I decided to write about the specifics of the path of knowledge in shamanic traditions of Latin America. I’ve been deeply involved in this topic for the past fourteen years. I practically live among shamans, engaging in different practices and ceremonies with them no less than a hundred times a year.
I have already written articles about the features of shamanic ceremonies, the difference between true Ayahuasca shamans and false ones: amateurs and charlatans. I’ve written about how different traditions and rituals guide people through states of deep trance. In some traditions, mushrooms are used, in others, cacti (Peyote and San Pedro), and in the Amazon, a brew made from several plants is used, known as Ayahuasca.
In this article, I’d like to write about some of the psychological aspects of this path, about different stages and potential challenges that one might encounter along the way. But let’s start with defining the purpose of authentic shamanic ceremonies. In the tradition, the goal has always been healing. No one spoke about the need for spiritual growth, enlightenment, or understanding the essence of everything. These are modern seekers who want to use shamanism as another tool for enlightenment. They automatically apply many Eastern concepts and ideas to a different context without understanding the fundamental differences.
But what is meant by healing in an authentic shamanic tradition? This concept has never been limited solely to physical health. And even more so, it was primarily about mental or spiritual health, which in turn greatly affects the physical body. Indigenous people have long understood these connections. But how can one maintain mental or spiritual health? What are its signs? Today, we might describe it as a person’s balance, kindness, empathy, and ability to think clearly. Behind all this, there is a unifying concept. I would call it a developed consciousness. I can confidently say that true shamanic ceremonies develop a person’s consciousness. In this, they align with authentic Eastern practices. I’ve practiced both, and I can say for sure that there is similarity, though with many critical differences.
What happens to consciousness in a shamanic trance? Some say it expands. Others say its level rises. Both are true, depending on how the ceremony unfolds and what the focus is on.
For example, a person might remember many fragments of their life that they had forgotten or that they typically cannot recall: very early childhood, time spent in the mother’s womb. I had an Italian man in my group who, after a head injury while diving at the age of ten, forgot everything that happened before that event. In an Ayahuasca ceremony, he remembered his childhood for the first time in 35 years. Many ceremony participants have learned about events from their parents’ lives during the period when they themselves were in the womb. It happens that we remember fragments of our relatives’ and ancestors’ lives that we didn’t witness or that occurred before our birth.
These revelations are often confirmed later by inquiries and questioning relatives. Similarly, by recalling many details of our lives and the emotions associated with them, we discover the causes of our illnesses and problems. These phenomena, along with many others that could be described at length, are examples of expanded consciousness.
But there are phenomena of a much higher order, where we speak of accessing a completely different memory. This can only be expressed through metaphor or poetry. It can be called a state of remembering everything or remembering one’s higher «Self.» You could talk about encounters with original purity, the soul, or higher consciousness. There are infinitely many states and higher-order experiences that one might encounter in a shamanic ceremony. You can talk about their differences, levels, and gradations, but I don’t see much point in such a conversation. It’s more important to emphasize a few common features. Against the backdrop of these states, our life often appears as a fragment of a much larger life or game. All the problems of our biographical «self,» our usual personality, become insignificant. In this state, you can easily solve them, but often you simply don’t remember them due to their triviality. And if you do remember, you resolve them instantly. This is how many chronic illnesses are healed, or old internal conflicts and traumas are resolved.
One could spend a long time describing the beauty and power of these states. But within the scope of this article, I’ll limit myself to a brief mention of them. Let’s call these states heightened awareness. I should note that unlike expanded consciousness states, heightened awareness is not accessible to everyone, even if you are in the right shamanic ceremony. Certain preconditions must exist, a certain level of preparation, and these states don’t come in every ceremony.
A separate topic is how and why these experiences occur. Some believe it’s purely biochemistry. Others believe it’s primarily spiritual influence. This is a vast subject that deserves a separate article, if not a book. In short, the result depends on many factors: the right brew that accurately affects the brain, your correct mindset and previous life experiences, including meditation practice, the competent work of the shaman, and their readiness to accompany you on such a high journey.
Now I move on to the topic I actually wanted to write about.
The psychological peculiarity of this path, its drama if you will, lies in the fact that these high states are impossible to hold onto. You are always forced to descend back into your ordinary personality, with all its limitations, habits, and characteristic traits. Of course, after each such experience, you become a little different. But there is no way to hold onto these states.
You forget a significant part of what you saw there. Moreover, some skeptical part of you begins to doubt whether it was real, what it was, or if it was just your imagination. From your ordinary personality, you start to rely again on the logic inherent in it. You repeat many mistakes that lead to problems in relationships with people and illnesses, except for those moments that you have worked through.
In reality, to remember what happened during the ceremonies, it’s enough to sit down, stop the usual flow of thoughts, and start meditating. It’s easy. But something almost always distracts a person from this. Sometimes these states of meditation or deep memories of your true nature come upon you like a waterfall. After very powerful shamanic ceremonies, this can happen for about six months. But most often, over time, we build barriers that prevent us from recalling such states. The more often we enter these states of heightened awareness, the harder it becomes to forget them and ignore the new perspective on ourselves and life that they form. Gradually, we learn to bring this into our lives, smoothly adjusting our biographical «self.»
Many people wonder if it’s possible to achieve a similarly strong and characteristic experience through other practices: yoga, tai chi, Siberian shamanism, etc. Theoretically, yes. And practically, I know people who purposefully advance in developing consciousness through various Eastern practices. But I dare say that the intensity of the processes on the shamanic path in the tradition of Ayahuasca or Peyote is much higher. The main reason is that these traditions are still alive and close to their original purity (provided you’re in the right place with the right people). The second reason is that these traditions, while encouraging you to change internally, do not insist on radically changing your lifestyle. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of most Eastern practices depends on elements such as drastically changing your diet and place of residence. To maintain a stable connection with high states of consciousness in Eastern traditions, you need to live in seclusion and abstinence for a long time.
Most people are not ready for this. That’s why we more often meet people imitating these high states. Through books and their brief, fragmented experiences, these people know about the features of such states and can beautifully philosophize at various satsangs while mysteriously and serenely smiling! On the shamanic path, people are less inclined to this behavior because they are better informed about the karmic consequences of such hypocrisy and simply because they don’t want to waste their precious time on it. Although, of course, different people can be found everywhere. Personally, I don’t really like it when a person’s real state in a specific moment doesn’t match the high truths they are proclaiming. It devalues the words. Words lose their power, lose their magic, turning into empty noise. On the other hand, when a person does something while being in a corresponding state of consciousness, they can work magic. And to notice the difference, you need to learn to see people!
