Ayahuasca’s Craze in the USA

How the ancient jungle tradition has become a lifestyle

What Exactly is Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca has been around for centuries. It’s an ancient brew, native for the population of South America; and most common in countries such as Peru and Chili. This plant-based psychedelic is used in rituals in the deep Amazon jungle with the help and guidance of a local shaman.

Some people think that DMT and ayahuasca are the same thing. This is not the case.

If you want to read into this in-dept, in my recent article about DMT and ayahuasca I have gone into details explaining what their differences and similarities are; and how these two psychedelics affect your body and mind.

In basic terms, DMT is contained in ayahuasca. The former one can be smoked, injected, vaporized, or snorted. But drinking it alone will not cause any effect on you whatsoever. That’s because certain enzymes in your body protect it from the drug, after it’s been swallowed.

So, when mixed with the plant Banisteriopsis caapi, the outcome is a brew that gives you a trip that lasts up to 6 hours, in contrast with the 30-minute-trip DMT would usually give you on its own.

Ceremonies

After these ceremonies were exposed to the Western world, ayahuasca became more and more popular among tourists, especially those coming from the United States. People figured out that instead of going to the psychiatrist for months, they could just embark on a week-long journey of redemption in the Amazon forest.

The whole idea behind it is that you “purge” yourself (via vomiting and subsequently experiencing helluva lot on psychological and physical level) from your fears, anxieties, and even demons.

“Something has been lifted in this “purge,” something dark and deep I was carrying around for years,” says Sean Illing in Vox.

All this interest in the healing and life-changing rituals has spurred both positive and negative comments. Some people say that this type of tourism restores the old jungle traditions and boost native economies; others, however, argue that this may lead to excess demand and not enough supply, and all this may change the indigenous population.

The Emerging Urban Rituals

The psychoactive substance has been listed as illegal in the USA since 1970, but this hasn’t stopped psychedelic enthusiasts, “trippy” communities, and even Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to adopt it in their lifestyle; hence, creating different ayahuasca “circles” around the country, such as San Francisco and New York City.

“On any given night in Manhattan, there are a hundred ayahuasca ‘circles’ going on, ” says Ariel Levy in The New Yorker.

With ayahuasca’s growing popularity, it would be no surprise that the backyard usage of ayahuasca will continue to rise not only in the US, but in other parts of the world, as well.

The American entrepreneur Tim Ferriss, cited by The New Yorker, said that ayahuasca is all over San Francisco and that the brew:

“is like having a cup of coffee.”

The Microdosing Boom

Among all the places and people worldwide that ayahuasca has had a connection with, a particular place in the United States stands out the most — The Silicon Valley.

LSD

In the past couple of years, microdosing on LSD has been considered to have a rather positive effect on the body and mind of professionals. Benefits include higher productivity, focus, and creativity, along with better a day-to-day life.

Also, people are known to have used it to reduce stress that stems from the workplace. This trend comes under the name “life hack du jour.”

The center of the American innovative technology companies is becoming to get more and more associated not only with the LSD microdosing trend, but also, increasingly, with ayahuasca.

Ayahuasca

As business becomes more dynamic, more demanding, and more complex, certain things are bound to change along the way. Employee and CEO behavior is one of these things.

This now fast-paced technology industry forces people to be even more dedicated, more flexible, and more hardworking and concentrated than ever.

For workers and CEOs to keep up with the tempo of the marketplace, they have to use help from somebody or something. That’s where the new tech-world trend of microdosing on ayahuasca comes in.

The plant-based drink’s purgatory properties make it even more sought-after. As explained before, ayahuasca is a roller-coaster.

“I have fewer headaches and mental imbalances,” says L.S. for GQ.

The Retreats Boom

Some people, instead of using ayahuasca illegally in the United States, they prefer the traditional way of “purging” themselves. Emerging groups of people, especially those coming from the Silicon Valley and Manhattan, have started joining the so-called “retreats” — organized expeditions into the Amazon jungle, where participants take part in ayahuasca ceremonies, while being guided by a designated local shaman.

It’s important to note that these native shamans in the Amazon jungle are different to the ones in the States.

Even famous musicians and actors have experienced the psychedelic, such as Sting:

“I realized for the first time that this is the only genuine religious experience I have ever had;”

and Lindsay Lohan:

“It changed my life. I’m in a good place.”

Entrepreneurs Awakening is currently one of the places in America that are connected to the “retreat” trend. The San Francisco-based company has it written on its website that “Entrepreneurs Awakening does not provide ayahuasca retreats,” however it is stated just beneath it that an ayahuasca retreat in the Peruvian Amazon is one of the coaching programs it offers.

According to Business Insider, there have already been at least 50 people coming from industries, such as hardware, software, and financial tech startups that have passed through the program and have experienced an ayahuasca ceremony in Peru.

There is so much more information on people who have experienced the retreat and all this may lead us to think: well, does it have any benefit?

Does Ayahuasca Actually Help?

The brew has been used by indigenous people, such as the Uranina, which originate from the Peruvian Amazon. All this knowledge of what the drug is used for, how it’s prepared, and so on, has been passed to this day.

Although there has not been any concrete evidence that ayahuasca helps with mental health issues, there are still some sources that point out to the brew’s health benefits.

Moreover, if we take all the individual accounts of people who have tried and experienced it, I think that can get a clearer picture of the plant-based drink’s properties; and from all of the personal stories that I’ve read so far, I got the impression that, generally, people say that they are satisfied with the outcome.

Don’t hesitate to express your opinion on the topic and write a comment below :)