CREATIVE ADVENTURES — 79
Imagine You Attend An Ayahuasca Retreat
You may have heard stories of celebrities, CEOs, artists, and entrepreneurs traveling to Peru to attend an Ayahuasca retreat. Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew used as ceremonial spiritual medicine among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Ayahuasca has become very popular for addressing trauma, depression, and addictions. When people drink Ayahuasca tea, they enter an altered state of consciousness and experience mystical experiences.
In this exercise, imagine that you have gone to Peru for an Ayahuasca retreat:
- First of all, would you join such a retreat? Why or why not? Please explain.
- Let us imagine that you have decided to join a retreat. What happens next? How is your journey to Peru? Who accompanies you in your journey? Imagine your surroundings. Describe the setting and the shamanic rituals that you experience. What happens after you drink Ayahuasca tea? Write down diary entries that narrate your experience.
- Before joining in an Ayahuasca ceremony, you need to make some preparations such as freeing your body of toxins and abstaining from cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, sex, caffeine, and meat for two weeks. More importantly, you need to think about your deeper goals for your life. Why are you going through an Ayahuasca experience? What are the questions or problems that you are trying to address in your life? Make a list of them. What are you trying to achieve or solve in this retreat?
- Ayahuasca takes 30–60 minutes to kick in, and its effects last several hours (up to 6 hours). As it leads to an altered state, those who take it need to be looked after carefully. That is why a trusted experienced shaman is crucial for the experience. Those who drink Ayahuasca tea initially experience negative symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, strong hallucinations, mind-altering effects, fear, and paranoia. Write a horror story where you experience these negative symptoms and you feel trapped.
- Some ayahuasca retreats have medical staff on hand in case of emergencies. Imagine that you are a medical expert and a participant is experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack. How do you intervene? Write a story where you save the life of this participant.
- Ayahuasca ceremonies are described as risky but rewarding experiences. Some describe ayahuasca as having access to a third eye (meaning that you can truly look at yourself from a distance). Many experience them as journeys of spiritual awakening and rebirth, or a near-death experience. Write down a story where you describe a mystical journey that transforms your life.
- Although the ayahuasca experience is deeply unpleasant and intense, it might lead to powerful and meaningful visions deeply embedded in your childhood. Write a story on how you experience introspective healing and peace after such a ceremony. What did you realize?
- How can you create an enlightening experience for your soul without drinking Ayahuasca tea? What might be other ways to achieve inner peace, higher wisdom, and spiritual wellbeing? Think of 10 ideas and actions you can implement in your life.
- Write a story where you experience a spiritual revelation and undergo a spiritual transformation.