Position of the Ceremony with the Psychedelic Drink Ayahuasca in the Society of the Amero-Indians of the Amazon

Amazonian shamans use ayahuasca in guided rituals to expand consciousness and gain deeper insights, primarily for therapeutic purposes. The experience is often described as colorful yet indescribable, so shamans express their expanded consciousness and deep knowledge through painting. These paintings are imbued with their cosmology and understanding of the world, serving as a means to better understand personal problems. While ayahuasca can cause harmful psychotic and paranoid reactions, its therapeutic value—including consciousness expansion, sensitization to psychological issues, and their resolution—is considered paramount.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The Amero-Indians of the Amazon traditionally use ayahuasca for various physical and psychological ailments. Shamans in the Peruvian Amazon use the psychedelic drug ayahuasca to have various experiences in guided rituals. The goal of this religious experience is to expand consciousness and gain deeper insights. Consumption of the drink can cause harmful psychotic and paranoid reactions, but the therapeutic value is paramount, namely, the expansion of consciousness, the sensitization to psychological problems, and the search for their solution. The experience gained in the ayahuasca ritual is colorful yet indescribable, so painting pictures serves to better understand the problem that the person is trying to solve. After the ayahuasca ritual, the Amazon shamans knew how to express their expanded consciousness and deep knowledge through painting. The paintings that emerge after the ayahuasca ceremony are imbued with their cosmology of understanding the world.