you may gain a greater appreciation of the power of music. 3. If you do not adhere to a “dieta” (diet) before the ceremony, the plants will assist your body in ridding itself of the chemicals, salt, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, flesh and other toxins and impurities that you have crammed into it. This is commonly known as purging. If your body (including the subtle energy body) is clean, there will be nothing to purge. 2. Ayahuasca should not be used recreationally nor do I believe should be considered a hallucinogenic because… 1. One may realize that everything perceived through the five senses and assimilated by the mind (including afflictions, addictions, prejudices, etc.) is contrived. Ponder this: is it possible that plant medicine allows one to open “the doors of perception” – as William Blake and Aldous Huxley described – temporarily shed the subjective self, “realize” or merge with the infinite “other,” and thus gain a fresh outlook on mundane reality (subsequently inspiring one to curb afflictions, addictions, and prejudices)? Anyhow, before you endeavor on your first journey, I have been told that you should be wary of the bevy of unqualified people currently pouring plant medicine; be quite certain that your shaman is bonafide as you will be entrusting him or her with your psychological and emotional well-being when you experience your mind deconstruct and reconstruct itself. Yes, once the mind is shattered or “broken open” as Daniel Pinchbeck calls it, one may encounter what Mister Morris refers to in his article as “bipolarity and schizophrenia,” but maybe, just maybe – as R.D. Laing posited – reality OUT THERE (outside of our individual, subjective perceptions) is amorphous and not as linear, rational, well-defined, or comprehensible as our minds are wont to believe. I would be remiss if I failed to mention that, personally, I have never tried a hallucinogenic and doubt I ever will; to me there is something uniquely unappealing – from what I have been told – about hallucinating – it seems like a wasteful and potentially dangerous distraction; similarly, professionally – as a Licensed Psychotherapist and Licensed Professional Counselor - after treating many patients who damaged their brains using drugs recreationally, I do not advocate trying any Schedule 1 controlled substances. However, for anyone who is considering embarking on an ayahuasca ceremony I strongly suggest extensively researching the pros and cons, and refraining from buying into the glib perusal offered in the New York Times “Styles” Section last Sunday. Nobody who has ever drunk ayahuasca would report back that it’s a fucking “style!” Lastly, it is not a coincidence that people interested in those crazy, New Age “fads” such as yoga and meditation would gravitate towards plant medicine, for yoga and meditation were originally devised and designed to guide practitioners beyond their thinking minds and experience the divine/infinite/Mystery. Ira Israel is a Licensed Counselor, a Licensed Psychotherapist, and a Certified Yoga Therapist. He is the author of Mindfulness for Anxiety, Mindfulness for Depression, and Yoga for Depression and Anxiety. For more information about Ira please visit www.iraisrael.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strontium Dawg Posted June 21, 2014 Does anyone else find it incongruous that someone who, by their own admission has never taken a psychedelic substance feels they are qualified to write this article? I agree with their points by the way... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doxneed2c-me Posted June 21, 2014 I disagree with this... Stop trying to know and instead learn to understand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CLICKHEREx Posted June 25, 2014 Articles are better judged by the information they contain, rather than the experience, or lack of it, of the writer, in my opinion. Many journalists know little, or nothing about drugs, often referring to "synthetic LSD", for example, when LSD is a synthetic hallucinogen / entheogen, yet the content of their articles can still have validity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
machineelf Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) Good advice for any beginners. But the bit after, that says "to me there is something uniquely unappealing - from what I have been told - about hallucinating", made me spew beer all over my computer screen. Just kidding. As far as abusing something like Ayahuasca goes, that would be a once off mistake I imagine. I have never had Ayahuasca but have had DMT and mushrooms. In my experience, mushrooms are effectively a natural, orally active form of DMT and do not have dire consequences if abused. I imagine Ayahuasca (a man prepared brew of orally active DMT) may deal with you more severely if not used properly. For those that don't know DMT is not orally active because it gets broken down in the gut. Magic mushrooms contain Psilocybin and psilocin which is 4-phosphoryloxy-DMT and 4-OH-DMT respectively. The sole purpose of the phosphoryloxy and hydroxy groups is to prevent the destruction of the DMT so it can make it to the brain. Mushrooms may be better suited to beginner psychonaughts and maybe after a few of them I would try Ayahuasca. I have never had Ayahuasca because I believe mushrooms are more healthy, though if I were offered Ayahuasca in the right setting I may guzzle it. I find it strange that Ayahuasca has become popular. Mushrooms are a better way to go IMO. If mushrooms were not meant to be taken, God wouldn't have made them so good for you. Edited June 29, 2014 by machineelf 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted June 25, 2014 mushrooms (a natural, orally active form of DMT) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
