I know that psychedelic experiences are ineffable by their very nature, so I won’t mince words: My fourth ayahuasca ceremony was the single-most healing moment of my life... forcing me to confront, the darkest depths of my psyche: the root of my suicidal ideations and depression.

The settings and culture of the ayahuasca tourism industry are very different, nigh unrecognizable, from Indigenous ayahuasca traditions… The modern ayahuasca scene in Peru and elsewhere around the globe, is but a puppet, dressed in ceremonial garb to give the impression of authenticity…

While ayahuasca has become quite popular in the U.S. and the rest of the industrialized West, I realize many people don’t actually know what it is or what it does. So today, I want to elucidate some of the mystique surrounding this powerful medicine from the Amazon jungle.

As I pray, I can feel the acidic sludge churning in my stomach, like a snake, writhing it’s way down, deeper and deeper into my intestines… Unexpectedly, and without the consultation of my rational mind, my prayer morphs into a new intention:

Please Mother Ayahuasca, help me heal my gut.

Later in the evening, I would learn exactly why this shift occurred.

I stare down into the dark brown brew, but see no reflection in the glinting sludge. I grasp it with both hands and hold it next to my heart, silently praying my intention…

Integration is the single-most important—and most frequently bypassed—aspect of psychedelic therapy. It is most often thought of as a period of processing after a psychedelic journey… And it is. But I believe integration begins before the psychedelic experience itself.