machineelf Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) ... Edited July 3, 2014 by machineelf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CLICKHEREx Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) Good advice for any beginners. But the bit after, that says "to me there is something uniquely unappealing - from what I have been told - about hallucinating", made me spew beer all over my computer screen. Just kidding. Psychotherapists cannot go saying that they love to take drugs because it can ruin their credibility as psychotherapists. Rick Strassman who wrote 'DMT Spirit Molecule', didn't go blabbing on about trying DMT on himself but maybe he did. I am not suggesting that CLICKHEREx has ever used anything illegal. He certainly doesn't sound like he has. As far as abusing something like Ayahuasca goes, that would be a once off mistake I imagine. I have never had Ayahuasca but have had DMT and mushrooms. In my experience, mushrooms (a natural, orally active form of DMT), do not have dire consequences if abused. I imagine Ayahuasca (a man prepared brew of orally active DMT) may deal with you more severely if not used properly. Mushrooms may be better suited to beginner psychonaughts and maybe after a few of them I would try Ayahuasca. I have never had Ayahuasca because I believe mushrooms are more healthy, though if I were offered Ayahuasca in the right setting I may guzzle it. I find it strange that Ayahuasca has become popular. Mushrooms are a better way to go IMO. If mushrooms were not meant to be taken, God wouldn't have made them so good for you. I agree that hallucinogenic / entheogenic mushrooms are safer than ayahuasca, which can be fatal. Over the years, I've used many types of drugs, including psilocybin, in "goldtops" magic mushies, in Darwin. Edited June 25, 2014 by CLICKHEREx 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
machineelf Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) .. Edited June 25, 2014 by machineelf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) Psilocybin is 4-phosphoryloxy-DMT and Psilocin is 4-OH-DMT. Just because DMT is in the chem name doesn't make it DMT....apples and pears IMO One simple twist can make a compound deadly..... Edited June 25, 2014 by waterboy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
machineelf Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) ... Edited July 3, 2014 by machineelf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted June 25, 2014 Sanctimonious garbage article IMO.And then he makes it worse by adding a flourished standard disclaimer of never having tried any hallucinogen, and never intending to. He could have left out the standard disclaimer and seemed less of a tool, but no, it's in there in all it's glory Except maybe #5, which is the standard disclaimer for anyone wishing to consume recreational and/or spiritually enhancing compounds. A successful recovery day is part of the process I have been told that you should be wary of the bevy of unqualified people currently pouring plant medicine; be quite certain that your shaman is bonafide as you will be entrusting him or her with your psychological and emotional well-being when you experience your mind deconstruct and reconstruct itself. Sheesh, what a wanker. Is he suggesting we look for framed certificates on the wall? Or are we awaiting his list of what he would call 'bona fide shamans"? The best idea you can get about the quality of your administrator is the recommendations of friends. And even that's a guess Anyone who takes the smug prick at face value is going to have their trip pre-loaded by idiotic presumption 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strontium Dawg Posted June 25, 2014 Route of administration has more to do with how quickly a molecule enters the brain than its molecular structure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) * Actually really not worth the argument. Edited June 25, 2014 by waterboy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
machineelf Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) ... Edited July 3, 2014 by machineelf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted June 25, 2014 Fwiw i think dmt and shrooms are very similar in effect 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted June 25, 2014 Fwiw I think shrooms and DMT are excellent, especially at the same time. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted June 26, 2014 Machineelf , my 2 cents at least for some clarification. There is a reason I used "apples and pears" ....and you might have got it - but I am not sure, they are similar but they are not the same. As for my "twist" comment you jumped the gun, and I should have been more clear. That is not in direct reference, but a statement that one simple change can make all the difference to a chemical being beneficial or detrimental....just one change. No reference to any toxicity of psilo's or DMT..... My turn of phrase is hard for most...most of the time...lol 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
machineelf Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) ... Edited July 3, 2014 by machineelf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
